Verse 24; “And when Jesus had prayed over the meal and broke and divided the bread He said, “Take eat; this is my human body which is broken for you, this do in remembrance, in recollection, in repetition, to know again and recall of me.” Verse 25; “After the same manner Jesus took the cup after the evening meal and said, “This cup is new which is not impaired by time or use and is a divisor will in my atoning blood and as often as you drink it come to know me again.” Comment: Why do we take Communion? The Lord has instituted it according to His Word! Human nature tends to forget! When we honor someone it is usually in memory of the past. However the Hebrews or the Jews have a very different perception of the word remembrance! The Jews look at the word remembrance as his presence is still with us! At the Seder meal the Jews have an empty chair seated for Elijah! Jesus is with us today! I will never leave you nor forsake you! Remember Jesus has set the Communion Table before you as an invited quest! Your sin required the Table be set! You did not pay anything for the Table or the meal. You were invited even though you were unworthy! Jesus is personally sharing a meal with you! He is present with you! Why would you turn down a meal you did not pay for and did not deserve and made no sacrifice for? This meal purchased your freedom from sin, death and Hell yet you will not partake? His broken body and shed blood remind us that the Cross was very costly to God and His Son for the redemption of your spirit, soul and body! Pastor Oscar Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia.
Tag: mount
Is Sunday School Important?
“I can truly say, and in saying it I magnify the infinite Grace of God as bestowed upon him, that I have never seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my Sunday School class; and I think that the committee of the Mount Vernon Church seldom met an applicant for membership more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear and decided views of Gospel truth, still less to fill an extended sphere of public usefulness!” Edward Kimt, Sunday School Teacher, Congregational Church of Mount Vernon, Boston Massachusetts 1856. Comment: Edward wrote this letter to the Pastor of Mount Vernon describing one of his students! The student name was Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) Dwight L. Moody became the founder of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and one of the most powerful Evangelists on the North American continent! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Offering and Worship! Genesis Chapter 22
Are they the same? God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac up for a burnt offering on Mount Moriah! Moriah means God will provide! The word offering here means to rise up or lift up! The word is usually associated with morning! Those who love me seek me early! It is used in a sense of going up. However the word is not used in the sense of intimacy! So what is a burnt offering? It is not your wife’s cooking! It means to ascend up like smoke! Remember an offering is something we do! Your tithes and offerings is something you do and God requires it of us! So what is worship? I am glad you asked! The word worship used in the Old Testament was first used in Genesis 22:2. The word means to bow down! Just the opposite of offering! It means to prostrate oneself! It means to fall upon your knees and touch your head to the ground! However after the Cross the New Testament concept of worship is different! We still bow down in prayer in submission! The Greek word used has a new dimension! Worship used here means to dwell together in union and completion! Now God takes possession of you! You are no longer your own! People are either God possessed or demon possessed! No middle ground here! Half and half is a milk product! Worship means to lean towards Him and be partial towards Him! No one will ever be able to talk you out of or persecute you out of partiality towards Him! This is the New Testament concept of worship! In the Old Testament it was always worship from afar! After the Cross now God has His dwelling place in us! The Holy smoke is inside of us! Since His son Jesus made the sacrifice for our sin the walls of partition are broken down! Worship is now an inside job! Greater is He who is in me than He who is in the world! He works His righteousness in you by dwelling in you! This is what born again is all about! Let us think about this as Easter approaches! Jesus early in the morning bowed down in the garden of Gethsemane and worshiped! Then He was lifted up on high on a Cross on Mount Calvary! Jesus died once so that you would only die once and escape the second death! Your Salvation includes many things! Freedom from guilt, death, hell and the resurrection to judgment! The resurrection to everlasting life and His power residing in you cannot be compared with anything this world has to offer! The promises the world makes to you will perish with the world! My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness! If you submit and let Jesus take control of your life nothing that preceded this new reality will ever compare! Happy Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
God Raises The Dead! 2 Kings 4:35
With Easter near our Pastor Oscar Cope wants us to examine the historical record in our Bible of instances of God raising the dead in the Old Testament. What you will find out studying the Old Testament that it is vogue for today! My Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Elisha’s predecessor Elijah is considered one of the greatest Prophets in our Bible! He was raptured and did not see death! He was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration! Elijah’s successor Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his anointing! How do we know it happened? Elisha raised two people from the dead and Elijah raised one person! Do you remember Jesus telling us that greater works would you do than me if you go in my name! Elijah prayed and laid on a dead corpse seven times! Elisha prayed and laid on a dead corpse three times! Twice the anointing takes half the time! Jesus was raised from the dead in three days! Seven represents the number of completion! Seven days in a week! We begin the new week on Sunday not Monday! We give the first day of the week Sunday as Christians to God in worship! We start the new week with Him! The first part of our income the tithe and the offerings is given on the first day of the week! This tells God that He owns the week! Any given day of the week is a gift from Him! I have been a Christian for 44 years now! I have asked the Lord about certain parts of the scriptures to give me revelation about some of the more difficult parts? I have asked the Lord why did these prophets stretch their bodies over these dead corpses? As our Pastor said Sunday today if you did this they would file so kind of a law suit against you for sexual abuse however if two men get married no problem? Sunday while in the services and hearing this message many times the Lord gave me the answer! If you want to hear from God be in His House! When you stretch your body out on another body you form a Cross! Jesus body was stretched out on a Cross! The Jews escaped the Egyptian plague by painting with lamb’s blood on the top and sides of the door posts forming a Cross! When the Jewish tribes camped around the Tabernacle in their wanderings their tribes were arranged in a cross formation! It is so sad to see America today where millions of dollars are spent in law suits trying to remove Crosses across our land? What fools we have become! Satan hates the Cross because it reminds him of his defeat over death and is our hope and sign of victory over death, hell and the grave! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Christmas and Family! Matthew 1:18-20
Many fascinating things can be learned from the Christmas story! One thing cannot be denied! God always wanted a family! He started off creating one man and one woman! Not two men or two women but one man and one woman! The challenge got bigger when God wanted a son born of human parents! He looked over His creation to find the right parents. They had to be Jew for salvation comes by the Jew! The new millennium had just begun and the signs in the Heaven and earth were just right! The virgin birth predicted hundreds of years before by the Prophets was ripe for fulfillment! God found a young Jewish couple from Nazareth that were about to be engaged. Their names were Joseph and Mary. Then Joseph found his espoused bride pregnant? Joseph minded to put her away privately! Then an Angel appeared unto Joseph and told him his bride Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit! So Joseph became the step-father of Jesus! Years later Jesus told us that pure religion was taking care of widows and orphans! God always wanted children to have both parents! My Bible says God hates divorce! He wants to come to the aid of the victims! It seems American culture today does not hold the values God has established for the well being of the family? Jesus God’s son could not increase the size of His family until He went to the Cross! Today Jesus Father is your Father! Christmas means many things but most important you are now in God’s family now and forever! Pastor Oscar Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia.
Grandma gets Challenged!
Grandma had a daughter who gave birth to a cute little granddaughter! Little Mary loved grandma very much! Mom brought her over to grandma’s to spend the night. Mom told little Mary she had to be in bed by 8:00 PM. Grandma announced to Mary it was now time to go to bed! Little Mary said no grandma! I do not have to go to bed now! Grandma said why not you know what your mother said! Little Mary said remember you are her mommy! Pastor Oscar Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia.
You Cannot Live For Yourself! Ecclesiastes 12:7
Some call this suicide! You cannot live for yourself either! Many try! Either way brings emptiness! God’s character is just the opposite! He lives for you and died for you! If you want fulfillment in life follow His example! Solomon had it all. He had riches, women, fame, and wisdom from God that he did not use all the time. In the end he said it was all vanity! That is to no purpose or worthless! Life under the sun means living your life without God! We need the son! Here are some quotes from rich famous American’s! John Rockefeller;”My millions brought me no joy!” Cornelius Vanderbilt;”Two hundred million and i am still empty!” John Astor;”I am the most miserable man on earth!” Henry Ford;”I was a lot happier when i was a car mechanic!” Ralph Barton; Suicide Note: “I have run from woman to woman and country to country to try to escape myself!” King Solomon;”It is all vanity!” Your purpose is to live for God and others and to sacrifice yourself in service to others! Follow Jesus example and be servant of all. Pastor Oscar Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia
Selfies, Selfish & Selfless! Matthew 16:24-26
Selfies are not wrong or bad! Hey, look at me! They could be called the poster child of selfishness! Selfish seems to dominate American culture! Every group wants attention! They all get up on their soap box! Sin is about selfishness! No sacrifice required! Satan, Adam and Eve thought they could rise above God! Do not be denied God is holding out on you! Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom of God! Would you lose your life for Jesus? Take up your Cross and follow Him! Deny yourself! When you do that you are following Him! Ditch your selfie! His words seem as foreign to our culture as they did back in the 1st Century! To take up your Cross is to live in self-denial and lay your life down and take up His life! You will be exposed to death! For the first time in American history Christians are being executed for their Faith on our home soil. The executed had to carry their own Cross to the execution site after scourging! When you carry your own cross the popular culture will look at you as a criminal. You will undergo suffering, trial, punishment, disapproval and death! The only way to deny self is die to self! Others are more important! No wonder Jesus had so few disciples! Very few sign up and stay on! It is easier to live for you and not for Him because you have to trust your outcome to Him! Faith is taking your destiny out of your control! To follow Jesus means to walk in the same path! It means to be in union on the same road like military soldiers marching down the same path! To lose your life means to destroy it completely with a new identity! Save my life or lose it. The word life used in this scripture means the Spirit or eternal soul. It is more than just the here and now! Self is about the here and now! Gain the whole world and lose your soul? The word soul used here is the same Greek root word used for life! The world will never be able to save your soul. You were purchased with a price! His blood for your soul! Matthew 6:33 To seek first means in time, place and order of importance! Seek His righteousness! That means to seek His innocence and justification! Can we do the math? Then all these things will be added unto you! II Corinthians 5:15 Do you live for yourself? Live for Him! As He was raised He has promised to raise you up from the dead! Live like it! Look for Him and live for Him! Pastor Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia.
Hall of Fame! 1 Kings 17:1
Is there a Hall of Fame in Heaven? Who is going to be in it? Will you be in it or will you be on the J.V. Team? Will God have to enroll you in remedial courses? Will the martyr’s be there? Will the servants of all be there? Some are probably thinking if i can just get my foot in the door! O’ you of little Faith! There is a Faith Hall of Fame! Elijah was a Prophet of Israel who went to King Ahab and told him he was a jerk! Elijah did not worry about losing his 501c tax benefit for his ministry! His ministry was not about collecting money! Great leaders could care less about money but will sacrifice their lives for the benefit of the people! Martin Luther King is one of those men i have witnessed in my life time! King Ahab married Jezebel who was basically a witch! She had a lot of brooms in her closet! They together had raised up an altar to Baal worship in Israel. Baal worship was sacrificial child worship like abortion is today in America! Elijah told Ahab there would be no rain in Israel until this stopped! Remember Elijah and all Israel was going to suffer in this drought! Great leaders are willing to suffer! However God sends Elijah to a brook that feeds the Jordon river and sends a raven to him to bring food daily! After the brook dried up God sends Elijah to a widow and her small son! Elijah asks the widow for food and she gladly obliges telling him she was preparing her last meal so they could all die! God does a miracle and keeps food in her pantry! Then her son gets sick to death and she blames Elijah? Elijah prays and the little boy recovers! The widow finally proclaims Elijah is a man of God and speaks truth! Elijah’s prominence among the Old Testament Prophets is seen in the fact that the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, was to come in the Spirit and Power of Elijah! Elijah representing the Prophets and Moses representing the Law stood with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Guilt and Hope Matthew 11:28
We live in a fallen world! Violence, crime, natural disasters are all around us! From earthquakes, cyclones, floods, fires, pestilences and disease covers the world with tragedy! Wars and rumors of wars! From cop killers to Islamic Jihadist law and order seems like a distant hope? Political failures at home and gains by terrorists seems daunting! Guilt is the product of our fallen world! Guilt drives the Islamist terrorists! They believe the only sure way to get to Heaven is to commit Jihad! Kill themselves and others! How sad! God has a plan to defeat guilt and sin and it lead Him to the Cross! Jesus was raised from the dead for our fallen world! God shed His blood to cover our guilt! To reject God’s blood is to shed man’s blood! Guilt and sin leads to more sin! One sin to cover another! One lie to cover another lie! Bring your guilt to Jesus! Jesus said to come to Him those that labor and are heavy laden! A ship that is heavy laden will sink! Jesus bore your sin on the Cross! A yoke is designed for two oxen! Let Jesus come along side you and carry your load! Do not try to carry too much! God made you to trust Him! Not by your own efforts! Jesus went on to say He would give you rest! Rest means to pause from your own efforts! It means to refresh! That is why God gave us the Sabbath! At Creation God Himself rested from His work on the 7th day! Are you greater than God? Many have tried! The burn out of American families today is the result of not honoring the Sabbath! The 24-7 schedule takes no time for rest in the Sabbath! God not only saves us but he sanctifies us! Philippines 1:6 says we are confident that the good work He has begun in us He will perform in us until the day of Jesus Christ! Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! His purpose within us will continue forever! Why miss out on the peace and joy of Jesus living in you? Pride and the fool says i can make it on my own! No one ever did! That was Satan’s plan! Sorrow and death is his constant companion! Do you want rest and freedom from guilt and shame? Ask Jesus! Humble yourself and ask for help! It is not that hard to do! What is hard to do and impossible is to try to live without Jesus! He will raise you up from your fallen condition! Pastor Oscar Cope, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Fairburn, Georgia.