Lent Bible Study (40 days in the wilderness)
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Category Archives: Sermon
New Creatures
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you’re not just a Christian but you are a “New Creature” You have been born again, your old self has passed away and you are reborn. Make no mistake this process doesn’t happen overnight, it begins a lifelong journey to follow Christ.
(Ephesians 4:24) “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;”
The transformation of being a “New Creature” is the renewing of your mind. When you live for the world you think worldly things. But when you live for Christ, you think heavenly things.
Your former self has passed away, your are a new person with the Holy Spirit living in you. Evil should now be repulsive and unacceptable to you. For everything we do should be for the Glory of God.
(Colossians 3:10) “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”
When you accept Christ in your heart, you are filled with a new spirit. And with that spirit comes great wisdom and knowledge that can only be obtained by Jesus. Lean not on your own understand and trust in the ways of The Lord.
(Romans 12:2) “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Don’t follow the ways of the world, remember the world is under the influence of Satan. He has deceived everyone. The worlds ways only lead to destruction and death. Renew your mind thru Jesus Christ, carry your cross and follow him.
( John 3:3) ” Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus said we will not see the Kingdom of God until we a born again, until we become a “New Creature” until we transform our minds and stop conforming to the ways of the world. I pray we believe this and receive this in Jesus name Amen
Godly view of Love
Who is Jesus
Be Alert
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Every day is a battle, every day is a struggle. If you don’t agree with me you’re probably not being honest with yourself. Satan wants to devour us, and usually plays head games so we become our own worst enemies.
Being sober minded, does that mean refraining from alcohol or drugs? Not really. Keeping your mind sober from doubt and self-defeat. Our minds can quickly become a runaway train; we can convince ourselves that theres no hope when in reality we are victorious.
(Proverbs 23:7) “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he”
When you think of yourself what thoughts come to mind? Successful or failure? Hopeful or hopeless? Redeemed or condemned? Might sound extreme, but this is where the battle is won or lost. Satan plants the seed of doubts in your head and you become self-defeated.
(Ephesians 6:11) “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
This is why we need to put on our “Armor of God” to protect ourselves from Satan’s schemes or propaganda. Read and understand the Word of God:
“I can do all things thru Christ who gives me strength”.
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper”
(James 4:7) “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Put your trust in God, believe in his words and you will be strong to resist the devil. Don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable to Satans schemes, Be Strong in The Lord Amen
Follow my blog at unashamedofjesus.wordpress.com
Peace be with you,
Warren
Happy Thanksgiving
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15
What are you thankful for today? Your family? Your health? Your turkey? These are all great gifts from God. But let also remember to be thankful for the greatest gift God gave us all Jesus
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John3:16)
Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, we need to always remember this and give thanks daily. Without him there would be no hope for any of us.
As it says in Ephesians 1:16 “Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;” Never stop giving thanks and praise to our Messiah for his love endures forever. Be thankful every day for everything you have been giving and he provided.
Often during the holidays we get stressed out, family disputes, holiday traveling, ect. Let’s remember to focus on the blessing of the moment.
The fact you have a family to share Thanksgiving with is a blessing, let’s Thank God. The fact you have food to feed your family is a blessing. Thank God. You actually have a vehicle to travel, instead of complaining about gas prices, Thank God
I think Paul said it best in Philippians 4:11 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Learn to be Thankful and content with the life God has giving you.
So don’t waste this Thanksgiving being stressed out or disputing with you family, rejoice in God and be Thankful for all you have been giving including the love of Jesus Christ. Amen
Root of all Evil
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10
Isn’t it amazing that even back in Biblical days, people were obsessed with money. What is it about money that people are literally willing to sell their soul? Is it the false sense of power? Is it the collection of material things? Whatever it is, Satan knows you want it and will use it to manipulate you.
Remember the story of the disciple Judas who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Luke 22). Judas who was literally a disciple of Christ sold his soul for a few dollars. It didn’t end well for Judas either as the guilt overcame him or eventually he hung himself. I think Jesus said it best (Matthew 16:26) “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Consider what Jesus said about wealthy people in Mark 10:25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Why is Jesus being so harsh on wealthy people? Is it a sin to become wealthy? To understand let’s examine what Jesus said in (Matthew 19:20-22) 20The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.…
Jesus was asked about the possession of wealth and he simply told the man to give it all to the poor, obviously the man was not happy. Why is it so difficult for us to be willing to give to others? In my opinion this is the main root why Jesus has a problem with wealth. In order to be wealthy you need to continually obtain money and possessions, most likely more than we need.
Therefor becoming wealthy essentially makes you selfish and greedy because you’re constantly wanting or withholding more from others. We probably heard the phrase “Share the Wealth” sometime in our life, this is exactly what we should be doing as Christians. In Jesus Name Amen
Citizens of Heaven
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 3:20
Do you ever feel out of place in this world? Well that’s because you are, your true home is in heaven. The afterlife is a subject most of us don’t want to talk or think about; but it’s reality. The good news is that death is not the end for us thru Jesus Christ.
As Jesus promised in this scripture he has already prepared a place for us in (John 14:1-3 “”Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2“In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
What will this place be like? I think Revelations 21:4 sums it up best “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Think about all disease and sin are gone, we can once again live in perfection again as God intended. As we remember Jesus conquered death on the cross so we can have eternal life.
One story in the Bible always intrigued me, referred to as the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-9). During this story Jesus takes his disciples up the mountain. During this time Jesus becomes radiant and they meet Moses and Elijah. The reason I love this story is because it proves there is an afterlife with Moses and Elijah reappearing. During this time God also confirms Jesus is the “Son of God”
I also love the scripture from 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord While we are on this Earth we are away from our true home because we are “Citizens of Heaven”
Remember what Jesus said to the sinner next to him on the cross. (Luke 23:43) Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus not only promises him eternal life but describes heaven as paradise.
So remember heaven is awaiting you, don’t be discouraged or fearful of this world. As Jesus promised one day you will be a “Citizen of Heaven” in Jesus Name Amen
Your Time is Now
Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. John 7:6
Many times in life where always looking for a sign or reassurance to begin our destiny that God has called us to do but as Jesus told his disciples “The time is Now”
Often we worry about tomorrow or obstacles that we may face but as it says in Matthew 6:24 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Every day is its own entity, focus on your goals for today and deal with tomorrow as it comes. Often we turn a mole hill into a mountain by over thinking about tomorrow.
So what dream did God plant in your heart? We are all not the same, God has blessed us each with different talents and abilities as it says in 1 Corinthians” But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.”
God has giving each one of us a special talent and it’s our responsibility to use it. If you read the parable in (Matthew 25:13-30) God rewards us based on how wisely we used our talents giving to us. What you reap is what you sow; if you decided to do nothing you won’t inherit anything.
The important thing to remember is whatever you do , do it to the Glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) Don’t abuse your talents, if you’re a good singer, sing to praise God and not the world. Remember trees that bear bad fruit will be thrown in the fire (Matthew 7:19).
So what are you waiting for? Your Time is Now, you are equipped with talents that were meant to be used not stored on a shelf. A seed does nothing until it’s planted into the ground; it’s time for you to plant your dreams and reap the harvest.
You have a destiny that is greater than your fears, I pray that you follow Jesus commands that your Time is Now!..Amen
Love is Sacrifice
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Ephesians 5:25
What does love mean to you? Have you ever been in love or in love now? Most people would say yes, but do you really know what love is? Do you love as Jesus loves us?
Jesus loved us unconditionally; he sacrificed himself to save us not knowing if we would even acknowledge him. This is true love to give of yourself without expecting anything in return.
Love is probably one of the most overused words in our society; people will say this on a daily basis but don’t even know what love entails.
I would bet most of us in this world love conditionally. When things are going good everyone is happy, but as soon as one partner has to sacrifice or give more than the other, then most people break up. This is why we live in a society with such a high divorce rate, majority of these people were never really in love to begin with. They were in lust with each other until the good times ended.
As it tells us in 1 Corinthians 13: 4Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;…
You can generate a theme after reading these scriptures, Love is Sacrifice! There’s a reason why a lot of parents will say “I never knew love until I had my children” it’s because of the sacrifices they committed because they loved there children
Most of us today when we think of love, we think selfishly. We think about the needs we want fulfilled rather than the needs we can fulfill to your spouse.
1 Peter 4:8” Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins”. Another reason love fails is because people have unreal expectations of their spouse to be perfect. As it says in this scripture thru love we learn to accept each other as “works in progress”.
So when therefor when you truly understand the meaning and responsibilities of love; we can have a loving and successful marriage.
By following Jesus and studying the Gospel, we can learn and understand what true love is in Jesus name Amen
Unashamed of Jesus 