The 04/12/15 FBC Hammond bulletin is up at Baptist City.
Sunday, 4/5/15 Rom 2:21 Thou therefore that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou
that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Is the degree of
consistency between what you profess and what you enact greater or less this
year than last? Num 10:29-30 And Moses said unto Hobab [his brother-in-law], We are sojourneying
unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with
us...And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land,
and to my kindred. Family loyalty and a love for country are good, but never elevate anything above a
closer walk with Him and doing His will. It’s easy to get sidetracked here. He
deserves (and quietly demands) first place in our day, our devotion &
affection, in our preferences, and in our deference. Remember that those
people/places to which you feel so tied, will answer for and by themselves to
God, as will you. Place Him at the top of the social & familial “food
chain.” Don't ever place a piece of dirt
(either living and breathing dirt, or pretty dirt) on a higher level than His
will.
Hebrews 1:9
"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
One of the themes liberals usually trumpet about God is that He is a loving God. There is no question that God is a loving God. But, when you study the Scriptures you see that the love of God also causes Him to hate sin. It says in the verse above, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity..." The unpleasant side of God that many do not want to talk about is that He also hates sin. Yes, He is a loving God. Yes, He loves righteousness, but His love of righteousness forces Him to hate sin.
Psalm 91:1
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
Dwelling in the shadows is a phrase that normally talks about someone who does not like to be the one being noticed. They are the ones who work behind the scenes and truly don't want any recognition. It is those who dwell in the shadows that oftentimes make things happen.
Four great sermons for the week of 04/05/15 are now up at Baptist City!
- Joy is Reproducing Happiness
- Those Lusting Angels
- The Story, Significance and the Challenge of the Resurrection
- Stewardship
2 Timothy 1:16
"The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:"
Paul was obviously bound in prison, and it is very evident that he did not have many people who would come and see him. We don't know much about Onesiphorus, but the one thing we do know about him is that he was willing to help the Apostle Paul when others were not willing. He was willing to be an encouragement to someone who was considered an outcast when others would not do so. It was the very act of regularly visiting the Apostle Paul that encouraged him to keep on going for the LORD.
Hosea 3:2
"So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:"
This is not the usual love story. This is not the dream that a young girl wants to live out, but the love story in the Book of Hosea is an important love story. It is about a man whom God told to go and marry a harlot. Hosea obeyed and he loved her, but she wanted to go back and become a harlot. She left him and went back to her adulterous ways. Yet, when others would have left her and divorced her, the love of Hosea moved him to buy her back, even after all the shame she had brought to him.
Proverbs 15:15
"All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast."
As I walked around the corner from a hallway the lady at the front desk said to me, "I heard you coming." I was curious as to how she knew that it was me, so I asked her how she knew this. She responded, "You have a happy laugh that sets you apart from my other customers." She said, "You have a way of brightening someone's day with your laughter."
Sunday, 3/29/15 Mark 12:30 And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart...soul...mind,
and...strength. The first commandment: how are you doing with it? The same
methods that can improve an earthly relationship will work with a heavenly one
also: talk, listen, thank, compliment, give in, etc. Ps
67:1 God be merciful unto us, and bless
us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Oh!! We need His mercy and
blessings so much...but the sentence didn’t end. V2: that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving
health among all nations. What if the soul winner who won you to Christ
served God as fervently 2-5-10 years ago as you serve Him now? Would you be
saved? There’s another “you” out there tomorrow, next month, 2023...you’re
saved to serve God. Today, go give someone a chance to come to Heaven with you.
The 04/05/15 FBC Hammond bulletin is now up at Baptist City!