Sunday Service
It is time for the offering so those come forward to, we're going to take it and then let's ask God's blessing upon it. Our father in Heaven. How we thank you that you have given so much to us. We are a land that has been truly blessed by you and we now have the opportunity to return a bit of that blessing back to you. I'm so father, may you touch each heart and help us to realize what a joy it is to give to you. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Our Mighty savior. Amen.
A reading this morning is taken from 1st. John chapter 1 verses 5 to 7.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you, God is light in him. There is no Darkness at all. If we claimed to have fellowship with him and yet, walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out our out 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, his son purifies us from all sin.
Several prayer requests or at least one of them. Well, several let's remember Tanya, she went back to sleep. When does many of you know, this week to begin the this whole process of recovery and things did not go as well as as planned and if there are still struggles going on. And so we need to pray for encouragement and strength to continue to trust God for the path that she's walking. We also need to remember to pray for the people of Ukraine and its we get. The message is pretty regularly about from the pastor's that the are in the Ukraine and their desire to serve the Lord is It's a battle and it's a struggle for them to keep up with that sense of God's hand with the, the bombs truly falling around them as they try to serve, it's a difficult time, so we need to keep them in prayer. Let's pray. Our precious Father in Heaven how we? Thank you and praise you for who you are. The Mighty God, who not only created us but then has given us the opportunity for the Redemption through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And so we praise you and thank you for that. You're the God who loves and cares and it guides Us in truth and righteousness. And so, father, as we come before you, we lay our burdens at your feet, trusting that you will lead and guide us through the mall. Father, we do pray for the people of our community and our world that have not trusted you as Lord and Savior. Father, we know that their eternity is in a disastrous state for, they need to know Jesus Christ as Lord, and Savior for, he is the only way the only true father, you have given us that truth. And so may we be faithful and true to the task of being a witness. In a testimony to what we have, that separates us from the world and making us new creatures in Christ. Father, we do pray for the needs that are out there and we think of Kane and Tanya, is they continue this journey home and reset. The direction for this whole process, we pray that you would be with to Comfort Inn to guide, and encourage, and give strength made their faith stand firm and faithful in. You is they go along. We need to be lifted up and father, we are the body of Christ and we can help with that by being a constant age. In this struggle, we do pray for the people of Ukraine. Particularly those who are faithful to you and desire to use the blessing that you've laid upon their lines to minister to the people who are struggling against this photo. That is Has demonstrated an evil plan against the lives of others in this world. May you help him stand faithful and firm in this endeavor? Father, we think about the unspoken request that people have had and have invoice than yet. They are there their desire to have your hand working in Special Needs within their lives or with others, their desire, for the Salvation of dear ones. Father, we pray that your spirit would give them peace and comfort. For father, your Mighty hand is on all these things. Help them to recognize and feel your powerful hand, lifting them up. And now, father is we continue on in this service. As we recognized, you may we worship you and power and strength as we go forward, we pray this, in the name of Jesus Christ, The Mighty God. Amen.
The next song is. Going to be in your handle America. The Beautiful number 717 in hymnal.
well, this morning is communion Sunday and we're going to be taking a look at God's word from 1st Corinthians, chapter 11 verses 5:37 and It's Sunday that we have the opportunity presented communion, we want to truly listen to what God wants from our hearts and truly. He gives us this celebration that we have. However, often we do it to look at what he's done for our lives to help us. Remember that. We are people Who have been changed? From death and destruction to life and beauty and hope. So as we read this passage remember those things as we go forward. Where I received a Paul is writing this for I received from the Lord. What I passed on to you? The Lord Jesus on the night. He was betrayed took bread. And when he gave thanks, he broke it. And said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. This is his body. Did he lived for us and he desires us to partake of his body? And so is we consume the bread. We are really consuming. I demonstrating the consummation of his life into our lives. Making us continually renewed and different as we move along. In the same way after supper, he took the cup saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood, do this, whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. In other words, when we take that cup where were recognizing back, that our lives have been changed that this new covenant is at work in us, because we've asked Jesus Christ to be our Lord and savior, we're remembering this. Then he says for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim, the Lord's death until he comes. And that's one thing that you and I are as Believers in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior look forward to. That is our Eternal hope that he's going to come back and take us to be with him and glory for all eternity. That's life that he presents to each one of us. So, before we take the bread and the cup, we're going to take just a minute to go before a Jimenez, you go before seek him that if there is any evil in us, any sinful is missing us that we would present it to him and confess our sins and become clean and holy as he mentions in the First Gospel of in the Epistle of John 1st, John and confess our sins and he will forgive. So let's go to the Lord.
Our Father in heaven, we do thank you for the precious blood of Jesus Christ, that truly washes away. All our sins, In fact at the cross, you plans, every sin that would ever be committed. And yet we still have that nature within us and that need to confess if we have committed a sin against you. And so father, I thank you for this opportunity to confess that and be holy and ride and pleasing. Before you the Living God, it is all through your precious blood. We thank you. And now, father, is we take communion? May we remember remember where we need to go and what has become of us through your work? The work of Jesus Christ, The Mighty Lord and Savior, amen? Okay, will begin at the back and for those upstairs come forward out and come forward to take the cup and the bread and then go back to your seats and we'll take it together.
Yes.
A precious father. Once again, we thank you. Thank you, dearly for your willing, sacrifice for our lives. and even for demonstrating, how to walk in this life perfectly because we have the Saviour, the Living God Who existed Among Us and showed us the way. For you are the way the truth and the life bless us. Oh, Lord, as we take the bread and the cup that we would find your joy in it, in the name of Jesus, our living savior, amen.
Alright, I guess it's super church time.
Or do we have any B? Was that I think we're we're going to stick around here.
Well, before we get started, then let's go to the Lord, and ask for his guidance. As we open as word for he is the one who truly leads us, our father in Heaven. How we thank you again, for the power of your word that does dynastin every truth. And nothing changes in it and we thank you for that. We thank you for the rich blessing, father. We also thank you for the Mighty God, the holy spirit that has come upon those who have cried out and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or great understanding is given and great power and strength is given through your name and so father, may you teach us through the power of your spirit this day and father most of all, I pray that you would be my guide for. I know that my words mean nothing. Apart from the work of your spirit in my heart and the words that I speak or you're the only one that makes the difference. So father we pray for your blessing as we come before you now and open your word in Jesus's name. We ask these things. Amen. Well, we're going to continue on in the process of looking at the armor of the Living God. And as we look at those things, whether it's the truth that we have in the belt around us or the righteousness in the breastplate of Christ, or the piece that is in the feet that we wander with, or the faith in the shield, that that stands before us, the Salvation, that is in the helmet, that covers our head. Are the sword? The gospel of peace. That is the word of God. In each and every one of them, there is a beginning for us. I need you, each of us to remember that. This is only the beginning, but there is a process that needs to continue on in our lives and each of these items needs to get stronger and stronger. It's not. Well, I'm a Christian now and so everything's hunky-dory and I can just go and live my life. As I want to that isn't what God has called us to. He's given these items to be added to, and strengthened in our lives. I'll give you a comparison. We have a football team, in the coach, calls his football team to come on out and to work on their strength every week, even through the summer. Now they have a choice. Each of those football players has a choice and they can say yeah I want to be stronger and I want to be faster and I want to be a better football player and they decide to come to each and every one of those lifting moments that they have throughout the summer and so they become stronger and better and able to play football better. Or they can say, you know, I just want to enjoy my summer and I'm just going to take it easy and I'll come out for football when it begins in the fall. And I'll play. You know, which athlete is going to be better prepared? You know, it's going to be the one that has chosen to do the work well, think of yourself as a Christian athlete. Are you going to allow yourself to just going to go through life? Are you going to pursue those things that make you stronger and more powerful?
And that's what building up. The armor of God is all about. Yeah, we have a starting point but we need to have a continuation of that throughout our lives.
We're never to give up. Doesn't matter how old you are. You know, your Ken Stevens is sitting here today 100 years old, he's still building at Armor in his life.
