Episodes
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
Why We Do Christmas
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
Why We Do Christmas
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction: We are still in the season of Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival”. The Church begins this season of “arrival” or Advent as the time we recognize and celebrate the “arrival” of Jesus – both Jesus’ “first coming” and His “second coming”. We celebrate Jesus’ “first coming” on Christmas Eve. The season of Advent is, also, a season of hope; and Advent is the beginning of our Church’s “New Year”.
Message: What does Christmas mean to you? “Could we be missing the point of what Christmas is all about”? Irrespective of all the personal, social and cultural noise we encounter around the Christmas season, we must not lose sight of the fact that Christmas is all and only about Jesus. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the most important person that ever lived – the God and man Jesus.
Is this birth and life of the Incarnate and unique Son of God, as both the Creator of the Universe and the Savior of humankind, true? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” because Jesus birth and life are based upon historical evidence. Also, the birth of Jesus is God coming among us in a desire to have a personal relationship with us and with all people. If God is so desirous of a personal relationship with us, why did God go to so much trouble to bring Jesus to us? Because, every time we sin, we are building a barrier between us and God – God is Holy, and He cannot relate to sin. Therefore, God’s Grace provided Jesus as both the means of our Salvation and as an intermediary (i.e. Jesus is both God and a human without sin) from which we can have God’s desired personal relationship with us. However, when Jesus died on the cross, He took on all sin and became the required and once offered sacrificial payment for all sin. Jesus birth, life, death and Resurrection became the doorway for our personal relationship with God. As Jesus tells us in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man {Jesus}came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”. “God loves us because of who God is.”
Why do so few of us accept God’s offered gift of Salvation through His Grace? When those not yet believing look at the lives of those of us that believe, they, often, they see us living by the fruit of the flesh rather than by the fruit of the Spirit – our hypocrisy. Also, God’s offer is rejected because He may require us to give up some sin that we enjoy. Additionally, some believe that the cost of becoming a Christian is too great; however, the cost of not becoming a Christian is far greater than the cost of becoming a Christian and accepting God’s offer. Many refuse God’s gift because they believe that they are not worthy or good enough for God and His gift. They are correct; none of us are worthy of God’s gift, but that is the point – Jesus’ birth, life, death and Resurrection provide us with the means a path to be worthy of God’s gift.
Is Jesus your Savior? God has given you the greatest Christmas gift that you will ever receive. Have you accepted His Gift and opened His gift into your life? If not, then why not? With your hands open, you can accept God’s Christmas gift by saying: “I am sorry; thank you; and please”.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 10:45; John 15:13; John 3:16-17; Galatians 5:18-25. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God’s Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life’s Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
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Sunday Dec 10, 2023
A Day Is Coming – Part 2
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
A Day Is Coming – Part 2
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
We are in the season of Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival”. The Church begins this season of “arrival” or Advent as the time we recognize and celebrate the “arrival” of Jesus – both Jesus’ “first coming” and His “second coming”. We celebrate Jesus’ “first coming” on Christmas Eve. The season of Advent is, also, a season of hope; and Advent is the beginning of our Church’s “New Year”.
In the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 24 through Isaiah 26 presents prophesies regarding the future about 600 years before the birth of Jesus. More specifically, Isaiah 24:1-13 describes the destruction of the world resulting from the sinful acts of God’s people. However, Isaiah 24:14-16 describes a period of joy and hope in the world. As in the time of Isaiah, we should not give credence to the prophesies, by fellow humans today, of the world’s destruction and/or a specific date for Jesus’ ”second coming” {arrival}. Jesus told us both not to be “anxious” about those things that we cannot control and that “no one knows the day and the hour” of His return (i. e. Jesus “second coming”). Rather, in this season of Advent, we recognize the hope brought to the world by God’s grace and His gift of Jesus.
Our hope is built upon Jesus’ birth, death on the cross, and His Resurrection all providing us with the means for our Redemption, Salvation, and our Eternal Life. However, there will be a day when Jesus returns again to earth (i. e. Jesus’ “second coming”) on a day that cannot be predicted by humans. Jesus’ “second coming” will establish His Kingdom and a new Heaven. Therefore, even though we do not know the when of Jesus’ “second coming” we haves God’s promise of the what Jesus’ “second coming” will mean. We need not fear the “second coming”.
The “second coming” is a promise by God and should lead us, in this season of Advent, to renew our preparation in hope and not fear and anxiety. We have God’s promise that nothing can separate us from His love, as the Apostle John tells us in 1 John 4:16-19: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us." We do not want to get so wrapped up in the details of Jesus’ “second coming” so that, like the First Century Jews, we miss Jesus.
One certainty, in Jesus’ “second coming”, is our “Judgement”. Jesus’ “second coming” will “arrive”, but we have nothing to fear if we are ready. We are “ready” by living lives of Faithfulness to the Gospel and through Repentance. Is there something in your life with which you have not dealt with in Repentance? If so, you are not “ready”. We must be willing to follow Jesus and to respond to those things He asks of us.
The Apostle John tell us in Revelation 22:20-21: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The Grace of Lord Jesus be with all. Amen”. Do you want to be ready for Jesus’ “second coming”? If so, are you ready
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Isaiah 24:1-16; Romans 8:38-39; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19; 1 John 4:16-19; Revelation 20:4; Matthew 25:31-32; Johnb5:24; 1 Corinthians 11:28-32; Romans 11:25-27; Luke 1:31-33; Hebrews 1:8; Hebrews 10:37-39; Revelation 22:20-21. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
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Sunday Dec 18, 2022
Sunday Dec 18, 2022
From the Gospel of Matthew (1:18-25): “Advent, Part 4: Prelude to Jesus’ Birth”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
In Matthew 1:1-17, the Apostle Matthew presents the genealogy for Jesus from the lineage of Joseph, even though Joseph was not Jesus’ natural father. Whereas, Luke’s Gospel presents Jesus’ genealogy from Mary’s lineage. As was prophesied by Isaiah more than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, both Joseph and Mary were of the lineage of King David.
This fourth Sunday in Advent points us to the first coming of Jesus and His birth as a human child. Jesus birth was His Incarnation as both God and human. The coming of Jesus was a real event in the history of mankind. Often, things and events in our lives take unanticipated courses; and God intervenes in our lives just as God intervened in Joseph’s life, through the Angel, when Joseph found out about Mary’s Devine pregnancy. “Do not be afraid because this {pregnancy} is of the Holy Spirit.”
The message, in Matthew 1:21-23, from God’s intervening Angel, in Joseph’s dream, was simple; however, it changed the world for eternity: “’She {Mary}will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet {Isaiah 7:14}: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).".
In Matthew 1:24-25, Joseph responds without question and with faith and obedience to God’s intervention: “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.".
Therefore, God intervened in both the lives of Joseph and Mary, to fulfill His promise of more than five hundred years previously, to enter the world as the vulnerable baby Jesus. Jesus, who was the Incarnate God and man, would save the world from its sins. We know that we can be saved from our sins, and the effect of our sins, by coming to God in repentance of our sins and in true faith that Jesus is God and walking with Jesus, in our lives, as our Savior. Also, God has given us the Holy Spirit to facilitate our walk and to provide a personal relationship with Him.
In this time of Advent, why do we have such a difficult time of sharing this good news that was given to Joseph in God’s intervention: “and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)”? We can break out of this reluctance, to share the good news of Jesus, by bringing someone to church during Christmas and by living our lives to reflect God’s Grace when: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17).
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 7:11-25; Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “As a Jesus Follower, the Greatest Witness for the Gospel that You Can Give Is for Others to See Jesus IN You”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
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Sunday Dec 11, 2022
Sunday Dec 11, 2022
From the Gospel of Luke (21:25-36): “Advent, Part 3: A Time of Expectation and Preparation”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction -- Generosity: Lord, give me a spirit of generosity in this season of Advent and Christmas just as Jesus instructed us in Luke 6:38: “{You}give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”.
Today’s Message -- A Time of Expectation and Preparation: The season of Advent focuses on our preparation for Jesus coming -- Jesus second coming. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, alerts us to Jesus’ second coming and our need to prepare our hearts: “Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.".
Jesus, in Luke 21:25-26, describes His second coming into a world situation very much like our world of today: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.". Jesus’ second coming is defined by: 1) violence all over the world; 2) climatic and weather uncertainty; 3) disruptions of food supplies; 4) periods of significant economic uncertainty; and 5) end-of-times rumors and speculations.
Advent reminds us that Jesus is coming back, and we are told of some signs of Jesus’ second coming. However, the Bible’s focus is on having us to always be ready for Jesus’ return. Jesus, in Luke 21:34-36, gives us instructions for being prepared for His return: “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”. To this end, watch your hearts, pay attention and pray in your preparation and always be ready. Also, keep on working and doing those things God has asked you to do. God confirms that, as we both prepare for Jesus’ second coming while continuing to work to fulfill his will for us in our lives, He will walk with us and support us – don’t stop and give up in the face of an uncertain world and issues in our lives.
Advent is here.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 6:38; John 16:33; 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13; Luke 21:25-36; Matthew 25:1-30; John 16:33.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Is Your Faith Yours, or Is Your Faith a Faith Derivative of the Faith of Others?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
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Sunday Dec 04, 2022
Sunday Dec 04, 2022
From the Gospel of Matthew (3:1-17): “Advent, Part 2: Remembering and Preparing for the First Coming of Jesus the Christ”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Advent, Part 2: Remembering and preparing for the first coming of Jesus the Christ through understanding "in those days from the Holey Spirit’s notice of the impending birth of John the Baptist to the miraculous birth of Jesus the Christ."
