Nuggets of Truth From Romans 8

By: Pastor Barry Kerner

This morning a friend texted me that he had been meditating on Romans 8 and asked what “Nuggets of Truth do you glean” from this chapter. After rereading this chapter that Paul wrote to the Romans and thinking about it for a while I came to the conclusion that it is a huge understatement to say that Romans 8 inspires confidence and faith.

Opening with the bold declaration that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8 is a source of great comfort for every Christian. From beginning to end, it reminds us that nothing can separate the children of God from His love.

This chapter is filled with promises like these that give us these truths to hold on to in disruptive moments like COVID-19.

There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, we are forgiven and free from guilt. We can live in loving relationship with God because of what Jesus did on our behalf. There is no need for us to be anxious for anything when we are rooted in the love of God.

If God is for us who can be against us?

If we are in Christ, we need not be afraid. If the God of the universe is with us, it doesn’t matter who or what is against us. That He is for us is all that matters. And, it’s important to believe deep down that God is for us. After all, He sent His one and only Son to rescue us and His Holy Spirit to comfort, guide and protect us.

Both the Holy Spirit and Jesus are interceding for us.

In Romans 8, the apostle Paul at one point tells us that the Spirit of God intercedes for us and at another point, that Jesus is doing the same. Can you visualize the Spirit and Son both praying and working on your behalf? That is how much God is for you and your family. This should inspire great confidence as we pray and go about our daily lives.

We are more than conquerors through Christ.

There is victory in Jesus. But, not only are we conquerors according to Paul, we are more than conquerors. What is meant for evil and destruction in our lives God can turn around for our good. The resurrection of Jesus is a more than conqueror moment. And in Ephesians, Paul writes that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us who believe. The concept of “more than conquerors” reminds me of Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you will prosper.” Victory is ours!

Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

This is good news! God is love and He persistently seeks us. Paul goes into great detail to describe how we cannot get away from the love of God nor can anything or anyone take God’s love from us. Whether it is a crisis or our own sin and shortcomings, the love of God pursues us. In Ephesians 3, Paul writes a powerful prayer that God would enable us to somehow comprehend how wide, how long, how high, and how deep the love of God is for us. His love is a love that is so vast that it is beyond knowing in its entirety. Allow the love of God to wash over you. No matter the circumstance, He loves you and is seeking you.

In all things, God works together for good for those who love Him.
Of course not all things are good. And the crisis we are in is not good in most ways. People are sick, some have died, and many may lose their jobs or businesses. Schools are closed and families are stressed. This promise reminds us there is nothing that can happen to us that is beyond God’s ability to turn it into good for our benefit. Very often, times of suffering turn into defining moments in our lives that bring out the best in us. They help to transform us so that we conform more to the image of Christ. They allow us the opportunity to pursue a different path that draws us nearer to God. Look for the good and what God might be doing in the midst of this time of uncertainty.

God is life-giving.

Paul tells us that if we are living in relationship with God and guided by the Spirit of God, we will have life and peace. Knowing God, following Jesus, and allowing His Holy Spirit to dwell within us fills us with life. We celebrate that in the midst of darkness and despair we can still be fully alive. Our mission as followers of Christ is to find ways to breathe life into others, even though we may be suffering ourselves. The Romans were amazed at the early church because in times of suffering they risked their lives to serve others. We can use this opportune time to share the life God has given us with others.

What do you think about as you go about your day? Every moment of every day you and I have the freedom to think about whatever we want. Our minds may fill with worries, gossip, or sports scores. Our thoughts may cultivate anger, lust, compulsive working, people-pleasing, or depression. Or we can “Be transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:1) in God’s Word, letting it diagnose us (Hebrews 4:12), wash us (Ephesians 5:26), and give us life (Genesis 1, Matthew 4:4).

Truly, the thoughts that you choose to dwell on are the most important factor in how you feel and what you say and do. Ultimately, your thinking determines the kind of person you become. The Proverb is true: “As a person thinks in his heart that’s who he or she becomes” (Proverbs 23:7, paraphrase).

The renewing your mind begins with God’s Word. Romans 8 is an amazing chapter of the Bible which can help rejuvenate your soul. It is full of God’s life-giving promises for disciples of Jesus. It teaches us how to tap into the electric current of God’s Spirit and resurrection life. Eighteen times the Holy Spirit is named in this one chapter! The other 15 chapters of Romans only name the Spirit 10 times.

All Christians should work to encourage others? But, how good are you at pumping yourself up? What if your self-talk sounded like Romans 8? You’d be so alive with the Holy Spirit, full of grace, and free to be who God made you to be! Meditate on these verses gathered from Romans 8 and you’ll be amazed at the results!

Try renewing your mind on these words from Romans 8 by joining with God and saying these promises from Him to yourself (fill in your name where the blanks are):

• There is no condemnation for ________, who is in Christ Jesus (vs. 1)

• The Spirit has set _______ free from sin and death (vs. 2)

• The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in and is energizing ________ (vs. 11)

• _______ is led by God and thus is a child of God (vs. 14)

• _______ can call God “Abba” or Daddy! (vs. 15)

• Through Christ _______ is an heir of God, inheriting divine blessings (vs. 17)

• _______’s body will be redeemed, set free and made whole (vs. 23)

• The Spirit helps _______’s weaknesses with intercessions from deep inside (vs. 26)

• All things work together for the good of ________ who loves God and is called according to his purpose (vs. 28)

• God takes initiative to know, guide, call, justify, and glorify _______, helping _______ to become more and more like Jesus (vs. 29-30)

• If God is for _______ then who can be against _______? (vs. 31)

• In all things _______ is more than a conqueror through Christ’s love (vs. 37)

• Nothing – absolutely nothing! – can separate _______ from the love God that is in Christ (vs. 38-39).

I encourage you to read Romans 8 and reflect on these truths. Take time to mediate and allow them to saturate your heart and mind. I pray that you come to the realization today that these promises are true and they are for you?

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A Mother’s Day Blessing

This is a special day for Mothers. We honor mothers and we thank God for them. It was Charles Spurgeon who said of his mother, “I cannot tell you how much I owe to the solemn word of my good mother.” Today, I would like for us to honor all women; especially women of faith. God bless all the women, young and old alike, who desire to be godly women. Elisabeth Elliot said, “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman.”

Let us take a moment and go to the Lord in prayer…

Lord, as we come to your Word this morning, enlighten our hearts to your deep, deep love for us. No matter what has gone on before this moment, and what follows, help us hold on to this truth: you love us, you care for us, and you want us to read your Word to us as if it were a love letter… a word of praise and encouragement from a proud mother, a glowing parent. No matter the example set before us in our earthly parents, or the struggle we ourselves may feel or have felt as parents… none of that changes the fact that you are a loving father, a kind and gentle comfort to us. This day and always. Amen.

In many ways I feel totally unable to speak about the special role that we honor today, Motherhood. This is in part because I know that being a mother is more complex, more complicated, and more difficult than most of the sermons I ever heard about this day growing up. So what I want to do briefly is look at a couple of examples of motherhood that are demonstrated in Scripture and then take up the practice of Christian preaching which allows for offering a blessing on this special occasion.

Here’s what Psalm 22 says about the value of a Godly mother:  “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.  From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”  Notice, the psalmist doesn’t talk about the faith he gained at his father’s knee.  Instead, he is telling us – about the depth of his faith he found when he was with his mother.

In 2 Timothy 1:3-5, Paul writes to Timothy of the influence of his mother and grandmother in the formation of his faith…“I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

Jesus speaks about those who lose family to follow Jesus and participate in the Kingdom of God…“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30)

In Romans 16:13 Paul describes what has been true for many people down through time when he writes, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.”

We know who Rufus is. He was the son of Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross of Christ on the last leg of the painful Good Friday journey. Simon probably went home from that experience a changed man. And he shared the power of that moment with his wife who then, likely, shared it with her sons, Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21).But imagine this also, she was like a mother to the Great Apostle Paul. Paul of Tarsus may have learned about the final moments of the life of his new Lord from the wife of the man who carried the Lord’s cross, Simon of Cyrene. She was like a mother to him.

And her care and love of Saul of Tarsus, the terrorist-turned-missionary, should inspire us all. Think about it. Without knowing who he would become, she treated Paul like one of her own children. Glory to God for her!

Let us turn now to examine briefly a few examples of Godly women and mothers.

First there’s Sarah, the Mother who waited.

In Genesis 11:30 we learn, “Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.“ This would have grieved both Sarah and Abraham, and in Genesis 15 when the word of the LORD came to Abram he answered, what will you give me LORD since you have not given me an heir? God tells him to look at the stars in the Sky, for that would be the number of his offspring. Abraham and Sarah waited 15 years before God renewed His promise, and 10 more years before the promise was fulfilled and Sarah bore a son, Isaac.

Sarah probably wouldn’t win an award for waiting and she even laughed at the idea that God could do what He promised, but thankfully God’s promise did not rely on the level of Sarah’s faith. God fulfilled His promise according to His plan and Sarah responded in Genesis 21,

“God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’”And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”  

Can you imagine waiting that long for a blessing? Sarah tried to believe the promise, but she had doubts until it finally came to fruition. Then she laughed with joy at what the LORD had done. Isaac would go on to continue the legacy of his father Abraham.

Then there is Hagar, the mother who endured.

Hagar was an Egyptian slave and a maidservant to Sarah, the wife of Abraham; she didn’t have much say about anything and especially not in becoming Abraham’s wife. Though her status changed, she was still secondary to Sarah.

Once Hagar became pregnant with Abraham’s child, a rift developed between her and Sarah. After receiving mistreatment from Sarah, Hagar fled toward her homeland. But she met the angel of the LORD who told her to return, He also promised her numerous descendants through her son whom she was to name Ishmael.

Later, Hagar and her son Ishmael were sent away into the desert, where she believed they would both die. But God is faithful and showed her a well. Genesis 21 tells us, “God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.”

Hagar thought she would get to escape her misery, but God called her to return to it. She obeyed, and He blessed her and her son just as He promised He would.

Rebekah was a mother who believed.

Rebekah was a woman of great faith, obeying God when Isaac’s servant told her of the man who wanted to marry her. Genesis 25 tells us that when Rebekah became pregnant she could feel the babies jostling within her. When she asked the LORD why this was happening, He answered her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” In that time, the older would have never served the younger, and the firstborn son would have inherited the best of everything.

When Isaac was old in age, he told Esau to hunt and prepare food so that he could receive his blessing. But Rebekah overheard this and told Jacob to bring her food so she could prepare it for Isaac first. Jacob was unsure about deceiving his father, but Rebekah responded in Genesis 27, “My son let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” I think it is safe to say that she remembered and took very seriously what God had spoken to her during her pregnancy.

Rebekah risked deception to follow God’s promise because she believed what He said was true. It should be noted that God did not call Rebekah to deception, but God is sovereign despite the good or bad choices we may make. And His plan unfolded exactly as He had told her. Later her son Jacob would wrestle with God and be given a new name, Israel.

A women of Exodus, Jochebed was a mother with a plan.

A new King in Egypt came to power who was under no obligation to honor Joseph’s deeds in Egypt and keep the special arrangement with the Israelites. He was worried about the Hebrews outnumbering and overtaking the Egyptians, so he made them slaves. He also commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill Hebrew baby boys when they were born, but they did not listen. Then Pharaoh gave another decree in Exodus 1, “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

A Levite woman, Jochebed, gave birth to a son and hid him for 3 months. Exodus 2 tells us that when she could hide him no longer, she coated a papyrus basket with tar and pitch, placed the baby in it, then she set it in the reeds along the bank of the Nile. Jochebed’s daughter, Miriam, watched to see what would happen as Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bath. When Pharaoh’s daughter saw the basket, her servant’s retrieved it for her and inside she found the baby crying and knowing he was a Hebrew child she felt sorry for him.

Miriam then spoke up and asked her if she would like her to fetch a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby; she agreed and Jochebed returned with her daughter to nurse her own baby. Pharaoh’s daughter paid Jochebed to nurse and raise the baby until he was old enough to come live with her. She then adopted him as her son and named him Moses.

Naomi was a mother-in-law who shared her faith.

Naomi and her family fled to the country of Moab because of a famine in their land. Her husband died, and her two sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. After 10 years both of Naomi’s sons passed away, and Naomi heard that the LORD had blessed the land of her people with food again. She told her daughters-in-law that they could return home to find new husbands. Although they both wept at her leaving, one refused to leave Naomi’s side. Orpah returned to her people and her gods, but Ruth said,

“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Ruth was already learning from Naomi’s faith even during a time of bitterness. Naomi continued to watch out for Ruth and instruct her wisely in her dealings with Boaz, who became her kinsman redeemer. The LORD blessed Naomi, and she gained a son when Boaz married Ruth. Ruth and Boaz had a child, and the women of the land said to Naomi,

“Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

The child was named Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David who would be king. -Ruth 4:17.

Finally there’s Hannah, the mother who kept her promise.

Hannah was married to a man who loved her very much, but he also had another wife. This wife was able to bear children, but in 1 Samuel 1:5-6 we learn that the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb. The rival wife provoked Hannah continually, but Hannah would go to the house of the LORD to pray. Her husband tried to console her saying, “Don’t I mean more to you than 10 sons?” in 1 Sam. 1:8. Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly; she made a vow saying,

“LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

In fact, she was praying so hard that her lips were moving but no sound came out so that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. The LORD blessed Hannah, and she gave birth to a son and named him Samuel, “saying, ‘Because I asked the LORD for him.’” -1 Sam. 1:20

She did just as she had promised, and when the boy was old enough she took him to the house of the LORD and presented him to Eli. Hannah then prayed, “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.” And her beautiful prayer continues in 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

Samuel lived a life dedicated to the LORD, and he would go on to lead the people of Israel, anointing Israel’s first and second kings—Saul and David.

These are but a few examples of godly women which scripture memorializes for our encouragement and edification.

I do not wish to pretend that motherhood is easy, or painless, or simple and straightforward. I do not want to pretend that everyone within the sound of my voice has had great experiences with their own mother or that there aren’t regrets and hurts from being a mother as well. Life is more complicated than that, the world is more broken than that, and the church needs to be more honest than that.

But what I do wish to say is that the God of the Universe is a good God, that he is love and mercy and redemption and grace and power and wisdom and compassionate.

That no matter your experiences, no matter your choices, no matter your shortcomings, regrets, failures, or victories… God loves you and we thank God for you.

Down throughout church history it has been customary to offer blessings on special days. These blessings typically hold three things in common.

(1) They are specific to the occasion that they address.
(2) They seek to acknowledge the complexity and realities of life in relation to God.
(3) They seek to point us back to the one who makes all things possible, Jesus Christ.

To that end, I’ll close with a blessing on Mother’s Day.

To mothers, both biological and adopted, connected by blood and by experience, torn apart by circumstance and sometimes by choices…

To those who have given life both in birth and in formation, to those who have lost life before birth and before old age…

To those who have done what only mothers can do,

To those who have been “the perfect mother” and to those who live with regrets,

To those who are close to their children, and to those who feel like they are a million miles away,

We bless you today, on this day, Mother’s Day.

To those women who have given birth to a child this year, we celebrate with you the gift that God has given.

To those who feel the pain of children long desired but never received, we grieve with you the too often secret pain you have borne.

To those who have experienced miscarriage, failed adoptions, and kids who have run away, and to those who have longed for children, but for whatever reason have been unable to have them, we mourn your loss and pray that God’s love will give you comfort and peace.

To those who have been “mother’s” to others who are not their children, we need more people like you both in the church, and in the broken world in which we live.

To those who have close and meaningful relationships with their children, we celebrate this day with you and thank God for his grace.

To those who have complicated, painful, or non-existent relationships with their children, we sorrow with you and thank God for his grace, while we pray for redemption and reconciliation.

To those who have close relationships with their own mother, we thank God for that intimacy.

To those who have suffered at the hands of their mother, we acknowledge you and pray that God gives you the grace to forgive.

To those who lost their mothers whether recently or so many years ago, we mourn with you today.

To those who have gone through school tests, medical tests, emotional tests, and tests of patience with your children, we are encouraged by your patience, your faith, and we stand with you as these will continue to arise.

To those who will have an emptier nest this year, we both celebrate and cry with you.

To those of you who long to be better mother’s, God’s grace will provide and we will commit to pray that God fills you with divine wisdom.

To those who long to make things right with your children, remember that God’s redemptive power can cross any boundary, any brokenness, and any pain.

To those who struggle with their children today, remember that even the young Jesus almost gave his mother a heart attack on more than one occasion.

To those who feel like all they do is struggle and experience stress and frustration, remember your investment is never in vain, and that God is using your faithfulness to change the world.

To those who are bursting with pride today both with their mothers and their children, we celebrate with you today.

To the men in the room, love your wife and love your mother’s as Christ loved the church. Give yourself not as “the husband” or as “the son” but more deeply than that as a servant of Jesus Christ. Don’t let today be the only day you do the dishes, help with the kids, or say kind things to grandma. Recognize that your wife and mother and grandmother are made in the image of God, They are precious to him, they are like his mother or grandmother or bride. Honor them as such.

To the women who are integral in our lives, we thank you for who you are and what you mean to us as individuals and to this church. We would not be who we are and where we are if it was not for you. We haven’t always done a good job of honoring you, thanking you, appreciating you. We haven’t always loved you as you have loved us. For that we ask for your forgiveness and grace. May we be people who honor and encourage and bless you from this day forward for whom God has made you, precious children of God.

Now, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

And in the words of the Hebrew writer…

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20, 21, NIV)

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Redeemed – The Membership Perks

Psalm 103

Pastor Barry Kerner

These days most stores and businesses have some type of membership or rewards programs. Others such as gyms and some big box stores operate on the business model of joining a club. Many museums and zoos as well as IKEA even equate becoming a member with joining their family. The premise of any membership program is that if you sign up and become an affiliate you are then entitled to certain benefits that are not available to non-members. While some businesses’ membership programs appear to be free, others may charge an upfront membership fee. At the minimum you need to provide something personal even if it’s personal information in exchange for becoming a member. Others such as country clubs and national gyms, may charge a hefty fee, to become a member, in order to access their benefits and rewards. The greater the rewards and benefits the larger the fee that may be charged.

I’ve heard many sermons and have read many book that seemingly advertise that Christianity is free for all who would believe. I believe that they may be somewhat shortsighted. They overlook the great cost that is required to become a member of the family of God. They undervalue the rewards and benefits available to Christians when they teach that there is no price for joining the family.

Christianity seems to come at a pretty steep price. Jesus tells us clearly that whoever wishes to follow him must lay down his own life. The cost to join the family of God isn’t just some personal information or even a hefty fee. The cost to become a Christian is everything you own. Sometimes it can be hard to do this, especially when you can’t see the immediate benefits. But being a Christian is a life with only advantages! Here are some of the many benefits of being a Christian – all really good reasons to give up everything and live for Christ.

First, by becoming a child of God – a member of the Kingdom of Heaven, your sins are forgiven.

This is truly a good thing because Romans 3:23 says “ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” But the Bible tells us how you can be made right with God. In 1 John 1:9 we’re told, “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness”

You are forgiven solely because of what Christ had done for you. The apostle Paul told the Colossians, “For it is by God’s Son alone that we have been redeemed and have had our sins forgiven.” (Colossians 1:14)

Christ took the punishment for your sins at the Cross to free you from the guilt and condemnation of your sins. On the account of His Son, God gives you a receipt of pardon instead of an invoice of penalty. You no longer need to fear punishment for your sins because Christ had already paid for them all – past, present and future.

Some believers are taught to dredge up their sins for them to get right with God. Counting your sins instead of your blessings will cause you to accuse yourself. It tears away your identity and derails your purpose. Every time you recall your sin, you are actually re-enacting your shameful past. It will lead to self-loathing and personal rejection.

God’s approach is to forgive and remember your sins no more (Hebrews 10:17). He no longer looks at you with a pair of judgmental eyes, but with eyes of love. It doesn’t matter how much God loves you if you don’t know that He does! The more you know that  God loves you, the better you are able to live for Him.

Paul reminded the Corinthians, “Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11

To the Romans he wrote, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”  (Romans 10:9-10)

Staying focused on His love, you are able to live not in the past and not in fear.

A well-known Christian psychologist once said that he would have no patients if he could only convince them that they are truly forgiven.

God tells us that when we accept Jesus Christ we:

• have been washed clean by the blood (Revelation 1:5)
• are clothed in the righteousness of Christ ( 2 Corinthians 5:20)
• are sealed (Ephesians 4:30) by the indwelling Holy Spirit
• are taught and directed (John 14:26, John 16:13) by the Holy Spirit’s power
• are promised eternal glory (John 10:28, John 17:22)

Rejoice that Jesus had satisfactorily paid for your sins when He died on the Cross. And when you become a child of God, there is no longer a debt for you to settle. Instead, the new benefit is that there is a new life for you to live.

Second, as a child of God, you receive a personal connection with Jesus Christ

When I was a child I was taught to sing a song with the words, “I have a friend in Jesus.” It wasn’t until I was born again that I realized what a true friend is to found in Jesus Christ. Imagine, Jesus Christ –  Lord of Lords and King of Kings, a friend for life. Think of the benefits of having a lifelong friend and companion, mentor and teacher, role model and help in every situation in life. Jesus is such a person for you. He was tempted in all things like us but overcame all sin, so no matter what we meet, Jesus can relate to your situation and will help you to get through it too!

He is somebody you can talk to at any time of day about anything at all. He is always there, through thick and thin, and He is always able to help us. Jesus is somebody to whom you can say “Help, me, I’m struggling, I’m sinning, I don’t know what to do.” And Jesus will say back to you: “I know, I’ve been tempted there too, but I got victory over that, let me show you how. Let me give you strength.”

Friends come and go. Family comes and goes. People drift into our lives for a season and we walk with them for a while. But just as fast, our paths diverge and we find ourselves moving on, having taken different paths. But Jesus won’t ever leave you. Once you’re connected to Christ there isn’t anything that can break that bond. The apostle Paul was so sure of this unbreakable bond that in Romans 8:38-39 he wrote,  “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

No matter how overwhelming the world may seem, no matter how many difficult situations you may face, no matter how many burdens may weigh you down, no matter how lost and alone you may feel, Jesus is there for you. Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us to, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you”

A personal friend, mentor, and helper for life. What more could anyone ask for? And remember, that as a child of God, the personal connection with Christ is available to you.

Third, you will receive the Holy Spirit as a help and companion in your life.

Jesus has ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. But, before leaving Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to live within them. He told them, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.” (John 14:15-17)

Jesus also told them what the Holy Spirit will do for them, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)

The Holy Spirit possesses all the attributes that the Son and the Father have. He is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), immutable (unchanging) and eternal. He is the third person of the trinity.

The Holy Spirit is instrumental in the redemption of every believer and without His indwelling none would be saved. Paul told Titus, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

God will give you His ‘Spirit of truth’ to provide you with knowledge, understanding and wisdom.