Okay. I don't know where you are on that schedule, but I hope that you realize that there's a long way to go to continue to build up that armor in your life. Why what were two reasons? Two reasons that you need to have. First of all, that armor is a defense against the one who would like to lead you astray Satan. The evil one is Desiring to cause you to go a stray from the path that God has chosen for your life.
And if you build that armor up, you can be defend yourself, not in your strength, but in God's strength because you can't build it armor up apart from God, doing the work. And you, and the second thing is that you have a lot of people that, you know, in this world, there is not one of you that doesn't know somebody that needs Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. And you can be the great rescuer for their lives. But you know if your armor is weak. So is your spirit to change that life and them?
We need believers who are strong and powerful in the face and it comes through the building up of that armor. That God has given us. That God has given us. Well, we're going to take a look at the last three items today and I'll try to go through a fairly swiftly because I want us to have that Fellowship time afterwards, but we're going to be taking a look at Faith, salvation, and the word of God, the sword of the spirit. Okay? So we're going to be in Ephesians the 6 verses 16 and 17 will just read verse 16. Speaking about faith right now and it says in addition to all of this, pick up the shield of Faith which which you can exchange extinguish, all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
You know, by faith. We took on that Trek to him, you know, that was the beginning point. That is a beginning point of our faith. But we need that Faith to be growing and getting stronger.
And that's why the challenges of life, long. Have you ever been through a challenge? I know that every one of you has a challenge to challenge your life. Maybe even brought your life to the point where you weren't sure you were going to make it through.
Those are the times when God Can Build That Faith up, he can make you stronger in the face and help that Shield the stand firm. You know when we receive Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior savior, our Shield is like a little stamp-sized shield and we're trying to defend against everything with that little stamp doesn't work very well unless we build up that shield and make it a nice broad heavy Shield to fend off the evil of the The Works of the evil one and so we need a stronger Shield of faith and we need to be pushing on that way. In fact, apart from faith, we can't. Please God. We can't please. God, Hebrews 11:6 says, and without faith. It is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him, must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him, You see, my knowing Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Leave me to Glory. That's a great reward but God wants even greater rewards that come to our lives. As we build up that Shield of faith and draw closer to him and allow us to be a mighty force in a world that truly is struggling with their walk with the Living God. And so he wants us to recognize that.
It begins with salvation though. That's the faith that leads us on and it's not until salvation occurs that face can actually build built up. You can say, you have faith in God, but if you haven't known, Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, it makes no difference in God is called Paul to that task. And then in Acts 26, he is, Paul is rehearsing what God told him, he was going to do. When he called him outside Damascus and told him what he was going to do. And so he says and acts 26:18, don't open their eyes and turn them from Darkness to light. Remember Jesus Christ is the light of the world and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and at a place among those who are Sanctified by faith in me if you've been Sanctified by faith I hope so. I hope you've asked Jesus Christ to be your lord and savior because that changes your your destination and gives you the opportunity to grow in the nature of Jesus Christ. The Living God That is life. God wants to give us that life. And he wants you to be givers of that life, but in Romans 1:17 and says, for the gospel in the gospel, that's the message of Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God is revealed the righteousness, that is by faith From First to Last, just as is written the righteous will live by faith. The righteous will live by faith. You see the interconnection between the breastplate of righteousness in the faith? That is held up there. You know, if your faith is strong, the righteousness is also Stronger. Keep the connection going. In fact.
James questions, the righteousness, the faith of of the Believers, it in his message in the in his epistle. When he writes these words, he says, in the same way, Faith by itself is not accomplished accompanied by a faith. That is not accomplished by action. Is Dad. In other words, if I'm not active in my face, then maybe there's something wrong there. And if God isn't calling you to step up to the plate and terms of serving him in some respect, even whether it is to come before him and pray and read his word. Those sort of things if you're not challenged to do that in some way, maybe it's time to question. Am I really a person of face? Am I really following the Living God? You know, it's a challenge to every believer and that's what James is doing here. He's challenging those who he's riding too and he's riding to Believers but he wants them to consider. You know, am I living as God wants me to live? Am I following him?
