Episodes
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
A Christmas Message
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
A Christmas Message
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
The real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ – the Messiah, who is the Savior of the World. Christians emphasize Christmas and Jesus’ birth because His birth: 1) fulfills many Biblical prophesies, especially n terms of the time and location of Jesus’ birth; 2) points the fact that Jesus was more than just a man; 3) and life saw Jesus claim the right to forgive sins; 4) led Jesus to call God His “Father”, which indicated that Jesus was God; 5) resulted in Jesus’ Resurrection, which validated Jesus’ claims and made Him different; and 6) was God, through Jesus’ birth, still trying to get our attention.
God, through His Grace and through the birth of Jesus, did for us what we could not do for ourselves – save ourselves from our sins and our death that would result from our sins. God, through the birth of Jesus -- the God-Man, entered into our earthly mess to save us because, after God’s Grace and Jesus’ birth, all our sin now resides on Jesus. God’s Grace through the birth of Jesus, demonstrates God’s love for us.
God wants us to know that Jesus was born for us out of His love for us. Therefore, we need to consider that God, the Creator of the Universe, entered the world, through the baby Jesus for us so that we might have a personal relationship with Him.
Have you yielded to God so that your mind’s consideration of God’s Grace, love, and Jesus’ birth can move from your mind into a commitment of both your mind and your heart to your faith in Jesus as your Savior and into God’s service? Until we yield to God’s lordship over our lives, we are saying to God that “we don’t need your love”.
Is Jesus your Lord and, therefore, 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: 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 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): Luke 2:9-11; Matthew 1:21; Isaiah 53:4-6; Colossians 1:15-19; Hebrews 1-3; John 1:4; John10:30; John 14:8-11; John 3:16-17. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Do You Struggle with Your “Prayer Life”? Find a Quiet Place for Your Personal Relationship with God and Pray to the Universe’s Creator”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORDFROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
A Christmas Message – What God Has Done For Us
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
A Christmas Message – What God Has Done For Us
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
The people in and around Jesus’ birth were just ordinary people like us. In our celebration of Jesus’ birth on this Christmas, we celebrate the event that transformed world history and many of our lives. The birth of Jesus was a supernatural birth and was God’s intervention into the Universe’s natural order. This birth was foretold hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, and these prophesies were written and recorded, for us, in the Bible. Jesus’ birth was the birth, of a child, that did for the human race what the human race could not do for itself. Jesus was born for all people.
This baby, Jesus, was born to be a Savior for all humankind. The birth of Jesus was the birth of God as both human and divine – the Incarnation, as the Angels told the Shepherds on the first Christmas Eve in Luke 2:9-11: “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’".
In Isaiah 53:4-6, Jesus, birth, death, and Resurrection, as our means for our Salvation, were foretold more than five-hundred years before Jesus birth: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.".
God, through His Grace, gave of Himself what we could not do for ourselves, thereby, providing, through the birth of Jesus, us with the means for our Salvation from our sins and for our Eternal Life. This Gift of and by God is what Christmas and Christianity are all about.
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: 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 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): Luke 2:9-11; Matthew 1:21; Isaiah 53:4-6; Colossians 1:15-19; Hebrews 1-3; John 1:4; John10:30; John 14:8-11; John 3:16-17. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).
A WORDFROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “The Old Testament Law of “an eye for an eye” Was Reversed by Jesus in His “Great Commandment” in which Jesus Followers Are “to Love””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 01, 2023
What Is God’s Will for Me in This New Year?
Sunday Jan 01, 2023
Sunday Jan 01, 2023
What Is God’s Will for Me in This New Year? .
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
In 2023, have you accomplished God’s will for your life? The will of God to us humans is both “active” and “passive” at the same time. God’s will to us is “passive” because God is going to accomplish His will on earth – God’s Sovereignty is universal. However, God’s will to us can be very “active”. We can know God’s will for us, but knowing His will requires our willingness and participation. The will of God is a choice for us. In John 7:17, the Apostille John quotes Jesus regarding God’s will: “If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.". Therefore, we can choose whether we will do God’s will. Too many of us make and execute our own plans from our own will and then we ask God to bless our actions.
What is God’s will for your life in 2023? God has several things that “He wills” for our lives, but we must cooperate: 1) to have a growing personal relationship with Him; 2) to be a disciple of Jesus the Christ; 3) to be an ambassador and vessel of God’s love; 4) to have minds that are constantly renewed so that we are transformed – we renew our minds by the Word of God, “we are what we think”; 5) not to be controlled by anything other than the Spirit of God; and 6) to become Sanctified – becoming God-centered in our lives.
Why do “specific things in our lives” constitute God’s will for us? To answer this question regarding the specifics of God’s will in our lives, we: 1) should ask if we even should know the answer to this question regarding our knowing the specifics of God’s will in our lives – based on Romans 13, the answer is “yes” 2) we can discern God’s will for us through praying, meditating, and fasting on the Word of God; 3) the Lord will speak His will through dreams, visions, and words of knowledge and wisdom; 4) God speaks His will to us by putting “desires” in our hearts; and 5) God makes His will known to us by our personal reflection.
Questions we should ask and reflect upon in discerning God’s will for our lives include: 1) what have been my prevailing feelings in the past and what are these feelings now -- have my feelings been mostly of sadness or of joy; 2) what have been the blessings of God in my life – can I express praise and appreciation for these blessings; 3) have things happened for which I need to accept responsibility and why did they happen; 4) is there a possibility that I am living in denial of certain realities; 5) is there ill will or resentments that remain unaddressed or unforgiven; 6) in the company of others, am I a pleasant person; 7) what is God trying to say into my life today; 8) what can I do or say in my life that will make others feel more loved and appreciated; 9) am I mindful of the socially awkward, poor, and suffering – how do I respond to current events through a Biblical world view; 10) how am I spending my time and money – do I see them as God’s time and money that have been loaned to me; 11) how is my prayer life; 12) am I growing and maturing as a follower of Jesus; and 13) am I prepared to meet Jesus face-to-face today?
In the words of the Psalmist in Psalms 143:10: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”.
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 7:21; Matthew 6:7-15; John 7:17; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; Matthew 28:19; John 13:31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Matthew 2:13-15; 1 Corinthians 12:7-8; Psalms 37:4; Psalms 139:23-24; Psalms 143:10-11.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 02, 2022
Sunday Jan 02, 2022
Christmas: In a World Full of Uncertainties, Leading to Fear, the Light Has Come Into the World
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Whether looking at last year or this year, recent news often leaves us overwhelmed and fearful; but anxieties fade away when we consider that Jesus, the Creator of the Universe and the Light, came into the world. We celebrate Christmas, in the midst of our lives’ tumult, because we have found Jesus to be the Lord of the universe and the Lord of our lives. The Apostle John tells us, in John 1:1-5, about Jesus coming to earth as both a man and as God, the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". As John says, there has been “darkness” in the world attempting to overcome the light of His Gospel; but “the darkness has not overcome it”. On this Christmas day, we celebrate the “light” first coming into our world; and, on the last day of Advent, we anticipate and wait for Jesus’ return. We know that He has given us eternal life– that’s why we really celebrate Christmas!
In Luke 2:6-12, the Apostle Luke describes the events of the first Christmas: “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’”.
Like Simeon said, in Luke 2:30-31, this Christmas: “. . . my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,". The baby Jesus, born on Christmas about two thousand years ago, was no ordinary baby. This baby was “the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”; this baby “was life, and the life was the light of men”. Our “salvation”, that Simeon saw in the baby Jesus, was paid for on the cross by Jesus; and our Salvation was delivered to us through Jesus Resurrection. This baby Jesus was no ordinary baby that was born on Christmas!
We celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas because He was the Incarnate God-Man, in whom God humbled Himself to be born as a human baby, to be our “Salvation”, as His very name expresses – Jesus: “Yahweh is Salvation” (Matthew 1:21).
This baby Jesus, born on Christmas, has given us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins and for eternal life; and He is still with us in a personal relationship if we will only confess our sins to Him and have our faith in Him as the Son of God and the Creator and Savior of the Universe.
The real meaning of Christmas was summarized by the Apostle John in John 3:16-17: “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.".
This baby Jesus was no ordinary baby that was born on Christmas! Merry Christmas!!
