Sermons By A Word From The Lord with Archbishop Foley Beach
Episodes
Sunday Jan 16, 2022
Sunday Jan 16, 2022
Beginnings in Prayer – Part 1: How is Your Prayer Life; Is Anything in Your Life More Important than Prayer?
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Part I: Be ready for the Lord and pay attention to and for His second coming. “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” We, as believers, should be aware of God’s signs as they arise.
Part II: Prayer is: 1) spending time with God – acknowledging God’s presence in all our live’s activities; and 2) conversation with God – listening to and talking with God. Prayer reflects on our relationship with God. Why don’t we pray. The Apostle James, in James 4:2-3, provides a perspective regarding Prayer Life: “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."
Relationships, especially your personal relationship with God, are two-way -- listening and speaking. Sometimes, in our prayers, it is more important to listen for and to God than to speak and ask. Spending time with God, in sweet fellowship and in conversation, happens when we make prayer an important priority in a life filled with faith, repentance, and trust. God wants us to “pray without ceasing” and as a part of all our life activities.
If prayer is so essential to a Christian way of life, why is our Prayer Life so insufficient? We don’t have a sufficient Prayer Life because: 1) we don’t know that prayer is important -- ignorance; 2) we don’t know how to pray -- knowledge; 3) we are too busy to pray -- priority; 4) we don’t really believe prayer will help or prayer will be effective -- faith; 5) we don’t want to face the sin in our lives – repentance; 6) we may be afraid to pray – trust; and 7) our past history with prayer – experience,.
To recharge our Prayer Life this week, perform this exercise: for five minutes each day, pray about a – 1) situation, 2) circumstance, and a 3) person or relationship.
Imagine what our lives and the lives of our community and country would be like if we were a people of prayer with a sufficient Prayer Life!
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): 1 John 2:1-6; James 4:2-3; Matthew 7:7-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-17. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “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/
A WORDFROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org
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Sunday Jan 09, 2022
Sunday Jan 09, 2022
What Is God’s Will for Me in This New Year?
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
In 2019, 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 2020? 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 “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”, we should ask; 2) can discern God’s will for us through praying, meditating, and fasting on the Word of God; 3) seek and obtain the Lord’s will as He speaks His will to us through our dreams, visions, and words of knowledge and wisdom; 4) can discern His will as God speaks His will to us by putting “desires” in our hearts; and 5) can know His will for us as God makes His will known to us by our personal reflections.
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 has 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 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): 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.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Vail” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
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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/
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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/
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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/
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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
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/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
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/
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Sunday Nov 21, 2021
Sunday Nov 21, 2021
On Gratitude and Developing a Thankful Spirit
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Overview from Being in Christ, Part 4 – To Pray in Christ: Paul tells us in Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”. When we put our issues into God’s hands through prayer, then the peace of Christ will set up a guard around our hearts and minds. The peace of Christ sure beats anxiety. In Hebrews 4:16, it is reinforced, that after the coming of Jesus, we have direct access to God through prayer. Pray to the Father in the name of the Son – praying in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. In our prayers, we are to pray in petition and with thanksgiving.
Sermon Today – Developing a Thankful Spirit: To give thanks is something no follower of Jesus should need to be told. If we truly understood the price that Jesus paid for us and all that God has done for us throughout our lifetime, then we would have a true thankful spirit. However, we are human, and we still sin; we doubt; and we hurt. Therefore, we forget to be thankful; and God must remind us. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16, Paul presents several commands as “God’s will for us in Jesus”. Paul emphasizes that the followers of Jesus are joyful and always to rejoice in the Lord while praying continually. Paul exhorts us to be thankful in all circumstances.
No matter what our lot or our situation is in life, we can always find something for which we should be thankful. God’s will for us in Jesus is to be joyful always; pray continuously; and to give thanks in all circumstances. Also, Paul exhorts us not to quench the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives by ignoring God’s will for our lives.
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, 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): Philippians 4:1-13; Hebrews 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19; Romans 4:17; Psalm 95:1-11; 2 Corinthians 11:23-30.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have a Personal Relationship with the Creator of the Universe So Pray, Listen, and Be Patient for God’s Call”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB