Archive for the ‘Eternal Life’ Category

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

24 Feb

Thinking of Eternity

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Eternal Life, Eternity, God's Word, Gospel, Salvation.

Dear friends,
Well, it seems our climate got a lot colder last week. I’m up for some warmer conditions for a change. Enough of this twenty below zero stuff! It is at this time of year I’m glad to be ‘retired’ and can stay indoors when it’s cold outside. Kudos to those still in the livestock business who are dealing with the weather daily.

In recent days I have been reflecting on the brevity of life and thoughts of where we will spend eternity. The Bible is quite clear, eternity is real and there are two destinations for the human soul. One way is to eternal destruction and the other is to forever fellowship with God and Jesus Christ our Lord. Our destination is centered solely on what we have done with God’s message of salvation. That message is this; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. There is no other way.

I once thought l would see heaven because although I knew was not perfect, I was at least not a murderer and not as bad a sinner as some people I knew. I was depending on my good works as the key to entering heaven. We are told in Scripture that we are saved not by works, but by grace through faith in Christ. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Word of God is not a cafeteria where we choose the things we like and leave the rest. No, it is a complete package, a guidebook on our journey to eternity. There is no part of it that is to be ignored. If we place our faith in our good deeds, we compare ourselves to others. If we compare ourselves to the Lord’s sinless perfection, we soon see how unworthy we are.

There came a point in time when I saw Jesus as He really is, and it changed my life. I was no longer setting myself up as an example through my own definition of goodness but seeing Him as the perfect example and the One I needed to imitate.

When we get to judgment, we won’t be asked about our good deeds, but what did you do with Jesus? How will you answer?

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

30 Dec

Finding Hope

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Hope.

Dear friends,
I trust you had a blessed Christmas season, although our weather seems to be anything but winter-like. I am not having issues with these temperatures at the end of December, in fact I can wait a few more weeks before we have winter weather. It will then be much closer to spring.
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As we enter a new year, it seems appropriate to write an article in the topic of hope. Much of the world today lives without hope. The Bible tells us there is hope of a future when there will be peace over the whole world. Many people view the idea of hope as something they wish for, but the Biblical idea of hope is of the sure knowledge that a promise is true, yet unseen. Hope can be defined as “The expectation of future fulfillment of God’s promises, as foretold by prophets, often involving themes of restoration and redemption.” In the New Testament, when we read that hope is something set before us, it always refers to Christ’s coming for His saints.

The apostle Paul spoke to hope in this way: “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has” (Romans 8:24)?

The angels who announced the birth of Jesus Christ proclaimed a time when there would be peace on earth. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:13-14).

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3) Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible joy…” (verses 8-9).

I pray also that the eye of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints / believers (Ephesians 1:18). There is hope, but it only comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have a happy and hope filled New Year!
Pastor Jerry

26 Aug

Circumstances

Posted by sandhillspastor in Assurance, Contentment, Eternal Life, Heaven, On Aging, Witness.

Hello all,
Welcome to second summer. The warm temperatures have returned! I suppose most of us would expect some hot days in early September. After all, it is State Fair time.

The worst part of my current health situation has been a loss of appetite. Food has no appeal and tastes nothing like I remember. My own cooking even tastes awful! If there is an up-side, it is that I have lost a few pounds. Along with that, I want to sleep a lot, and naps are a large part of my days.

In times like this, it is easy to see only the situation we are in and focus on the negative. The medicines I am taking are having their intended effect, but there are unpleasant side-effects. Keeping in mind the end result is of great importance.

Many times, in our Christian walk, we endure times that are difficult, and it is hard to keep our thoughts directed toward heaven. As someone once said when asked how they were doing answered, I’m doing okay under the circumstances. His friend said, “What are you doing? Get out from under there!”

Our joy in life does not come from our circumstances. In poverty or in wealth, our true joy should be in our relationship with the Lord. When King David was in the desert, hiding from his enemies, he wrote the following:
“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:1-8).

So, in those difficult times we must not keep our eyes on our circumstances but keep looking up to Jesus. He is our peace, our hope and joy.

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

27 May

It’s Not Complicated

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Gospel, Repentance, Salvation, Truth.

Dear friends,

There were a few cooler days last week; also, beneficial rain and more than enough wind for me. The flags along the Boulevard and around the carousel were a fitting display for the Memorial Day weekend. Many thanks to those who purchase the flags, and to those who put them out on special days. There are many volunteers who make all this possible, you know who you are.

Ice maker connections: Why are they so complicated? There are a multitude of connection combinations that confuse the issue. It seems there should be a universal standard to connect the water line to the refrigerator.

Many people think the gospel is complicated, but it is not. The message is simple, but many are unable to see the simplicity of it. I believe the problem is that they can’t grasp the concept that they don’t have to work their way to heaven.

Men will make comparisons, thinking “I’m not as bad as the next guy down the road, so God will surely choose me over him.” This is the thought that we can get to heaven by our good deeds or our good works. Here is the truth from Romans… “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Salvation leads us to do good works, but good works have never saved anyone.

The simple gospel message is found in John 3:16; “For God so loved the world that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Did you get that? All mankind is born with a sin nature because of Adam’s sin in the Garden. None are sinless and the wages of sin is death. The gospel is this: Admit you are a sinner, Believe on the Lord Jesus and Commit yourself to his lordship. It’s as simple as ABC.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

6 May

No Other Name

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Faith, Gospel, Salvation, The Good News.

Dear friends,

It did rain last week, so the lawn grass is growing like crazy. Twice-a-week mowing is barely enough to keep it looking nice. I do so appreciate the person who perfected the riding mower.

There are a multitude of ideas that promote the idea that there are many ways to get to heaven. The old saying is there is a God shaped hole in everyone and nothing else can fill it. Every leader of every religious group in the world died and went to the grave. Only Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, proving that he was who he said he was and proving the power of God who raised him.

The power of God was made known through the healing of the blind, the lame and other miracles of Jesus. This same power is the one that accomplished our salvation through Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus didn’t get out of the grave because of a subjective preference about life but because of God’s power over death. That is what is needed for the soul’s salvation: not a subjective feeling of religiosity but the objective power of new life.

Salvation is not about a new philosophy or feelings of comfort. It is about being dead in sin, chained to our depravity, unable to break our addictions to our flesh, unable to walk in righteousness. And so, God did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves.

Jesus paid our sin debt by living the life we should have lived and dying the death we were supposed to die so that we could be declared righteous because of what Jesus has done. He raised himself from the dead so that the Holy Spirit could live in us and infuse us with the power of new life.

There is only one question that separates the gospel from every other religious message in the world: Who can save us?

If we can save ourselves, then there can be multiple ways to God. You choose a path, do your very best, and try to be a good person in the religious way you have chosen.

But if God is the only one who can save us, then salvation is only found in the place where he has provided it. “For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In Truth,

Pastor Jerry

15 Apr

Questions for God?

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

Dear friends,

After a few pleasant days, we are forecast to see some lower temps and possibly some rain. There is some talk of stormy weather, but we will pray that doesn’t happen. My lady got her driver’s license renewed last week, so we are both good for a few more years. Sunday, we enjoyed worship and sweet fellowship with our church family. Also, we have the pleasure of having a little girl visiting our house this week.

I have heard people say, “When I get to Heaven, I’m going to ask God this or that question.” My response is, when you get there, you will be so in awe of Him that those questions will be forgotten. Pastor Greg Laurie had some thoughts on the topic in a recent article I would like to share with you.

He writes, “I think that one second after they get to Heaven, they won’t care about those questions anymore. They will see God for who He is, and everything else will come into its proper focus.

The apostle Paul wrote, all that I see now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Pastor Greg goes on: The most important thing to me about Heaven is that Jesus will be there… To me, heaven is about Jesus. And wherever Jesus is, that is where I want to be. Heaven will be greater than anything we have ever imagined, and the good news is that it will last forever. This is a promise to believers.

Those who don’t know Jesus ought to be afraid. I hope you know that you are going to heaven. It is not the worst thing to die. Rather, the worst thing is to die without Jesus.

It amazes me how people will go to great lengths to make sure they have things like car insurance, health insurance, homeowner’s insurance, and life insurance. But they won’t give a passing thought to their eternal assurance. The most important thing of all is what will happen to us beyond the grave. But if we wait to decide, it will be too late.

On the other hand, if you have put your trust in Christ, then you don’t have to be afraid. Your life is in God’s hands.” (Pastor Greg’s Daily Devo; April 4, 2024).

In Him,

Pastor Jerry

1 Apr

He has Risen Indeed

Posted by sandhillspastor in Eternal Life, Resurrection, The Good News, Truth.

Hello friends,

I trust you had a great celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday. Our day started with a sunrise service at Lake Ericson, then breakfast at our church. We finished with worship at the regular time. All in all, it was a blessed time of celebration.

We are reminded at this season of Easter that God provided the way to restore our relationship with Him through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Because of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden, we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

Lest we get the idea that we can work our way to heaven, the scripture tells us this: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given its proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

Jesus said this: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well” (John 14:6-7). To the Jews who questioned His claim of divinity, He said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 1:30). His answer enraged them to the point that they were ready to stone him, but His time had not come.

Some other scriptures that point to Him as the only way to heaven are these: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).

This is our message for today. He is risen, He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!

To God be the glory,

Pastor Jerry

22 Jan

Undeserved Blessing

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Eternal Life, Gospel, Grace, Salvation.

Dear friends,

I recently made a coffee stop at a convenience store. The clerk was manning two registers and there were several people waiting. When I got to the counter he said, “Just the coffee?” I answered yes, and he said, “this one’s on me.” I did nothing to deserve this courtesy, but I didn’t argue, just counted it a blessing.

This recalls another undeserved blessing. Jesus came to bring salvation to the world. We do not deserve it, but He offers it out of His love for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21- God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 9:15 –Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

John 3:16 — For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Salvation is a gift. No one can earn it. We cannot pay for it. We aren’t asked to jump through a series of hoops. Here’s the deal, not everyone is a child of God. A popular saying is, “we are all God’s children”, but this is not true. God’s children are those who believe Jesus is the Son of God, and in so doing, they are adopted into the family of God. Galatians 4:4-7.

“In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:5-6). God says, “this one is on me.”

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

 You see, it’s not on us to pay for our salvation. God says, this one is on me. We only have to accept the gift. Make sure you don’t reject his offer. Receive the gift, for to refuse it is to spend eternity separated from God. Salvation is free, the price was paid on Calvary. An old hymn contains these words, “The Savior is waiting to enter your heart. Why don’t you let Him come in?

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

1 Jan

Look Ahead

Posted by sandhillspastor in Change, Eternal Life, Faith, Judgment, Salvation, Second Coming.

Hello friends,

The promised Christmas storm has come and gone. I have seen worse storms, and this one was less intense than forecast. I am alright with that. As we contemplate the new year before us, our thoughts at this time are filled with a sense of nostalgia, followed by the anticipation of what the new year will bring.

Even though we cannot predict the events of the future with any accuracy, we know changes will probably come. An old song tells us, “The sun comes up and the sun goes down, the hands on the clock keep going around… Life gets tedious, don’t it?” Some days it seems everything goes on without change, but for those who are aware of the larger world, things are always changing.

The Bible tells us that the Lord will return at some point. We are not told the time, but we are told to be ready. His plan is moving toward the day he returns. Concerning the signs of his coming, Jesus speaking to his disciples said, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:10-11).

I understand that these things have been taking place for many years, but as God’s promises are true, the end will come in His time. As far as looking to the past and anticipating the future, here are words from the prophet Isaiah: “Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

Peter in his second letter said this: “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say where is this ‘coming’ he promised?” Peter goes on to say ‘The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise…l He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:3-8).

He will return in His time and according to His plan. Those who resist God’s call to come to faith are in danger of eternal punishment. Come to Jesus today.

In His love,

Pastor Jerry

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