When you think about the future, what emotions come to mind? Worry? Fear? Anxiety? The Bible tells us much about the future and some of it can be pretty frightening and intense. What we have to remember, though, is that God does not give us a frightening picture of the future in order to paralyze us with fear. God gives us a frightening picture of the future as a reminder to us that He, as a Holy and just God, must bring judgement on the wicked and destroy evil. On the other hand, God may give us a frightening picture of the future, but he never leaves us with that picture. Instad, he always follows with a message of hope and salvation for the righteous.
When you read the book of Zephaniah, you might be left with a negative view of the future. If that is what happens, though, you've missed the whole point of the book. Zephaniah is a book of hope because we have nothing to fear about the future. God has made provisions to save the remnant who follow him. As is says in Zephania 3:14, those who trust in the name of the Lord will be saved.
To hear more about Zephaniah, click on the link below
Zephaniah: Do Not Fear the Future
http://www.box.net/shared/3a2nas0cuk
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Righteous will Live By Faith
Sometimes it seems as if no matter what we do, the wicked still prosper. Things going on around us can rattle our faith and cause us to question God. Habbakuk questioned God when it seemed that all efforts to get Judah to repent were useless. When we have these crises, the core question on our mind is this:
“God, can I really trust you?”
God assured Habbakuk of two important facts. First, he would punish the wicked. Second, he would reward the faithful.
Regarding the wicked, it may seem as if they prosper, but what we learn from Romans 1:24-32 is that even now, God’s wrath is being poured out upon them.
Regarding the faithful, it may seem as if we are the underdogs, but what we learn from Romans 5:1-4 is that there great rewards to living by faith that we can grasp hold of today.
One of the greatest principles of all of scripture comes from Habbakuk:
“The Righteous Shall Live By Faith” (Habbakuk 2:4)
You can learn more about the answer to the question “Why do the wicked prosper?” by clicking on the link below and listening to this week’s sermon.
Habbakuk: Why do the wicked Prosper?
http://www.box.net/shared/llve29d2xj
“God, can I really trust you?”
God assured Habbakuk of two important facts. First, he would punish the wicked. Second, he would reward the faithful.
Regarding the wicked, it may seem as if they prosper, but what we learn from Romans 1:24-32 is that even now, God’s wrath is being poured out upon them.
Regarding the faithful, it may seem as if we are the underdogs, but what we learn from Romans 5:1-4 is that there great rewards to living by faith that we can grasp hold of today.
One of the greatest principles of all of scripture comes from Habbakuk:
“The Righteous Shall Live By Faith” (Habbakuk 2:4)
You can learn more about the answer to the question “Why do the wicked prosper?” by clicking on the link below and listening to this week’s sermon.
Habbakuk: Why do the wicked Prosper?
http://www.box.net/shared/llve29d2xj
You Are Your Brother's Keeper
Are you willing to help others in need? To demonstrate the scope of the Second Greatest Commandment (You shall love your neighbor as yourself), Jesus tells us the story of the Good Samarian – a story where a man who should be considered an enemy goes above and beyond to help a fellow man in desperate need.
In the Old Testament, there is probably not another people group that has been prophesied against more severely than the Edomites. More than a few Old Testament prophets foretell a complete destruction of the Edomites and the book of Obadiah is totally dedicated to that prophetic message. Why? What did they do?
Quite honestly, the stood aside and watched in glee as their brothers in Judah were ransacked by the Babylonians. Even worse, they took advantage of the situation, plundering the cities after the Babylonians left and capturing the refugees to sell as slaves. The Edomites, who were Israel’s closest brothers as descendants of Esau, were essentially kicking the Israelites while they were down.
Throughout scripture, God makes it clear that he is the defender of the downtrodden. He will protect them and avenge them. Indeed, he did avenge Judah because the Edomites were completely wiped off the face of the earth as the prophets foretold.
We are to care for the oppressed. We are to look after the needy. God’s heart is with the poor. So should ours.
Hear more about this by listening to the message at the link below.
Obadiah: You Are Your Brother’s Keeper
http://www.box.net/shared/yf0atg56q7
In the Old Testament, there is probably not another people group that has been prophesied against more severely than the Edomites. More than a few Old Testament prophets foretell a complete destruction of the Edomites and the book of Obadiah is totally dedicated to that prophetic message. Why? What did they do?
Quite honestly, the stood aside and watched in glee as their brothers in Judah were ransacked by the Babylonians. Even worse, they took advantage of the situation, plundering the cities after the Babylonians left and capturing the refugees to sell as slaves. The Edomites, who were Israel’s closest brothers as descendants of Esau, were essentially kicking the Israelites while they were down.
Throughout scripture, God makes it clear that he is the defender of the downtrodden. He will protect them and avenge them. Indeed, he did avenge Judah because the Edomites were completely wiped off the face of the earth as the prophets foretold.
We are to care for the oppressed. We are to look after the needy. God’s heart is with the poor. So should ours.
Hear more about this by listening to the message at the link below.
Obadiah: You Are Your Brother’s Keeper
http://www.box.net/shared/yf0atg56q7
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
What is TRUE repentance?
The book of Nahum prophesies the total and complete destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the evil and ruthless Assyrians. This prophesy came true in 612BC when the Babylonians razed Nineveh to the ground... These are the same Assyrians to which Jonah was sent a few hundred years prior and who, as a result of Jonah’s preaching, repented of their evil ways. Unfortunately, their repentance was at worst not real and at best not lasting, because they soon turned back to their wickedness and became more evil in the end than they were before Jonah.
God has a message for us in Nahum about our repentance. Make sure it is real. The question is: How do I know my repentance is real?
One of the greatest prayers of repentance in the bible is that of David in Psalm 51. From that prayer, we can see that true repentance must be accompanied by the following:
- Acknowledgement – we must acknowledge that we have sinned. Too often we want to justify as actions and refuse to admit they are wrong.
- Confession – we must confess our sin before God and man
- Humility – we should be humbled by our sinfulness as we approach God with it
- Shame – we should be ashamed of our sinfulness when we compare it to a Holy God
- Response to do good – true repentance should result in a desire to do good
David demonstrates that his repentance is accompanied by each of these.
Is your repentance real? Have you really turned away from your sinfulness to a Holy God, or are you still on the path to destruction like Nineveh?
If your repentance is real, then the best news is what happens next…
To hear more about repentance, click on the link below to hear this week’s sermon.
Nahum – Are you for real?
http://www.box.net/shared/4b7i424ngj
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