My Sermon

What’s The Next Step?

John 6; 28-40

Good morning everyone,

I was just reading John 6; 28-40 and it really made me think about what our next step is as a congregation. Verses 28 and 29 are talking about how many sincere seekers there are for God, and that are puzzled about what he wants all of them to do, and sadly all the other religions of this world are certain people’s attempts to answer this question: “What is the next step?” “Where do we go from here?” Jesus’ reply is very brief and simple: We must believe in the person that God has sent to us whether it is a boy or girl because Jesus was the one whom God sent to us to know his truth and what he’s talking about. We are trying to pull people in closer to Jesus, not scare them away. We want as many people saved as possible, because hell is very hot and I’m pretty sure that nobody wants to go there. It’s awful. I know that I wouldn’t want to go there; I’d rather be with Jesus and not Satan. I prefer to live my life the way that God wants me to live it, no matter how difficult any of the tasks are. I will do what his will is for me. I am not scared, because I know that Jesus is always with me whether it is day or night. He’s the one who raises me up, when I am down. He is my shoulder to cry on. Because of the Lord, I am strong and can do anything with God on my side. He’s the one that’s fighting the war for us. In addition to this, satisfying God does not come from the work that we do, but from whom we believe in. The first step involves accepting that Jesus is exactly who he says he is. All of our spiritual development is built on this very affirmation. We all must declare in a prayer to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God,” and embark on a life of belief that is satisfying to your Creator!

Verse 35 is saying that the people eat the bread to satisfy their physical hunger and to sustain their physical life. We can satisfy our spiritual hunger and sustain spiritual life only by the right relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It’s no wonder he calls himself the bread of life. But the bread must be eaten to give life, and Christ must be invited into our daily walk in order to give us our spiritual life. I don’t know about you all, but I am very glad that I’ve let Jesus into my life. To me it seems easier when we have the Lord in our lives. He’s the one who makes our lives breathable every single day, no matter how difficult the day turns out to be. I’ve had my fair share of very trying days, as I’m sure you all have experienced those days as well. Nobody ever said that following Jesus would be easy. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, trust me, I know from experience. When we make mistakes we just need to make sure that we learn from them and try not to do it again. As a matter of fact, we should stay far away from that, it just leads us to much more trouble than we need to be in. God wants us to stay on the path to righteousness, so that we don’t suffer for all eternity. Verses 37 and 38 are saying that Jesus did not work independently of God; instead he works in union with God. This gives us even more reason to be assured that we are more than welcome to be invited into his holy presence and to be protected by him and only him always, for the rest of our lives. Jesus’ purpose was to do the will of God, and not to satisfy our own human desires. When we follow Jesus and only Jesus, we should have the same exact purpose for being down here on earth. Jesus was the one who put us all here in the first place and that reason is to fulfill his purposes only. We do not belong to this place; we belong to Jesus and only Jesus. We are heirs to his kingdom in heaven, but first we need to have our lives centered on Jesus and only Jesus. We need to resist all of our temptations as humans and do what is pleasing to Jesus, even though it may be difficult at times, but when it’s done with, it will be more than worth it, believe me, I’ve gone through a lot to get where I am today in my walk with Jesus. Jesus has completely changed my life forever. It is amazing to me how Jesus can change someone or something so much in a matter of days, hours, months, and even years. Our God is an Awesome God! He’s always working behind the scenes in each of our lives, even though some of us don’t see it yet, but you will, it just takes time, everything takes time. It is not on our time, but on Jesus’ time for things to begin to unravel for the future. You just need to have faith and to have full trust in God; after you do that, God will take care of the rest. Remember: “He is for us and not against us.” “With God on our side, nothing is impossible.” “If God is for us, then who can be against us?”

Verse 39 is telling us that Jesus said he would not lose even one person that the father has given to him. We are his sheep and he is our shepherd. We must always stay near him and never drift away from him. For anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior will be secure in all of God’s promises for our eternal lives that will hopefully be spent with him in heaven where we’re all supposed to belong, but sadly some of us don’t belong there, we belong elsewhere and it isn’t pleasant, trust me. I feel like throughout my life I’ve been there, and sometimes I still feel like I’m there. However, these are only minor stepping stones to get where you’d actually rather be. Our life down here is only temporary, and although a lot of the time we feel as if it’s permanent, it’s not, believes me. Also a lot of the time I feel like the world is against me, even though it’s not. It feels as if the weight of the whole world is on your shoulders, but it’s not. The truth is, the entire weight of the world is on God’s shoulders, not ours. That is why we have to keep putting the weight back on his shoulders, because we tend to want to take the weight of the world on ourselves and we can’t handle it. But please don’t fret because God is already working on making this world a better place to be in. He’s working on it as we speak. So stop worrying, and know that God has already taken care of it. Anyway, Christ will not let his people be overcome by Satan and let them lose all of their salvation. Verse 40 says that those who put all of their faith in Jesus will be resurrected from physical death to your eternal life with God when Christ comes again and it will be soon. So, we all have to be ready and prepared for his arrival. He will come like a thief in the night, so be aware of all your surroundings. He can come at any moment of any day. Now is the time for us to put all of our differences aside and work together as a church family pulling more and more people in closer to God. They need to know that Jesus loves them and doesn’t want them to suffer any more than they already are. It is not too late to come to know God. “Come to me all you who are weary.” He’s ready and waiting, so come on don’t let anything or anyone stop you. You can do it. “I can do all things through he who strengthens me.” “We all must walk by faith, and not by sight.” In conclusion, I believe, with my whole heart, that everyone can believe in God and Jesus, if they choose to let Him into their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. I see the proof of our work in every new person that joins our congregation with an open mind and an open heart. Jesus can and will perform miracles every day, and I believe that if we believe in him wholeheartedly, that our congregation will grow by leaps and bounds, and with that our vision to spread the word of Jesus far and wide will be realized. May God bless you all, and Have a good day. Amen!

Heart Break and Worry

I was just reading Deuteronomy 10: 16-19 and I think it made a whole lot of sense to me about how we should obey God and do what he wants us to do with our lives. In verse 16 it says to circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. In other words this means that God had required all male Israelites to be circumcised, but he wants them to go far beyond performing the surgery to actually understand its entire meaning. They needed to submit to God inside, in their hearts, as well as outside, in their bodies. Then they could really begin to imitate God's love and justice in all of their relationships with other people. If our hearts, are right with God, then our relationships with other people can be made right, too. When your heart has been cleansed and you have been reconciled to God, you will begin to see a difference in the way you treat others. I fully agree with what I just wrote. It's impossible to have a good relationship with others if both your hearts are not reconciled to God. If your not right with God, then nothing else will be right with God. It will be a long and difficult path without being reconciled to God. That long and difficult path will lead you to absolutely nowhere other than hell. So, my point is that without God, nothing will be right with yourself or anyone else around you. You need to learn how to treat others the way that God wants you to treat them. With God,I find my true happiness, because without him,I'd be totally and completely lost. He is my strength to get through each day without crying, without pain, without any heartbreak, and with resisting all of my temptations. Verse 17 says this: " For the Lord your God is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. In other words this means that in saying that the Lord is God of gods and Lord of lords, Moses was distinguishing the true God from all the local gods worshiped throughout the land. Then Moses went a step further, calling God "terrible." God is "terrible" in that he has such awesome power and justice that people cannot stand before him without his mercy. Fortunately, his mercy toward his people is unlimited. When we begin to grasp the extent of God's mercy toward us, we see what true love really is and how deeply God loves us. Although our sins deserve severe judgement, God has chosen to show love and mercy to all who seek him. I agree with that verse as well, because when I finally seeked God, everything in my life has been going pretty well for me, except for one thing, I haven't found my true love yet. I'm still waiting. So, God if he's out there, send him my way, because I am ready and waiting. Thank you Lord, I love you, Amen. In verse 19 it says this: " Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." In other words, it means that just as the Israelites' ancestors were at one time strangers in a strange land, so they were to be friends to foreigners who were seeking a new life with them. Likewise, we are commanded to love foreigners. By showing genuine love, we may bring those who are not yet Christians to Christ. We must remember that all of us were brought to Christ through someone else's loving concern. Now that statement is very true especially in my life. I was brought to Christ by another person's reconciled life to Christ. Without him, none of this would have been possible for me to do. So,thank God for him. This certain person still holds a very special place in my heart, and I hope that he knows that and if not then, please God, tell him that. Thank you Lord, I love you, amen. I was also reading Philippians 4: 7-9 and that verse also makes a whole lot of sense to me. In verse 7 it says, "and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." In other words it means this : "God's peace is different from the world's peace. It is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. Real peace comes from knowing that because God is in control, our citizenship in Christ's Kingdom is sure, our destiny is set, and our victory over sin is certain. Do you want to worry less? I sure do. So, all you have to do is pray a lot more! and worry a lot less! Whenever you begin to worry, just stop and pray. God will take care of the rest, trust me, he will. "Time heals all wounds." Verse 8 says, " Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. In different words, verse 8 means this: " What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report,virtuous, and praiseworthy. Do you have problems with impure thoughts and daydreams? Examine what you are putting into your mind through television, the internet, books, movies, and magazines. Replace the harmful input with wholesome material. Above all, read God's word and pray. Ask him to help you focus your mind on what is good and pure. It takes practice, but it can be done. I strongly agree with that as well. Lately, my mind has been on other not so good things and I feel like I just destroyed everything I've ever worked for in these past 2 years. It's just that I was doing so well,and I fell. Now, it's time to pick myself back up and put all of my focus back on the Lord. Verse 9 says this, " Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." So, in conclusion to this, I just want to say that putting your focus back on God will not be easy, but with a lot of hard work, it will more than pay off in the end. I know this because I've fallen may times before, but God always somehow picks me back up and sets me on the right path to the future with him. Keep on smiling because you never know whose going to be falling in love with your smile. Thank you and May God Bless you all abundantly.