“To believe and act is the foundation for your expectation and desire that you have not seen yet.” Comment: We believe and act on what we trust! If we put our faith in the wrong things or people sin, guilt and fear will control us! A.B. Evans said this, “Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason; but faith is taking God at His Word!” The words of people can be deceptive! Remember Satan told Eve surely God has not said this? Go ahead and eat this delicious looking fruit! There is only one of two voices we will hear and obey! Either God or Satan! All of us first listened to the voice of Satan! We were deceived like Adam and Eve! Sin, guilt and fear was the outcome! Sin was the outcome yet we still have an opportunity to listen and obey the voice of God! It is never too late! Remember the thief on the Cross? If you believe and act upon the Word of God through His Son Jesus Christ and confess your sin you will enter a new day being born again and experience God’s love! No longer in bondage to sin but free to serve God and love others! The choice is yours to make but it is a matter of life and death! Pastor Oscar Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia.
Tag: fear
Fear Not!
Just before Jesus raised the dead, healed the sick or calmed the storm he said, “Fear Not!” So what did he mean? Why did he say it? The Greek word is phobia which means to be in awe of or revere! To exalt it! To worship it! How do we worship fear? Watch violent movies! Have evil thoughts and replay them over and over again in your mind! We live in a violent world today just as Jesus did! Fear causes us to sin! I will do whatever it takes to get what i want! Love is just the opposite of fear! Love means to have affection or benevolence towards people! To have charity! It means more than just being a friend! It means to sacrifice for others! It does not mean to sacrifice others! That is what fear promotes! Hell is full of the fearful! They believe the lie that God does not love them! Heaven is full of love! For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son! A sacrifice for you and me to deliver us from our fear! Be a giver and not a taker in 2017! Start today! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Grave Yard Charm! India 1985
Sound appealing? Would any church leader surround his church with a grave yard? Probably would not be a draw for big crowds? Most people here in America today want a grave yard placed out of their sight! In our mission work in India I discovered churches completely surrounded by grave yards? It seemed foolish at first until I spent a few years there and then it made sense! What the British did in India for 200 years was take the Gospel to the people! One of the problems faced there was Hindu’s and Muslim’s taking over a church, desecrating the altar and erecting a temple or mosque over it. This same problem going on in Britain and America today. So the British surrounded the churches with grave yards especially in remote area’s of India! Halloween would have been a big hit there! The Muslim’s and Hindu’s were fearful of grave yards so they left those churches alone! So the British protected their central worship centers while reaching out to the community in evangelism. We discovered this first hand because we rented out an old fellowship hall next to the grave yard and no one would attend our meetings! So we moved our location from the church and Hindu’s and Muslim’s began to attend services! The fear of death is a bondage to men! This is why Easter reminds us and confirms to believer’s in Christ that death has been conquered! He is risen! He who also promises us to raise us from the dead! As I used to walk through the grave yard on my way to worship services I was reminded of my mortality and that Christ who I serve defeated death for me! My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Blood and righteousness! Jesus is more than a man He is God! Only God could achieve the miracle of the resurrection from the dead! O’ death where is thy sting? O’ grave where is thy victory? The opposite of fear is love! For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son! Christ will return to judge the living and the dead! No one escapes! Accept the judgment Christ took for you on Calvary! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Gospel Lite! Romans 13:3-6
Much of the preaching today is what I call “Gospel Lite.” It is a reduced calorie Gospel just like Bud Lite beer! You are deprived of nutrients! A cheap substitute! All of our cultural wars going on in America are never discussed? Scripture warnings to gays, lesbians, transsexuals and abortionist are ignored! Sometimes I think our pulpits here in America are located on the moon! Nothing about Islam? Now school children here in America are chanting Praise to Allah! You only lose a war because you will not fight! While Christian’s are being tortured and beheaded in the Middle East much of the church here in America has the mute button on? It is a very strange time for us in history? Remember the Gospel applies to everyone not just church people! It either applies to all or to no one! Preach the Gospel like the whole world is in front of you and also those in Heaven and those in Hell! We have a great cloud of witnesses! The fire and brimstone in our churches is now a flickering candle! In the Book of Romans Paul speaks of the responsibility of the State to punish evil doers. This is the primary responsibility of the federal, state and local governments. Not to punish the good but to punish the evil! We are to pay tribute or taxes to help restore and maintain law and order! We are to remind our government leaders of their obligation to keep the peace! Even though Paul was a supporter and loyal Roman citizen he was still executed by the state! He never preached the overthrow of the government but the support of it! He just could not worship Caesar as God! We may have to pay the same price as Paul to pass the Gospel on to the next generation! When we preach the Gospel we should not fear anything but the truth! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
American Decline
Offendedness is just about the last shared moral currency in our country! And, I’m sorry, but is really annoying. We don’t discuss idea’s or debate arguments, we try to figure out who is the most offended? Pastor Kevin DeYoung Comment: My Bible says the fear of man is a snare but the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. If we spend our time fearful about whether we offend this group or that group then the creativity God has deposited in us is blocked! When the creativity of a culture is reduced the nation declines! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Great Leadership!
