Archive for the ‘Gospel’ Category

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

8 Jun

Campground Meditations

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Christian Living, Faith, Fellowship, Gospel, Heaven, renewal, Rest, Worship.

Work is nearing completion on the addition to the house. Our attention will turn now to finishing the landscaping and some interior projects. I hope this means we will begin to really enjoy our surroundings and spend time getting to know our neighbors better.

Today I want to share some thoughts from time spent in a secluded campsite. As I sat enjoying the quiet early morning, it came to me than only in the country, with a setting of grass, trees, and water do we get back to the pure, uncontaminated world that the Creator desired. It doesn’t matter if the water is a stream, a lake, or the ocean. There is a little plaque on our wall at the lake house that says, “Heaven is a little closer by the water”, and I think it is true.

Almost any other place we visit shows more of sins corrupting influence on nature and mankind. This is part of why it seems right to just get away. In doing this, we perhaps sense the nearness of God in a much more real, dare I say intimate way. To come apart, as it were, from the distractions of being in the city, at the office, or even in a crowd of people anywhere. I believe a certain amount of intentional solitude is good for body and soul, much more than most people realize.

Jesus often went away by himself to pray, as we see in the following verses. “After he had dismissed them (the crowd of people), he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:23). “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). I wonder if those lonely places might have been by a stream or mountain lake.

Then this: When many people were coming and going, Jesus said to his disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. (Mark 6:31-32).

The advice He gave his disciples is perhaps even more important to us today, in this high speed, high pressure environment. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” May you find that quiet place this week.

Resting in Him,
Pastor Jerry

27 Apr

A Cat Story

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Blessings, Eternal Life, Faith, Forgiveness, Freedom, Gospel, Praise, Salvation, Sin, Temptation, The Good News, Truth.

It was a busy weekend. Much time was spent driving and sitting in meetings, and I am glad to be home. More on that later. Today I want to give you a cat story.

We have a sliding patio door leading onto our back deck. The corner of the screen has been damaged and there is a square of cloth covering the hole. Over time, our cat and dog have used it for a pet door. Last week, a stray cat came through it into the house.

We tried several times to get him out. The first time he came to the door, he could not see how he came in. I opened the screen and we brought him around again. Still, he must have thought the screen was closed. He ran to the bathroom. We chased him back to the door. He hid under a bed. Finally, he took a chance and jumped out through the wide open door. He didn’t even come back and thank us.

Temptation many times seem harmless, so we take a small step into it, and find ourselves trapped. We cannot find the way out, even when loving, caring Christians try to help us see it. They show us from the Bible that Jesus is the way to freedom, but we refuse to believe them or to see their sincerity. Finally, out of desperation we take a chance, step through that door, and are set free.

Jesus says not only am I the door, I am the only door (or gate). I am the way, the truth and the life (John 10:9; John 14:6).

I visited with a young man this week, and found that he is a pastor to prisoners and people in recovery. He shared he had come to faith in Jesus out of that kind of background. Here are his words: There were people who tried to show me the way out of that lifestyle, but I would not listen. I wish I could find some of them, tell them what happened, and thank them.

If you have experienced that freedom, thank those who showed you the way. If you are one trapped in sin, Jesus is the way out. Place your faith in Him, your sins will be forgiven, and you will be set free. The Bible tells me so. (See John 6:37).

Free in Christ,
Pastor Jerry

6 Apr

On Blessings and Trials

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Christian Living, Easter, Faith, Gospel, Praise, Rest, The Good News.

You may have noticed there was no article from me last week. I had one of those springtime colds that left me no desire to do anything, except to survive. I am much better now, thank you.

I’ll give you a brief recap of the missing week: It started Monday with a trip on to Grand Island to get some things for the lake house. On my way home from Grand Island with the little trailer behind the van, I stopped for gas and realized I had lost the trailer. To say I was surprised, would be an understatement. On examination, I discovered the receiver hitch pin was missing, as was the hitch and trailer.

It was a little like the Bible story of the woman who had ten coins and lost one. She went to great lengths to find the lost one. I have several trailers, and I was not one bit concerned about the ones left at home, but was very interested in finding the lost one. I did find the trailer and its cargo sitting upright and in great condition, parked in the edge of a cornfield beside the highway. This was cause for celebration and praise to the Lord for keeping it safe and out of the way of others on the road.

Tuesday, there was a visit to the tax man. The blessing of that was, in spite of a fairly large amount of tax due the IRS, it could have been much worse.

In the middle of the week, came the beginning of the aforementioned cold or flu, whatever it was. I even stayed home from church that Sunday and let someone else preach in my place.

Last week was spent regaining my strength and motivation, and it ended yesterday celebrating the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus with many of our church family. I also had the privilege of conducting a baby dedication service just prior to the Easter message.

It was a couple of weeks of blessing and trial, with the several blessings making the trials seem less important. Looking back, I see that the happenings of the last 14 days allowed me to pause and see what matters most. It begins with my faith in the Risen Lord, and knowing that He is in charge of every situation, good or bad.

In His grip,
Pastor Jerry

16 Mar

On Updates

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Change, Christian Living, Faith, God's Word, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Prayer, renewal.

