Jesus tone and language changed between chapter 5 and chapter 6 of Matthew. Jesus moves from your public life to your private life. There should be no difference. No conflict between them. Jesus had an audience of the working poor which included most of his disciples. There were Jews, Greeks, Romans in the crowd and a few rich folks. The working poor would be those who earn just enough to buy their daily food. The whole family had to work to survive. Jesus message was about spending, saving and giving. How do American’s spend their money? Let us look at some big money people. NFL football players by a majority (68%) are broke after 2 years of retirement. Almost all Lotto winners are broke within one year of their winnings! Where is our heart? Money follows the heart. We are to save to give when there is a need. We are to be good stewards. If we spend all we have then nothing is left to help those in need. Proverbs6:6- Watch the ant! We are to spend less than we make just as the ant eats less than he gathers. We are to save to be generous at every opportunity. Matthew 6:22. Watch your eyes! What you focus on will be what you worship! Your eyes will focus your heart on treasures and your soul will bond to those things. Luke 16:10 How we handle money tells a lot about ourselves. He that is faithful with little will be faithful with much. This passage discounts Christians who say I will give when I make more money. Most people worry about money. Americans only give about 2% to charities. God does not have enough generosity among His people. Matthew 6:24 You cannot serve God and money and have two masters. The Lord says to tithe, save and give. God wants to be respected as, “Lord of All!” Begin to act like God owns it all! The love of money is the root of all evil. Who do you love? Money is not evil unless you love it! Think about it all the time. Love God and money will follow you enough to supply your needs and the needs of others. Love God and money will leave no sorrows. Love money and it will be a cruel task master. Money is not evil unless we use it to replace worship of the living God. Source; Sermon notes from message given by Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: love
Swear! What Does It Mean? Genesis 21:23, Matthew 23:16-23
This word is interesting but not understood by most. As a child I was taught not to swear. What my parents meant was using bad words that would defame God. The old saying is do not let people swear by you or at you! So many advertisements in America use this word to try to sell their products. In the Bible the word has two different meanings depending on whether Old or New Testament. In the Old Testament the word first appears in Genesis 21:23. The Hebrew word is “Shaba.” It means to make an oath or declaration 7 times. Seven is the number of completeness. Seven days in a week, 7 years, 70, ect. I remember as a child my parents would say I am only going to tell you one time! If not all hell broke loose for me! The word is a short cut to say something 7 times. God swore to multiply and Bless Abraham’s descendants. God swore by His Holiness to lead Israel into captivity. (Amos 4:2) The Lord swears by Himself since there is none greater. Abimelech and Phicol asked Abraham to swear his kindness and integrity to them and their descendants. David’s men adjured him not to go into battle again. The Land of Canaan became the Promised Land gave to His people based on an oath. Thousands of years later the nation of Israel today stands as a testimony! Now let us look at the word “swear” as used in the New Testament. The Greek word is “Omnuo.” It means to stand up or establish. Jesus repeats this word to the Pharisees and scribes as follows in Matthew 23:16-23; Woe unto you who swear by the temple, by gold, altar, by the gift,ect. Jesus was telling them you cannot lift up or establish yourselves by these things! Actually, the one who they could be lifted up and established by Christ they rejected! I love my Pastor, family and friends but none of them can establish me before God! Jesus is interceding for us right now! We are to pray for one another bur remember no one can save you or others including your Pastor except Christ and Christ alone! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Being Awesome In Obscurity! Matthew Chapter 6.