Continuing the study of what Advent is all about. "In those days" – Mathew (Mathew 3:1) is transitioning between the miraculous birth of Jesus the Christ; His escape from King Herod and His return to Nazareth and the miraculous birth of John the Baptist – John preached: "make ready people prepared for the Lord" and "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near". Repentance is the changing of one's mind to reflect God's Grace in the first coming of Jesus. Everything is transformed when we repent -- we view and understand things with a new mind: "Make ready a people prepared for the Lord"; "Give people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins"; and "And bear good fruit in the spirit of repentance."
The primary message of Advent is to keep serving and watching. We must keep doing what the Lord has given us to do while we are serving Him, watching, and keeping ready.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 3:1-17.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “God, the Father, Is Spirit; Jesus Followers Must Worship the Father in Spirit and Truth with Reality and Honesty and Not a Façade”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
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Sunday Nov 27, 2022
From the Gospel of Matthew (24:1-51): “Jesus is Coming”
Sunday Nov 27, 2022
Sunday Nov 27, 2022
From the Gospel of Matthew (24:1-51): “Jesus is Coming”
Message Summary:
If you've been a follower of Jesus Christ for any period time, you've been exposed to the Christian belief in the return of Jesus Christ to planet Earth. We learn that He is going to prepare a place for us; and He will return to take us to be where He is -- at the right hand of the Father. This belief in Jesus’ return is what the season of Advent is about. We say it every week when we say the Nicene Creed: “I believe that he will come again to judge the living and the dead.”.
Christmas music is now playing on the radio; however, it is not Christmas. It is Advent. Advent is the time that the Church is celebrating the return of Jesus. Advent is a season of anticipation -- anticipating the Second Coming of Jesus Christ while, also, anticipating the Christmas celebration of Jesus’ birth. Also, Advent is a season of warning – a warning of the coming judgment. We are warned to be ready and to prepare for the coming of the King of Kings. In Genesis 6:5-6, God is so disturbed with the sins of humans that He wishes that He had never created mankind: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.". To this end, God destroyed the earn with floods. Only Noah and his family survived.
In Matthew 24:1-2, Jesus tells His disciples of God’s displeasure, again, with mankind’s sinful ways: “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.’”. Jesus’ Disciples, not understanding His pronouncements, asked Jesus the meaning of his prophecy in Matthew 24:3-6: “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.’”.
In the days before the flood, in Genesis 6:5-6, the people were eating, drinking and, and giving in marriage up to the very day Noah entered the ark. The people knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. This uncertainty of Jesus’ return is how it will be at the second coming of the Son of Man. Jesus compares his return to the days of Noah -- unbelievers will be oblivious to what's going on; Jesus says they'll know nothing. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:3: “While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.". In the remainder of 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11, Paul is telling us that the un-Godly will be taken away to their judgment and the righteous will be left to enter the Kingdom.
The primary message of Advent is to keep serving and watching. We must keep doing what the Lord has given us to do while we are serving Him, watching, and keeping ready.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 24:1-51; Genesis 6:5-6; Revelation 9:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:3-1.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have Eternal Life, Even Before their Earthly Death, Because Whoever “believes him {God} who sent me {Jesus}””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
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Sunday Dec 19, 2021
Sunday Dec 19, 2021
Advent Sermons from Isaiah – Part 4: The King of Assyria – A Sign from the Lord
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Introduction to Series: Why is important now, in this season of Advent, to look to Isaiah from so long ago? It is intellectually encouraging to see how God acted, within a strategy, to connect the human race, over time, through the coming of Jesus the Messiah.
TODAY’S MESSAGE: in this fourth Advent sermon referencing the prophecies from Isaiah, the focus is more on the first coming of Jesus. In Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah prophesied: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel {God with us}.”. All of these Old Testament prophecies, regarding the coming of the Messiah, provide a compelling context for the Advent of Jesus and His birth. Who among us chose what family we were born into? Who among us chose the city of our birth? Who among us chose the time period in which we would be born?
As we prepare for Christmas, let us remember “why Christmas” and whose birth we are celebrating. Let us praise God because of the one God has given us whose name is above all names – Immanuel, God with us.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Isaiah 7:2-14; Matthew 1:21-24; Genesis 3:15; Micah 5:2-8.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are Given the Incredible Gift of the Holy Spirit - “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way’”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
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Sunday Dec 12, 2021
Advent Sermons from Isaiah – Part 3: The Glory of God; the Way of Holiness
Sunday Dec 12, 2021
Sunday Dec 12, 2021
Advent Sermons from Isaiah – Part 3: The Glory of God; the Way of Holiness
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Why is important now, in this season of Advent, to look to Isaiah from so long ago? It is intellectually encouraging to see how God acted, within a strategy to connect the human race, over time through the coming of Jesus the Messiah.
