1 Samuel 14:45
"And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not."
There are many things about this story of Jonathan fighting alone with his armor bearer against the garrison of the Philistines that should stir the heart of the Christian. The army of God was settled, and the enemies of God were marching when Jonathan determined not to let them advance any further. With God's, help Jonathan and his armor bearer stopped the advance of the Philistines and wrought a great victory that day.
Four sermons for the week of 01/18/15 are now up at www.baptist-city.com.
- The God I Need
- Your God is all that you Lack
- Surrender to your Responsibilities
- Surrender to your Responsibilities 2
1 Samuel 8:9
"Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them."
Samuel's sons had soured the children of Israel from wanting another priest to rule over them. They saw how the other countries had a king over them, and they thought that it would be better for them to have a king. When they went to Samuel and demanded a king, he was upset with their request, but by the command of God he agreed.
Ruth 2:1
"And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz."
Every strong society is a society where the men are strong. We live in a generation where the men have become more effeminate and the women more masculine which has resulted in a society that lacks leadership. You will never have a strong home, church, business or nation without strong men.
Judges 18:19
"And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?"
One of the things people often use in determining God's will is found in the verse above. The men of Dan came to the house of Micah and demanded the priest to come and be a priest for them. They reasoned with this priest by asking if it was "...better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?" They used the influence card to get this man to leave where he was supposed to be which eventually resulted in this man's compromise.
Judges 8:23
"And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you."
The one thing that separates a person from anyone else is whether or not they are a life changer. Life changers make an impact upon a society. Life changers make the best leaders. Life changers are the best Christians who make the greatest impact in their ministry and church. There are many people serving the LORD, but it is the life changers who are making the difference in their world.
Sunday,
1/11/15 Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son
of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? The faith to let God do
the avenging/settle the scores. Let God handle the paybacks and the promotions:
you pray for your enemies and faithfully do your job. Luke 19:42b ...the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from
thine eyes. Another reminder that God does not have infinite patience re:
the willful hard-headed-ness of His people. He will let you win the
tug-of-war...and you’ll fall very hard on your posterior.
The 01/18/15 FBC Hammond bulletin is up at Baptist City.
Joshua 13:1
"Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed."
We often hear how the "good ole days" were much better than they were today. Every generation has heard how the previous generation was much better than the present one. Yet, what many fail to see is that God leaves something for every generation to conquer.