Dear readers,
Thursday, I went to Topeka, Kansas for a meeting. As I drove down highway 281, I saw power company workers stringing new wires along a line of new poles. This is being done to update the system in order to meet projected demands for electric power. Just last week our immediate area experienced a 6 hour outage, so work could be done on the new lines. It was a reminder how dependent we are on our electric system.

I believe we Christians, people who look to Jesus as our source of power for living, sometimes neglect our power source. By that, I mean we do not stay close to Him in our daily walk. It seems we get into maintenance mode, and just do the basics. We may attend church occasionally, or maybe think about reading a few verses of scripture now and then.

At our meeting Friday morning, we were challenged as pastors to update our technology, with a thought that neglecting those updates would be detrimental to our ministries. The idea is to keep current on ways to communicate the gospel to the people. There is a real danger of becoming stagnant and ineffective as God’s servants, if we neglect those periodic updates.

Have you been tapping your power source to its full potential? What about updating your relationship with the Lord? Have we slipped into maintenance mode? Has our connection to the church become a random post of a ‘religious’ sounding meme on Facebook?

Verses that come to mind include Hebrews 10:25. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…”
“Come near to God and he will come near to you…” (James 4:8a).
“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being” (Paul in Ephesians 3:16).
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father…encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

In our world of electronic communication, we need to stay updated. Why should it be any less important to update the connection to our Source of spiritual well-being?

Could it be time for a spiritual update? Do we need to get out of maintenance mode and rebuild that connection to our Father in heaven?

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

23 Feb

On the Relevancy of Scripture

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, End Times, Evil deeds, Faith, God's Word, Gospel, Sin, The Good News, Truth.

Here is one more article concerning false teachers present today, then we’ll move on. I think it is important to point out some of the ideas about the Bible that are floating around out there.

A preacher of some renown, named Rob Bell, several years ago wrote a book promoting the idea that there is no literal hell, and that Jesus would eventually save everyone. Let me tell you right now, the Bible nowhere teaches such heresy. Now, this same person, appearing on a popular television program, announced that the church was on the verge of total commitment to same-sex marriage.

He went on to say that if the church wants to be relevant in our day, she needs to stop depending on what he called “2,000 year-old letters”.

Personally, I will continue to depend on those old letters we call God’s Word, the Bible, for judging what is true, and what is false. Contrary to what this man promotes, I believe the Bible is totally relevant to this discussion.

In 2 Peter, chapter 2, we get a vivid picture of the destination of those who distort God’s Word, and deceive their followers. That place is called hell, and it is definitely not a place of enjoyment.

As a pastor, I understand that I have a great responsibility to correctly handle God’s Word, and to speak it clearly. The Bible is no less relevant that it has ever been. May it always be so!

“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1).

Finally, this: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3).

In Truth,
Pastor Jerry

16 Feb

On Being Ready

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, End Times, Faith, Gospel, Persecution, Salvation, Second Coming, The Good News, Truth.

Hello all,
Sunday evening we held our 9th annual Valentine supper. I think it is safe to say everyone in attendance was glad they came. Thanks to those who decorated, took reservations, and helped out in any other way. Special thanks to the catering crew for a great meal, and to Pastor Don for his special brand of music and cowboy poetry.

In news from the lake house, the sun porch continues on its way to completion. We had hoped to get some siding on, but the colder temperatures have slowed those plans. Maybe I can get the kitchen remodel finished up instead.

As we see events in the world unfolding, I am once again reminded of the Bible’s teaching concerning the times and events preceding the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the 24th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, we read the words of Jesus. He is speaking to his disciples: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. These are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (Matthew 24:7-9). He goes on to say, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (verse 36).

What should be our response to this teaching? He follows with these words: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him” (verses 42-44).

How are we to be ready? By confessing our sin, asking His forgiveness, and turning from our sinful ways. I do not write these things to frighten you. My prayer is that all who read these weekly articles would answer the Lord’s invitation to receive His gift of salvation. It is by and through making Him our Lord and Savior that we are able to face tomorrow, and the challenges it may bring.

In His love,
Pastor Jerry

2 Feb

Finishing Well

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Eternal Life, Faith, Giving, God's Word, Gospel, Salvation, The Good News, Truth, Work.

Winter has returned. Snow, wind, and sub-zero temperatures Sunday morning, caused many churches to cancel services.

Like millions of others, I watched the Super Bowl Sunday night. I had no strong preference of which team I wanted to win, but was somewhat surprised by the ending. In all, I thought it was a good game.

One of the big draws for the Super Bowl is all the new advertising that is debuted during the game. In kind of an ironic twist, at least one of those ads indicated that cheating was okay as a means to win the race.

As I remember the story, when the turtle and the hare had their race in the old fairy tale, the turtle won by taking a slow and steady pace, defeating the speedier rabbit.

We are told in the Bible the one who runs the best race is the one who keeps his eye on the finish line, not being distracted by things going on around him. The writer of Hebrews said, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).

The Apostle Paul said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—“(Acts 20:24). Then, near the end of his life, Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

To the church at Corinth, Paul exhorted his readers to run in such a way as to get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).

In each of these examples, the emphasis is on finishing well, not so much being first across the finish line. How does a Christian finish well? Only one thing mattered to Paul: to finish the work God had given him to do. We do not have the same calling as Paul, but the following applies to all Christians.

“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” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

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