God the Father, Spirit (Sermon of the last week in March)

My dear friends in Christ Jesus, I am so happy to be amongst your thoughts and hearts today.  It always feels like there is so much to do, and so little time to do it.  But we know from scripture that all things happening according the counsel of God's will.  All things happen through Christ and according to the truth.  We may have peace, because as Christians we have the special favor of God.  (2 Timothy 2:1)

He grants us special requests.  He keeps us from stepping out in front of traffic!  That special favor is not necessarily working in the lives of unbelievers.  But we know from scripture that we are not chosen because of our works, but all this was determined in the heart of our creator long ago.

I want to encourage of you my dear friends, to put trust not in your own discernment, but pray for and receive the God given discernment through the presence of the holy spirit in your life.

We know we can rely on prayer and conscious contact with God to guide our spirits.  Always find yourself within prayer!  Pray about everything my friends, and constantly speak to God within your mind.  But as you speak to God during the day as you go about your business, let me also encourage you to go on your knees before God in the morning and in the evening to give thanks and love to your creator.

He loves you so much, he truly does.  He is a wise and old spirit.  God is spirit.  He is a loving father.  He is your father.  So let me encourage you to call God "Father."  For we know from scripture that when we are born again in Christ, that we are no longer children of earthly parents, but God himself is our father.  Give him thanks!

It's so easy during the day to offer thanks to God.  Thank you Father for this food, Thank you father for that green light.  Thank you father for my job, my full tank of gas, my loving wife, my loving husband, or if you're still waiting for that person, Thank you Father for the woman I know you have out there, picked especially for me.

If we can find a way to trust and put faith in our dear heavenly Father, then we can know true peace of mind.  Because then, no matter what happens in our lives, we know, through and through, that God is in control and that nothing can happen without his permission.

The Father loves you dearly.  He loves you so much, he gave his son to grant you passage into eternal life.

Know that there is no perfect faith in this life.  If you have an off day, don't beat yourself up about it.  God knows our hearts are flawed as humans, constantly tempted by sin.  He UNDERSTANDS this, because he came down to us in human form, as Christ Jesus.  We know Christ Jesus was tempted in every way possible, and that he endured the pains of a human life without sin.  This paid the debt that humanity incurred through it's endless disobedience of God.  Our faiths will not be perfect, but let me encourage you to rise again when you fall.  And if you can't seem to rise up out of the gloom in your head, or the mindset of sin going on, ask your loving Father for a hand up.  We know he answers our prayers.  Because he loves us truly.

Justin's Sermon of the Week (2nd week of March)

You know I have to tell you about this individual, my dad.  Because hes really a big deal.  My father is the creator of the universe.

Yes, he's a big deal.

I can't know or understand this creator, this strange, curious, bizarre and mystery being that made all things. 

But I'm so curious about him.

And all these things hes made.  This ball of the light, the sun, that this ball of earth we stand on twists around it, all set up just right to allow for breath to enter my lungs and heat to come down and keep me warm.  My father keeps me warm.

And there is something else behind all that physical stuff.  That's love.  Love permeates every moment.  Love is my dog napping on my lap right now.  And she loves me, and trusts me so much she can just lay here and rest with me.

Does God love you?  Yep, yep he does.  Whether you believe that he exists or not, he does exist, and he does love you.  That's unconditional love.

And I'm not saying that I don't have an earthly father, I do.  And I love him and honor him, but I know from scripture, that's the word of God, that when I take Jesus into my life I am no longer a child of earthly parents, but God himself is my father.

What does it mean to take Jesus into my life?  The name "Jesus" is so overused and misused in our American culture that it's lost almost all it's meaning sadly.  The meaning remains, that is the true meaning, but when someone hears the name who doesn't necessarily follow Jesus or know scripture, it can cause a feeling of jadedness.  A feeling full of past prejudices, or times in the past that the name of Jesus was used improperly, and has now been associated with "hypocrite christians" and "arrogant judgemental people."  And there are certainly plenty of people out there who are like that.  They give poor testimony to the infinitely powerful name of this incredible figure in history.

Giving our life to Jesus, what does it mean?  It means going into scripture, the New Testament of the Bible and studying how Jesus lived.  More so it means accepting that Jesus paid the price for all the sins of humanity for ALL TIME on the cross.  And believing that he is the son of the most high God.  Once we do this we are reborn, our old self dies.  As we were dead in our sins. 

We receive the holy spirit, a force that speaks to us on doing right and guides us through a Godly life.

What a cool thing hm? 

It never seemed real to me.  Honestly, it never did.  I read about it, I knew about it, and even saw it in my family.  I couldn't explain it, but I had my own conclusions and misconceptions about what was "really" going on.

Then it happened to me.  I remember hearing somewhere that I wouldn't need anyone to tell me who God was when, and yes WHEN, he showed himself to me. 

I didn't know what that meant, but now I do.  God comes to each of us in a way we PERSONALLY can understand. That's how much he loves us.  He comes to us on a basis of our outlook and understanding of life.  He checks how we see perceive things, and makes himself real to us within a realm of thinking we can understand. 

And that's a real blessing.

It's a real blessing to have God in my life, to have Jesus in my heart.  Because that hole in my chest that was there my WHOLE LIFE is now filled.  I can feel it right now.  I can check for that emptiness and it's not there.  It's filled.  And I can be happy now.  It's not perfect, and it's hard.  But theres real peace in it. 

Let's go to God in prayer:  Father I ask that these words fill up the minds and the hearts of those reading.  That they would go to your word, the Bible and seek out their own unique understanding of the truth within those pages.  Father I ask that you bless these fine people, and give them peace, truth, and wisdom.  And Praise you Father, because you do.  We know all things work for good in the lives of those whom serve you.  Thank you Father, for your love and kindness to us, your creations, your child.  In Jesus name, Amen.