Prince of Peace

As we continue to look at the names of Jesus Christ in (Isa. 9:6), we see that Jesus is also called, "The Everlasting Father, And The Prince of Peace." In the above verse, the use of the definite article "The" means that the title belongs exclusively to Jesus, He is the one and only 1) "Everlasting Father." "Everlasting" in that his fatherhood, unlike our temporal and sinful fathers of our flesh, will be forever and ever. Those of us who are saved have been adopted into his family, and are now joint-heirs with him in his everlasting kingdom. We are now his children who have the right to call him "Aba Father" (Rom. 8:15, or "Our Father." (Ps. 68:5) says that he is a father to the fatherless, and a protector of the widow, for he will receive whosoever; be it the unloved, the needy, the poor, or the sinful, anyone that calls upon him. 2) He is "The Prince of Peace." "Prince," meaning the captain of our peace. All who follow him as captain will find the true peace and forgiveness of God. He's didn't come to bring the type of peace that the world thinks, but rather he came to reconcile man with God, and His peace has no end (Isaiah 9:7).Oh listen, if you want the forgiveness of sin, and an everlasting peace with God, then receive God's free gift this Christmas. Repent and receive Jesus Christ

The Mighty God

As we continue to look at the names of Jesus Christ in (Isa. 9:6), we see that Jesus is not just called Wonderful, but also, "Counselor & The Mighty God." 1) Counselor. It's amazing that in the day in which we live, people will spend great amounts of money on the advice and opinions of educated men, but then reject the free counsel of God. (1 Jn 5: 9) says, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." God in his infinite wisdom has freely given to us, "all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him…" (2 Peter 1:3). Why then is there so much confusion and arguing over things that are specifically stated and commanded by God? Why, simply because we have not fully surrendered to the final authority & council of God's Word. God's Word is not just a book of inspired suggestions, but rather the complete and final say of God. 2) The Mighty God. The world in all its foolishness loves the babe at Christmas but denies the power of the God man Jesus Christ. Why, because a babe is non-threatening, and weak, and easy to be overcome, but a Mighty God is someone they cannot push around. One day he will be seen as he truly is today, The Mighty God, The King of Kings and The Lord of Lord's. Amen!

Jesus' name is truly Wonderful !

(Isa 9:6) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful.." Wonderful, there is probably not a better description of what life is now like because of the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth. 1) Jesus was Wonderful in his Birth. Imagine what life would be like without him. God became man, he incarnated a human body and although the flesh of Christ did not exist before Bethlehem, the Son of God did. Wonderful was the prophesy of his virgin birth some 800 years before he came, born to the tribe of Judah and in the line of David. 2) Jesus was Wonderful in his Benevolence. For "unto us a child is born." To us who are unworthy sinners, to us God still sent His Son to save. Jesus came and gave up everything, so that we might inherit all things in him. He came to serve, and to heal, and to give to all men freely his grace and love. 3) Jesus is Wonderful in his Beauty. Oh the beauty of his wonderful free gift of salvation, and the peace and hope that comes along with it, as well as the beauty of his Holy Spirit that indwells within us, and that guides us and keeps us saved. Jesus' name is truly Wonderful !

The Secret Of Successful Giving To The Lord

Pastor’s Corner (2Co 9:7-8) (7) "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (8) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:" On the Faith Promise Slip that I handed out to you is the promise of verse (v.8) that cannot happen unless you first obey (v.7). When it comes to giving to FP Missions giving, (v.7) says that God never tells us what to give, He lets us purpose or decide the amount first. His only command is that we give it cheerfully and not because we have to with the wrong motive. Then (v.8), and only then is God free to supply our needs by His grace, making sure that we not only have enough money to give but that we also have enough for our bills & every good work. Faith can only be demonstrated by our obedience first, so that after God is then free to keep His promise (v.8). So the real question is, do we believe God and can we trust Him in 2013 to do the impossible? Then give, and pledge to FP Missions first, and then after by faith trust God to keep His Word. God requires obedience first, not last

The dispensation of Human Government

(Eph 3:2-3) "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;" As we look backward in time, the mysteries that have been hid from generations, are now made known unto us during this present dispensation of the church age. A "dispensation" is a specific time period whereby God revealed or dispensed a new truth to the world in addition to their already revealed knowledge. For example, the 1st dispensation was that of "innocence." Adam and Eve had not the knowledge of evil until after they sinned, so they lived during a time period or dispensation of "innocence." After sin, God gave to them the dispensation of "Conscience," whereby conscience ruled men until God revealed more truth later. Later, followed the dispensation of "Human Government," where God gave man authority to rule. Followed by "Promise" to Abraham, "Law" to Moses, and today "Grace" to the church age which came to us by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Under grace, we have no excuse to not to know "all" of God's revealed truth.

Satan is no mathch for God's Word

(James 4:7) “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” All of us who know the story of Adam and Eve’s fall, know that they were deceived by the devil. Satan's tactics have not changed over the years, in fact his devices always include the words “yea hath God said.” He hates the Word of God and his temptation is always to get us to doubt it, but Christian don’t! Satan is a defeated foe! The only power that he has over us is the power that we give him when we doubt God’s Word. Jesus said, (Matt. 28:18) All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore..” And in (John 4:4) “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” In Christ, we have been given the power and backing of His Word, and His Spirit, and to not just resist the devil, but to cause him to flee. How? By our faith in the Word of God. Jesus is God, and his name powerful. We can call upon no greater, and he has commanded all who believe in him to do so when under attack by the devil. (Jn 15:5)” for without me ye can do nothing” Help is available to all who resist the devil, and stand in the power of Christ and His Word!

Not Everything That's Preached Is From God

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" It’s interesting in the day in which we live how many of our beliefs and doctrines are being undermined by the seducing voices of demons. You might say, well how can demons affect my beliefs? They speak through men. The above verse is written to warn us to be careful in this world of the many lies out there, so that we don’t pick up something that will cause us to depart from our faith in God's Word. Satan’s cohorts are everywhere, undermining many of the Bibles teachings, concerning our separation from sin, attendance and membership in the local church, or even to the point of taking lightly fornication, gambling, gossiping, backbiting, drunkenness, or the illegal use of drugs, etc. Christian, it’s just as wrong to add to the Word, as it is to take from it. The Holy Spirit’s voice will never take you in the direction of sin, nor will it add some new teaching to God's Word. Be careful when you hear a voice that tells you that something is ok, when God says it's not. Be careful out there, if it's not in agreement with God's Word, it's demonic !

God's Judgment In The Day Of Noah

Gen. 6:3) "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." These words were spoken by God to the men of Noah's day, after He saw first-hand their wickedness. This verse speaks volumes about how God looks at sin and how He judges men for sin. 1) God's judgment was prophesied . "And the Lord said." God's Word always warns men of judgment before he judges. In this case, he told man that he had 120yrs. to repent. 2) God's judgment was provoked. "for that he also is flesh." God knows that man is given to his flesh, but He also knows that man can also resist sin. Sin is a choice of our will, for we all know full well before we sin that there are consequences for disobeying God. That's why God places a judgment on sin, hoping to cause us to fear sin's consequences enough to reject it. 3) God's judgment was preached. "My spirit shall not always strive with man." God chooses the foolishness of preaching to save the lost in every generation. Noah preached for 120yrs., unfortunately the men of Noah's day like many in our day refuse to repent after hearing His Spirit's voice. During those days God demonstrated His longsuffering, but unfortunately for the ungodly His lonsuffering had a time limit. These things are written to teach us that we also have but little time repent.

The Principle of the Forgiveness of Sin

The story of Cain and Abel in (Gen. 4) teaches us much about the way God views forgiveness. The Lord God is very clear in His Word that "without the shedding of blood there is no remission," (or forgiveness) of sin, but thank God that He has provided us a way. Cain refused to obey God, but Abel did and "obtained witness that he was a righteous man" (Heb. 11:4). 1) Abel sought God reverently. There is a difference between men that just respect God, and those that truly reverence Him. A reverent man obeys God's every command, and word. 2) Abel had a repentant heart. A repentant man does not get mad at or argue with a Holy God. He humbles himself under His every command and submits. 3) Abel found restoration. Through Abel's obedience, and by his offering, his sin was covered & his transgression forgiven. Today in Jesus, we too can be forgiven for all our sin, if we by faith trust in Jesus' blood offering for our sins

Sin Brings Forth Death

(Jas 1:15) "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." In the above verse the warning is the same regardless of our sin, "sin bringeth forth death." In the Garden of Eden, Satan planted into the mind of Eve the temptation of lust, but it was Eve that decided to bring sin into her life. 1) Sin begins in the mind. When we give ear or sight to any temptation, we reason with the idea of disobeying God. Eve chose disobedience, therefore she brought upon herself the judgment that God warned her about. 2) The result of sin is always destructive. Both Adam and Eve immediately hid themselves from God and His "voice," both lost their fellowship with God, both began to cover up sin, and both lost their joyful relationship with each other and God. 3) Sin is damning. The serpent lost its beauty and ability to walk upright, the woman gained multiplied sorrow, Adam hard labor and toil, the whole creation became cursed, and both Adam and Eve received a death sentence. When sin is finished it brings forth nothing but sorrow, and pain, and death, but worst of all it caused our beloved Savior Jesus Christ Jesus to have to die. Yes, sin destroys, but thank God Jesus Saves!

Adam & Eve Fell Into Sin Differently

(1Ti 2:14)"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." As we continue to look at the origin of sin, it's important to see that Adam and Eve fell into sin differently. 1) Eve was deceived. Satan deceived Eve, meaning that he tricked her into responding contrary to the commandment of the Lordthrough deception. Satan is a master at deception. He possessed the body of the serpent, disguising himself as something good rather than evil. He also got Eve to doubt God's Word through the use of semantics. Satan loves to twist scripture, or to leave out parts of it, or he will even take it out of context. Eve was tricked and fell after believing Satan's deception. 2) Adam fell by simply following Eve. Another way that we fall into the trap of sin is by simply following others that are wrong. People do it all the time today. For example, take salvation. Many follow blindly religion, or what's popular, or charismatic men, not really studying for themselves what the truth really is. The Bible says that there is only one way to be saved, through Jesus Christ. Following others blindly will only lead to the judgment of sin and death, which is exactly what happened to Adam .

He is God!!

Was the earth created in six literal days, and if it was does God really need our help to explain this simple truth to mankind when it's specifically stated in His Word? I think not! (Genesis 2:1-2) "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." It's amazing to me, how many Christians think that somehow God hid between certain scripture verses some type of secret that only the intelligent mind can understand. As if we without their help cannot fully understand God's simple words, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Or even the words, "and the evening and the morning were the first day, or 2nd,3rd,4th,5th, and 6th." God created the earth just as He stated in His Word, in six literal 24 hour days. Why, because He is God, and with God all things are possible. It ought not to be a shock to anyone that with just His spoken word, God created the earth!

Strength For Our Journey

(Numb. 13:28) "Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great:" These were the last words that God wanted to hear after leading the nation Israel out of Egypt and to the edge of the Promised Land. The problem with Israel was that they looked on the impossibility of God's will, instead of on the capability of God to keep His Word. Unbelief is a terrible sin. It removes all the possibilities that faith can achieve, and replaces them with the certainty of fear and failure. Trials and tests are God's ways of strengthening us for our journey in life. Life is one battle after another, and unless we learn that our true strength is not found in our own abilities but rather in God, we will never see the many blessings and victories that God can give to us. This first generation of Israel wanted God, His blessings, and His help, but they missed it because they couldn't quite believe God for the impossible. It's not enough to just read about God's promises, by faith we must learn to trust them. The difference between the Israel of failure, and the Israel of victory 40 years later, was in their faith. The later Israel was strengthened by experience, and by learning that their strength came from God, and not themselves. Faith can only be matured as we obey and trust in trials

