The Gospel of Jesus Christ
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” — Psalm 119:105
Good morning.
1 Timothy 2:1-3 (MSG)
1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live
Amen
Incentive…He knows our hearts.
John 14:1-4
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
The promise from Jesus Himself, God with us. He has gone ahead of me to prepare a table for me so that we would be together forever. He gas done so for all of us. The promise of no longer having the weight of this world on our shoulders. #JesusSaves
Amen
DK
Good morning.
1 Timothy 1:12 (MSG)
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.
Amen
He loves us still…
John 13:31-38
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him,[c] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
The last days of Jesus are days of continuous teaching and revelation for the Disciples. As Jesus nets His death, He begins to let those closest to Him learn about themselves. Many of them show betrayal, doubt, fear, and in this case they deny even knowing Him. Yet Jesus continues to teach.
The examples of humanity demonstrated through His speaking to the Disciples are incredibly revealing. They stress the all too important fact that regardless of what we do, we belong to Him who created us. We are His beloved. We are His treasures. Love demonstrated unconditionally through not only the forgiveness of sin, but the free and unearned gift of salvation.
Through these verses, we are able to see ourselves reflected through them. It brings to light just how amazing the recent murders of 21 Christians through public beheading actually is. Many people, including the closest people to Jesus, denounce Him. They said that they did not know Him. Yet the 21 that died for their belief in Jesus Christmas did not, even when given the chance to unordered to save their lives.
As believers, we must sound the bell. We must spread the word. Jesus is coming, and in these last of days, it is our directive to share the Good News that Jesus Saves. Speak His name today. Speak the name of Jesus Christ. #JesusSaves
Amen
DK
Good Morning.
Galatians 6:4-5 (MSG)
4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
God made each of us exactly the way that He wants us to be. Today, I will do the best I can do with what God has given me. #JesusSaves
Amen.
DK
Jesus paid it all.
John 13:18-30
18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned[a] against me.’[b]
19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Prophecy would be fulfilled through this act. Judah would turn against Jesus out of greed. But…before you point fingers, there us a reason we hear of this happening. Jesus loved Judas, ad He loves us. And just like Judas, there are times when we betray Him and choose our own selfish desires rather than what Jesus wants us to choose or do. Lastly, guess what? Jesus stills loves us.
I don’t say this to condone the action of Judas, or to say that somehow sin is OK. What I mean is that if Jesus came to die for us. If Jesus cane to lay down His life so that sins are forgiven. If Jesus took all of our sin upon His shoulders and took them to the grave. Don’t you think He included the sin of Judas also? Or by some weird means of qualification that sin did not get forgiven?
There is no selection process for sin people. Think of the ugliest most horrible sin you can imagine…got it? Ok, now…when a person gives their life to Jesus, that sin is forgiven. Yes it is. Wiped clean by the blood of Jesus. Jesus did not come to judge, He came to deliver and to save. He did that.
If you believe that God sent His only son to earth to carry your sins to the grave on the cross. If you believe that Jesus cane back from the dead, rose into Heaven and will come again to judge all of mankind. If you believe those true events that occurred on this earth, your sins are forgiven and you are saved. At that point, there is no limit to how He will use you to make this world better. #JesusSaves
Amen
DK
Good morning.
Hebrews 11:1-2 (MSG)
1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
Faith makes life worth living. It is in that moment when faith waivers, when we begin to press our will and not God’s into our existence, that we fall. We fall hard. Hope comes in, and Faith cleans up and sustains. #JesusSaves
Amen.
DK
We have been called to serve…
John 13:1-17
1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Jesus came to serve, not to be served. It is repeated time and time again throughout the Gospels. We are to follow His example. But, boy is it hard.
By the way, I fail daily at this. I’m sure many do, and that I am not alone. I won’t let that fact hold me back though. I will preach the good news and the forgiveness of our daily failures. As we all should as well.
The act of washing another’s feet is pure service to another. An act of showing that others are first, and that it is our job to serve all people. As hard as that is sometimes, such as on the highway as you drive, it is important that we try and try again. Small acts become big acts in the eyes of our Father.
Jesus served us. He forgave us through His own death on the cross. The ultimate service was bestowed upon us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. #JesusSaves
Amen
DK
2 Corinthians 5:9-10
9-10 But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we’ll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what’s coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.
Regardless of your condition or situation, please God. Praise Him, thank Him, Love Him, and give Him your heart. #JesusSaves
Amen
John 12:37-50 (NIV)
37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”[h]
39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”[i]
41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
The answer is…Yes, Yes, Yes. Without even knowing the question, the answer is Yes! The question…”Do you want out of the dark?” Yes!
The dark is scary, but it’s easy. The dark hides what needs to be cleaned, but it’s easy. The dark allows you to sleep, and it’s easy. The light exposes all that requires cleansing, and it’s hard. Hard with a capital H. It’s hard friends. Hard. But oh is it gorgeous!!!
A life with the veil lifted is a life cleansed by God, but you must believe in Him. He was sent by God to lift your burden, not amplify it. If you are feeling exposed, then Amen! If you are feeling like everything you are doing is wrong and you need to stop, the Amen! You are on the right path.
Trust the Word of God, He does not feel that way about you. He doesn’t care for your sin. He doesn’t want your sin. He wants your heart. Give it to Him. Now! #JesusSaves
Amen
DK