Why do we do what we do? Motives! Great people of God always have seasons of obscurity! Jesus in the desert, John the Baptist, Apostle John and many more examples in the Old Testament. American culture counters the idea of obscurity with social networks, web sites, instant media flashes, ect. God has to prepare out hearts and will not let us go public until we are right with Him and our fellow man. Motive is the spiritual mirror of the heart. The truth of scripture divides the motives of the heart. No one can hide wrong motives from God. The religious leaders of Jesus day gave money to be honored by men. Jesus said to give in secret. Then God will reward you openly! You will notice Jesus mentions reward three times. You will notice in Matthew Chapter 5, verse 16 that Jesus says to let your light so shine. Is Jesus contradicting Himself or is He talking about two different things? Shine or do in secret? It is all about motive. Neither do we boast or hide. We are a peculiar people. When people ask about your Godly behavior share your story about how God has changed you! Jesus mentioned a reward five times when you do the following three things in secret! They are; Give, pray and fast. Jesus says when we do these things which means we do them regularly! All three of these things are costly! Giving costs us money. To pray costs us time. To some time is money. To fast costs us energy. Most people say they trust in God and few Christians will do these three things regularly. To do these things means we embrace weakness. Most Christian’s will want to tell others they are doing these three things. Why? Motive! The Pharisee’s were the religious super stars of Jesus day. They fasted, prayed and gave money openly for men to see with no effect or approval from God! There will be seasons of obscurity sent from God to you so that you get right with who you are and do not give up your identity to please men! In Luke Chapter 4, verse 14 we read He returned with Power of the Spirit! God will not give you a public platform until you are ready! When Jesus came up out of the water during Baptism His Father in Heaven said; ” This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” What is the reward Jesus is talking about if we do these three things? Some Christians especially in America think it is money, big houses, fancy cars, gold, land, stocks, bonds, ect. Some will even borrow great amounts of money to show the world they are Blessed of God? The reward Jesus is talking about is this; ” His Presence. ” His love for you! An eternity spent with Him both now and forever! Source; Sermon notes from Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. July 14, 2013. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
New Life Church Sermon Notes. June 23, 2013
Scripture; Matthew 5; 33-35 1. Mean what you say and say what you mean – Honesty, Integrity. 2. Low Trust = Many Laws. We hear out of Washington everyday the following; “We will write another law so this never happens again!” 3. High Trust = Few Laws. 4. Build trust in our families. 5. Lack of trust causes us to withdraw from relationships. In Jesus day no one could trust the Roman government. They deceived the people with unjust taxes, excess spending, bribes, deception, ect. The religious leaders in Jesus day also wrote more laws as trust declined. 6. Jesus gave us a new way of being human. 7. God is an oath maker and a promise keeper – No double talk. 8. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Five common lies or exaggerations told by Christians; 1. I will pray for you. 2. It is great to see you. 3. I am doing great. 4. I have read all the above and agree with the terms. 5. I love you brother. Three questions arise when we hear one or more of the five statements. 1. Is he or she hyping something? 2. Is he springing something? 3. Is he trying to sell me something? People try to exaggerate and manipulate people. Insecurity causes exaggeration. Would you love me if you saw the real me? Adam and Eve hid from God. Our vulnerabilities project a lifestyle. To manipulate is selfish. Words are used in a deceptive way to try to get a desired outcome. The Bible calls it witchcraft. The witch uses shame, guilt, fear and twists words to get people to believe something that is not true. This is demonic. Powerful but demonic. God is truth and love and not shame. Talk openly to your children about the beauty of God’s creation including sex and the purpose of it. Adolescence who are shamed about sex will have a great difficulty entering into a healthy sexual relationship when they are married. Please see Ephesians 4:14-15. Speak the truth in love. How do we speak the truth in love? Answer the following questions. 1. Have you prayed for them? 2. Do I see good and potential in them? 3. Will I be helpful to them? 4. Am I rested? God made an oath and promises to us. They are as follows; 1. I will be with you always. 2. Nothing can take you from my Father’s hand. 3. I will not leave you as orphans. 4. I will send the Holy Spirit to you. 5. I will give you rest. 6. I will build my church. Comment; What we admire about Pastor Brady Boyd is his transparency! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Godliness !
Enoch walked with God; he enjoyed a relationship with God. We could accurately say he was devoted to God. This is the meaning of Godliness. The New Testament word for Godliness, in its original meaning, conveys the idea of a personal attitude toward God that results in actions that are pleasing to God. This personal attitude toward God is what we call devotion to God. But it is always devotion in action. It is not just a warm, emotional feeling about God, the kind we may get from a hymn of worship. Neither is devotion to God merely a time of private Bible reading and prayer, a practice we sometimes call “devotions.” Although this practice is vitally important to a godly person, we must not think of it as defining devotion for us. Devotion is not an activity; it is an attitude toward God. This attitude is composed of the fear of God, the love of God and the desire for God. Godliness is the result of having God at the center of your thoughts! Source; Jerry Bridges, Copyright 1985. Comment; We as Christians can if not careful turn God on and off like a light switch! This is religion and not relationship. If we turn God on Sunday and turn Him off Monday through Saturday we are practicing religion and are not in relationship with Christ! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Deviled Ham Luke Chapter 8, Verses 26-39
Jesus calmed a storm which really messed up the weather forecaster’s prediction and then the very next day met a naked crazy man on the beach. Even the crazy man knew someone messed up a perfectly good storm. The Gadarene area was a Roman colony made up of soldiers and gentile pig farmers. This story has helped advocate for the mentally ill over history. Jesus was and is today an advocate to help the mentally ill. The mentally ill are usually pushed to the outer fringes of a culture. Yes, all the way to the cemetary! Then bound with chains to be sure they do not disturb the dead! Satan will always try to isolate people. Whether through divorce, institutions or popular culture. Satan hates marriage and any unity that brings people together under righteousness! There are 4 area’s of theology in American culture. Area #1-No God, No Demons. Area #2- Big God, No Demons. Area#3- Big God, Big Demons. Area#4- Big God, Defeated Demons. The first 3 categories isolate people in our culture. Category 4 brings balance and unity to our culture. Jesus wanted to know the crazy man’s name? Jesus is interested in people not demon’s. A Roman Legion is about 5000 soldiers. The demons did not want to go to the abyss? Why? Their evangelism program would be over! They needed to take someone with them. They were pro-porkchop and wanted deviled ham! Jews considered pigs unclean and not redemptive. The local gentile community was making a living off the unclean. The next thing we see in this story is a man walking around in his right mind wearing clothes. Who gave clothes to this naked man? Does your church have a clothes bank? A wild man gets tamed! Jesus is more than a lamb he is a lion! Never try to tame God down and domesticate Him! Remember all this took place before the Cross! The Demon’s recognized Christ’s Divinity! The sane man wanted to go with Jesus and get out of town! Jesus wanted him to be a witness in his own community. If you are not a witness where you are do not waste time and money running somewhere else! Can you imagine the story he had to take back to his community? The community had to trade in 2000 pigs for a sane clothed man. The Gadarene’s did not like it and wanted Jesus to leave town! Their money was more important than this lunatic! Never get over your salvation! Others may try to tame you down but be wild for Christ! Christ will always make you a testimony of His love and power! Let Christ through you serve Satan a plate of deviled ham! Source; Personal notes from message given at New Life Church by Pastor Brady Boyd, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Jury Duty
I was riding with my friend down a snowy icy highway back in the 1970’s. He was a careful driver but a wind gust moved the back of the car and he over corrected and we spun out a full 360 degrees. The car behind tried to avoid us but lost control and upset in the median. The driver was seriously hurt. The case went to trial. My friend told me prior to trial that 12 people would decide his fate and they were not even smart enough to get out of jury duty! Our God who created us is smart enough to know everything and His judgement through His Son Jesus Christ will be true and perfect for all men! You can trust His love and Mercy to deliver you out of all your troubles! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Extravagant Worship! Matthew 26:6-10
Jesus and Mary were the only two who left Simon the leper’s house anointed! The two that were anointed was the worshiper and the one worshiped! To know Him is to love Him! The more you love Him the more you want to know Him! Jesus did not ignore the poor but He made the point that the core to all adoration is; “Worship”. Make your worship costly! Break your box of ointment and pour out from your Walmart of Worship Resources to Worship Christ! This message is an outline from New Life Church Youth Worship message given on March 10, 2013, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Pastor Brady Boyd, Senior Pastor. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
God’s Best Gift? Satan’s Best Gift?
A conclusive list of God’s Gift’s are listed in First Corinthians Chapter One and Chapter 12. Also Romans Chapter 12 and Ephesians Chapter 4. Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church in Colorado Springs gave us two important purposes of our spiritual gifts in his Sunday message. They are; 1. Our gifts bring others to God! 2. Our gifts help us to grow up! There was much more in his message Sunday and you can go to their web site if you want more. NewLifeChurch.Org Commentary; When I was reading First Corinthians Chapter 12, verse 31, I noticed that Paul said to covet earnestly the best gifts, and i will show unto you a more excellent way. Then i asked myself what is God’s best gift? In the next verse i got the answer! Remember in the original manuscripts there were no chapters but a continuation of thoughts. God’s Best Gift is “Love”! What is Satan’s best gift? Remember the temptations he offered Jesus? Stones into bread-food. Show-off and jump off the mountain-pride. All the kingdoms of this world-Power,Authority,Rule Jesus said that my Kingdom is not of this world! There is competition for your soul between two Kingdom’s! The Kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God! The lust of the eyes and the pride of life is cheese on the rat trap for you and me! Satan’s gifts are death, disease, sickness, pestilence, abortion, sin, war, judgement and hell forever! God’s gifts are love, joy, peace, prosperity, long-suffering, patience, eternal life, forgiveness of sin. Choose life! Choose death? The choice is yours! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Identity Theft!
The Latin and Old French roots to the word identity mean the condition of being the same with something described or asserted. Your thought’s, idea’s and perspectives allow people to determine who you are. The truth is we try to be like someone else. Either your father, mother, grandpa, grandma, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, teacher, pastor, ect. Someone who tries Identity theft on you tries to be the same as you with the same bio-data such as date of birth, social security number, account numbers, ect. Most people only care about what you have not who you are! If they think you do not have much then they leave you alone. God cares about who you are! Character counts with God! In fact He cares so much that He through His Son Jesus Christ identified with your sin on the Cross so that you could identify with Him and have the power to live like Christ! Lucifer lost his identity in being like God in his rebellion against God. Then Satan took his new identity of being unGodly and tries to get people to try to live their lives without God! Our true identity to be like God was stolen through identity theft by Satan. When we come to Christ we get our Godly identity back and the power to live in righteousness and not in sin. Then Satan and his family moves away from us because he does not want to live like us and be like God. If you have rejected Christ then your identity has been stolen and you try to live like others who are not following Him! All of us will try to live like someone else! Only one can lead us to paths of joy, peace and eternal life Only one can save you while all others will fail you! Turn to Christ and experience a love that cannot compare with any earthly relationship! In Christ’s Love. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com