Why A Generation Forgets God

As we come to another memorial day it is important once again to remember those that have fought and died to ensure our freedom here in America, lest we forget and lose our respect as did Israel of old. In Judges (1:10) God said, "… and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." This statement was made after Joshua and the elders died that that fought to win the promised land. You might ask, why did the next generation fall away? 1) The Godly men died. If Godly men fail to pass on their godliness and their heritage, then it will die with them. 2) Freedom comes with a price. Things that are not earned are not always appreciated by those that inherit them. The elders fought the wars, and were witnesses of God's power and faithfulness, but their children failed to honor God and remember the victories of the past. That's why God is big on memorials, and days of honor and remembrance. God forgive us when our battlefields become just playgrounds and shopping malls, and the graves of our brave are allowed to be grown over & forgotten. 3) Israel forgot that God was her strength. Let us never forget our true strength. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

Motherhood

One of the greatest stories in all the Bible concerning motherhood is the story of Hannah (1 Sam. Chp.1). Hannah was one of the two wives of an Ephrathite man called Elkanah. Now, as the story goes Hannah was barren and the other wife blessed with children, and so Hannah prayed to the Lord for a man child, promising God that she would give him back to him once he was weaned. Well, God heard her prayer and answered it by the birth of Samuel the prophet, and as she promised she gave him back to the Lord at the young age of 3 or 4yrs. Hannah was a perfect example of a godly mother, in that: 1) She saw her child as a gift from God. The Bible says,"Children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb his reward." 2) She was obedient herself. She was a demonstration of faithfulness. The only Bible that a young child can know before they can read, is mom. 3) She devoted the raising of Samuel to the Lord. One of the purposes of God giving us the ability to procreate, is to train up a "heritage for Him." Having children is good thing, but training them to serve the Lord isa great privelage.

Fisher of men

(Mark 1:7) "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." There is a prerequisite in the above verse to becoming a fisher of men, and that is to "Come after" Jesus first. Only Jesus can give you the power and ability to catch men. For he said, "without me you can do nothing." Therefore we must surrender to being his servant first. How? 1) Forsake the past. In context here Jesus commands these apostles to leave their nets, to leave their past. Jesus doesn't mean here that all men are to forsake their jobs, but what he means is for each of us to leave the old way of life so that we can be effective and not hypocritical as we fish for souls. 2) Follow Him. This means to follow his lead, to learn of him, and then do likewise. The problem with most of us is not that we don't know what to do, we're just afraid to do it. You see, we can't truly follow until we surrender to his lead. Then, 3) Fish for men. Jesus said, if you first "come after," then he will make you a fisher of men. The reason that most of us do not win souls is because we haven't fully surrendered to the call of being a servant first. After that, fishing for men will be a normal part of our daily life.

Will we be ready ?

In (2 Peter 3:4) the Bible tells us that in the last days the scoffer will attack the doctrine of the second coming of Jesus Christ, saying "where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” It’s easy to think that we have a lot of time until the Rapture, but truthfully it can happen at any moment. The world doesn't seem too worried however, in fact people today are becoming even more bold in their sin, not really caring or fearing God, but even that is a good indicator that our time is very short. Remember, God is not on our time schedule, and “The lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;…But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;..” There will come a day when the Church of God will be taken up into heaven, both those who are dead and the living, and our bodies re-fashioned like the resurrected body of Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:21). So be ready, for only those born-again by the Spirit of God will be going up! For he will come at a time when we think not! So the Question remains : Will we be ready ?

Submission to all authorities

(Rom. 13:1) " Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." When you think about this verse, it's a very strong commandment concerning our submission to all the authorities in our lives. When God says "higher powers" He means those in authority. Whether they be in government, or at school, at work, at home, or in the church, we are commanded by God to submit and obey them all. It doesn't matter if we agree with them, or if they deserve it, or even if they are not saved. God put them over us to rule and to govern for Him. But some men will say, what if what they command breaks the law of God? Then like Peter say "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). That's why it's so important to know God's Word. So practice submission, and glorify God by your obedience to all whom God has placed you under, so that you "may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (1 Tim. 2:2). Submission begins in the heart. "Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake."

Respond in the flesh or in Love

(Rom. 12:21) "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." This verse should have a profound impact on any believer who desires to see the blessing of God on his ministry. I have personally learned over the years that my reactions are just as important as the message that I preach. When conflict or persecution arises in our lives because of our witness, we have a choice to respond back in the flesh or to respond back in the love of Christ. The attack of evil is a common practice toward those that preach Christ, but in order for us to be victorious and see the power of God work in the hearts and lives of those that do evil to us, we must practice good back. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual. For example, (Lu 6:27-28) " Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you..." We have not been called to be vindictive, or hurtful, but rather to love all men, even if the men we love hate us, or do wicked things to us. Evil can be overcome, but it must be done God's way. Goodness is what performs the miracle !

Character

In (Rom.Chp.12) the most important character quality of the Christian, is love. We have been command here in this chapter to practice love by "being kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love," and as we continue, we also see that in order for us to treat one another with this affection it is important that we 1) "bless, and curse not." This teaching comes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. You see, it's not so easy to do good back to people that do bad to you, but the command is still the same regardless. We are to bless back. 2) "Rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with those that weep." It's easy to weep with those that are down, but it's not so easy to rejoice with those who are blessed and we're not. So love does not envy the success of others, but rejoices with them. 3)"Mind not high things" Love does not elevate itself above others or judge some as less important. Conceit is a terrible sin that chooses to elevate self, and look down on others.

Hospitality

(Rom. 12:13) 1) "Distributing to the necessity of saints;…" In other words, we of WSBC should be willing to help out one another when in need. The word distribute, means to partake or share in, but necessity could mean anything from money to just lending a hand. The key to this verse is to just be willing. God didn't call the church to pay one another's bills, but He did call us to help out when times get tough. Knowing that we have each other's back is a tremendous strength, and encouragement, and usually just enough to keep us going in hard times. 2) "given to hospitality," means to be given over to the practice of entertaining people. The problem with the church today is that we are no longer close brothers and sister in Christ, but rather casual acquaintances. To practice hospitality we must learn to open up our lives, and homes to the fellowship of the saints. The love of Christ demands that we love one another not just in word, but also in deed.

Let love be

(Rom. 12:9) "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." In order for us to successfully minister to others, we ourselves have to learn the practice of "agape love." A love that is both sacrificial and unconditional. In the above verse we are asked to practice love without hypocrisy or insincerely. In other words our love for others is supposed to reflect the same type of love that Christ has shown to us. A love that has the continual mindset of forgiveness and long-suffering toward others. That's why we must continually remind ourselves how much Christ has loved us and forgiven us. Also if we're going to love others as we ought we need to learn how to practice good and not evil. If our focus is on self or on the things of this world we will practice evil, but if it's focused on the things of God, we will practice good. We must learn the difference. That's why the above verse says "let love be." It's a choice we make

Renew

(Isaiah 40:31) "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." The word "wait" in the above verse, means to "Rely upon or lean upon for strength." It would be a wise thing for you and I to evaluate our walk in 2012. Sometimes we forget that the source of our strength is the Lord. If we are weary in well doing, it's usually because we have left the side of the Lord Jesus for selfish reasons or the cares of this world. If you desire to see your strength renewed as an eagle in flight, or to run and walk with the Lord without fatigue, then you need to repent and lean upon Jesus again in 2012. (John 15:5) "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
Let's not be disappointed in 2013 because we failed to renew our strength in 2012