When you become a member of the family of God, He sends the Holy Spirit to be a guiding presence and power in your life. He will guide you in all things; a helper for whatever happens. He will show you your sins, and what you must do to overcome them, and then He gives you the power to do so!  The Spirit will reveal truths about major issues in your life (purpose, morality, destiny etc.) and the reasons behind certain major world events. He will also give you the ability to discern truth and error and to recognize deception. Such spiritual understanding is unavailable to those who are not children of god

The Holy Spirit is an engine, a motor that will drives you forward and give you strength when you feel that you have none. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26.

Imagine what it would be to have such a helping power in your life! The Holy Spirit can help you in your weaknesses, and can make intercession for you. With Jesus as your head and the Holy Spirit in your heart, there is nothing that can stop you from living completely according to God’s. Your life will be full of love and you will be a blessing and a help to others as well. The rewards of a Spirit filled life are worth the price of becoming a member of the Kingdom of  Heaven!

Fourth, your sins are not only forgiven but you will receive victory over sin and life’s misfortunes.

All the misery in the world is a result of sin. Just as Christ conquered sin, Christians can be victorious over all conscious sin.  “Victory over sin” means that you do not commit conscious sin – that which you know would be sin at that time when you are tempted. It doesn’t mean that you are without sin,  It means you are not going to face any temptation that you can’t overcome. … You don’t have to give in to sin each and every time you are tempted.

In other words, you can be free from everything that makes you miserable!

Impatience, anger, lust, jealousy – these are not pleasant things to experience. Living according to your sin is like grasping at the wind; it will only leave you empty and miserable and constantly needing more, reaching for the satisfaction of your lusts that seems so close, but will never be enough.

When you get victory over your sin then you you will find joy. A perfect, heavenly joy that won’t leave you feeling empty and miserable. Sin can feel like it makes you happy for a little while but the passing pleasures of sin are nothing compared to the joy of living a victorious life.

Fifth, you will take on the virtues of Christ and be transformed into His image.

Jesus spent His life victorious over all sin. He was free to bless people in all things because He didn’t have sin on His conscience to hold Him back. All that selfishness, demands on others, pride, greed, lust, and every other sin imaginable that gets in the way of everything – Jesus had victory over that.

Just like Jesus, you will be able to live this overcoming life and as you become freed from sin you become more and more transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5:22 tell us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.”   When you let the Holy Spirit come into your hearts and begin to follow Jesus in having victory over sin, then you will begin to take on the fruit of the Spirit. Think to be able to be loving, joyful and peaceful all of the time instead of selfish, proud, anxious, or angry. What a blessing you  can then be to others then!

As you become more and more like Christ, your capacity to bless and to serve others increases. Not only will Christianity make you happy, but through it you will also be able bless others and make those around you happy.

Sixth, you can obtain happiness and satisfaction in your earthly life.

Everywhere you look people are wondering what the formula is for a happy life. It is a universal goal, yet very few have come up with the answer. But as a Christian, a happy life is promised to you!

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11.

It was never God’s intention that you should be miserable on the earth for 80 years and then become happy in heaven. God has thoughts of peace towards you – He wants you to be happy now! And as long as you align your will with God’s will for your life, then of course that is what is going to happen.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.” (2 Corinthians 7:4.) This is what it means to be a Christian: to be exceedingly joyful in all your tribulations! It is easy to be happy when everything in your life is going well but being a Christian means being happy even when things seem to be going against you.

In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul said, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Paul found contentment when he answered Jesus’ call and became a child of God. This same contentment is available to you when you too are a child of God.

Seventh, you can experience unimaginable peace and rest – a life without worry.

The world is a very uncertain place. Natural disasters, financial insecurity, economic crises – how can anyone possibly find rest in such a tumultuous time? Because, “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8:28

This means that no matter what happens in the world, God will take care of His children. Come what may, God will take care of those who love Him. Nothing will be able to happen to you that isn’t for your absolute best.

Whether you understand what the end result of a situation is or don’t understand it at all, you will be able to go through life in complete confidence and rest in God, knowing that your whole life has been arranged for the best.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must rightly remember who is in control.  God is sovereign over all things, including COVID-19.  As preacher and theologian Charles Spurgeon  said, “The sovereignty of God is a soft pillow on which weary people lay their heads.”

Remember also God’s gracious promises, and that they are true and He is faithful to keep them:  Hebrews 13:5 …”I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”  The next verse remind us of the power that comes in trusting God and how you can live:  Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man [or COVID-19] shall do to me.”

God loves you, and in Christ you can find confidence and calm in times of uncertainty and trouble.  When you trust in God, fear is replaced with faith, stress is replaced with strength, anxiety is gone and hope abounds, problems become opportunities, and you will be able to receive the blessings God has for you in the midst of difficult circumstances. Turn to Jesus. He will lead you to the still waters and give rest for your troubled soul. 

When you come to the understanding that God is sovereign and in control you are able to hold on to His promises allowing you to release all your fears and anxieties. Peter wrote, “Cast all you anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

To the Philippians Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This freedom from anxiety and fear are available to you as a child of God!

But the greatest benefit of being a member of the Kingdom of Heaven is that you are guaranteed life eternal as a child of God

Death is the greatest “unknown” in life. Fear of death can be the cause of much worry and anxiety. But Christians can go through life with the hope and certainty that they will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

 Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26.)

We get an eternal life in heaven, living forever in peace and happiness worshiping God.

John wrote of believers in the New Kingdom, “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”  (Revelation 7:16-17)

An eternal life in heaven without hunger or thirst, without tears; what could be better than this? How could anyone ever say no to such a life!

Television Commercial salesmen often try to get the viewer to buy by reminding them of  the additional benefits of their product. Psalm 103:2 reminds us to, “ Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”

Psalm 103 goes on to list the many additional benefits that are available to members of God’s Family:

• He forgives our iniquities (vs 3)
• He heals our diseases (vs 3)
• He redeems our lives from destruction (vs 4)
• He crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies (vs 4)
• He satisfies our mouth with good things (vs 5)
• He renews our youth (vs 5)
• He executes righteousness and judgment for the oppressed (vs 6)
• He makes known His ways (vs 7)
• He is merciful, gracious, and slow to anger (vs 8)
• He is forgiving and forgetting of our sins (vs 9, 12)

All of these benefits are available to you. The only price is that you need lay down your life here on earth by putting to death sin like Jesus did, and living only according to God’s will. God has the ability to give you  everything you could possibly want or need, according to His perfect will.

All of these benefits and more are available to the children of God. When the prize is this great, the cost to become a member of the Kingdom of Heaven seems like nothing at all.

Won’t you consider this moment to become a member of the family of God.

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No Greater Love

Pastor Barry Kerner

If you’ll turn in your Bible to John 15, we’ll be looking at verse 1 through 17 today.

In the Gospel of John Jesus uses metaphors to help us better understand justwho he is. In a series of  “I Ams,” Jesus compares Himself to things that would have been familiar to the crowds that followed Him and to us who follow Him today. Bread, light, gates, shepherds, life, vines and more are personified to reveal the true character of Christ.

In John 6:35 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”

In John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”

In 10:7, ‘I am the gate for the sheep”

In John 10:11 Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.”

In 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

In 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

And in John 15:1 Jesus said, “I am the true vine.” and went on to compare his disciples to the branches which when connected to the vine bear fruit.

Read John 15:1-17

It’s that last metaphor with its comparison of the vine and its branches that we’ll look at this morning.

As the Lord spoke with his disciples one last time before the chaos of his crucifixion and resurrection, he told them, “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (14:20). They then made their way from the upper room towards the Garden of Gethsemane. You can imagine the many vines they passed by on their way to Jesus’ special place of prayer. Vines which were just beginning to put forth fresh, new growth. Maybe this is why Jesus used the imagery of a vine and branches in John 15 to illustrate the deeply interconnected relationship that he spoke of as “you in me, and I in you.”

When the eleven heard Jesus say, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser,”  their minds would have undoubtedly flashed back to a series of Old Testament descriptions of their nation.

Mentioned more than any other plant in the entire Bible, the grape vine was very important culturally and economically in biblical times. Because of its centrality in everyday life, it is often used symbolically in Scripture standing for Israel. A fruitful vine was a symbol of obedient Israel, while wild grapes or an empty vine spoke of Israel’s disobedience (Jeremiah 2:21).

In other places throughout the Hebrew Scriptures God continues the metaphor describing His people, the nation of Israel, as a vineyard, a choice plot of ground cultivated and cared for by the Lord – the vine dresser. Jeremiah 12:10; Ezekiel 15:1-8; 17:7-10; 19:10-14; Hosea 10:1

The most famous of these vineyard passages is a song found in Isaiah 5. In it, the prophet sets forth the tragic theme of this vineyard motif of the Old testament – Israel has been an unfruitful vineyard and faces judgment.

Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines;
He built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it;
He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?
And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up;
I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting (Isaiah 5:1-7a).

There’s one more OT vineyard passage we should take note of. It is Psalm 80:7-19. This passage is framed by a plea for God to restore and to save his people. It then describes Israel as a vine that God planted and cared for, only to be trampled by wild animals. So the psalmist begs:

Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself. (Psalm 80:14-15)

Notice that in the last line, the imagery of the vine morphs into that of a person – a son. That’s what this Hebrew word mean. Although some versions render the word “branch,” the meaning is closer to our idea of offspring. Just as a branch may be considered the offspring of the vine, a son is of his father’s “stock.” But this language also reminds us that Israel – the vine – is also described as God’s “son” found in Exodus 4:22-23, as if the nation could be embodied in a single person.

And of course, that is exactly what the Gospel of John tells us about Jesus. As in John 2:19 Jesus lets us know that he has come to be the ultimate temple when he says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  By transforming the water of purification to wine at the wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-10), and personifying the great water and light ceremonies that took place at the great feast days (John 7:37-39; 8:12), Jesus shows that he came to fulfill the Law itself and point to the greater blessings of the Messianic age. By providing food in himself that was greater than Moses gave in the wilderness, Jesus came to surpass even Israel’s greatest leader (John 6:49-51). And of course, by offering himself as the lamb to take away the sins of the world, Jesus came to be the ultimate Passover sacrifice. (John 1:29; 18:39).

As we read Jesus’ description of himself as the “true vine” in John 15, then, what we are seeing is a remarkable claim. Jesus is teaching that he has come to be the vineyard of God. He reveals himself to be the “son” of Psalm 80:15 that ethnic Israel was supposed to be, but failed to be in faithless, fruitless disobedience. And his disciples, intertwined in fellowship with him, would be the first branches to sprout as this regrown vine emerged from the tomb conquering death and promising life.

With this biblical background in mind, here are some important applications from Jesus’ teaching here in John 15.

Abiding in Jesus is essential to spiritual life. Just as a sprig cannot survive if it is cut away from the vine, there is no spiritual life apart from Jesus Christ. As Jesus makes clear, “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers” (15:6a).

Throughout the gospel of John some people encountered Jesus and even recognized who he was, but refused to commit to him out of fear (12:42-43; 9:22). It is only through fellowship with Jesus that we can have life.

Jesus guarantees that abiding in him will produce fruit. “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (15:5b). There will be true signs of life in us spiritually – what Jesus here calls “fruit” – just as surely as there will be signs of life physically in a living vine and branch. Just as James teaches that genuine faith produces works (James 2:14-26), Jesus says that genuine life produces fruit. If there is no is fruit, there is no life, and God “takes away” that dead branch (15:2a).

Jesus tells us that abiding in him involves pruning. “Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (15:2b).

While watching a documentary on Israel and its vineyards, I was struck by just how far back the vine dressers pruned the vines. It looked overly severe to me and I thought it would end up killing the plant.  The documentary went on to show that it is necessary for the health and growth of the vine. God’s pruning of us can certainly feel severe at times, but we can be absolutely confident that the Lord knows what he is doing. Just as the vine needs to be cropped to bear even more fruit, our faith needs God’s pruning so that, “it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness by those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

By abiding in Jesus we can enjoy true life, bearing the fruit of Christ’s life in our own, all while enjoying the gracious refining of God. As he said, “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

Jesus then connects the idea of the vine with the concept of love. The message being that if we abide in Christ the fruit we bear will be love for our God and our neighbor.

Love is one of the most important themes in John, and we find plenty about love both in the Gospel of John and in the First Epistle of John. Verses such as:

“Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”

“Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”

In John 13:34 “Loving”  is called a ‘new commandment.’  What’s new about it?  It’s not human love…it’s a command to love AS JESE CHRIST LOVED!  It’s a new height of love, with a greater quality than we possess on our own!

We’ll find that Biblical love is something we practice regardless of how we feel.  As Christ showed us, though his rejection by Israel and his subsequent punishment and crucifixion, sometimes love involves sacrifice, difficulty, and pain.  And love always involves commitment!

And today, Jesus draws on the metaphor of himself as the vine to talk about the disciples abiding in love. “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” If we abide in Jesus, and Jesus abides in us, then we also remain in Jesus’ love, and therefore remain in the love of God.

But we don’t always want to abide in God’s love, do we? It’s sounds like a nice and a beautiful thing to do, staying in God’s love and  living in God’s love. It would make for a good pop song. But we don’t always actually want it. Or, to say that another way, there are other things we would rather do. There are other places that sound more exciting than just lying around, staying in God’s love. But more to the point, in order to stay in God’s love, we have to stay with God. And we don’t always want to stay with God. Or is it that we don’t want God to stay with us? There are places we’d like to go where we don’t want God lurking around. It’s too much pressure, having God around all the time. We wouldn’t be able to get away with anything. Wouldn’t have any rest or any privacy or any fun.

Because, there are those parts of our lives that we would rather hide from God. There are those things that we know would disappoint God, but we’d rather keep on doing them. So wouldn’t it be best to keep God out of them? That’s most easily done by keeping God at a distance. After all, if we let God in completely, then God might see every part of us, see each of our actions and intentions and thoughts and motives. And if we let God too far into our lives, God might even try to change us.

Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the giants of the church. In Western Christianity, there is no theologian whose life and writings are more influential than Augustine. He’s the one responsible for the Doctrine of Original Sin, which, for good or for bad, has shaped the way we interact with God for the last sixteen centuries.

Like all of us, Augustine struggled with sin. Augustine’s particular sin was lust. In his most famous work, titled Confessions, he records a prayer that he had addressed to God regarding his feelings of lust. He wrote, “Lord, make me chaste, but just not yet.”

That simple statement so clearly encapsulates a particular part of our human experience. On the one hand, we want for God to accept us fully, to make us a new creation, to perfect us in love. But on the other hand, there are certain things in our lives that we are aren’t ready to let go of. Even if we know they get in the way of the blessings that God wants for us. It’s a kind of double-mindedness. We want to be good. Just maybe not that good. We say, “Let me remain in your love, God… but let me hold on to these things. There’s plenty of time. Just let me keep doing what I’m doing for now, and we can work the rest of it out later.”

Jesus invites us to something more. He invites us into a relationship that brings joy. “So that your joy may be complete,” he says. The catch is that we can only enter into that complete joy if we also allow God complete access to our lives. We can only have that complete joy when we abide completely in God’s love and allow God to live completely in us.

Jesus says we do that by keeping his commandments. And he makes it clear that, “This is my commandment,” he says, and, “that you love one another as I have loved you.” Love one another as Jesus loved us. And how is it that has Jesus loved us? Not the way we’re usually taught that love works. Jesus didn’t send us flowers on our special day. He didn’t write us a love letter. He didn’t fix us breakfast in bed. Jesus didn’t do any of the typical things that our culture associates with love. Jesus would make a poor substitute for the heartthrobs of major motion pictures. Jesus practices a different kind of love than the kind we celebrate in the movies.

I once heard a story about a cultural anthropologist who went to study the Hopi people in the American Southwest. He was out with a Hopi man in the desert, and the Hopi was singing him the songs of his people. After the first song, the anthropologist asked, What was that song about?” The Hopi man answered, “This song is about water.” After he had sung second song, the anthropologist asked him, “And what was that song about?” He answered, “This song is also about water.” He sang a third song, and the anthropologist asked him the same question. “This is also a song about water.” The scientist was beginning to be a get agitated, and he asked, “Don’t you ever sing about anything except water? Don’t you pray for anything except water?” And the man answered that for the Hopi, water is very scarce, and so it is very precious. “We don’t have much of it, and so, yes, most of our songs are about water.” And then the Hopi said to the anthropologist, “I have noticed that on your radio almost every song is about love. Is this because you don’t have very much of it?”

Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” To lay down one’s life. And when you think about it, it is absolutely extraordinary. God came into our world as a human being. The creator, the high and almighty, and the exalted one above the heavens, became a human being, ordinary flesh and blood. If it weren’t a story we had heard so many times, it would be unimaginable. And what’s more, that same God who became human in order to reach us, loved us enough to die for us, to lay down his life for us.

In our songs and movies, love is often about possessing someone else. It’s about being able to say, “This person is mine.” But Jesus loved us enough to die for us. And it wasn’t in order to possess us, to own us. It was in order to set us free.

Jesus says, “I do not call you servants any longer, but I have called you friends.” Not servants, who are owned, who have no choice but to serve the master, but friends who have the choice to stay or to leave. Friends who have the freedom to love in return or not to love.

“You did not choose me,” says Jesus, “I chose you.” We did not make the invitation. We did not decide on our own to initiate a relationship with God. Jesus came to us first. Jesus loved us with a love that we can hardly conceive. Jesus invited us into a relationship with God that can make our joy complete. If we will only accept the invitation. If we will only allow God in. If we will only abide in God’s love, and let God abide in us, fully and completely, without reservation.