Well, let's move on to Salvation because faith and salvation of that. We already have seen that interconnection that is going on there, and the desire that that change occur in our lives. In the patient's 16-17, it speaks of both salvation in the word, will read through it and then we'll transition onto the word in a little bit, says, take the helmet of salvation in the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. The word of God. And once again, when we take a look at Salvation, we are saved at a moment. A moment in time when we confess our sins before the Living God, when we asked, Jesus Christ to be our Lord and our savior, and, and present our love to him. He redeems us, you do remember that great moment. When you did ask Jesus Christ to be your lord and savior in the Bible tells us that at that moment God comes into our lives and we are completely changed. I know, sometimes it doesn't seem well. Well, what big change went on. Well, we are completely changed because we have
The Living. God dwelling in us, we have Christ Jesus. That is walking with us through this life. We have all those things because of that salvation moment. In Romans 10:10, it gives us that moment in time it says for it is with your heart that you believe and are Justified. See it has to do with faith and belief and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. see it's believing but it's confessing you know telling God I believe in you, I trust you to be my Lord and my savior that's the desire of his life and at that moment
When you believe a change happens in your life, the Bible describes it in 2nd Corinthians 5:17. He says, therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation is come the old is gone. The new is here. You're changed. I mean, it's even more. So than just the destination, though, that destination is really important. Because remember, before you knew Jesus Christ, as your lord and savior, you are bound for Destruction. You were Bound for hell. You didn't have any chance in this world apart from recognizing Jesus Christ, and that's why it's so important that we be delivers of this message. but once we received, That's elevation, we were changed. And as I say the spirit of the Living, God came to us and our destination became instantly, the other direction, on to Glory with a living, God in heaven forever, more Everlasting lie, but, you know, there's a process also with salvation You know, we are saved. But then the Bible tells us that we're continuing to build our Salvation into us as we draw near to the presence of the Living, God to representing Jesus Christ in this world. Romans 12:2 says, do not conform to the pattern of this world. In other words, conform to something else, it says but be transformed by the renewing of your mind and then you will be able to test and approve. What God's will is his good pleasing and perfect will God's perfect will. We'll talk about that in just a minute but God's perfect will is that you be like him. That's the goal for every single believer. Our goal is perfection in Jesus Christ, you know? Good luck, will probably not. We won't receive that while we're here because we still have the CID nature, but that's still the goal. You know, it's like wanting to be in the Olympics, you know? And that's the goal, and it doesn't happen, but it still was the goal and it's a good goal and it's something to be work towards. Okay? Well, this is even a greater goal, the goal that Perfection of Jesus Christ. To be conformed and change day by day. Monster walking with him. You know, it comes with habits that we place into our lives. You and I have to develop habits in our lives, it draws closer to the Living God, and those habits have to do with what we do each day to make a difference. You know, and I hope that you have the habit of getting up in the morning and going before the Living God in seeking his pathway in his will for your life and asking for his guidance and help along the way, of course, remembering others that are in those needs. I hope that part of the Habit that you have is going to the word of God day by day and getting to know, wait a little bit more and a little better each day. I hope that your Habit in. I can see that it is right here because you're in God's house. It's seeking after God eat chicken. Every Sunday getting to grow and know and understand him more and more.
It's in your Habit, to memorize verses to sing songs to him. God calls us over and over, to get to be people of praise. And thanksgiving, you do always things are habits as we instill them into our lives. It helps us The growing our faith and become more like Jesus Christ, Ephesians 4:23 and Forest has to be made new in the attitude of your minds and it put on the new self-created to be like God in true, righteousness and Holiness. That's what you want, true, righteousness and Holiness in your lives and as you take on those habits that bring that about your going to grow in him. There's no other. A Direction, but growth, if you truly are developing those habits that seek Him and seek his will. So, We've gone through all of those defensive weapons that help us to grow and understand. And now we get the offensive weapon. The sword of the spirit is there to guide us and remember it is the sword of the spirit of the Living. God That's a big part of it and Jesus says that not one word will diminish. And we'll look at that here. But the word Is Jesus Christ. It starts with Jesus Christ. He is the word of God and he is the written word. God's explanation to each and everyone of us through his word, the Bible. John 1:1 says in the beginning, was the word Jesus Christ, and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. Jesus Christ. The Living God. Set aside his eternal glory and came to Heaven as a man. And live that perfect life. What? From Heaven. Yes, from Heaven. Thank you. Dear from heaven. But he is the source. He has what we're looking for and we look for him in God's word. You know, that's where we find the truth. It is the one true that we have to hold onto in this world. The word of God.
It is the source. Romans 1:16 says for I am not ashamed of the Gospel. Remember the gospel, the message of Jesus Christ that never changes because it is the power of God to bring Salvation to everyone who believes for the Jew first. Then for the Gentile everyone this is it. Jesus Christ, he is the way the truth and the LIE. He is the only path that we can follow and it is found in God's word in the more we know of God's word. The more we understand this and the deeper we can go but God wants us to start by understanding his word and that's why it's so important for you and I to be involved in that word you know the word is what brought us to Jesus Christ and the word will continue to help us grow in. Jesus Christ. It's a continuing effort for everyone of us. Jesus says that the word will never change. I think about that. How many times have you seen in your life already? Where mankind is taking the word of God and tried to twist it, to meet their needs?
You cannot allow and we cannot allow it. If there's a distortion of the word of God, it is wrong. The truth is found fully in the word of God and God says, it doesn't change. Jesus speaking on the, the mount Matthew 5:18, he has these words for truly. I tell you until Heaven and Earth disappear, not the smallest letter. Not the least, stroke of the pen will by any means disappear from the law and till everything is accomplished. You see Jesus has a goal. God has a goal that the end of time when he determines that this time of the earth is over his goal. Is that everything in this Bible that we hold. So dear will be accomplished everything. Everything will be accomplished. And nothing will not be done that. He has said, will be done. And so when it comes to trusting this word, when it comes to changes, the people want to make in the word of God and change it to something different from what it says. Stand faithful, stand firm. And what it says, God will bless you for that. God will bless you. It is the Eternal guide. God wants to guide us through this life, as spirit of God, wants us to know what is going on. And so, one of the things that you, and I need to do is we open the word of God and we go to him, and you will notice that every Sunday when I stand before you before I open this book. I pray for the spirit of the Living. God, to be here in our midst, a guide, every word that I speak and every word that you here, so that you are LED towards the truth of his word. We need to trust in the spirit to guide us 2nd Timothy 3:16. Speaking of the scriptures, Paul writes all scripture, all scripture is god-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. So the man of God, may be thoroughly equipped for Every Good Deed. We need to remember that as we go along that this word is so powerful. And has such a changing aspect each of Our Lives as we invest opportunity to be involved in it. And that's what God is calling you. So we've gone through the six different pieces of the armor of God and we need to be truly applying each of these six things to our Lawns truth. Righteousness. Peace. Face salvation, the word. If they're not growing in our lives then we're stagnant and we're actually falling backwards. You know when you stopped exercising and don't do it for a while. You fall backwards, I'm going to be going on vacation here in just a just next week after next week's service and I'm going to be gone for 3 weeks and I'm not going to be riding my bicycle for three weeks. You know. And I'm not going to be in the shape when I get back and I ride with my son Cain and you know and I'll get out there and start riding with him and he's going to just me and it goes along. Why? Because I haven't been involved in the activity into the same thing for each and everyone of us who are Christians. If we decide to lay aside, God for a time you'd old Satan is going to dust this in this life. We don't want that. We want to be standing faithful and true to the Living God. And we do that, by observing who he is in all those categories that we talked about. Next week, we'll talk about prayer prayer is the thing that binds it all together because it's through prayer that we really connect with the Living God and makes it powerful. But let's go throughout this week and let's consider what am I doing in my life to Help Me Grow towards the image of the Living God and it has to do with putting that armor on every single day. Let's pray. Father in heaven. We thank you for your goodness and your life that you have shed upon us. May you bless us as we go out that we would honor and serve you and seek you with all our hearts in Jesus name. Amen.
We're going to.