In Isiah 35:1f, Isaiah tells us, in this prophecy, that: “They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.”. The phrase “glory of the Lord” speaks to God’s physical presence; His essence. Isaiah is promising that, in the future, we would see the glory of the Lord.
When we become followers of Jesus, we are given the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. In 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, Paul writes: “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”. As followers of Jesus, we reflect the glory of the Lord; and we are to reflect God’s essence in a world that needs Him so desperately. In Isiah 35:8, Isaiah speaks to “. . . a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness.”. There is a way set for the followers of Jesus that is made Holy; only the saved are on this Highway (Isiah 35:9). As followers of Jesus, we are referred to by Paul as saints – -- because we are traveling, in our lives, on this Highway, the Way of Holiness.
God desires for us to walk this Way of Holiness and to reflect His Glory and essence to others and the world.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 2 Corinthians 3:12-18; Isiah 35:1-9; Exodus 33:12-23; Exodus 40:34-37; Luke 2:9-10; John 1:14.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are the Enemy’s {devil’s} Target to Mess You Up and To Destroy Your Relationship with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Dec 05, 2021
Sunday Dec 05, 2021
Advent Sermons from Isaiah – Part 2: The Stump of Jesse and the Root of the Lord
MESSAGE SUMMARY: The central theme, that begins today’s teaching, is God’s call of Isaiah, in Isaiah 6, in a context in which God is very disappointed in the people of Israel. The teachings today will focus on the prophecies of Isaiah that point to the coming of Jesus.
In Isaiah 11:1, Isaiah prophesied that “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”. The “stump of Jesse” refers to Jesse’s son, King David. Therefore, Isaiah’s prophecy indicates that the Savior will come from the lineage of David. However, by the time of Isaiah, most of David’s assembly of the tribes of Israel had been cut down – hence, a “stump”, a remnant; but the prophecy says that “a shoot from the stump of Jesse” will “come forth”. Jesus is the “shoot”.
In Isaiah 11:2, Isaiah prophesied: “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”. When David was first anointed, by Samuel, to be King, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David; therefore, Isaiah is prophesying that the Messiah will be enveloped with God’s Spirit in His life on earth and in His ministry. In Luke, Jesus, as the Messiah, claims this “Spirit of the Lord”; but, as His followers, the “Spirit of the Lord” has been passed to us on the Day of Pentecost.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Isaiah 6:1-13; Isaiah 11:1-2; Isaiah 4:2-5; Isaiah 11:10-12; Matthew 3:1-12; Isaiah 61:1-10; Luke 4:16-30.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Letting God Be Lord Over Your Finances, which Are His but He Entrusted to You, Will Liberate Your Life!”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
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Sunday Nov 28, 2021
Sunday Nov 28, 2021
Advent Sermons from Isaiah – Part 1: The Coming Judge and the Mountain of the Lord
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus, in Matthew 24:38-44 tells us: “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”. This Sermon begins the series: “Advent Sermons from Isaiah”.
Most of what we know about Jesus in the New Testament is from prophecies in the Old Testament; and these prophecies were fulfilled by the Advent of Jesus in the New Testament. However, some of these Old Testament prophecies are yet to be fulfilled. So, from Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, when are “the last days”? In one sense, since we are in the age of the Messiah, we are now in the “last days”; but in another sense, we are waiting for the return of Jesus, and we don’t know when He will return to begin the “last days”. In Isaiah 2:1-5, Isaiah records his second prophecy regarding “the last days”. Isaiah posits the “mountain of the house of the Lord”, which is the place in Jerusalem where the Jewish temples have been. On this “mountain” now is the Muslim’s “Dome of the Rock”. From this passage, we learn that the Messiah would not only teach the law of God when He returns; but, also, He would come to judge. This scripture from Isaiah is the theme for the season of Advent – the Messiah will come back again to judge “the living and the dead”.
The Bible speaks about five judgments: 1) judgment of the believers’ sins; 2) the judgment of the believers’ self-life; 3) the judgment of the believers’ deeds; 4) the judgment of the nations; and 5) the judgment of the wicked (i.e. unbelievers). In Isaiah 2, Isaiah is speaking about “the judgment of the nations”. Isaiah 2:5 provides an exhortation that is appropriate for our Christmas: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”. Even though Jesus is coming again, on a date unknown to us to judge, for now let us “walk in the light of the Lord”!
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 24:38-44; Isaiah 2:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers’ Righteousness Will Flow, with the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, from Their Heart Through Their Personal Relationship with Jesus”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB