THE WONDER OF HIS NAME

THE WONDER OF HIS NAME

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Wonderful

His coming was wonderful. This prophecy was to show us who God is and what He is like in the form of His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ. He was and is “Wonderful”.  742 years before his birth, Isaiah, God's prophet, foretold the amazing truth that he would be born of a virgin and said His name would be Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14).  700 years before He was born, Micah, God's prophet revealed in Micah 5:2 that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem of Judah. There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament which foretold His coming.  The chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled only eight of the prophecies is 1 in 10¹⁷."  That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.  Jesus was not an ordinary man, but God in the flesh.  “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son, from the Father, full of grace and truth”  (John 1:14).  What a wonderful gift from God.

Every ordinary thing He touched became “Wonderful”.  Everyone He touched changed from ordinary into “Wonderful”.  At His presence, the blind would see, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk, and the dead could be raised from the dead.  When Jesus came by, people felt His “wonderful” presence and everyone He touched received something “Wonderful” from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Everything He did was “Wonderful”.  He fed thousands of hungry people with His “Wonderful” miracles.  He ate and fellowshipped with the outcasts and unlovable in His community.  He brought the message of eternal life to all who would hear and receive it.  Everything He said was “Wonderful”.  He talked about living forever with Him in Heaven.  He talked about having rewards for living a good and righteous life.  He talked about forgiveness for all the sins we have committed.  He talked about His love for us and the need for us to love others.

Counsellor

We all need a counselor at one time or another. We need the advice of friends or family.  Jesus has the credentials to be our advisor because he is completely trustworthy and wise.  Jesus provides two things that we’d look for in a great counselor:  He is understanding. – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)  

He is someone who really cares. – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Pet. 5:7).  So when we face any and every decision, this prophecy tells us that Jesus is there to advise us and give us direction. Jesus is our top advisor. He can see every possible outcome, and knows which choice is best. Every time.

Mighty God

This is an expectation of power.  Calling this child “God” is a prophecy regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ. He will be the all-powerful God himself!  Christ is our victorious king who has already triumphed over the evil powers of this world!  Because of that, we can expect Jesus to continue give us victory over our struggles. As a “Mighty Warrior” he will deliver us safely from the wars we wage against the embarrassing temptations we have a difficult time getting under control.  He will deliver us from laziness, bad habits, confrontations with family, and confrontations with people with whom we do business. He is the Mighty God!

The Everlasting Father

This is an expectation of care.  “Everlasting” points to a promise of kingdom that will never end. (Is. 9:7)  “Father” refers to the enduring, compassionate, fatherly care of the Messiah to His people. We can expect Jesus to be our “Provider Forever.”

 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

Prince of Peace

This is an expectation of wholeness.  A “Prince” is a leader, military commander or noble.  “Peace” is the world “shalom” which means the absence of strife, completion, fulfillment or wholeness resulting in unimpaired relationships.  He also provides “peace on earth,”  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” (Luke 2:14). There will be a time of absence of war and social justice on earth. This will happen when the Lord Jesus returns at His Second Coming.  But until then He has come to bring peace into our lives. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27).  This can happen in the part of the world where you live and occupy - within your heart and mind. The Lord Jesus Christ wants to come into our lives and bring us peace.  “For He is our peace”. (Ephesians 2:14).  

Our Lord is more than a baby born in a manger.  He is Wonderful, He is our Counsellor.  He is our Mighty God.  He is our Everlasting Father, He is our Prince of Peace.

UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN

“Unto Us a Child is born, unto us a Son is Given” 

Isaiah 9:6

Our Lord and Savior, was both born and given to us.  He was truly-born as a child as you and I were and became a human.  As Jesus Christ, God’s Son, He was given, begotten of His Father, not made, but of the same substance of His Father.  This is a mystery utterly beyond the understanding of any human being.  As one great preacher, C.H. Spurgeon said: “It would be like a gnat drinking from the ocean for a finite creature to comprehend the Eternal God.  A God whom we could understand would be no God.”  

Jesus Christ as a child was born, but Jesus Christ as a Son was not born, but given.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).  It is true that “unto us a child is born”.  It is a fact that a child is born.  It is a fact more fully established than any other fact in history, that the Son of God became a man and was born in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.  The unbeliever may dispute it, but we, professing to be believers in Scripture, receive it as an undeniable truth, that God has given His only begotten Son to be the Savior of men and women.

If this child who we see through the eyes of faith wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem’s manger, is born to you, then you are “born again”. “Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). For this child is not born to you unless you are born to this child.  Only men and women who are “born again” can claim the babe in Bethlehem as being theirs.

How can you know if you are “born again”.  There are several ways.  Have you come to Christ and asked for forgiveness of your sins and asked Him to be your Savior?  Is there a change within you that makes you care about spiritual things?  Is there a change in you that makes you want to avoid sin and the pleasures of this world?  “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2).  The new birth does not consist in washing the outside of the cup, but a cleaning on the inside, in the inner man.  If you are not changed inside, this child is not born to you. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Another way you can know if you are “born again” is that there is a change on the exterior of your life.  Do your friends and family observe a change?  If there is no change in the outward life, there is no change within.  The proof of the Christian is in the living.  When we live in sin and worldly pleasure, and seek our own desires, and not God’s will, and we deceive ourselves.  “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:6-8).

If this “Child”, the Lord Jesus Christ is born to you, you must come to Him as a child with faith.  “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2-4). Do you take God’s Word just as it is, simply because your heavenly Father says it is true?  Can you believe the mysteries of God in the Bible without demanding to have them intellectually explained to you?  Can you say and believe as the Psalmist says: “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. They continue this day according to Your ordinances, For all are Your servants.” (Psalms 119:89-91).

If this “Son” is given to you, you have become a son or daughter of the Heavenly Father.  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13).  Does the Holy Spirit speak to you about your relationship with Him.  “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”  (Romans 8:15-16).  If “unto us a Son is given”, then we are given to the Son.  "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” (John 6:39).  The Lord Jesus Christ is praying to the Father for you today if you are His son or daughter.  "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.” (John 17:9)

If you receive the gift of salvation from God the Father then you have been born again - “unto you a child is born”,.  If you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, “unto you a Son is given”.  How is it we give so little to Christ who gave Himself for us?  This Christmas realize the greatest gift you have been given is the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is a personal gift that each person has to receive.

GIVE US THIS DAY

GIVE US THIS DAY

By Pastor Mark Taylor

December 1, 2017

“Give us this day, our daily bread”  Matthew 6: 11

This is part of the prayer our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, taught us to pray.  Therefore we need to pay close attention as we learn how to pray.  

In the Old Testament God fed the children of Israel for forty years in the wilderness.  He fed them every day.  “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.” Exodus 16:4.  

God gave them instructions on how to gather it for one day at a time.  "So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.  This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer (about two quarts) for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’” Exodus 16: 15-16.

Our Lord also told us that He was the “Bread of Life” that we should desire.  

“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”  And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:32-40.

There are many applications we can make from these scriptures in relationship to how we should pray and why we should pray: “Give us this day, our daily bread” 

(Matthew 6:11.).

Our main request from our Heavenly Father should be “Give me more of Jesus, today.”  When we have “The Bread of Life” we will have everything else we need.  “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”  (Matthew 6:33).  He understands that we have other needs, but He should be our priority.

Our main routine should be early in the morning every day.  When we leave our house to go to work our engaged in our daily activities, our efforts and our energy will be less than it could have been with our “daily Bread”.  Just as our physical body requires nourishment, our souls need spiritual nourishment.  If we feel frustrated and tired in the middle of the day, it is because we have forgotten to ask for and receive our “daily bread”.  It is also important to pray all day long for direction, protection, and sanctification.  Our requests should be “What is it?”  What do you want me to do with what you have given me?

Our main results is that when we are fed we will have enough left over for all those in our tents.  If you will go to our Lord for your “daily bread”, then He will give you enough for all those who have needs that you are responsible for.  Your family needs for you to be strong, physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Research has shown that when the mind is full of stress, worry, and fear, it will have a direct affect on the body.  When we are full of our Lord Jesus, there is little room for rest of these things He has told us to get out of our lives.

Let us all start our day with saying the “Lord’s Prayer” and meaning it in our hearts.  It may sound like a ritual, but it is the model prayer that will lead us into a deeper prayer life with our Savior.  If you are uncomfortable about saying the prayer because you feel your prayers should come directly from your heart, then include these things in your prayer:  Praise and Thanksgiving; Provision and protection; His will to be done in your life; and Sanctification - the ability to live a life pleasing to God. 

THE WILL OF GOD CONCERNING YOU

“THE WILL OF GOD CONCERNING YOU”

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).

People who love God appreciate all He has done for them and seek to please Him in some type of way. Sometimes we call this “finding God’s will” or using our “gifts and abilities” for the Kingdom of God.

I have been serving the Lord Jesus for over fifty years now in several different ways.  I have worked in the Church as a Sunday School Teacher, a youth director, missionary, an assistant pastor, an associate pastor, and a Pastor.  But, I have also served Him in secular jobs.  I was a school teacher and school administrator for over 32 years, a coach for children’s sports, worked in a grocery store and restaurant, construction, drove a bus, and many other things.  All of these positions were a part of God’s will for my life at the time.  My titles and geography changed, but mission remained the same.  I was actively involved in taking the message of God’s love to people.

One thing I have learned is that you can serve the Lord without having a title in the church.  You can be a minister without being ordained.  You can be a teacher without having a class.  You can be a missionary without leaving your community.  You can please God with your gifts and abilities regardless of your age, income, or education.

If you will start your day with a prayer asking the Lord “What are we going to do today?”, and you follow Him all day long, you will have done the will of God.  If you repeat that tomorrow, the next day, the next month, the next year, and the rest of your life, at the end of your life you will have done “God’s Will”.

Let me tell you what I did this week so that you can do some of these things this coming week. Please do not think I am boasting about these things.  There is nothing here that I did without God’s help and leading.  There is nothing here you cannot do.   I took time to play with a small child; I listened to a teenager’s questions about life; I took time to be a friend to several lonely adults;  I had prayer with a total stranger who had just received bad news about a loved one’s health; my wife and I sent money to an orphanage in Africa for food, and to a Pastor in India for medicine for his wife; I attended a funeral of someone I did not know and carried their family some food and words of comfort;  I visited a nursing home patient and had prayer with them.  I used my ability to make something of value and gave it freely;  I shared the Good News and love of our Lord Jesus with others by giving them CD’s and written messages of hope and love.  I sent the Gospel throughout the world to over 107 countries using the internet which cost me nothing.  I shared messages of hope and love on websites, youtube, and face book.   I hope you can see that you have unlimited ways to serve the Lord and to do “God’s Will”. 

Something I have learned is not to wait until everything is right in your life to start doing “God’s Will”  We cannot wait until others start treating us the way we want them to before we start doing the things God has put in our hearts and given us the ability to do.  We cannot wait until we have someone else’s permission or commission to do His will.

We can count on God to be with us, to find “His Will”,  and to lead us and make a way for us to become victorious even in difficult times.  Even if you are suffering from bad relationships, poor financial decisions, or health problems remember His words of encouragement to us: “No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it” 

(1 Corinthians 10:13).  Go to God in prayer.  If you are going through a difficult time in your life, ask Him to give you the faith to endure your hardship until He makes the way.  The “Will of God” for you in hard times is this: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  (I Thessalonians 5:18).

God is going to make a way for you today.  “He gives power to the weary; and to him with no vigor; He increases strength. Even the young shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31).

“God’s Will” for you is not impossible to find. “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek and you will find; knock and it shall be open unto you. For everyone who asks, receives; and everyone who seeks, finds; and everyone that knocks, it shall be opened.

There are great rewards waiting for us if we “do God’s Will”.  We will have resources from Heaven to help us and bless us each day we walk with Him.  “Blessed is the person who walks not with the ungodly...they shall be like a tree planet by the rivers of water, that produces good fruit in its season, its leaf also shall not die; and whatever they do shall prosper.”  (Psalm 1: 1-3).  We will have eternal life with the Lord Jesus if we do “God’s Will”.  “And this world will pass away and all the sin in it: but those that do the will of God will live forever.”  (I John 2:17).

There are people that need you today.  It may be something as simple as a kind word or an act of kindness. It may be something that requires your time, money, and talents.  If God lays something on your heart, He is expecting you to do it.  And in many cases, if you don’t do it, it want get done.  “Give, and it shall be given to you...” (Luke 6:38).

Here is a conversation and a prayer I had with the Lord in April 2011.

Today, I woke up and asked my Lord Jesus: “What will we do today?”

He said: “The first thing we will do is take some time to pray.”

“But,” I said, “there are so many things to do, and Lord we can only do so much.”

My Lord replied: “With a little help from you, there are many people we can touch.”

YOU ARE MORE VALUABLE

“YOU ARE MORE VALUABLE” 

by Pastor Mark Taylor

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."          Matthew 10:29-31

You are more valuable than you think you are.  You are more valuable than others think you are.  You are of great value to the God that created you and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave His live for you.

In our technological world we are seeing the 

de-personalization of our lives. As we go through the day, we feel like a number instead of a person. A statistic instead of a human being. 

Did you ever notice how important individuals are in the Bible?  Individual men and women, with names, and families, and histories, and personalities, and strengths and weaknesses?

He called one man, Abraham to start the nation of Israel. When God brought his people out of slavery in Egypt, He called one man to lead them, Moses. Most important, when the second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, entered into humanity in order to become our Savior and Redeemer, He did it as a man, Jesus.

Our Lord Jesus ministered to individuals. Yes, He taught the multitudes. Yes, He fed the five thousand. But when He healed people, it wasn’t in great masses. If He wanted to, He could have waved his arms and cured hundreds at a stroke. But instead, He placed His hands on them, one at a time, and He healed them, one at a time. In the gospels, we see Christ constantly interacting with individuals, the woman caught in adultery; the rich young ruler; the woman at the well; a demon-possessed man; a paralytic; a blind man; a centurion; and a tax collector. When Jesus saw five thousand people, He didn’t just see a crowd. He saw five thousand individuals, with names and histories and futures. In the same way, when Christ looks at you and me, that’s what He sees; not anonymous faces in the crowd, but his precious, beloved children, whom He knows intimately and cares for deeply. 

God’s plan for each of us is unique.  He loves variety and diversity. God is working in your life differently than He is in mine, or in someone else’s.  It doesn’t mean that He loves you more or less. His plan for you isn’t better or worse than His plan for someone else, it’s just different. 

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." – Romans 12:4-6

When you or I go to God in prayer, He doesn’t say to Himself, "Oh, someone is praying." He doesn’t even say, "one of my children is praying." He says, "______ is praying.” (Put your name in the blank)

God’s personal love serves as a model for us to emulate in our love for one another.  We all have our own faith journey to follow, and someone else’s may not look like yours. That’s OK. Let God deal with them as He sees fit.

The fact is that God knows and loves us by name, personally and intimately.  That fact should motivate us to seek after Him, so that we might know and love Him in the same way. Just as we shouldn’t be satisfied with a superficial relationship to one another, we shouldn’t be satisfied to have a superficial relationship with our God. Christ, through His death, has removed every barrier; He has removed every obstacle; He has made it possible for us to truly know God; and He invites us to know Him; and desires that we know Him.

God says, “Don’t be afraid” every time you are afraid. When you are knocked to your face in fear, Jesus reaches down and touches you and says, “Don’t be afraid, it’s going to okay.”

You are loved by God and that is something you need to remind yourself of every day.  You should love yourselves, because God loves you.  You will be able to stand before God one day and understand His love for you.  Until then, understand that you are chosen by God to be one of His children, and He feels you are worthy and valuable.  Learn to love yourself with your words, your smile, your actions.  The more you love and accept yourself as God has made you, the more others will accept you.  “I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14).

Our Lord said to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).  Since Jesus said that we are to “love your neighbor as yourself”, then we can imply that He wants us to love ourselves. God has accepted you just as you are, with all of your hang-ups and problems.   “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  Yes, He wants you to become better, but He died for you with all your problems.

You are more valuable than the mountains, flowers, birds, and planets, that God created.  Use your life to be a blessing to others and to show your love to the God who thinks you are more valuable than any other thing in His creation.   Memorize and say this verse to yourself every day.  “I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14).

THE SECRET OF ONE

“THE SECRET OF ONE”

By Pastor Mark Taylor

For most of my childhood and all of my youth and adult life I have believe that God was directly involved in my life.  I know there are millions of believers in this world, but there is no one who is just like you or me.  We were created by our Heavenly Father for a purpose and placed in strategic places in this world to accomplish that purpose. Our Lord Jesus has chosen us and chosen to give us His love. That makes us special.  

One verse that reinforces my belief on this is in John 15:16: “ You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it to you.”

In I Kings 17: 8-16 God has given us an event in the life of the prophet Elijah.  In this event, God choose one person to make a big difference in the life of Elijah.

The Lord told Elijah that He had chosen a poor widow woman who had a young son to take care of him during a famine.  She was probably the most unlikely person to take care of someone else because she could not even take care of herself and her son.

When Elijah arrived at her village she was gathering sticks to cook one last meal for her and her son and then she would be completely out of food.  Elijah asked her for a drink of water, which was also scarce at that time.  The woman turn to go and find him a cup of water, and then Elijah stopped her and ask her for a small amount of bread.

The widow women, told Elijah that she only had enough food for one more meal for her and her son and that the two sticks she had was to build a fire to cook their last meal.

Then Elijah told her if she would do this one act of faith that God would bless her for many days.

There are a lot of “ones” in this message to us from God’s Word.  

First of all, there was “one” prophet.  At times He felt he was the only one left that was serving God. 

“And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” (I Kings 19:14). The Lord reminded Him, that he was not alone, that there were seven thousand other people who were still serving Him.

Maybe you feel you are the only one left trying to live right and do right.  The Lord Jesus’ message to you is that is that you are not alone.  “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”   (Matthew 28:20).

Another “one” in this story was the widow woman.  She probably felt she has fail in her life and had fail her son, because they both would soon die of hunger and there was nothing she could do about it.  What she did not know was that God was preparing a way for her to meet her needs. “For your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.”  Matthew 6:8.

Then there was the “one barrel” and “one cup”.  Before Elijah got to this ladies house, they were almost empty.  After she  did what the Lord told her to do, both of them were full.  

You may not think you have much today to offer the Lord.  You may be “hanging on by a thread”.  But you still have “one thing” more you can do, one more prayer you can pray, and one more promise from God’s Word you can depend upon.

The secret of “One” is that you and God are a majority.  You have all the resources of Heaven on your side. You can become God’s partner in accomplishing things on Earth that God wants to do. You are only “one” person, but you can allow God to use you to meet the needs of another person who feels that they are only one.

A young boy went to hear the Lord Jesus speak.  He was not expecting that the little that he had could be used to bless so many.   Even the disciples did not feel he had anything to contribute. He was just one little boy.  “There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fish: but what are they among so many?” (John 6:9).  The bread and fish did not seem like much, but when Jesus blessed it, five thousand men were fed, not counting the great number of women and children.

The Lord Jesus observed a poor widow giving two of her last coins into the offering at the temple.    “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,  and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.  So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all;  for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” (Luke 21: 1-4).

God likes to use individuals.  He likes to take “one” person to accomplish things for His glory and to meet the needs of others.  And when He chooses that “one” person, it is usually the person who others would be dismissed as weak or unable to perform the task.

Think of all the people in the Bible that God called individually to do a job.  One man named Noah decided to live a righteous life, and he saved humanity. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.. and the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth...But Noah, found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  And Noah did  according unto all that the Lord commanded him.” (Genesis 6: 5,7,8, 22). 

One boy named David, killed a giant military  soldier  who was approximately 9’6” tall and changed the history of his country.  David told him: “You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied”  (I Samuel 17:45).  

He is drawn to people who are weak and admit it, and who ask for help from Heaven.  “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”   (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The secret of “one” is that God loves you.  You are special to Him.  Even if you have been away from God, He is looking for you today.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”  (Luke 15:4-7).

IF IT WERE NOT FOR THIS, AND THAT, AND THE OTHER - EXCUSES

“IF IT WERE NOT FOR THIS, AND THAT, AND THE OTHER”

BY PASTOR MARK TAYLOR

“AND THEY ALL WITH ONE CONSENT BEGAN TO MAKE EXCUSES” LUKE 14:18         

In Luke 14: 16-24 our Lord tells us of a story that He is using compare this incident to the Kingdom of God. In these scriptures we see an invitation from a very good, kind, and generous man to all his friends. Instead of being grateful for this invitation to come to a “great supper”, they all rejected his offer by giving excuses. 

Today, that invitation is given to “many” by the Holy Spirit to come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, refreshment, and fellowship. “And the Spirit and the bride says come. And let Him that hears say come. And let him who is thirsty come. And whosoever will let him take of the waters of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17). But many people respond as the people in this story by saying I would come “if it were not for this, and that, and the other..” 

This is certainly a message to all those who have not received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, “to come”. But it is also an invitation to those who call themselves “friends” of His. In this story these people knew the man very well. This rich and generous man sent His servants to deliver the invitation to specific people who He knew well. You and I are the people of this message. 

The message for you and me is “come, for all things are now ready” (Luke 14:17). The Lord Jesus has done everything necessary to provide you the opportunity to come and fellowship with Him and use your gifts and abilities to serve Him. 

The Lord wants you to come and have some great fellowship with Him. But many are saying not now. They are saying “If it were not for this, and that, and the other..” I would read my Bible more, and pray more, and be faithful to the worship services. 

As you listen to the excuses in this story, you will see that they are very weak. One man bought some land that he had not even looked at. After he paid for it, he decided to go see it instead of going to the “great supper” of his friend. Another bought some animals to plow his field that he had not looked at or tested to see if they were able to do the necessary work he needed done. He decided to go see them after he bought them instead of going to the “great supper” of his friend. The third man used the excuse of his family for the reason he could not come. He could have brought his wife to the “great supper’, but instead, he used her as an excuse. 

After this generous man had received all these excuses, he became angry. Have you ever put in a lot of work and effort into something, and no one appreciated it? How did that make you feel? Possibly, angry? 

The Lord Jesus Christ has given you an invitation to come to His house at least on Sunday morning to have fellowship with Him and His other children. He has given you the Bible to study, He has given you open access to Him in prayer, and He has given you many blessings because He loves us. What has been your response to His invitation to “Come, for all things are now ready.” 

The Lord is also giving you an invitation to receive His blessings by living a life that would be pleasing to Him and a blessing to others. “Depart from evil, nd do good, seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of he Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are upon their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil...” (Psalm 34: 14-16). 

Now you and I have a choice. We can follow the Lord and live a life of purpose and blessing to ourselves and others. Or we can make excuses. 

You are invited to produce good works through the power that the Lord has put into your life. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit, He takes it away. Every branch that produces fruit, He purges it (makes it better), so that it may bring forth more fruit.....I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides in me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.” (John 15: 1-5). 

The sad news of this story is that those who made excuses would no longer have an opportunity to enter the house of this loving and generous man. The excuses they gave kept them from receiving many blessings. “For I say unto you. That none of those who were asked to come shall taste of my supper” (Luke 14:24). 

The good news of this story is that the invitation became open to others. 

If you feel unworthy today to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, He wants you to know you are invited to His Heavenly Home for a “great supper”. The invitation has been extended to “whosoever will”. “Then the master of the house said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, and the crippled, and the disabled, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, t is done as you have commanded and yet there is still room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:21-23). 

Today the Lord Jesus is giving you an invitation to accept Him, to serve Him, and to love Him. Will you say yes? Or will you say “I would, if it were not for this, and that, and the other?” 

WALK ON WATER

Walk on Water 

 Matthew 14:22-33

by Pastor Mark Taylor

In this passage from Matthew's gospel, we hear the story of Jesus walking on water, a miracle indeed. The disciples have just experienced Jesus' miracle in feeding the thousands, and now they are traveling by boat to the other side of the sea, leaving Jesus with some time to pray and to regroup. 

Out on the sea, the winds begin to blow, rocking the boat to and fro. the disciples are nervous and scared. And then, through the raging storm, they see a figure. Someone appears to be walking across the sea! Who is it? A ghost? Who could it be? They don't recognize Jesus at first, not expecting to see anyone walking on water. The image takes them so by surprise that they don't recognize their master coming toward them. But Jesus speaks to them: "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." 

These precious words give Peter some courage, and he tries to join Jesus on the water, a show of his faith.  Soon, however, he is overcome with fear of the storm raging around him. He realizes just what he is doing - trying to walk on water, crazy enough in itself, but doing so in the middle of a terrible storm. It's too much for Peter to handle. He begins to sink, and cries out, "save me!" Jesus catches him, and with disappointment you can hear in His voice, saying, "you of little faith, why did you doubt?" When the winds finally cease, the disciples worship him, calling Him the Son of God.

The fact that Peter eagerly volunteered to join Jesus on the sea suggests that we need not be bound by probability or predictability either. Lord, if it is really you, let me join you. 

Peter, through the eyes of faith, saw himself as an imitator of Christ - even in walking on the water. Later, Jesus would tell all of us that we would be able to do the works that he did and even greater works as we bring glory to God.   With God, the scriptures tell us, all things are possible, and by extension, with God's help, the people of God face no impossibility."   We hear that if we have faith, we can move mountains.  I believe our Lord Jesus is talking about figurative mountains in our lives that seem impossible.  We are not given the power to move literal mountains because of the destruction we would cause, or walk on water because of the pride we would have of doing something others cannot do.   But there is no impossibility in God meeting our needs and giving us the desires of our heart that are from God.  There are times we may desire things that are harmful to us or others, and God will not grant selfish requests. "You ask, and receive not because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4:3).  We should always pray like our Lord prayed:  "O my Father, it it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."  (Matthew 26:39)

Think of the things that are possible today that were at some point impossible: a one pound baby, born 3 months early, can grow into a healthy child, after a few months of special care. Isn't that a miracle? We can get into an airplane, and be lifted into the air, and travel great distances at great speeds - we can even travel to into space, and land on the moon. Isn't that a miracle? We can type on a computer, hit a button, and have instantaneous communication with someone half way around the world. 

How is it possible? All of these can be explained away by science, technology, and practical reasoning. But the truth is, were it not for the faith and hope of some inventive people, these tools might not be available today. Someone had to believe that lives could be saved despite the odds. Someone had to believe that we could fly, even without wings. Someone had to believe that there was a way to communicate across continents.  These are only the beginning of things that are possible when God is involved.

God reminds us: "Eye has not seen, nor has the ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him."  (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Jesus asks us to believe that in God we have the only resource we need for miracles to happen.  Our miracle may be a healing of the body or the mind. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your inquiry, Who heals all your diseases." (Psalm 103: 2-3).  Our miracle may be that we have lost our way spiritually and need direction from Him.  "Make me to know Your ways, O Lord: teach me Your paths."  (Psalms 25:4)  Our miracle may be that we need financial help. "Behold the fowls of the air...your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:26).   Jesus calls us to have faith, to step out of our boat, to walk on the water, and see what miracles can happen when we believe they are possible.