Monday, October 22, 2012

“God Has Been Good To Me And I’m Gonna Give Him Thanks”

Thanksgiving is upon us...a season to remember how blessed we are and will continue to be because of God's goodness.  Throughout the month of November I will be ministering on "What We Are Thankful For".   I will endeavor to bring to light why we should never take for granted who we are in Him...who we are as Americans...who we are in our own individual families plus other areas we should be giving thanks for.  I pray these message will be an uplift to you and a reminder of how bless we each are.  Any comments will be welcomed.
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Title:   “God Has Been Good To Me And I’m Gonna Give Him Thanks”


Ps. 136:1-3 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
                 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord   
            of lords:  for his mercy endureth for ever.

Intro. As a child of God I acknowledge, without reservation, that I have what I have,  I am blessed with what I am blessed with, not because of any great talents, abilities, or even because I deserve it.  I am blessed  because of God’s goodness.  I want each here to know that “God Has Been Good To Me And I’m Gonna Give Him Thanks!”

In the busyness of our world we sometimes forget to thank God for His unmatchable goodness.  

Consider these blessings that we often overlook...

*If you have just one Bible, your are abundantly blessed.  Most people in the world do not.

*If you awoke this morning more healthy than ill you are more blessed than one million people who will not survive the week.

*If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of more than five hundred million people around the world.

*If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% if this world.

*If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

*If you prayed yesterday and today, you are in the minority because you believe in God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer.

*If you have the ability to choose between churches where you may freely worship, you have a blessing many people in the world do not. 

*If you are a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, you live with the daily assurance that you will have eternal life, and that you Savior has gone to prepare a mansion for you in glory.  Millions of people believe this sad life is all there is. 

God's Been Good To Me & I’m Gonna Give Him Thanks Because He Is....

My Redeemer - Redeem/Redeemer = Redeem by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:13-14  


My Savior - Savior = to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction (from injury or peril)
  1. to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health
  2. to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ” II Tim. 7-10  

My Healer - Healer = One that makes whole.

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” I Pet. 2:24

 My Baptizer - Baptize = to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)
  *to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash,     *to overwhelm

“John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:” Lk. 3:16 ,  

My Supplier - Supply = to fill up, make full

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19

My Hope - Hope = expectation of good

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”  I Tim. 1:1

In truth He  is my everything.  What is so awesome about it is He willingly did what He did that you and I might become what we are and have what we have.    I want you, I want everyone to know today, that “ God Has Been Good To Me And I’m Gonna Give Him Thanks“ !  I was lost but now I’m found!  I was bound but now I’m free! I was blind but now I see!  I was sick but now I’m healed!  I was poor but now I’m rich!  I was on a dead end street going no where but He pick me up turned me around and start me on a  journey to a city Who’s Builder and Maker is God....... 

Conc.“God Has Been Good To Me And I’m Gonna Give Him Thanks!! “

Thursday, October 11, 2012

GO, The Child of God's Mandate




Text:  Lk. 9:1-5,  “And he called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money; neither have two coats. And into whatsoever house ye enter, there abide, and thence depart. And as many as receive you not, when ye depart from that city, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them.”

Intro.   We live in a nation of 311,591,917 people;  a county of  998,881 people if you live in St. Louis Cty & 219,084 if you live in Jefferson County.  We are surrounded  by people....people that are part of the prime target of the mandate God has given to every child of God present today.  

Listen to the words of the mandate...”5And he said unto them, GO ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mk. 16:15;  

GO out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”
Lk. 14:23

He didn’t  ask us or make a request of us....He gave us a command....”GO”.  To do anything less is not acceptable. 

Note: In Revelation the Church is represented by lamps; they hold the oil and the fire, and dispense the light. A lamp is not light in itself, it is only the instrument of dispensing light, and it must receive both oil and fire before it can dispense any; so no Church has in itself either grace or glory, it must receive all from Christ its head, else it can dispense neither light nor life.  The Church must continue to have the oil and the light, that it will continue to burn and send forth Divine knowledge! In vain does any Church pretend to be a Church of Christ if it dispenses no light; if souls are not enlightened, quickened, and converted in it. If Jesus walks in it, it’s light will shine both clearly and strongly, and sinners will be converted unto him; and the members of that Church will be children of the light, and walk as children of the light and of the day, and there will be no occasion of stumbling in them. (Adam Clark Commentary)

We Are Not Alone:   Lk. 9:1-5 “And he called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money; neither have two coats. And into whatsoever house ye enter, there abide, and thence depart. And as many as receive you not, when ye depart from that city, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them.”
Jesus gave the disciples a mandate, to “GO”.  In these verses He gave four directives that assured them they were not alone and a promise of victory in the war for the souls of mankind.
1. He enabled them....v. 1, "And he called the twelve together, and gave them power (The ability to do or act; capability of             doing or accomplishing something) and authority (a right delegated or given) over all demons, and to cure diseases."

2. He gave them a directive, v. 2, “And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal  
    the sick.”

3. He made them dependent, v. 3, “Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor wallet, nor bread, 
    nor money; neither have two coats.”     God will supply all of your needs... Phil. 4:9

4. He secured them, v. 4-5, “And into whatsoever house ye enter, there abide, and thence depart.
    And as many as receive you not, when ye depart from that city, shake off the dust from your feet 
    for a testimony against them.”  
    He secured them by informing them that once they had been obedient in doing what they 
    were called to do they were then free from the consequences of the lack of response.   Their  
    job was secure...."shake off the dust...". They were to be guilt free.  Guilt comes in many forms  
    but the results produced is always the same....control.  Controlled by doubt... insecurity... fear...    
    inadequacy, etc.

 We must learn to "shake it  off"!   Note Isa. 52:2, Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit on thy   
 throne, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 
 Isaiah 52:2 ASV

Conc.  GO.....preach......win the lost.....is our Mandate.....it is our purpose.  To fail to do what we have been placed in this community to do is not an option.  Failure means your sons...daughters.... neighbors....friends....would not only spend eternity in torment but would also never know the joy there is in serving Him here.  We know what we are called to do......let’s shake off what is hindering us and “GO”!

“I Am Free…I Am Free…I Am Free At Last”

MC Sermon - 2/20/22 Intro.  Many within the church are being distracted by what is going on around them. The distraction disrupts the pursu...