PASTOR'S THOUGHTS

Friday, April 10, 2020

Good morning to all on this wonderful Good Friday morning!! I pray that all are well and "sheltered in place" as we wait anxiously for this to get out of here so life can get back to "normal."

I still wonder what it was like in Jerusalem on that "Good Friday" morning as they were taking our Lord Jesus to that old rugged cross to crucify Him. If we were there I feel certain that we would be very discouraged, just as the disciples were at this point.

BUT, as we know, and they are going to find out Sunday morning, IT IS NOT OVER!!!! Jesus did come out of the tomb and He is alive forevermore.!!!! And because He lives, we can live also.

I thank God for the cross!!!! Without the cross we are dead in our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21- "He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our (your and my) behalf, that we (you and I) might become the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus)." That is nothing but the amazing grace of an awesome, wonderful God!!!

But, we can't keep Jesus on the cross. We cannot underestimate the importance of His resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus was the main point of Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost. It is still the main point of what we preach today. JESUS IS ALIVE!!!

Warren Wiersbe writes in his commentaries about the significance of the resurrection of Jesus. I want to share with you what he says about this. The resurrection of Jesus is significant because:

1. It proves that Jesus is God's Son. John 10:17-18 "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."

2. It verifies the truth of Scripture. Both Peter (Acts 2:27) and Paul (Acts 13:35) referenced Psalm 16 when talking about the resurrection of Jesus.

3. It assures our own future resurrection. If Jesus was not resurrected, we have no hope. John 11:25 "Jesus said to Martha, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,"

4. It is the proof of a future judgment. Acts 17:31 "Because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

5. It is the basis for Christ's heavenly priesthood. Hebrews 7:25 "Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

6. It gives power for Christian living. Romans 6:4 "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."

7. It assures our future inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

I am so looking forward to the day in the NEAR future when we can get together again as a church family and celebrate the FACT that JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!!

Don't be discouraged- SUNDAY IS COMING!!!!!

We Love You, Terry and Cindy

PASTOR'S THOUGHTS

Friday March 27, 2020

Good morning to everyone and praying that you have a great day!

I want to send out a big THANKS to all those who work in the medical field, where some are caring for those with the virus. They are in, many times, uncharted waters as they deal with this problem.

THANKS also to the truck drivers who are logging a lot of miles, and extended hours, to try to keep much needed supplies in our homes.

THANKS also to those who work in the stores to keep those items on the shelves for us to purchase.

THANKS to our leaders in Washington and Atlanta and North Georgia as they work tirelessly to keep this great nation and state and area running.

THANKS to our first responders who do a tremendous job! Policemen, firemen, paramedics and many more.

THANKS to all those who have stepped up during this time to do what they can to make things better in a tough situation. I have seen people making surgical masks, some stepping up to make hand sanitizer, some stopping their production lines to make other items such as respirators. I am sure there are many more I could mention here. And if you are one of those who have stepped up, THANKS to you too!!!

There are so many we could mention here. Let’s make sure that we are praying for all who are doing a tremendous job of fighting this terrible enemy and praying for those families who have been directly affected by it or will be in the days ahead.

We are all in this together. We all have a part to play. Let’s do it well.

I am reminded of the story of Esther in the Old Testament. The Israelites were in grave danger of being eradicated. Esther, a Jew herself, had miraculously become the Queen to King Ahasuerus. Her cousin, a man named Mordecai, had adopted her after her parents died. Mordecai knows that Esther is the key to saving the Jewish race from extinction at the hands of a cruel enemy. His words to her in Esther 4:13-14 are: “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” In other words, God placed you here in this place at this time for a specific purpose. That was to save the Jewish nation.

Why does God have us here in this place at this time? To do what we can!

Pray, encourage, help where we can. Let God use you for His purpose.

Enjoy this beautiful day! This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

GOD LOVES YOU!

We Love You, Terry and Cindy

PASTOR'S THOUGHTS

Thursday, March 26, 2020

As we anticipate each day what is going to happen that day our minds are swirling in many different directions. We have many questions. Am I going to get this virus? What if I do get this virus? What if my loved ones get this virus? Are we going to run out of food? Are we going to run out of toilet paper? When is, if it does, life going to be normal again? With all of our questions, where do we find the peace that we need to be, as Paul said, pleasing to God?

One of my favorite places to find the peace we so desperately seek and need is in one of my favorite texts in the Bible (you say, right Preacher, they are all your favorites) and that is Romans 5. Let's look at some of the things that the Holy Spirit tells us through the apostle Paul that should encourage us through this very tough time.

1. Verse 1- "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
If there is one thing that we need in uncertain times like these it is the assurance of our salvation. We need to know for sure that we do have a saving relationship with the ONLY ONE who can save us from eternal condemnation. That is Jesus Christ. Paul says here that Jesus is the one who can bring us peace WITH God. He is not talking about the peace OF God which allows us to have a spirit of calm no matter what the circumstances of life bring us. He is talking about the peace we get when we turn our life over to Jesus, by faith, and no longer face the condemnation of God for our sins, which we truly deserve. God takes that condemnation away by His grace.

Then Paul says there are some things we need to exult in, or rejoice in.

We can and should rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. This is not a wishful thinking hope, maybe, if we are lucky, we will get to see the glory of God. No, this is a sure fire knowing, with no doubt whatsoever, that someday we will see the glory of God in heaven. These bodies will be raised someday and made brand new and so much better and will never wear out again!!!

Hallelujah!! Jesus said it Himself in John 11:25- "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies." That is a promise from the ONE who has never broken a promise and never will.

Then Paul says we can rejoice in our tribulations. Paul is talking about things that we suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ. What better time could there be than this to be a faithful witness for the Lord? And we know that Satan does not like it when we are faithfully witnessing for Jesus. So this is a great time to make Satan mad by letting people know about the great Savior that we have. And whatever tribulation Satan brings on us we can rejoice in knowing that it will bring about greater things in our lives.

Tribulation brings about perseverance. We could call this patience or endurance. This is the ability to withstand and continue to work through any opposition that we will face because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Perseverance brings about proven character. God will use the tribulations we face and if we persevere through them our character will be a proven one that we are indeed a child of God. James put it this way in James 1:12 "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

Proven character brings about hope. This is the hope we talked about earlier. Paul say this hope will not disappoint. The more we pursue God's holiness in our lives, the more we are persecuted for the pursuing of holiness, our hope will be sustained because of the unlimited power of the grace of God.

Lean on the peace with God through these times, knowing that God is with you and He is working even when we don't see it. If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus this would be a great time to take care of that. John 3:16 Says it all- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (JESUS), that whoever believes in Him (JESUS)should not perish, but have eternal life."

His grace is sufficient for anything and everything. Who knows (God does) what He has in store for you after all this has passed, and it will. Some day we will look back on this and be like this man:

Far out at sea a man was standing by the rail of a small ship.

He was filled with anxiety as he watched a mass of billowing clouds illumined by shafts of lightning.

Just then the skipper of the vessel came along. Noting the troubled expression on the face of his passenger and the black sky in the distance, he quickly offered some words of assurance.

"You're not concerned about that storm, are you?" he inquired.

"If you are, you can relax and forget your worries. It has already passed, it’s going in the other direction and can do us no harm!"

GOD LOVES YOU

We Love You, Terry and Cindy