Sermons

[Nehemiah 5] Nearly a quarter of Jesus’ teachings were on money, finance, and stewardship; yet as Christians we tend to shy away from the subject. Nehemiah 5 reflects the times we are living in — many losing jobs, pay cuts, mortgaging property just to get money to eat, and people so upside down that they can’t do anything to get out of it. Hard times often bring about fear and anxiety, but the Bible tells us not to worry or be anxious. God will provide. He will not forsake you. Like Nehemiah, we should examine our own lives and how we are spending our money. Rather than selfish pursuits, we should learn to moderate our lifestyle and live more simply. Make it a goal to gradually give more and more of your income to kingdom work until you’re giving God the bigger half. After all, it’s all His anyways.

It doesn’t matter what situation we may find ourselves in, the answer will always be to call on the name of the Lord! When everything goes against you cry out to God. God will save you out of all your fears. We call out to God because He answers the cry of His people! In the darkest night and in the worst of your situation God will put a song in your soul.

God the Father wants to heal us from our fears, worries, and anxieties. There are 365 fear not's in scripture. In Isaiah 41:10 God tells us not to be anxious or fearful because He is with us; He is our God; He will strengthen us; He will help us; and He will uphold us — the five pillars of fearlessness. In Philippians 4, God provides an antidote to fear. We must seek and rejoice in Him. We are to stand strong in a new revelation of Him. We are to surrender and release our heart and life to Him.

The hour of God's power manifests at the end of man's resources. God is pleased to wait until all striving and human effort cease and your situation calls for nothing less than a miracle. God knows the day and the exact hour that He will intervene. In the midst of these dark seasons while we are waiting for Him to act trust that the Holy Spirit is standing by ready to take action. God is calling His people to abandon themselves to prayer and praise, believing that He is still on the Throne and He is in control! In the day of darkness Jesus Christ is still the light of the world!

There is a lie that the enemy tries to tell every believer who is praying for their family's salvation. The lie is simply there is no deliverance and the situation is hopeless therefore you might as well stop praying. The enemy will snare you into believing that he has the ability to block the Glory of God in a particular situation. But Exodus chapter 14 reminds us that the promises of God will continue to be fulfilled no matter what is happening in our lives and the lives of our family. When the storm is raging all night long don't look to the circumstance, look to God! Hold your ground and stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

Throughout the New Testament Jesus healed multitudes of sick people. He had both the power and compassion to heal — it was one of His key reasons for being here. He also commissioned his disciples to heal the sick. It isn’t enough for us today to know that Jesus and the apostles healed, but as followers of Christ we must make His mission our mission — visiting the sick, looking after them, and praying for them.

There is a spiritual wall that separates those who are truly serving God and those who are bringing carnality into His church. If God is going to be honored in this generation we must begin to rebuild the testimony of Christ in our lives. You may ask yourself how does this happen? How do I begin to rebuild this wall? The first thing we do is apply the truth of God's Word to every area of our life where we are not in agreement with Him. Secondly, we must remove the rubble in our homes that has blocked the door to the prayer closet. Lastly, call our children by example into the work of God. Suddenly there will be a people arise and begin to build according the ways of God and they will do it all for His honor!

Bethlehem is the place where God was given for the needs of humanity. As Christians there is an inner desire that God plants in our heart to go into His field and gather up those whom are considered outcasts and unwanted. God wants to revive the present day church to find strength and power one more time in His redemptive love. We are called to go into the world and pick up what nobody wants and tell the world there is bread enough for all and this bread is Jesus Christ Himself. May we all be awakened to the absolute value of one soul!

[Song of Solomon 5:1–9, 8:5] Anyone above the age of three has experienced a broken relationship. Even as mature adults we are not immune to them. When we are hurt by others we push them away, and in return they push us away. What began as a minor conflict quickly becomes a broken relationship — neither person willing to soften their heart and humble them self. When we are hurt we rightly turn to the church for healing, but often find ourselves beaten and bruised. We turn to our friends, but they are consumed by their own problems. Church systems and structures will not heal a hurting heart. The church today is in need of more people filled with the Holy Spirit — focused on others rather than self, and ministering Christ’s love to the lost and hurting. Jesus has the power to heal marriages, restore families, and change lives.
 

In some degree or another we have all experienced loss and grief. There are times in our pain that we cry out and God answers us (2 Chronicles 18:31). There are other times when we get hit by random arrows (2 Chronicles 18:33) — divorce, loss of a loved one, backslidden children, etc. — that cause us to question God. How could this happen? Where were you God? We must be sure to maintain an eternal perspective on loss. We focus so much on seeking healing and comfort that we lose perspective. There are times when God calls us to anguish over sin and lost souls going to Hell. The church in America should be grieving over its lukewarm condition, but instead has accepted it.