Archive for the ‘Gospel’ Category

23 Nov

Being Thankful

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Blessings, Faith, Freedom, God's Word, Gospel, Praise, thanksgiving, Uncategorized.

Rain! Who would have guessed we would have received so much rain in late November? Since I had taken the rain gauges inside for the winter, I don’t have an accurate measurement. All I know, is, I am very glad we didn’t get that much precipitation in the form of snow.

As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, let me share some things I am thankful for. First of all, I am thankful for still being here to write these columns. In relation to that, I thank the Lord for bringing me though my medical crisis back in August. I believe I am almost back to normal. I am reminded in writing this that we too often take good health for granted. It only takes a moment for that to change in a big way. I am now more aware of the need to thank God for each new day; another day to be with family, another day to serve Him.

The topic of thanksgiving, I believe, should always turn our thoughts toward God, who provides for our every need. After all, He is our Provider, the Giver of every good gift. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4). Regarding our tendency to worry about the future: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

The Psalms have much to say concerning being thankful to the Lord. Here are a few verses: “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30). “Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song” (Psalm 100:4). “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp” (Psalm 147:7).

Finally, the one thing for which we are eternally thankful, the gift of salvation 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” (Ephesians 2:8). “Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15)!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,
Pastor Jerry

2 Nov

God’s Playbook

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, God's Word, Gospel, Truth, Wisdom.

Dear friends,
We have been enjoying some cool fall weather, along with a little rain. Daytime temperatures have been comfortable, to say the least. Later this week, we’ll be taking the camper out for a few days. We’ll leave Thursday, and probably return Tuesday of next week. We’ll be visiting friends and relatives in Colorado, so we won’t be filling the water lines. It will be ‘dry camping’ in a literal sense. As far as weather related problems, the forecast is pretty good for that time period.

On a recent road trip, a billboard caught my eye. It was promoting a popular brand of beer. Now, I gave up supporting that industry years ago, but here is the ad: “(Insert brand name) beer, helping you live life by your own playbook.”

I have followed that playbook. I can assure you, it doesn’t live up to its promises. I have found the Word of God to be a much more dependable guide for life, than any personal “playbook”. It gives practical advice on dealing with every-day life. By following it, you will be living a life that is pleasing to God.

Let’s look at a few verses that support my position. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9). “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11). “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30:5).

Here some more passages that speak to the benefits of following God’s Word: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers (Psalm 1:1-3). “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

A word of warning to close; “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).

In Truth,
Pastor Jerry

12 Oct

Blessed Assurance

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

Hello friends,
It’s time for another of our weekly chats. I realize these are somewhat one-sided, but you are welcome to respond at any time. I hope you have been enjoying the nice weather. It is quite a bit cooler this morning than yesterday, but 95 degrees in October is a bit too much.

In Sunday’s message, we discussed two topics that are closely related. They are the ‘assurance of salvation, and the ‘perseverance of the saints.’ There are those who believe a Christian can lose his or her salvation. Scripture teaches once saved, always saved, and the follow-up of that, is God will see to it that the saved person will persevere to the end.

On assurance of salvation, we have these passages of scripture: “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” (John 3:16). “This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:5-6). “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

On the perseverance of the saints. Paul writes to the believers at Philippi, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Believers persevere to the end, not by their own effort, but because God has promised to preserve the saints, that is, those who believe on the Lord Jesus.

If a person appears to have lost their salvation, the Bible teaches they were never saved. They either were never really saved, or they had a false assurance based on false doctrine. Concerning those who appeared to have lost their salvation, the apostle John said this: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 John 2:19).

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves…” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Saved forever,
Pastor Jerry

5 Oct

The Wrath of God

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Evil deeds, Forgiveness, God's Word, Gospel, Truth.

Last week, we looked at the good news of the gospel as presented by Paul in Romans 1:16-17. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Today, in the verses following, we are reminded of God’s wrath. That is, the fact that sin angers God. “For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18).

God’s wrath is not a popular topic these days. People would rather hear about God’s love. The fact is they go together. Understand this: God’s attributes are perfectly balanced. If he had no righteous anger and wrath, He would not be God, just as He would not be God without his gracious love. He perfectly hates just as he perfectly loves, perfectly loving righteousness and perfectly hating evil.

Preaching that fails to teach the wrath of God and the condemnation it brings upon all with unforgiven sin, fails to teach the whole counsel of God. Even the New Testament, which many people hold up as only teaching about the love of God, has something to say about God’s wrath.

The often quoted John 3:16, which says “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”, is followed in verse 36 with these words. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

God’s wrath and judgment are real. The only way to escape his righteous judgment is to accept his offer of salvation by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. “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” (Romans 9:9). This is the good news of the gospel.

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

In Truth,
Pastor Jerry

28 Sep

Not Ashamed

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, God's Word, Gospel, Witness.

Christians today are facing opposition to their faith in ways not seen in recent times. In an earlier time, they were criticized for believing the Bible; today they are seen as bigoted, narrow minded and intolerant for standing by the truth of Scripture. The apostle Paul suffered greatly for the cause of Christ and the message of the gospel, yet he was able to say to the Christians in Rome, “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16a).

The reasons he would not be ashamed of the gospel are given in the rest of his statement: “because it (the gospel) is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” He goes on—“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

We can summarize the message of these two verses in this way: 1) God’s power alone is sufficient to save men from sin and give them eternal life. 2) There is no greater show of God’s power than that of bringing men to salvation, of transforming their nature, and giving them eternal life through His Son. Perhaps the greatest miracle of our day occurs at the moment of a person’s salvation. 3) Eternal life is both gained and lived by faith from God in Jesus Christ. 4) Faith activates the divine power that brings salvation, and in that sovereign act of salvation the righteousness from God is revealed. Finally, there is emphasis on the continuity of faith. It is not a one-time act, but a way of life. The true believer made righteous will live in faith all his or her life.

Believers may be shamed for their beliefs, but we must never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must stand firm. Our message must be salvation through Christ alone. He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Him. (John 14:6).

As His followers, we must not be ashamed of the gospel, but boldly, with compassion, and in love, share its message with all.

Standing on the promises,
Pastor Jerry

14 Sep

The Real Thing

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, God's Word, Gospel, Truth. Tagged: , , , , .

Dear friends,
I continue to regain the strength I lost during my hospital stay. Recent days have reminded me that summer is almost over. In recognition of that, we will be taking the camper out for a couple of days.

Today, I want to share a devotional thought from the dusty archives of my journal. I call it the dusty archives, because I had to wipe the dust off the binder it is in.

I like to drink grapefruit juice for breakfast. At times, I will buy a small bottle at the convenience store, instead of a soda. There was a time I thought grapefruit juice was grapefruit juice; that is until I picked up a half-gallon of it at the local discount store.
I noticed that the label on the bottle was very similar to the label on the name-brand I had been purchasing. However, when I poured myself a glass the next morning and tasted it, I soon found out there was no comparison. The “real stuff” was much better tasting than the bargain brand in spite of the similarity in labels.

How do we apply this to spiritual matters? In our search for meaning in life, we try many things and seek answers in many places. We need to beware of imitation labels and false promises. The answer is to find the truth, so that we can easily spot the counterfeits and the “wannabes.” If we will be grounded in God’s Word; that is if we will read, study, and learn from the Bible what it says about Jesus Christ and the way to eternal life, we won’t be led astray by false teaching and popular thoughts and ideas. We must be able to distinguish between the authentic and the look-alikes.

In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul give advice that should apply to us all. “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9). To the Ephesians, he wrote that we are to be mature in our faith so that, “We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching (doctrine) and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

27 Jul

Listen Closely

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, God's Word, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Obedience. Tagged: , , , .

In our Sunday school discussion yesterday, the point was made that people need to listen to the Lord Jesus. When Jesus walked this earth, He told people to listen to His voice. Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand” (Matthew 15:10). At the transfiguration, the disciples present heard the voice of God saying, “This is my Son whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5).

In our day, we can read the words of Jesus in the Bible, but as Jesus was preparing to return the Father, he taught his disciples to listen to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. These are Jesus’ words: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you” (John 16:13-14).

Then, in Revelation, as Jesus speaks to John concerning the seven churches, we read these words. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). Seven times in 2 chapters, he repeats this command, and when anything in scripture is repeated that many times, we need to pay attention.

Believers in John’s day had to deal with background noise from the culture around them that demanded careful listening to know what the Spirit was teaching. It is the same for Christians today. We must listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying, because the background noise can drown out His voice.

Few are those today, who actually listen to the words and commands of Jesus. Even fewer are those who obey Him.

Again, the words of Jesus: “If you love Me, you will obey what I command…Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me” (John 14:15, 21).

Simply His,
Pastor Jerry

6 Jul

Let Freedom Ring

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Blessings, Christian Living, Eternal Life, Fellowship, Freedom, Gospel, Prayer, renewal, Service, The Good News, Worship.

Hello everyone,
Looking out my window this morning, I see rain falling. There will be no need to water the lawn and garden today.

Saturday we celebrated our nation’s independence. It was a great celebration here in Ericson, Nebraska. There was abundant sunshine, very little wind, parades in town and at the lake. Also, fireworks over the lake, and people everywhere enjoying the day.

As we celebrate America’s Independence Day, and the freedom we have, I am always drawn to the thought that Jesus Christ died on a cross to provide us with a different kind of freedom. Scripture says everyone is born with a sin nature as a result of Adam and Eve sinning in the Garden of Eden. Sin separates us from God and leaves us prisoners to our sin. The only way to escape the bonds of that sin is to place one’s faith and trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Millions of people in the world today have allowed our enemy, the devil, to convince them that there is no escape from the prison they are in. They don’t know, or don’t care that God has provided a Savior in the person of his Son. People everywhere are searching for their ‘identity’, while at the same time seeking meaning and purpose in their lives.

I believe the Bible has the answers to these questions. The end result of the sacrifice of Jesus as payment of our sin debt, is that we can know not only who we are, but whose we are. The Scriptures tell us God created everyone in His image. He wants fellowship with us, but due to the effects of sin, that fellowship has been broken. When we put our trust in Christ as Savior, our relationship with God is restored. As a result of that restoration, we are then called His children. Our identity then, is child of God. And our purpose is to love, serve and worship Him for eternity.

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12).

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Romans 6:22).

How’s that for identity and purpose?

His child,
Pastor Jerry

29 Jun

History Lessons

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Change, Christian Living, Eternal Life, Faith, Family of God, God's Word, Gospel, Prayer, Truth.

Hello all,
We’re staying home this week. It’s not that we don’t like camping, there are things at home that need done. And, after three Sundays of vacation, I am ready to return to ‘work’.

The first of the week, we were camped at Ponca State Park. Some of Nebraska’s early history centers on that area of the Missouri River. As I tried to remember how much of that history I could remember, I realized I was closer to that history in grade school than I am now. I was reminded that in the early days, this was wild, uncharted territory. Now it is just one of many vacation spots along the river, with paved camper pads and electric hookups. The only hardship now is the lack of Wi-Fi and cell service. Now, that is really roughing it!

As I contemplate history, I wonder how many of us remember times in our own lives when history was being made? I can name a few times personally. This past week, history was made in our country, the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Here are a few of my thoughts regarding that event. There has been a decision handed down by the highest court in America that I believe is wrong. That said, I, along with many others, believe that there is a Higher Authority who will someday have the final say in this matter. In the meantime, we who bow to that Higher Authority have a responsibility to represent Him in society and in the current culture. We must do so with the voice of reason, and present His case in a non-confrontational manner, and in a spirit of peace and love. It will not be popular to do so, but we, too, will someday stand in judgment, giving an account for our response to these things. In matters eternal, it is the Word of God that matters, and it is the authority of His word upon which we must stand.

I return once more to the words of the old hymn:
“The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,
It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,
For the Bible stands.”

There will be more on this topic in weeks to come. In the meantime, keep looking up.

In His eternal love,
Pastor Jerry

22 Jun

Second Chances

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Blessings, Christian Living, Eternal Life, God, God's Word, Gospel, Praise, Salvation, The Good News.

Earlier this month, we went on an overnight trip to Fremont to see a concert by Nebraska Ambassadors of Music. It was a great performance by a group of very dedicated young musicians.

On our trip home, I had a lesson about second chances. Assuming I knew the way back home, even though we were going a different way, I left the gps on my phone turned off. Twice I missed turns that would have put me on the right road, and in both cases I was given a second chance to get it right. The first time, I turned left, when I should have turned right. A mile down the road, there was a farmer’s driveway that afforded an opportunity to turn around.

The second time, it was a matter of failing to see an approaching intersection in time to get slowed to turn. Since it was on a 4-lane highway, I figured we would have to continue for miles before we could correct my mistake. Just past the missed turn was a drive that crossed over the median to the other side. You guessed it. I missed it also. However, to my surprise, a short way up the road was another connection to the other side of the road. It was as if the highway engineer had some foreknowledge that someone would need another second chance to get on the right road.

In matters of eternal significance, we have a God of second chances. He sometimes gives many opportunities to get on the right road. We must not, however, become complacent and assume that he will always give us another chance. The Bible tells us that if we come to the end of our life, and refuse to accept His salvation, there are no more ‘second’ chances. The scripture says “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “For he (God) says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

The old gospel hymn asks, “Why do you wait dear brother? Why not come to Him now?” Why not indeed? Now is the day of salvation, there may not be another.

In His love,
Pastor Jerry

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