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 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): John 1:1-18; Luke 2:1-52; Micah 5:1-6; John 10:30-39; Matthew 1:21.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Dec 26, 2021
Sunday Dec 26, 2021
Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today
MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Covid-19, we are isolated, both physically and emotionally. The human interaction, which we crave in our worship, business, school, and families is limited or nonexistent. This interaction has given way to fear and a wave of loneliness, uncertainty, and darkness that are sweeping across our world today. Online communications have been helpful, but they are not a replacement for interaction and “hope”. Today, we feel all alone. And we feel that there is no way out – “hopeless”. For “hope’ we must turn to Jesus whose birthday we celebrate again this Christmas. “Christmas” reminds us that God is still in the World, and we are reminded that we are not alone!
As the Apostle John tells us in John 1:4-5: In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”. In Luke 2:11, the Angels further solidify Jesus as a source of our “hope”, by telling us of God’s promise and Grace: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”. As Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 1:15-16: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.".
But God did not stop with providing “Christ Our Hope In Life and Death”; Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as a 24/7 “helper” and a “counselor”, in John 16:13,15:26, to all Followers of Jesus: “When the {Holy}Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come . . . But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the {Holy} Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”.
With God’s great gift of the Holy Spirit, you are never alone, and we have a never-ending source of “hope” – if you just call out to Him, “Jesus! Jesus!”, in your darkness and loneliness and you have “hope” because “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”. In the great song of “hope”, Christ Our Hope In Life and Death (performed by Keith & Kristyn Getty and Matt Papa), which brings us into the great “hope” that we are given as Followers of Jesus. As a Follower of Jesus, God’s great gift of the Holy Spirit provides a reinforcement and “hope” because Christ is here to walk with you through all your loneliness and uncertainties – you are never alone or without “hope”.
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 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): John 1:1-18; Luke 2:1-21; John 16:13; John 15;26; Romans 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:15-16; John 3:16-17.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For a Jesus Follower in Difficult Circumstances, God: “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Dec 24, 2021
Good News for All People
Friday Dec 24, 2021
Friday Dec 24, 2021
Good News for All People
MESSAGE SUMMARY: The birth of Jesus the Christ has impacted the world more than any event in world history. However, this world event is personal. This event has and is transforming each of our lives – whether or not we have accepted Him as our friend and the governor of our lives. With our acceptance and faith comes hope and eternal life; without it, we forgo our relationship with Jesus and the peace that passes all understanding.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, I now take a deep breath and stop. So often I miss your hand and gifts in my life because I am preoccupied and anxious. Grant me the power to pause each day and each week to simply rest in your arms of love. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 132). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Insensitivity. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Gentleness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Isaiah 9:2-4, 6-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers, Are Given the Holy Spirit as “Counselor and “Helper”, and the Spirit Is, Also, a “Caller; but are you “Listening”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today
MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Covid-19, we are isolated, both physically and emotionally. The human interaction, which we crave in our worship, business, school, and families is limited or nonexistent. This interaction has given way to fear and a wave of loneliness, uncertainty, and darkness that are sweeping across our world today. Online communications have been helpful, but they are not a replacement for interaction and “hope”. Today, we feel all alone. And we feel that there is no way out – “hopeless”. For “hope’ we must turn to Jesus whose birthday we celebrate again this Christmas. “Christmas” reminds us that God is still in the World, and we are reminded that we are not alone!
As the Apostle John tells us in John 1:4-5: In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”. In Luke 2:11, the Angels further solidify Jesus as a source of our “hope”, by telling us of God’s promise and Grace: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”. As Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 1:15-16: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.".
But God did not stop with providing “Christ Our Hope In Life and Death”; Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as a 24/7 “helper” and a “counselor”, in John 16:13,15:26, to all Followers of Jesus: “When the {Holy}Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come . . . But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the {Holy} Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”.
With God’s great gift of the Holy Spirit, you are never alone, and we have a never-ending source of “hope” – if you just call out to Him, “Jesus! Jesus!”, in your darkness and loneliness and you have “hope” because “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”. In the great song of “hope”, Christ Our Hope In Life and Death (performed by Keith & Kristyn Getty and Matt Papa), which brings us into the great “hope” that we are given as Followers of Jesus. As a Follower of Jesus, God’s great gift of the Holy Spirit provides a reinforcement and “hope” because Christ is here to walk with you through all your loneliness and uncertainties – you are never alone or without “hope”.
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): John 1:1-18; Luke 2:1-21; John 16:13; John 15;26; Romans 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:15-16; John 3:16-17.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Saturday Dec 28, 2019
A Christmas Message
Saturday Dec 28, 2019
Saturday Dec 28, 2019
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
The real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ – the Messiah, who is the Savior of the World. Christians emphasize Christmas and Jesus’ birth because His birth: 1) fulfills many Biblical prophesies, especially in terms of the time and location of Jesus’ birth; 2) points the fact that Jesus was more than just a man; 3) and in His life. we saw Jesus claim the right to forgive sins; 4) led Jesus to call God His “Father”, which indicated that Jesus was God; 5) resulted in Jesus’ Resurrection”, which validated Jesus’ claims and made Him different; and 6) was God, through Jesus’ birth, still trying to get our attention.
God, through His Grace and through the birth of Jesus, did for us what we could not do for ourselves – save ourselves from our sins and our death that would result from our sins. God, through the birth of Jesus -- the God-Man, entered into our earthly mess to save us because, after God’s Grace and Jesus’ birth, all our sin now resides on Jesus. God’s Grace through the birth of Jesus, demonstrates God’s love for us.
God wants us to know that Jesus was born for us out of His love for us. Therefore, we need to consider that God, the Creator of the Universe, entered the world, through the baby Jesus for us so that we might have a personal relationship with Him.
Have you yielded to God so that your mind’s consideration of God’s Grace, love, and Jesus’ birth can move from your mind into a commitment of both your mind and your heart to your faith in Jesus as your Savior and into God’s service? Until we yield to God’s lordship over our lives, we are saying to God that “we don’t need your love”.
Is Jesus your Lord and, therefore, 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 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): Luke 2:9-11; Matthew 1:21; Isaiah 53:4-6; Colossians 1:15-19; Hebrews 1-3; John 1:4; John10:30; John 14:8-11; John 3:16-17; Psalms 70a:1-12.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Today, the World Needs to be Renewed With an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit - a Global Spiritual Awakening”: www.AWFTL.org/watch.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Monday Dec 23, 2019
Monday Dec 23, 2019
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Whether looking at last year or this year, recent news often leaves us overwhelmed and fearful; but anxieties fade away when we consider that Jesus, the Creator of the Universe and the Light, came into the world. We celebrate Christmas, in the midst of our lives’ tumult, because we have found Jesus to be the Lord of the universe and the Lord of our lives. The Apostle John tells us, in John 1:1-5, about Jesus coming to earth as both a man and as God, the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". As John says, there has been “darkness” in the world attempting to overcome the light of His Gospel; but “the darkness has not overcome it”. On this Christmas day, we celebrate the “light” first coming into our world; and, on the last day of Advent, we anticipate and wait for Jesus’ return. We know that He has given us eternal life– that’s why we really celebrate Christmas!
In Luke 2:6-12, the Apostle Luke describes the events of the first Christmas: “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’”.
Like Simeon said, in Luke 2:30-31, this Christmas: “. . . my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,". The baby Jesus, born on Christmas about two thousand years ago, was no ordinary baby. This baby was “the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”; this baby “was life, and the life was the light of men”. Our “Salvation”, that Simeon saw in the baby Jesus, was paid for on the cross by Jesus; and our Salvation was delivered to us through Jesus Resurrection. This baby Jesus was no ordinary baby that was born on Christmas!
We celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas because He was the Incarnate God-Man, in whom God humbled Himself to be born as a human baby, to be our “Salvation”, as His very name expresses – Jesus: “Yahweh is Salvation” (Matthew 1:21).
This baby Jesus, born on Christmas, has given us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins and for eternal life; and He is still with us in a personal relationship if we will only confess our sins to Him and have our faith in Him as the Son of God and the Creator and Savior of the Universe.
The real meaning of Christmas was summarized by the Apostle John in John 3:16-17: “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.".
This baby Jesus was no ordinary baby that was born on Christmas! Merry Christmas!!
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I can do what He asks of me. (Philippians 4:13). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Luke 2:1-52; Micah 5:1-6; John 10:30-39; Matthew 1:21.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Today, the World Needs to be Renewed With an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit - a Global Spiritual Awakening”: www.AWFTL.org/watch.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
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