It is our choice. How fully do we want to embrace the gifts that God has offered us in Jesus Christ? How far are we willing to let God into our lives? How much do we trust that what God has to offer us is indeed better, more lasting, more satisfying, than the things we can get apart from God?  How much do we believe Jesus when he tells us, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete?” And are we willing to take the next step, to accept Christ’s invitation and take one step closer to the God who loves us into being?

Jesus comes back to this in John 15 and makes the meaning clear: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12–13). Yes. And how do we love like that? In John 15:9 tells us, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”

This is our newness. This is the new commandment. “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Don’t pretend to copy me fruit, stay connected to my vine. Jesus says, “Don’t imitate, participate! Your love for each other is not to be a simulation of mine, but a manifestation of mine. You are the branches. I am the vine. If you abide in me, you can bear fruit, and prove to be my disciples (John 15:8). This is how all people will know you are truly my disciples.

So the reason the love we have for each other shows that we are truly Jesus’ disciples, is that it is only possible because we are grafted into the life and love of Christ and live by the power of the Spirit of God. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the apostle Paul asks the Corinthian believers a question: “do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?” In Galatians 2:20 Paul wrote, “ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” We love as he loved, because we love with his love.

So, True Followers – True Disciples, in these crucial days, these historic days in the life of our church, this is what Jesus is calling for among us. “Just as I have loved you, that you, my people, love one another.” Go low in foot-washing-like service to one another. Lay down your lives, your privileges, for one another. Love your brothers and sisters across all racial and ethnic lines. Love the weakest and oldest and youngest. Love the disabled. Love the lonely trouble maker and outcast.

How blessed the church — especially the church in transition — that loves like this!

Let us pray…

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Sunday Sermon with Pastor Barry Kerner

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Now Is The Time To Pray

Pastor Barry Kerner

When we ask something of God and do not get it, we may feel that our prayer did not work. Those of us who live in a consumer culture tend to view prayer as a transaction, a way to place an order or purchase a blessing. We then measure its impact by our level of customer satisfaction.

Jesus’s relationship with His Father was marked by different types of prayer, setting a perfect yet practical example of what a life of prayer looks like. Jesus dedicated Himself, often hours at a time, to prayer. When we look to the relationship between God and Jesus as our example, we see that prayer is vital to our relationship with Him. Yet instead of imitating Jesus, we can fall into the habit of treating God like a genie in a bottle, thinking of our prayers like the magic words that force the genie to fulfill our wish. Then, when we don’t get the answer we want, we feel confused, upset, or angry, declaring that prayer does not work and is a waste of time and energy.

But prayer does work and if there was ever a time in our lives NOW is the time to pray!

If you would have told me last month that grocery store shelves would be bare and that we could not hold church services on Sunday, I would have thought that you were an alarmist. And if you would have added that it would be best for me to “self-quarantine” because I am one of the “vulnerable” to COVID-19 I would have thought that you had lost your mind.

Well, it’s happened. Our lives have been upended and every day’s headlines confirm that we’re living in uncertain times. The President has declared a national emergency and America is in an absolute panic. I’m not quite sure why so many people have emptied the store shelves of toilet paper though. It has become so valuable that we may start using it as currency! “How much for that candy bar? Will two squares of toilet paper do?”

All joking aside, you can see the fear on peoples’ faces. They are alarmed and feel as though they don’t have control, because the truth is, they don’t. This is a wake-up call from God Almighty if I have ever seen one. Now is the time to pray.

I don’t mean flippant, casual prayers. I am talking about a fervent, storm-the-gates-of-Heaven type of prayer that calls out to God in desperation and urgency. Thomas Watson wrote a book called, Heaven Taken By Storm. That’s what we need to do. We need God in America today. We need him to eradicate what President Trump has called, “An invisible enemy.” We need to bang on Heaven’s doors, pressing on and pressing forward with ardent and impassioned prayers crying out to God.

In the Bible, prayer stopped storms, calmed waves, healed the sick, raised the dead and even stopped time. Scripture reminds us, “With God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). We need to turn our panic into prayer. At this time, the sources we often turn to for comfort cannot do anything for us.

Hollywood can’t save us. There is no blockbuster film or actor that will get us out of this. Technology can’t save us either. Our smartphones and computer screens just feed us a barrage of information that heightens our stress and anxiety. Our lawmakers in Washington can’t save us from this pandemic. They will hopefully work together and do what they can, but the outcome is outside of their control.

Even the President of the United States can’t save us. He has put together an excellent task force to deal with the Coronavirus, but they can’t fix this for us. We should, however, take their advice seriously.

That is why the President wisely called for a National Day of Prayer. In his proclamation, he stated:

“As your President, I ask you to pray for the health and well-being of your fellow Americans and to remember that no problem is too big for God to handle. We should all take to heart the holy words found in 1 Peter 5:7: ‘Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.’ Let us pray that all those affected by the virus will feel the presence of our Lord’s protection and love during this time.  With God’s help, we will overcome this threat.”

We need to begin praying in earnest and to keep on praying, because the worst of this virus may still be coming. But remember this: God is bigger than the Coronavirus. He is bigger than any problem you may be facing right now.

The Bible says, “You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James 4:2) And the Lord promises, “‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:3)

The Old Testament tells us the story of a man named Jehoshaphat. He was in big trouble. Three armies were marching toward him bent on destroying the King of Israel and his people. This terrified Jehoshaphat, and he asked everyone to fast and pray.

He prayed, “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)

And guess what happened? God answered their prayers and their enemies turned on each other.

There is a spiritual element to every problem. And this is the time to pray to break spiritual strongholds. Here is a promise from God: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

God says we need to humble ourselves, pray, seek His presence and turn our backs on our wicked lives. If we do that, the Lord promises to hear our prayers, forgive our sins and restore our land to health.

God keeps His promises.

NOW is the time to pray!.

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