It is characteristic excellence of the strong man that he bring momentous issues to the fore and make a decision about them! The weak are always forced to decide between alternatives they have not chosen themselves! Dietrich Bonhoeffer Comment; What was the alternative to the Cross? Failure! What is the alternative to work? Welfare. Every leader is following someone! There are two types of leaders. One will lead you to Heaven and one will lead you to Hell! Your outcome in life and eternity will be determined by who you follow! Hell is a poor alternative! The bum going through the trash dumpster is living on alternatives! God is love and Satan is fear! What method does your leader use? Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
International Travel For American’s 2015
The following story is true because my nephew just got back from the Middle East and shared these experiences with me! My nephew has to travel international with a company based here in America. On this trip his first stop was Saudi Arabia. The first two weeks seemed uneventful as he traveled by taxi from his Hotel to the work site. He traveled the same route everyday. On the 3rd week of his stay the taxi driver picked him up as usual from his Hotel but then diverted to a very dark dangerous area of the city? Then once in this area the cab driver slowed the vehicle down to a crawl and asked him what religion he was? The driver told my nephew you must tell me your religion in a very threatening way? He kept asking the question over and over again? The Holy Spirit then told my nephew what to say! He said, “I know the King!” He meant Jesus but the taxi driver thought he meant the King of Saudi Arabia! So the driver quickly took him to the job site! Then things got worse! The next day another cab driver picked him up from the Hotel and he also diverted from the route! The driver told him an Imam wants to ask you some questions and took him to a Mosque! The Imam told my nephew that how you answer the following question will determine whether you live or die! The question was, “Where is Mohammad right now?” The Holy Spirit gave my nephew another good answer! My nephew said, “Mohammad is in the lap of Allah!” My nephew did not share the last part of the answer which was that they are both in Hell right now! Then things got worse again! When he left the airport for another Muslim country that country rejected his entry and sent him back to Saudi Arabia? He asked the immigration at the airport why would you deny entry when I have proper visa and paper work for entry? They would not give him an answer? When he arrived back at the airport in Saudi Arabia the immigration told him he must enter a bus and go to another destination and board a certain bus number at that destination? When he arrived he got in line to purchase his ticket but while in line a man approached him and asked him why he was boarding this bus? He told my nephew that this bus was for illegal immigrants! He told him this bus will take you to the Yemen boarder where armed guards will escort you across the border where you proceed on foot across the desert! My nephew got on another bus and returned to his Hotel and googled a map of Saudi Arabia. He noted a smaller city that had an airport. He took a bus to that airport and boarded a plane and got out of country! He had to spend another $1500 hundred dollars in transportation charges but got out alive! Under President Obama American’s are no longer respected! Our enemies no longer fear us and our friends no longer trust us! Without the help of the Holy Spirit my nephew never would have made it back to America! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
State Of The Ruin The Union Speech!
