Sermons

Testing produces perseverance

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3

All of us will go through trials because of our faith in Christ. It’s just part of living the Christian life. We should not be surprised when we consider the trials that our Lord and savior Jesus Christ went through in His considerably short life on earth. 

All of us know what it is like to go through testing in our lives. Tests help to measure our overall growth. Just as we go through stages in our physical growth, we also go through stages in our spiritual growth in our relationship with the Lord. 

Our attitude when dealing with trials and testing, will affect the overall outcome. This verse of scripture instructs us on the proper attitude that we should have when going through the various trials that we are certain to face. 

The Bible tells us about Jesus, “for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross…“ That of course, was the greatest trial that anyone could ever go through, but it was done for our benefit. To purchase our salvation. 

His joy gave him the patience to endure the cross, and the cross provided the way for our salvation. We too, can have joy in our time of trials and testing. With each test that we pass, it will give us the endurance, or patience, in our walk with Christ.

Blessed because of the Spirit of glory on your life

14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  1 Peter 4;14

When we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord because of what He did for us on the cross at Calvary, the Bible tells us that, “old things have passed away, all things have become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17

However, not everyone is excited as we are at our new found freedom in Christ. As this verse indicates, some around us will insult us because of our decision to follow Christ. It may not seem so at the time, but in the mind of the Lord, we are blessed.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” Luke 6:22.

No condemnation in Christ 
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Discipline is a loving action 

12 ...the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a Father the son He delights in. - Proverbs 3:12

As a child, I was taught  that the Lord is a burden removing Father. Whenever my mom saw that I was carrying a heavy burden, she would always tell me, “Give it to God.” 
Especially, when we are in need of correction in our lives, it should be comforting that our Heavenly Father disciplines us because He loves and delights in us. 
Those who see Him as harsh and uncaring, do not know Him or understand His character. 
The best way to get to know Him and study His character, is by studying His word.

All you have to do is ask

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  James 1:5

If any of you are without, needs, or wants knowledge, you should request it from God, who gives open-handedly to all without finding blame, and that which you request of God will be given to you. 

I am convinced that we truly do not fully understand all that the Lord has for us, and wants to give to us. 

It is not a matter of whether we deserve it or not, but a matter of whether we are willing to ask Him, and trust that He will give to us, everything that we have need of. 

None of us were deserving of the sacrifice that Christ paid for us on the cross at Calvary, but because of His unfailing love for us, He gave His life for us because He knew that we needed it! 

All we have to do is ask!

The voice of the Lord

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

When the Lord spoke these words to the prophet Isaiah, the people of Israel were very rebellious. They did not want to listen to what the Lord had to say through His prophets. As a result of their rebellion against the Lord, they were certain to suffer great hardship at the hands of the Egyptians. 

They did not realize how much better their lives could and would be, if they would listen to His instructions and obey them. What seemed like hard things, spoken from the Lord through His prophets would result in peace and safety for them. 

As we are obedient to the Lord, and His word, He is able to speak to us, by the power of His Holy Spirit, to lead us in the direction in this life that we need to go. 

We will no longer be on the run from our enemy, but will walk with confidence and safety, in the presence of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

Senior Pastor, Teacher, Chancellor
Drumbeat Discipleship Ministries and School of Theology

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is 

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Only way to salvation 

9 If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

It’s worth noting that two things are required for us to be saved. 1) we must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord; 2) we must believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.

If we say in a solemn and emphatic manner with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and trust in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be forgiven for our sin and it’s penalty.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:21, 
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.”

As we declare with our mouth, Jesus is Lord, with a sincere heart, we speak life to our spirit man, and eats the fruits of our confession unto salvation.

Gody wisdom 

3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.   Daniel 12:3.

The only way that we can obtain true wisdom that will cause us  to shine like the brightness of the sun, is by reading and studying the word of God. 

The only way that we can lead many to righteousness, is to share the word of God with them. The Lord will use us, along with the wisdom that He gives to us, to change the hearts of people.

Boasting in Christ 

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
                                                Galatians 6:14

Before coming to faith in Christ and receiving the revelation of the cross, the apostle Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, had every reason to boast because of his accomplishments, and his standing in the Jewish community. 

All of that changed when he encountered, and started a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, on the road to Damascus. After that encounter, he would no longer be the prosecutor of the followers of Christ. 

As the apostle Paul, he would go on to become an ambassador for Christ, to the Jews and the Gentiles. He would be used of the Lord to found churches, and train followers of Christ for the work of the ministry. 

He would also be used by the Holy Spirit, to write two thirds of what we know as the New Testament, in the word of God. 

Paul knew that his accomplishments and standing did not make him deserving of such a calling, but that the Lord would use his experiences, as a testimony to further the cause of Christ.  

Paul was crucified, or laid down his life for the cause of Christ, and he was a debtor to the Lord, to preach the revelation of the crucified and risen Christ, to the world.

Belief means doing 

12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  John 14:12

Not only did Jesus come to seek and save those that were lost, but he also came to make disciples, who would carry on the work that he has begun.

Jesus’ life here on earth, was considerably shorter than our lives are. It’s amazing to think that he said that we could do greater works than what he did. 

But when you consider, The number of people that he has working for him, times the number of years that we have to do the work in our lifetime, it all comes into perspective.

The most powerful aspect however, is that he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God making intercession for us. His prayer for us, is the power source For our efforts.
 
All things considered, we have no excuse or reason for not going forward and doing the greater works that he has called us to do!

Let your light shine 

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Jesus referred to His followers as “the light of the world. He referred to our faith as, “a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hidden, and a lamp that is put on a lamp stand, that light up the place.” (Verses 14 and 15)

Our faith or light should shine so bright in the darkness that we live in, that men will see the good deeds that we do, because of our faith, and glorify of praise God for them.  

Sadly, our good deeds or works may be perceived by those around us as being self-serving or glorifying for us rather than our Father in heaven. 

The Bible tells us that faith without works is dead.  James 2:14-26. If we have faith, but do not show it by the way that we live our lives, it is not beneficial to others, and does not give glory to God our Father. 

I’m reminded of the old children’s church song that we used to sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

Ministers of a New Covenant 
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Power to be His witnesses
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  
                                                It was time for the Lord Jesus to return to the right hand of His Father in heaven. He gathered His disciples together for some instructions before His departure. 

A time of persecution was coming, when His disciples would be disbursed to different parts of the then-known world. He did not want them to leave before receiving the “Promise of the Father” being the baptism of Holy Spirit upon them. 

Their minds were still focused on the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. He was directing their focus to their assignment in the days ahead, that being witnesses for Him throughout the world. 

He knew of the hardships and the struggles that lay ahead of them as witnesses for Him, so He was preparing them for the baptism of His Holy Spirit, so that they might be fully equipped. 

As His modern day disciples, or witnesses, we too, will face hardships and struggles. We are not alone! We too, have the “Promise of the Father,” His precious Holy Spirt, to lead and guide us in our daily lives.

The Lord is responsible for the outcome 

7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.  Ezekiel 2:7

This verse of scripture should be in the notes of everyone who claims to be a preacher of the word of God. 

It is a reminder to all, that it is the responsibility of the preacher to speak what the Lord tells them to speak. 

Too often, preachers wanting to please their congregation or audience, hold back on what the Lord tells them to preach because they don’t want to offend anyone. 

The Lord was sending the prophet Ezekiel to the house of Israel, who for two generations had hardened their hearts toward the Lord. 

The responsibility of Ezekiel was to speak the word that the Lord had instructed him to speak. The Lord would be responsible for the outcome. 

The Lord knew that the hearts of the people were rebellious, but He would use Ezekiel as a mouthpiece, to break their hardened hearts.

The Lord will take care of your inadequacies 

12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."  Exodus 4:12

Moses was reluctant, to say the least, when the Lord gave him the assignment of leading His people out of Egypt to the promised land. 

He came up with excuses and questions as to why he was not qualified for the assignment, and why the Lord should find someone else to carry it out. 

The Lord answered every excuse and question  that Moses had, to assure him of success with his assignment. The Lord became angry with Moses for his reluctance, but Moses was the one that He had chosen for the job, and simply would not take “no” for an answer!!

Each of us were created with a purpose in mind from the Lord. He will do all that He can to equip for the assignment, and assure of success for His will and glory! 

It does not matter how young or old we are. What matters is that we complete the assignment, and purpose, for which He created us.

Be strong and don't give up! 

7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."
                                             2 Chronicles 15:7

All of us at one time or other in our lives have been faced with the opportunity to just give up! 

One such time in my life came on a Sunday morning when I told the Lord, “I quit!” 

What happened next was both humorous and surprising. I heard the Lord laugh and say, “no you don’t. 

Now, you can think what you want about that. You might say that I was losing my mind or something like that, but at that moment it gave me the courage to continue the work that the Lord has called me to do. 

Rewards can come in many shapes and forms, material, financial, physical, etc., but our God is faithful to reward the obedience of those whom He has called!

By His stripes 

Isaiah 53:5 tells us that...by the stripes of Jesus on the cross at Calvary, we are healed, as we have faith in Christ and what He did for us on it. 

Over 27 years ago the Lord delivered me from a life threatening illness, by the power of His blood. 

Since that time I have been living with pain and numbness in my feet and legs because of the chemotherapy, and an operation to remove the lymph nodes that were affected by it all. 

The doctor who operated on me told my wife that I maybe would not walk again, but praise the Lord the doctor was wrong. I have a promise from my Lord, that He will complete that healing. 

In spite of the physical disability, the Lord has been faithful to strengthen my body for the work of His ministry. 

That is just one reason that I celebrate His resurrection, because of the resurrection in my life and body.

The Lord hears David's cry for mercy

6 Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy.  Psalm 28:6

Let a joyful tribute of gratitude be to the Lord, for He has listened to my loud public declaration for compassion and favor.

David was no stranger to the mercy of God. After being confronted by the prophet Nathan, and repenting of his sin with Bathsheba, David wrote Psalm 51, as a plea for mercy on his life.

The Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart, so when David cried out for mercy, the Lord heard him and granted mercy to him.

A Deep Thirst For The Lord

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  Psalm 42:1

Every time that I read this verse of scripture it reminds me of my first mission trip to Mexico in 1996. 

As we drove up to the church in Neuvo Ptogresso, I felt the presence of the Lord in a very powerful way. 

As I walked around inside of the church building, I began to cry. The interior was filled with broken benches and chairs. There were openings in the walls where windows belonged, but they were confiscated by the government and being held at the border. 

In the midst of all this, there was a praise and worship team that were singing their hearts out before the Lord. 

Those who had come for service were not hindered in their praise to the Lord by their less than desirable surroundings. They were thankful for a place that they could gather together. 
The following Sunday after the trip, I read this verse, and my mind brought me back to that memorable evening. 

Regardless of their surroundings, their souls were being satisfied in the presence of the Lord.