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Our faith as Christ followers needs to overcome the turmoil and testing that comes at us each and every day. We are called to be bold. Bold in our witness of what Jesus has done in and through our lives even if we come under persecution, even if the rains come, even if the floods start rising, even if we are rejected. Scripture reminds us that “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12). I know we all want to be liked but standing up for our faith is more important than ever.
Most of us have at some time or other have given the response, “Well, that’s just who I am.” It became an excuse for something in our lives, some reason not to change. As we will discover this week when we come together, it is just that, an excuse. Yet, in Christ, as Christ-followers there are no excuses not to change from that’s just who I am to that is whose I am. Now that you are in Christ, you are a new creation, the old must be cast off and the new allowed to thrive.
I am sure most of us think we are good citizens— good people doing good things. That we live right and treat others right. Yet, is that the same thing as living an upright life, a life that is in line with God’s word? Scripture reminds us to pursue righteousness. Righteousness is a long word that means to live rightly as God asks us to live. When a woman is healed after 16 years of being hunched over, her immediate action was to praise God! Our lives, how we live them ought to praise God through every aspect of them.
Belief in the power of positive thinking is not the same thing as an inner wisdom and unwavering confidence in Christ. It doesn’t come from believing in ourselves. True optimism, true belief is in getting our minds right on the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It comes from biblical convictions about the nature of God and knowing that He loves us and has an exciting plan tailored for just us. Getting our mind right is part of being able to recognize that God is working in and through us to accomplish His purpose.
This Sunday Advent begins. We start it off with a new 4-Week Sermon and Study Series called, The Fullness of Time. Let us take this time to prepare our hearts and homes to once again remember the reason for the season— Jesus Christ come to earth to set the captives free. Isn’t that worth waiting for? We tend to not like to wait. It’s like being a kid waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. Sometimes waiting seems to take so long. We know Jesus was worth the wait. He came and will return. Let our hope, joy, and love grow as we begin this Advent Season.
When you hear the word surrender what does that mean for you? Does it mean giving up on something or does it mean giving it all to God to orchestrate? When we live fully surrendered to God, we trust Him so much so that our finances, our family, our job situation, our home, our car, our everything is given to Him for the benefit and blessing in our lives for us and for others. We gather once again to remember that Jesus is central to all of our daily living.
On this weekend we celebrate the birth of our nation and the freedoms we enjoy. The sacrifices made on our behalf by the many who gave their all have provided us with these freedoms. Jesus gives us true freedom. Through His death and resurrection we are free from the bondage of sin and death. In the way we live our lives we can honor the many who have died for these freedoms. Above all we must honor the greatest sacrifice ever made, Jesus, the Lamb of God who gave all for you and I that we may have eternal life.
Scripture is clear, we are to love one another in the Body of Christ. And although the Spirit dwells in us, love still needs to be perfected. To be like love from brother to brother and sister to sister— love as family. Love from the Father through the Son that is activated in our lives overflows into our speech and deeds. Join us this week in worship as we discover the Only Jesus— Brother and His love in the family of God.
We can rejoice knowing that it is through the righteousness of Christ and our faith in Him that we are redeemed people of God. We find out this week it takes perseverance in faith to stay on track, to set our eyes on the goal of knowing Christ. There will be some who come along our pathway and try to lead us off the mark set before us. Let us remember we are people who are growing in their knowledge of Christ and growing in our understanding of just how powerful God is. It is in His strength we find the assurance to stand firm, to press on, to journey toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
This week, we are traveling about 2 miles east of Jerusalem to the small village of Bethany. There are about a dozen references found in the Scriptures of this town. It was the home of Simon the leper, it is the place where Mary anoints the feet of Jesus. It is where preparations start for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. But most of all it is probably best known for being the hometown of Jesus' good friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. And, we too can look at Jesus as our friend.
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