What can we expect? More of the same! Excuses, Excuses, Excuses! Blame, Blame, Blame. No responsibility taken for anything. Lies, deception and unfaithfulness to American’s. Betrayal! Foreign Policy and Domestic Policy detrimental to American’s. He also wants to be a hero to the Muslim World? We as American’s will pay a big price for this one! The great divider is busy! How can I end on a positive note? Trust God! Every foundation that we have learned to trust here in America is coming down! If we trust any foundation other than Christ in these last days fear and terror will move into your soul! James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Hear It and Practice It ! Matthew 7:24-27
Here Jesus gives the final benediction. Jesus demands and compels us to take the narrow gate, produce the right fruit and make the right choice! He required of us that we build on the right foundation. We are to examine ourselves and practice Holiness. Jesus repeats these requirements a second time because they are so important. Jesus was talking to believers not non-believers. The rain, wind and storms will come to us all. Good and bad days are ahead. The wise build on the rock and the foolish on the sand. If we build on the right foundation we will thrive through the storm. We have great days ahead! We can feel His Blessings! The disciples were passionate. They did great things! There were glorious days and there was also trouble. Eleven of His disciples were martyred! One was imprisoned on a remote island in a cave. John 16:33 — Peace and Tribulation? Jesus has come to give us peace. The world gives us trouble. Jesus has overcome the world! Stay strong and keep the Faith. Nothing shall shake you! The place of stability in Christ leaves no terror. The unstable world leaves us with fear. Love and fear are opposites. How do we practice words? We practice them by doing them. Action! Breath in His Holy Spirit. Get saturated with the Gospel! Breath out and go do His Word. Are you receiving but not giving? Gandhi said,” I like your Christ but not His followers! ” Christ’s followers cannot save Gandhi but Christ could! James 1:27– Pure religion is to take care of widows and orphans. Also keep your heart pure. Find some widows and orphans! Get busy. Do! Act! Along life’s path do His Word. Do you have a vision? That vision will deceive you if you are not doing His Word! A medical doctor is useless unless he is practicing his knowledge! Luke 8:15– There are four types of soil. The seed is the word. Good soil is a pure heart. Hear His word and do something about it. Hear it, retain it, talk about it and do it. Cares of the world will choke the word. Know the will of God and cooperate and do it. Good work does not earn our salvation. But the good works help to mature us. Put your hands and feet to His Word. The Bible is a living, breathing document. The Holy Spirit puts boots on the ground through you! Live out your revelation. Matthew 7:28– Jesus taught as one having authority. It is not about Plan A or Plan B. Make disciples teaching them to obey me! Christ will be with you always even to the end of the ages. Have a secure place and build on the right foundation. What are you building your life on? What and who is shaping and forming your life right now today? Source: Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday, September 15, 2013. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Most Misinterpreted Scripture In the Bible! Matthew 7:1
A poll was taken among unbelievers and they were asked what word comes to their minds when they hear the word, “Evangelical Christian.” A overwhelming majority said the word that comes to their mind is; “Judgmental.” Most of them quote Matthew 7:1 to support their views. What is lacking here is for them to read the rest of chapter 7. It is always easier to be critical of others sin than our own sin. We treat others sin different from our own. There is a big difference between judging and evaluating someone. We get discernment from God’s Word! The Greek word used for judgment in verse one is the word,”Krima.” It means to judge, condemn and execute. Like Jesus was given at Calvary. We can say something is wrong without judging. We can take a moral stand without being a jerk. We need not be evaluator and chief. We do need to draw the line on impure thoughts and actions. Cool parents are bad parents! You are not your children’s best friends but you are in authority over them and responsible to God for them! We set boundaries in our family for their safety. Judgmental people are constant fault finders. They think your problems are because God is out to get you for your faults. They are always looking for the wrong and not what is right. They always remind others of their past mistakes. We all have flaws and need Christ. Following are a list of opposites judgment verses evaluate; Judge-emotional anger. Evaluate-restore them (kindness). Judge-Pride (better than you). Evaluate-I want to help (Grace). Judge-stay away (fear). Evaluate-restore them (Kingdom). Verse 2- Same way be judged. Give-away get back. Forgive-forgiven. Heal-healing. Pour out Grace abundantly! John 8:3-6. Woman caught in adultery. What did Jesus write on the ground? No one knows? Maybe the names of the ladies the Pharisee’s were seeing? They knew all about the law yet guilty. Older left first. Why? Maybe more to remember? Sometimes when we get older we forget how broken we were before we came to Christ. Don’t get over your salvation! Where are your accusers? Jesus asked her to leave her sin and stop it. Jesus gives us an invitation to take up our Cross and follow Him. We want to pray for two groups this morning. The worst kind of abuse is spiritual abuse. Spiritual leaders who abuse the flock. These people are hurt the deepest. We need grace not judgment. Forgive! We need ocean’s of Grace! New way of living. Judgmental people assume the worst in people. A product does not know it’s purpose. Only the designer or creator knows a products true purpose. Find your Creator and learn your true purpose in Christ! Source; Sermon notes taken from message by Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, given in Colorado Springs, Colorado on August 11, 2013. Thankyou.James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com