Archive for April, 2025

28 Apr

The Only Way

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Eternity, Faith, Gospel, Salvation, Truth.

Hello friends,
Rain! We have finally seen some rain, although not a huge amount we are grateful to the Lord for His provision.

There are many in the world who, if they believe in heaven at all, think it can be obtained by doing good deeds or following some set of rules. The Bible teaches otherwise. In the very familiar John 14:6, the Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Sinners need a Savior. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” we are told (Romans 3:23). Speaking of Jesus, the apostle Peter told his audience, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). This means we have direct access to God only through the Lord Jesus. We need no one else to intercede on our behalf. There is no other one or any other way to connect with God.

If we believe that God is the God of creation, we must also believe he is the God of salvation. He has provided a way for us to enter heaven, and it is not by any good works we might do. Ephesians 2:8-9 reads, “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

To those who are depending on works, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers.’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Again, Jesus says He is the way, not one of many ways. Proverbs reminds us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him (Lamentations 3:24).

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

21 Apr

Don’t Wait

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Cross, Eternal Life, Faith, Salvation.

Dear friends,
Spring seems to be just out of reach. Daytime temperatures just don’t quite reach the level that would be comfortable for me. However, the spring flowers are enjoying the season, and it is good to see signs of new life.

We celebrated another Easter season with our church family. As I sat listening to the Resurrection message this morning, I wondered how many times does it take for the message of the Resurrection to change a mind? I know it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict a person of their sins, but the message must be heard.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-3).

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Could it be that a person needs to hear the message of salvation more than one Sunday a year for the truth to sink in? In my own experience, I had been attending worship at our little country church for a few years, until one Sunday morning it all made sense.

No one is righteous by their own “good works.” The scripture says, “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:21-24).

We are told the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). For a gift to be of benefit, it must be received. Have you received His gift of salvation? How long will you wait?

Just wondering,
Pastor Jerry

14 Apr

What Do You Believe?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Cross, Easter, Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Resurrection.

Hello friends,
. My how the wind does blow here in Nebraska. I have said before that it takes a little wind for the windmills to pump water, but lately it has been a bit extreme.

It is Easter week, meaning that as Christians we acknowledge the apparent tragedy of Good Friday and celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on Sunday. I am glad God sent His Son to save the world from sin (Matthew 3:16).

Every person is given the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation. It is the will of God that all will believe, but there are many who will not. In the words of Jesus, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:35). In another place He says, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

I recently read the following: In order for a person to appreciate the gift of salvation, they must believe they are being saved from something. That ‘something’ called sin. Sin is disobedience to God’s commands. Sin came into the world because Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, therefore everyone is born with sin in their nature. Scripture says, “but now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:21-23).

Sin is the thing from which we must be saved, and no one is righteous on his or her own. It only comes through faith in Christ. When we finally realize the only one to whom we can compare ourselves is the sinless Son of God, we are driven to confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, He Is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives (1 John 1:9-10).

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

7 Apr

Shine!

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Calling, Culture, God's Word, Obedience, Praise, Salt and Light.

Dear readers,
I see a few signs of spring and it makes me feel winter is almost behind us. Bring on the showers and the flowers that brighten the landscape. God is good and His creation shows it.

I learned a lesson by going into my tool trailer and failing to turn on the light. Recently, I went into the trailer where I keep my tools. Being in a hurry, I didn’t turn on the light and my leg collided with a wooden box on the floor. As could be expected, the resulting collision resulted in pain and agony in my right legs. It is now about three weeks later, and the bruising has begun to fade.

There is a spiritual application in this concerning the teaching that Jesus is the light of the world, come to shine the light of God’s love into a dark and dangerous world.

As a result of the failure of Adam to heed God’s instructions, we live in a world that is broken by sin and inhabited by dark forces of evil. As we navigate the darkness, it is important to have light so that we can see the dangers around us and take the safe path.

Scripture says much about walking in the light and avoiding the darkness. The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Regarding Jesus, John wrote, “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 claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by 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” (1 John 1:5-7).

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry