It is Finished!

Just going to let the scripture talk for its self this morning, let it soak in!



John 19



The Soldiers Mock Jesus

1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

Pilate’s Decision

5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”

6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”

8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.

The King on a Cross

17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:



“They divided My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots.”

Therefore the soldiers did these things.

Behold Your Mother

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

It Is Finished

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Jesus’ Side Is Pierced

31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.



Tom

Is God's Word the Finale Authority?

Wow I was really disheartened yesterday. What a sad state we are at in the United States. My devotion was about marriage and homosexuality and I expected to have some resistance but not like I got. The non-believers don't bother me because they don't believe God's Word. What does bother me is those who claim to be Christians who flat out argue and believe in outright contradiction to God's Word. So that brings me to my Question for today, Is God's Word the Finale authority in your life?



For me it is. What God says goes. It is the ultimate truth and finale authority. If I find my life going in opposition to the Word it is my responsibility to repent of my sin and with the power of the Holy Spirit head in the opposite direction of that sin. So lets look at a few scriptures about God's Word:



Isaiah 55:11

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.



Psalm 119:89



89 Forever, O Lord,

Your word is settled in heaven.



Deuteronomy 4:2

2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.



Revelation 22:18-19

18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.



Hebrews 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.



Matthew 24:35

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.



John 8:31

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.



Matthew 4:4

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”



As you can see from this small sample from God's Word it is obvious of who we had better listen to....God! Not man. No telling how many times I have heard folks say "I think" and then state something contradictory to God's Word. Excuse my rudeness here but I don't care what you think, I stand on God's Word and all believers had better get this right in their hearts! God is the final authority not man.



Oh and by the way, when we stand upon and defend God's Word we are not judging we are doing what Jesus said to do and He told us we would face persecution for it so be ready!



So my brothers and sisters, is God's Word THE FINALE AUTHORITY in your life? It better be for whom else knows more than God?



Tom

Supreme Court and marriage.

I don't understand it!!! It is not that complicated for a nation who claims to be Christian. According to statistics some where around 80% claim they are Christians. Just for the record I do not believe that stat because our nation would be much different if it was true. Our Supreme Court once again has a major decision to make over gay marriage. If we were a nation that stands upon the Word of God this decision would be cut and dried. Look at these scriptures:



Genesis 2:24

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.



Proverbs 18:22

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD



Matthew 19:4-6

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."



1 Corinthians 7:1-16

Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?



Ephesians 5:22-23

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.



Colossians 3:18-19

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.



Hebrews 13:4-7

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.



Mark 10:6-9

"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."





1 Corinthians 6:8-10

8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.



Romans 1:26-28

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;



1 Timothy 1:8-10

8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,



Jude 1:7

7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.



Remember this is God's Word not mine. We are not above God. Man's opinion does not matter when it conflicts with God's Word. Our feelings do not matter when it comes to God's Word. Our love does does not matter when it contradicts God's Word. His Word is the final authority, case closed. If you are a Christian and you disagree with God then you had better check to see if you are really a Christian because God is God and what He says goes. There is no other option.



People will say who are you to judge, I am not the judge God is and I stand upon His Word! He has told us what is sin and right, we must obey and follow. I have given my life to Christ and I will follow his Word til death.



It really isn't that complicated if we will get self out of the way, and follow Jesus. Hate sin, love people, and above all love God!



Tom

Think about this week!

For a follower of Christ this week is the most important week of the year as we remember Holy Week. Starting in Matthew 21 read the Word of God and reflect what Jesus has done for you and I this week. Jesus is preparing to head to the cross and will be crucified on Good Friday!!!



Please don't let this go in one ear and out the other. Take some time to read and listen for God to speak to your heart. It is of utmost importance. Your eternity is at stake!



Mark 10:15

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”



Tom

What ever it takes!

Read this please:



Mark 2:1-12



1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”



Whoever these guys were that brought this paralytic to Jesus were some true friends! Think about it, first they had to carry their friend, they figured out how to get on the roof with their friend, they tore a hole in the roof, and then they tied a rope to him and lowered him to Jesus! Wow!



Do you have friends that would do that for you? Are you the kind of friend that would do that for someone else? The point here is we need to do whatever it takes to get folks to Jesus. He is our only hope. Did you catch what Jesus observed about these men? "When Jesus saw their faith". This is one of those occasions that changed a mans life because of his friends faith! They believed Jesus could heal him if they could just get him to Jesus. They did whatever it took!



Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get your friends to Jesus? Do you have that kind of faith? Something we all need to ask ourselves and then do whatever it takes!



Tom

Takes a real man to be like Jesus!

In today's society, there are all kinds of definitions of what it takes to be a man. Things like big muscles, superior looks, womanizers, tough, ball player, ect. All these are wrong. Being a real man is to be a man of God. It is the hardest, toughest thing a man can ever do! Let's see how to be a real man:



1 Timothy 2:8

8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;



So what do we see here? First, A man that prays. Are you a man that prays? Not one that just blesses the meal which is good, but one that spends large amounts of time with God in prayer. It is not an easy thing to do. It is not an easy thing to do as the devil will battle you so your mind wanders. The bible says pray, men we have to battle in prayer for our families, for the lost, for the church, and for our own walk with God.



Second, be a holy man. A holy man does not care what others think! He will sing praises to his Lord and might even raise his hands in worship! God is clear what a holy man looks like here:



2 Timothy 2:22

22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.



Do these characteristics describe you? It is a description of a holy man.



Third, When we lift them hands we are praising God. God wants us to be men of praise. Think about your day to day life. How much time do you spend praising God both to yourself and to others? Give God some praise! He alone is worthy. Many go about praising their college football team, or favorite singer ect, but they don't praise the the one who created them! Don't make sense does it?



Fourth, be a peaceful man. That characteristic is in both verses above! Being a man of constant strife is not what Jesus was all about. Jesus only got angry when it came to dishonoring God and we should be the same. Peacefulness draws folks in for us to love, anger drives folks away!



So when looking at this can all of us say we are men or women of God this morning or so we have some major work to do?



Tom

What do I lack?

Many folks today think they are pretty good people. They read their bibles, go to church, help their neighbors, don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal, just down right good folks. This is awesome! We need more people like this. Bu there is one problem....they still lack something for eternal life. Check this guy out:



Matthew 19:16-22



Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.



First, I want you to notice that this man knows he is lacking something. This is called conviction. I believe the Holy Spirit has come upon this young man and convicted him that he was not right with God. So he went to Jesus to find out what he lacked!



Second, Jesus lets him know up front, he is a sinner by telling him their is only ONE who is good and that is God! Nothing we can do to make ourselves good on our own!



Third, next Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, which if one could do perfectly would make him right with God. We all know it is impossible to live a perfect life which this young ruler says he has done since his youth, which is a lie right there!



Fourth, The young man asks again what do I lack and Jesus knowing what is keeping him form totally surrendering to God (his riches) tells his to sell all and give i to the poor and follow Him. The young man couldn't give the riches up and walks away. Notice, the young man is sorrowful but not sorrowful enough to give up the sin that has a hold on his life!



Now before we shake our heads at the young ruler we better examine our own lives and see if there is something lacking in our own lives. Is there something that is keeping you from total surrender to Jesus. Come to Jesus! He will help you give up what ever it is. He loves you and knows what is best for each of us. This sin for the young ruler cost him eternal life, my friend there is nothing in life more valuable that a relationship with Jesus! Come find out for yourself.



As always if I can assist you in anyway, just message me. I am here for you anytime my friend!



Tom

Examine yourself!

We are quick to judge these days. Many think this is wrong spiritually. Personally, I think we have to judge or inspect fruit as scripture puts it to help those that are deceived, back sliding, or just plain not in Christ. Here is the verse on fruit inspection:



Matthew 7:16-20



16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.





John 15:1-5



15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.



Now let me be clear, we are not the ultimate judge, Jesus is. But as followers of Christ we must judge, fruit inspect, or whatever you want to call it, as to help the lost or our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not to use this judging though to hurt, slander, isolate, or banish. We are to love them like Jesus. In many cases folks who we point out sin to will become offended even when we do it in love, there is nothing we can do about that but try to keep loving them in Christ!



For each of us the best thing for us to do is examine ourselves according to God's Word:



1 Corinthians 11:27-28



Examine Yourself

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.



Did you see that examine yourself! Then see if your life matches up to God's Word not the worlds opinion! If it does awesome! If not then pray for God to help you make changes with the help of the Holy Spirit.



2 Corinthians 13:5-7

5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified.



There it is again, examine! Very important. Sadly, many folks will come to the end of this life only to find out they were never in Christ Jesus. They listened to what the world says is right instead of what God's Word says. The church is full of folks who claim to follow Jesus, but when fruit is inspected there is no evidence and thus they are disqualified. Don't be one of these, examine yourself, examine scripture, and know for sure if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.



Tom

How to become Great!

WOW! What a weekend. I went to a Men's Conference in Camden, Tennessee this weekend. Awesome teachings from God from Ken Freeman, Ronnie Coleman, and Steve Gains. Then we had Steve Austin from 180 degrees ministries speak to our church about getting our life on target with God. I highly encourage you to look his ministry up and have him come to your church. He will make you think about how you view life and how God wants you to view life! So I want to share some things I learned with you this week!



There are many things we consider good in this world. Matter of fact we have claimed some people to be great! Michael Jordan, we say is the greatest basketball player of all time. Mohommud Ali claimed himself to be the greatest boxer of all time. Wayne Gretzky was proclaimed the great one. And we could go on and on. But let me remind you of this verse:



Mark 10:18

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.



Hmmm if God is the only one good what does that say to the rest of us??? We are filthy rags according to the Word:



Isaiah 64:6

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.



Ouch! That hurts to know the truth doesn't it? Well I have good news. We can be great! God is more than good, God is great! Jesus is great! So how do we become great?



John 14:12

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.



Did you catch that? We can be great and do greater works if we believe in Jesus! When we are in Christ Jesus we are joint heirs:



Romans 8:17

and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.



We are great in Jesus! This is the only way! Let me remind you, we are great not because of anything we have done but by what Jesus has done on our behalf on the cross!



Now when you become great you do great things, how do you do great things?



Luke 9:23

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.



The only truly great things in life that are done are done following and serving Jesus. Simple huh?



So are you great? You can be in Christ Jesus! Come follow Him!



Tom

Blessed!

Sit back and think about all the blessings God has given you!



Psalm 34:8

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!



Psalm 84:12

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!



Psalm 112:1

[ The Righteous Will Never Be Moved ] Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!



Psalm 128:1

[ Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord ] [ A Song of Ascents. ] Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!



Psalm 128:4

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.



Proverbs 8:32

“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways.



Proverbs 16:20

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.



Jeremiah 17:7

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.



Matthew 25:34

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.



John 20:29

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”



Ephesians 1:3

[ Spiritual Blessings in Christ ] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,



James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.



Make sure you notice that being blessed is not in material things but in a relationship with Jesus and serving Him! Trust Jesus and serve Him with your life and you will be blessed even if it involves persecution!



I am blessed! Are you?



Tom

Decide to come to Jesus like the Duck Commander!

 





A word from the Duck commander Phil Robertson himself about coming to Jesus. Have you come to Jesus?



1 Corinthians 2:2

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Tom

Transformed!!!! Are you?

The bible clearly teaches than when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior a transformation starts taking place. Some changes happen right away and other changes happen over time as we learn more about the Word of God and the teachings of Jesus. Here are a couple of examples of scripture that tell us this very thing:



Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.





2 Corinthians 3:18

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.



So we need to ask ourselves this morning, have I been transformed or am I being transformed to be like Jesus. Here are few things that should take place in our lives:



1. Mind Change! Our thoughts should change. We should be focusing on the things of God and what he wants us to be doing. Pure, Holy thoughts! Trying to obtain the mind of Christ! If you put garbage in it is hard to have pure thoughts! Remember that!



2. Desires Change! Worldly things out...Godly things in! A good example of this is church. Some ask why are you at church every time the door is open? Because I want to! My desires have changed! I use to go just when I did not have anything better to do, now I go because I love God and and his people and I want to be at church! My desires have changed!



3.Wills Change! Our wills are to please God not self. Go where Jesus says and do what Jesus says! Plain and simple.



4. Relationships Change! New friends. Old friends tend to leave because of your change to be like Christ. I did not want my old friends to leave but they could not handle the change. So I still love them and try to tell them about Jesus but sadly relationships change. Key here is to continue to love all.



5.Possessions Change! Idols will be removed from our lives and replaced with godly things. We must remember anything we put before God becomes an idol. For example tv instead of quiet time in the Word or prayer. Sports instead of getting our children trained up in the Lord. Sports and tv in themsleves are not bad but when we put them before God they become idols.



So let us look this morning and examine ourselves and see if we are transformed or if no changes have been made!



Tom

Please help this pastor!!!

I don't like petitions!!! But this is very important. An American pastor is jailed in Iran for starting house churches! USA needs to stand up and help this man of God. Please take a moment to sign and share this petition as it will be taken before congress this week!

Here is the link:
http://aclj.org/

Please do this I beg you, this man is bold enough to share the gospel! Pray for him too!

PMT

Right in his own eyes!

The title of this devotion is seen many times in scripture:





Deuteronomy 12:8

“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes,



Judges 17:6

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.





Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.







Proverbs 12:15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.





Proverbs 21:2

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.



As we look at these verses all I can think of is today! It is just like today's society. Even the much of the church has this mindset. I highlighted that last verse because it is important we see what God does. He weighs the heart! He knows where we stand with Him. The Lord made a very important statement in this verse:



Isaiah 55:8

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord



The key here is God wants us to have his ways and thoughts! The mind of Christ. So anything that is not in line with God's will is wrong/sin. This is our problem. Many times we think we know more than God! Wrong! God's ways are the WAY! No way around it. Look at this verse:



1 Corinthians 2:16

“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.



Is your mind in line with Christ? Are you right or is God right? This nation of ours better figure this out quick as we are facing consequences now for thinking we know more than God. It all starts with me and you! We have to get right ourselves before we work on others!



Tom

Just want to Praise God!

Approximately 6 months ago I asked for prayer for a young man named Garrett Spence. He was involved in a single car accident on a bad curve in Humphreys County, Tenn. He ran off the road at a bridge and crashed at the bottom of the creek where he was ejected from the vehicle. Only by God's grace did a man find him because he seen water on the bridge and found it strange so he turned around and went back and found Garrett lying there clinging to life. When I got the call that night I was told it did not look good and they questioned whether he would make it or not.



Skipping forward six months to last night. Garrett, who is still recovering and in physical therapy as he basically has has to learn everything all over both speaking and walking, came to youth last night and gave his testimony and praised God for allowing him to live. Garrett now knows he has a purpose with this accident and it is to tell others about Jesus and to give God the glory for sparing his life! It was an awesome night. I asked Garrett if 6 months ago before the wreck would he have ever got up before the class and talk about God? He replied "no way". God can take the bad and use for His glory and that is exactly what Garrett is going to do. Praise God!



This morning Garrett is having one of his eyes shown shut hoping it will heal more quickly and that he will regain sight in that eye! Please pray for him and the doctors and pray for his continued therapy in all areas!Also pray God will use him to bring others to Jesus!



If you want to see the story that was on the news about Garrett go here:



http://www.wsmv.com/story/21316466/football-player-injured-in-wreck-thanks-community-for-support



Tom

The Bible Series on History Channel Sunday nights

This was the most watched cable program on Sunday night this past week. Many have asked my opinion on the show. Overall I though it was very good. They took some liberties of course on how some of the interpretations may have played out. I didn't agree with everything that was played out but again overall I thought it was awesome. It is a great opportunity to bring to the world, God's Word. It shows both believers and non-believers the faith of our forefathers and how our faith should be in God. We are weak in our faith compared to someone like Abraham! You may say how can you say that! Well if God told to you to pack up and leave your home right now and not even tell you where you are going, would you do it? If God said sacrifice your child, would you do it? Like I said we are weak compared to our forefathers of the faith!



It was also a great time to get our families together and watch the Bible play out. My daughter asked many questions and made many comments during the show. It kept her attention. She is 9. Don't miss this great opportunity to spend time with your family and learn about God at the same time!



I heard many folks share their displeasure with the skipping of many parts of the bible. I wish they hadn't either but at the same time it is my understanding it is only 10 hours long. So it is very hard to get all that is in the bible played out in 10 hours. So we have to give them a little break on that.



So with that said, tune in this Sunday or record it like I did and watch the bible played out before your eyes! If you missed the first episode it will be on many more times and you can see it online to if I am not mistaken. It is a 5 part mini-series of 2 hour episodes.



It would be awesome for a revival to break out because of this show! Pray for it!



Let me know what you thought about I would like to hear!



Tom

Are you willing to do anything God asks?

Watching the Bible Series reminded me of what a great man of God Abraham was. He did so many things God asked that was way out of our comfort zones. This is the biggest in my opinion. God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son that he had with Sarah. Which brought me to this thought: Am I willing to do anything God asks of me? How about you?



Genesis 22:9-12

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”



Abraham had such a faith in God that he was willing to do the hardest thing anyone could ask...sacrifice his son. Wow. Would I for God? I can say I would but would I? Abraham was willing and about to when God stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice!



This is a picture of what God has done for us in Jesus. Sending His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. God did not stop though...Jesus was sacrificed for our sin! I still am amazed by that. My sin....Jesus died for my sin not his own. All that God asks is that we ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of our life. Many are not willing to do that let alone serve Him with their lives like Abraham.



God help us to be willing and faithful to do whatever you ask of us in our lives for you are worthy of our obedience!



Tom

Are you trying to live in peace?

My Pastor preached a message on this last night. It is a quality all followers of Christ have the ability to do! It is a fruit of the Spirit which we receive as soon as we ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of you life:

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

You see, God has given us the ability to live in peace with others. Now I never said it will be easy. I also want you to see this verse:

Romans 12:18
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Did you catch that? If possible? There will be times where the other party will not allow peace. You are not responsible for them. But then the next words come...."so far as it depends on you", you have to do all within your power to live in peace with ALL people! It don't matter what color, what religion, what they look like, or anything else! Jesus loves the whole world and we are suppose to do the same and live in peace with them.

This is key, if you live in peace with others, they will see the love of Jesus in you and may just give you an opportunity to share Jesus with them! That is what God desires for all His followers!

Are to living in peace this morning? You can! God has given you the power to do so!

Tom

Believe or Relationship?

This is a very important point this morning for our faith in Christ. There are many folks who believe in Jesus, but their must be more than a simple belief. There must be a relationship, a trust in Jesus as your Savior. Let me show you what I mean:



James 2:19

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!



You see here that even demons believe God and Jesus are one, but are demons saved? No! A simple belief that Jesus is God without trusting Him as your Lord and Savior is not enough. Now lets look at some evidence of what Jesus says:



Matthew 16:24

[ Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus ] Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.



Jesus himself says here part of what is required to be a follower....deny self, take up cross, and follow. To deny self is more that a simple belief that Jesus is God, you have to have a relationship with Him, a trust, a love.



Matthew 10:37

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.



With just a simple belief in Jesus, nobody will love Jesus more than family, it takes a loving relationship. Do you love Jesus more than your family? He is God after all!



Mark 10:21

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”



With just a simple belief in Jesus no one would be willing to sell all they have and follow Jesus! Would you be willing too?



John 14:23

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.



Jesus makes it clear here that if we love Him we will keep His Word, His commandments! When we we do we will be loved and God will be with us throughout eternity! Oh what God news. But again you see the point, for us to be obedient to the Word of God takes more that just a ho-hum belief that Jesus is God, it takes commitment and deep faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior!



I hope I got this point across clearly. Many in the church and in society will say yes I believe in Jesus, but so do the demons. The key is have you put your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and committed you love, trust, and life to Him and Him ONLY!



Take some time to think about this, eternity is at stake!



Tom