Archive for the ‘Service’ Category

9 Jun

Honor God’s Name

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, God, God's Word, Hypocrisy, Service, Sin, The Good News, Truth, Worship.

We have had a great week. It finally rained, and as I write this on Monday, it is raining again. Plans are moving forward to get our house at Lake George moved to Ericson Lake. We are excited about the move.

As noted last week, my wonderful wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary Saturday. Our church family hosted a carry-in dinner and helped us observe the occasion Sunday after church services. We were surprised by two of our very best long-time friends walking in the door, after they had called earlier in the day and informed us they wouldn’t be able to attend. They have been forgiven for their deception.

I will be taking a few weeks off from my church duties for a long overdue vacation, but will try to keep everyone informed of our activities through this newsletter. As it is with most preachers, it is hard to quit cold turkey, so I’ll continue to share God’s word in this way.
This week, we looked at the third of the Ten Commandments. “Your shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 5:11). We saw there are three categories covered by this commandment:
1) Using God’s name flippantly. That is, using the Lord’s name as a curse, or any other unworthy manner. This would include those “nice” ways we use his name, such as saying “gosh”, or using the media shorthand “OMG.”
2) Using God’s name untruthfully. This would be attaching His name to something that goes against His word. Examples would be Christians who try to justify slavery, abortion, or same-sex marriage by twisting scripture to their advantage.
3) Using God’s name hypocritically. This is when our public witness doesn’t line up with the name Christian. As people who bear Christ’s name, we are to reflect his character in our daily living. If we do not, we are misusing His name.
In our word and works we are to live so the world can see Jesus, the One who is the true image of God. To do anything less is to “take the Lord’s name in vain.”
Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

26 May

Free to Obey

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Faith, Freedom, God, God's Word, Law, Memorial Day, Service, The Good News, Truth, Worship.

We are still in need of beneficial rains. I know there are some folks who would share if they could, because of their over-supply. I also know that God will provide in his good and perfect timing.

 

I trust you have taken time this long weekend to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great country. Did you also take time to pray for our current leaders and military personnel? Did you thank God for the privilege of living here and enjoying the many freedoms we have?

 

Our sermon this week asked the question, “Do we have too small a view of God?” I believe we do. How many of us contemplate the thought of meeting God in a personal way? What if we could get a glimpse of his majesty, his power and his holiness?

 

Let’s consider Israel’s response to the Lord’s appearance on Mount Sinai. Smoke, fire and earthquakes accompanied God’s coming to the mountain. The people were so afraid they asked Moses to intercede on their behalf. Here is their request: “Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.” (Deuteronomy 5:27).

 

The majesty of God showed in the thunder, earthquakes and lightning as He came down to the mountain. His power showed in delivering His people from Egyptian slavery. His holiness exposed the sins of Israel, and it does the same for us.

 

God is the same as He has always been. He has not changed, and he demands and deserves our obedience. This is not for salvation. Remember, the law follows salvation. Once saved, God wants us to be obedient to his commands. His law is not the ten suggestions, but the Ten Commandments. It is not there for our salvation, but as a guide to living a Christ-like life.

 

The real lesson here is this: We need to see God in all His glory, infinite in size, power, and holiness. We also need to see God in Jesus Christ humbling Himself on a cross for our salvation.

 

The redeeming work of a holy God redeemed Israel from Egyptian slavery, and led them to desire to obey Him, and it is the redeeming work of Christ on the cross that empowers us to obey God today.

 

Free in Him,

Pastor Jerry

17 Mar

Who Will Go?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Eternal Life, Faith, Great Commission, Salvation, Service, The Good News.

In news from home, changes are taking place again in our lives. I suppose over the next few weeks, I’ll be able to share a little more information with you. Lest anyone worry, it is all for good. If there is anything I’m learning, it is that change comes to everyone, and it is of little use to try to deny or avoid it.
I was in Topeka, Kansas on Friday for a meeting. Some of the discussion centered on the real need for pastors in rural areas. The problem is, much time and money is being spent in urban settings, at the expense of rural ministry.
I arrived at the realization that I needed a Savior through the ministry of a small rural church. I pastor a small church, and even though it is in a town with a population of 92, it is considered a rural church. I personally can relate to the prophet Isaiah, who heard God ask, “Who will go?” and Isaiah said, “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).  In my case, I could answer “send me”, because I could be bi-vocational, but there are little churches in communities and villages where there are no opportunities for work. Those places need a pastor who is supported by other folks who have the means to enable him to answer God’s call to ministry.
There are people in these areas who desperately need the Lord, and the scripture asks the question, “How will they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15).
There are people in heaven today, who are there through the ministry of a tiny church in the middle of nowhere, but there are many others who may die without Jesus because there was no one where they lived to tell them about Him. The need is real, what can you do to help? The rest of the quote from Romans 10 reads, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
This is not an appeal for funding or commitment to become a preacher, but if you feel God is calling, you need to know He doesn’t dial any wrong numbers!
Serving Him,
Pastor Jerry

3 Mar

Contend for the Truth

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Faith, Service, The Good News, Truth.

I began to write this on Friday. It is now Saturday, and it is snowing lightly, the temperature is dropping, and I’m trying to think about spring. It may be my age, but I really don’t enjoy the cold. In the “old days”, we just went out and got our work done, in all kinds of weather. It seemed easier then. Now, on to some thoughts about God’s Word.

Jude, the brother of Jesus, urged his fellow Christians to “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Why? Because “certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 3-4).

Sound familiar? Every day, we see evidence that our culture is slipping away from any perception of the existence of a moral compass such as is found in God’s word. There is much evidence that many who claim Christ are watering down, or revising his gospel, in order to “keep up with the times.” The Bible warns us that these things will happen.

The Christian faith does not change with the course of time; we are still to contend for the truth. Those early disciples of Jesus Christ were killed for their faith. Believers around the world today are also dying for the same reason. Someone has said, “The church today has no right to insult the memory of the martyrs by making friends with unbiblical teaching which they bravely opposed with their lives.”

In the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy: “Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord” (2 Tim 1:8). “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men (and women) of courage; be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). When God’s people were faced with a powerful enemy, the prophet told them, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9).

Will we be popular when we stand for truth? Far from it, we will be scorned and mocked, called names and persecuted in other ways. Can we be any less committed than those who have gone on before? I pray we are not.

Standing on His truth,
Pastor Jerry

4 Nov

Obey God

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

From time to time, a verse or phrase from Scripture will prompt me to share the lesson I learn with all of you. One of those showed up in this week’s sermon, and I pass it on to you now.

Exodus 32:33…”The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. After further study, I saw a pattern develop. In John’s gospel, the man who Jesus healed of his blindness, said to the religious leaders, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will.”

Who is the godly person? The person who God has declared righteous, by his or her belief in the shed blood of Jesus Christ to provide salvation and the forgiveness of sin. And, following this, to commit to following God’s commands. How do we think God is with us, when we refuse to obey Him? Scripture tells us he hears those he knows, and we are told that there is no fellowship with the Father apart from faith in Christ alone.

The problem, as I see it, is that we expect God to bless us, when we only give Him lip service. He desires to have unhindered fellowship with us, and we in turn, call on Him only when we need something. We hide sin in our hearts, and expect blessing from Him. The Psalmist had it right; we need to take a lesson. “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek Him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:1-2).

Will you join me in renewing our commitment to follow Him wholeheartedly, without reservation? After all, that is his desire for us. Can we not obey?

In His Love,
Pastor Jerry

7 Oct

Service or Seashells?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Christian Living, Service, Work.

As I have celebrated another birthday, may I have the luxury of passing on some thoughts on getting older, and how we might spend our later years?

I am reminded of a story Pastor John Piper told in his book “Don’t Waste Your Life.” The story was about a couple who took early retirement, moved to Florida to “cruise on their 30 foot yacht, play softball and collect shells. Then he adds this… “Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: ‘Look, Lord. See my shells.’ That is a tragedy”
How many Christians look to the day they can retire and “enjoy life”, only to find themselves with a feeling that there must be more? What if that something more is to spend those years not doing nothing, but having time to “wholeheartedly serve the Lord?”

I find only one reference to “retirement” in the Bible, and it is that the Old Testament priests were to retire at age 50, and then to assist the younger priests. (Numbers 8:23-26 NIV).

Here is some perspective from scripture: “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree…they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” (Psalm 92:12-14).
Solomon, to whom God gave more wisdom than any other man, said this at the end of Ecclesiastes: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

From the apostle Paul, we get the idea that the Christian has a responsibility to keep on until the end. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7) “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 3:14).

At the judgment, will you hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant”, or will you have only seashells to bring to the throne?

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry
“It is a sad contentment to be content without Jesus.” (Mark Dever)
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