Doing God's work, one step at a time

What did the coming of the Savior mean to the Israelites? Moreover, what did the hope of the Savior mean? Isaiah had a lot to say about the coming Savior. Unfortunately, it proves only that you can study Scripture until you’re blue in the face…but you must know what they say. Looking back now, we can see obviously that Isaiah (among other) prophecies talk about the coming of the Savior and that they plainly spell out what happened. Unfortunately, the Israelites mistook what the Scriptures said…and it cost them dearly; especially the Pharisees. We have two Scriptures for today, the first is from Isaiah 42:1-9. If you would, turn there and we’ll read this portion. 1 "This is My Servant; I strengthen Him, [this is] My Chosen One; I delight in Him. I have put My Spirit on Him; He will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry out or shout or make His voice heard in the streets. 3 He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a ...

(Read Psalm 136 as a responsive reading as it was originally intended when written.) Every year at this time, we gather with family, we eat a meal that’s bigger every year, with a family that continues to grow over the years, eat, watch football, play games, eat again, catch up with people we don’t see very often, eat again…eating is a theme for this holiday isn’t it!? But for what purpose? To give thanks, of course! But what are we giving thanks for? We all know that it’s always the fourth Thursday in November that we designate as the Thanksgiving Holiday. Did you know that Thanksgiving wasn’t an official holiday until Abraham Lincoln made it so in October of 1863? Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be the Turkey? We all know that it was the Pilgrims who had the first Thanksgiving after sailing across the Atlantic on the Mayflower in 1621. But, did you know that mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, popcorn, milk, corn on the cob, and cranberries were no...

Anger is an emotion that we feel when we think something has been done that wronged us. Let me say that again. Anger is an emotion that we feel when we think something has been done that wronged us. 9 times out of 10, anger is about the self. It’s about me. Usually, it’s when something crosses our paths that get in the way of what we want. Anger is an inward emotion. There are exceptions, like when Jesus upset the carts at the temple. He was righteously indignant. However, many times in our world today, we describe our anger as ‘righteously indignant’ when we actually have no right to be angry at all. Anger, whether good or bad, is a treacherous emotion. This past week, there was an incident at a NASCAR event involving Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday. Kyle and Ron and a third car were going through the corner and all ended up getting together and trading some paint. The caution flag waived and Kyle Busch was mad that he got pushed into the wall, so he came back and decided to take matter...

I want to start this morning by posing a question: How do you feel when a long time opposer to Christ comes and makes a deathbed confession, knowing that they will receive the same payment that you do for a lifetime of work? Does it make you jealous? Angry? Happy? Sad? Rejoiceful? I want you to think about that for a moment. Think about how that makes you feel. You don’t have to share it with anyone, just think about it; someone who has spent their entire life partying away, doing drugs, alcohol, and maybe committing crimes. That person, because of their confession late in life, will get the same reward of eternal life that we get. Regardless of time spent working for Christ, we are the recipients of the great gift of salvation. Our subject today poses the question: How long have you been a Christian? We are going to tackle this today in Matthew 20:1-16. If you would turn there and we will read. 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning...