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2024
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By Grace Alone
Titus 3:3-5
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not
There was a time – many decades ago – when going to the gym was a daily part of my routine.
Not just the treadmill, either. The iron plates!
The usual crowd was there most days – and since we knew each other, we worked out together – spotting each other at the bench press, etc.
More than once during this time period, I would get to the point that I needed help getting the heavy weights off my chest. I just couldn’t push them off of me and onto the rack all by myself.
If I didn’t ask for help, I wasn’t going anywhere. The weight would only get heavier.
There are situations in all of our lives where we can’t take care of things all by ourselves.
The burden just gets too heavy. Like the burden of our sins.
as Step 2 of the Twelve Steps describes it, “We came to be aware that a Power greater than ourselves”… was necessary.
U2: “Sometimes you can’t make it on your own”
Tough. You think you've got the stuff
You're telling me and anyone - You're “hard enough”
You don't have to put up a fight - You don't have to always be right
Listen to me now - I need to let you know - You don't have to go it alone.
Trying to bench press too much weight and discovering that you are trapped by your own denial of human limitations – is a lot like what we do when we try to live a victorious life under our own power.
PRIDE could have kept me trapped under those heavy weights… how would that have ended? (what if I had been all alone in that gym?)
As long as you’re running away, you’re going to miss the greatness God put in you. You can’t conquer what you don’t confront. Too often we’re comforting what we should be confronting. We’re making lists of excuses. But you can’t run from everything that’s uncomfortable. You can’t ignore issues, sweep them under the rug, and think they’ll go away. When you get honest with yourself, when you confront what you know you need to deal with, it may be uncomfortable, but God gives you the grace, the strength, and the power to do what you couldn’t do on your own.
THIS is why Jesus came. This is why He shed His blood. THIS is why He died on that cross. For you and for me.
Revelation: If I preach anything less that our complete and total redemption because of Christ alone, I am not truly preaching the cross – and therefore, not preaching the truth.
“ …he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”
Today’s Message is entitled: By Grace Alone. My purpose for this message is to instill in a deeper way the truth that we are saved by grace through faith, and not of works. We can never earn our salvation. It is a gift. (Eph 2:8)
A gift we should receive with gratitude and humility.
Wesley: “It is strange that any whom he has actually saved should doubt the universality of his grace!”
“We allow, it is the work of God alone to justify, to sanctify, and to glorify; which three comprehend the whole of salvation.”
“I believe justification by faith alone, as much as I believe there is a God…I have never varied from it, no, not a hair’s breadth from 1738 to this day.”
“Taking the word in a more particular sense, faith is a divine evidence and conviction, not only that ‘God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,’ but also that Christ ‘loved me, and gave himself for me.'”
Martin Luther: "We do not become righteous by doing righteous deeds but, having been made righteous, we do righteous deeds."
R.C. Sproul: "The whole basis for our relationship with God is rooted and grounded in grace, that which is not earned."
Anyone who has shared the gospel with others has discovered people who said things like, “I try to live a good life.” “I hope my good outweighs my bad.”
They think they can push off that weight (and debt) of sin under their own power.
Here is an illustration of Salvation through Grace by Faith, as illustrated by Jesus:
Luke 18:9-14 (read)
The publican goes to heaven not because he is special but because he is shown mercy by God through receiving the redemption of Christ the Savior. A sinner does not need to pay any cost to go to heaven because the Lord Jesus has paid everything on the cross. The Pharisee perishes because he does not have the Savior, whereas the publican is saved because he has the Savior.
Like that Pharisee, PRIDE can keep you buried under those heavy weights…
Pride can keep you lost. Pride can keep you bound.
“That’s just the way I am”
If you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them.
God sent us a savior because we needed to be saved
Watchman Nee: Salvation is the free gift of God, and it is freely given to all sinners who believe.
“In summary, you who are good men, do not boast in yourselves, for your good cannot save you. And you who are bad men, do not be discouraged, for your bad may not be your condemnation. Praise and thank God, how wonderful is His salvation! Though we all are like the publican, being hopeless and helpless sinners who deserve eternal punishment, God nevertheless has caused the Lord Jesus to die on the cross for us that we may be saved by believing and accepting Him as our Savior. What amazing grace this is! Let the sinners follow in the steps of the publican. Come to God, confess your sins, and ask Him in faith, saying: “God, be merciful to me a sinner, for the Lord Jesus has indeed died on the cross for me.”
God will save you. Thank Him for His so great salvation.”
Straight is the Gate
Matt 7:14: But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.
John 3:36 - “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him”
This grace not only saves us, but also empowers us to live the Godly life we wanted to live:
Titus 3:8: This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.
John 5:24: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
Rev 22:17: The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
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By Grace Alone 恩典
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Titus 3:5: He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning.
提 多 書 3:5: 他拯救了我们，不是因为我们的行为，而是靠他的怜悯、重生的洗礼和使我们更新的圣灵。(page 1936)
Matt 7:14: But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.
馬 太 福 音 7:14: 但是，通向永生的门是非常窄小和艰难的，只有极少数的人才能找到它。(page 1568)
John 3:36 - “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him”
约翰福音 3:36: 信子的人有永生；不信子的人得不到永生，上帝的烈怒常在他身上 (page 1721)
John 5:24: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
约翰福音 5:24:“我实实在在地告诉你们，谁听从我的话，又信差我来的那位，谁就有永生，不被定罪，已经出死入生了。(pg 1725)
Rev 22:17: The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
啟 示 錄 22:17: 啟 示 錄 22:17: 圣灵和新娘说∶“来！”愿听到的人都说∶“来！”愿口渴的人都过来。愿任何想得到赋予生命的泉水的人，都无偿地得到它。 (page 2017)
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01/14/2024
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2024
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Love Connection
2 Timothy 3:1-5
A new year should be a great opportunity to pursue new things – or at least, live from a new, fresh perspective.
A perspective of gratitude – humility – and most of all, love.
Love for God. Love for His people.
Today’s Scripture: You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
“in the last days…” – doesn’t this sound exactly like the days we are living in now?
A young child lives from the self-centered perspective. “Mine.”
It’s basically a survival mechanism – but it needs to be something we grow out of.
In 2024, we see a large percentage of our population is still living under that same immature selfishness. Mine!
It is really a form of fear. A fear of lack. Of inadequacy.
Paul said: (1 Cor 13:11) When I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I understood like a child. Now I am a man. I do not act like a child anymore.
Where does hoarding come from? Clinging. It is Fear.
In this first month of a new year, it is a great opportunity to clear away the clutter caused by fear and selfishness and step into a new day of freedom, of liberation, of LOVE.
Ecc 3:6 - A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
Last week we talked about two paths in life – a wide path and a narrow path.
One led to destruction – and one to eternal life.
When the world looks at us, do they see us following the path of Christ – or living just like they are (as described in today’s scripture lesson?)
Is our heart full of clutter today?
(Jesus said) Mark 4:19 - But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
“But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce. People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly. They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God. They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power. Stay away from people like these!”
WE are not supposed to BE like these people – we’re not even supposed to hang out with them!
When we live like this, we are like the dog chasing its own tail.
It never achieves its goal. It is a fruitless effort.
Examine your own heart. “It starts with me”
1 John 4:7: Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him.
We ALL know that when we act from love - - when we focus on contribution – our lives are happier.
“Let us love one another.” It is a tough challenge sometimes.
Our foundation is our salvation.
1 John 4:19: Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.
Spurgeon: “Love is the cause of love.”
1 John 4:8: Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Word of Caution: Today is a day for us to hear God’s Word with new ears.
(don’t miss your moment)
? How can we possibly gain a fresh perspective without first being open-hearted to what Holy Spirit wants to tell us today?
New Wine goes in New Wineskins. (amen?)
So – let’s get back to the purpose of this message - and our mission for 2024:
We need to un-clutter our hearts. Uncluttering our hearts will unclutter our lives
1 Cor 14:33 - For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
One of the Desert Fathers: “It’s not possessing something that is harmful, but being attached to it”
Jesus: “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Luke 12:15: Then He (Jesus) said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Clinging is a symptom of deep-rooted fear of some kind.
(whether it is clinging to things, status, approval or false security)
Can we approach this shift – this radical transition - with confidence?
Can this new start now begin – and then continued?
1 John 4:18: Perfect love cast out fear
It starts with me.
It starts with repentance of my own fears – my own selfishness – my own clinging.
My own need to fill the empty places with the things that fade and disappear.
“ …in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud
They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control.
…reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.”
WE must BE the Change
Believe and Live by Jesus’ Commands
Matt 22:34-40: Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(another version) Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’
If we live by Jesus’ commands, we will, by default, seek to unclutter our hearts of anything that would block the flow of God’s love in and through us.
“Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another,
because God is love.
Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him”
The behaviors we read about today in our opening scripture passage describe the type of lifestyle that is the exact opposite of living by Jesus’ commands:
“self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly. They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires haters of what is good and right. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God.”
John 13:34,35: “I’m giving you a new commandment:
Love each other in the same way that I have loved you.
Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other.”
“So I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.”
An uncluttered heart can see the world with a whole new set of eyes
Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love.
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Love Connection 爱之纽带
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01/21/2024
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2 Timothy 3:1-5: But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
提 摩 太 後 書 3:1-5: 你要知道，在最后的日子里，困难的时刻会降临在我们身上。 那时人们会自私、贪婪、自夸、骄傲、亵渎圣灵，不孝敬父母、不善良、没有信仰、 不互爱、不宽恕人、造谣诽谤、缺乏自制、野蛮、嫉善如仇， 他们出卖朋友、鲁莽、骄傲自满、爱享乐胜过爱上帝。 他们披着宗教的外衣，但是却否认它的权力。要离他们远远的 (page 1931)
Mark 4:19 - But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.馬 可 福 音 4:19: 但却让现世的烦恼、财富的诱惑和其它的欲望膨胀，窒息了福音，而无结果。(page 1623)
1 John 4:7: Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him.
約 翰 一 書 4:7: 亲爱的朋友们，让我们彼此相爱吧。因为爱来自上帝，有爱的人就是上帝的孩子，也认识上帝。(page 1981)
1 John 4:19: Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.
約 翰 一 書 4:19: 我们爱，是因为上帝先爱我们。(pg 1981)
John 13:34,35: “I’m giving you a new commandment: Love each other in the same way that I have loved you.”
約 翰 福 音 13:34: 我给你们一条新的命令：你们要彼此相爱。就像我爱你们一样，你们也要彼此互爱。(page 1747)
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Pastor Mike
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https://church.jhkpress.com/files/original/1730a2e0cd537630fc69d2ea65b1f683.jpeg
7d3070115f7c2967e6a89f89d9c24f65
Dublin Core
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Title
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2023
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A New Year – A New Heart - 2023
John 8:31, 32
“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you.” —Ezekiel 36:26
Last Sunday I told Eddie I really felt the Lord was about to do something brand new for us (our church) in 2023.
I know for God to do a new thing, we have to be open and receptive to it… to put away our presumptions and limitations.
Are we ready? Are we teachable? Are we ready to grow in our faith?
Was there ever a time in your childhood when you thought you had already learned it all? That you knew it all – that you had it all figured out?
Is anybody honest? ;)
1 Peter 2:2 – “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.”
I can look back on my Christian life and shudder to think that I might have considered myself “taught” by the time I was 12 or 14… because I was pretty much hearing the same message again and again. It was a good foundational message, but there was a whole lot more Bible left to hear about.
Heb 6:1: Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity
What if I had been exposed to deeper scriptural truths at that time, (meat) but these teachings were hard to digest…
If what I heard hadn’t lined up with what I had been taught up to that point, I might have just thrown up a wall and rejected any additional truth.
Jesus: "Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given--and you will receive even more.”
Everyone starts at the start… but what we do after that is also very important.
Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
• There is an “if” and a “then” in this scripture – a conditional promise of blessing.
• What will we choose to do with the Word GOD has given us?
• What will we choose to do with the New Covenant?
• The Truth won’t set you free if you don’t know it.
It’s NOW 2023. What do we do now? We must continue.
On Day One of the Christian Era (New Covenant) these brand new Christians woke up to a new world. Everything had changed… or had it?
In their minds, they were still entrenched with generations upon generations of Law and Old Covenant practices.
Peter, John and Luke (and later, Paul) hadn’t written their books yet…
Revelation, for the most part, was still ahead for them.
They weren’t instantly walking in New Covenant understanding and provision
They were, however, after Pentecost, walking in a fresh and mighty Holy Spirit anointing of Power and Holy Fire from heaven.
They had been charged and equipped by Jesus to go and do the works that He had told them to do.
“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” (Matt 10:8)
“they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:18)
Because just ‘cause we don’t know everything (yet) doesn’t mean we wait until we do.
(we’d sure be waiting a long time, wouldn’t we?)
…but if we follow Jesus’ charge to us and continue in His Word…
If we seek first the Kingdom of God…
…we will know the truth… and all things will be added unto us.
Jesus: "Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given--and you will receive even more.”
According to your faith it is done unto you – so it is vitally important what you believe.
Wrong believing will bring about wrong results.
…because your faith will be looking for (expecting) the wrong outcomes.
? Is there room in our hearts for God’s Word to be further revealed to us?
John 8:37 “ …some of you are trying to kill me because my message does not find a home within your hearts.” “…because you have no room for my word.”
(vs 47) “If I am speaking the truth, why is it that you do not believe me? The man who is born of God can hear these words of God and the reason why you cannot hear the words of God is simply this, that you are not the sons of God.”
It’s difficult (impossible) for someone to ask for God’s help if they don’t fully realize GOD loves them and desires to give good things to them. (God’s Will)
(This is the confidence….)
You wouldn’t feel safe coming to a God who just might put bad things on you.
But we have a loving Heavenly Father… ABBA
Matt 7:11 – “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Luke 12:32 - "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of GOD…”
So many scriptures that tell of His great love for us.
“For God so loved the world…”
He gave us Jesus – He sent Jesus to do what?
What is our 4-word creed? “Jesus Paid It All”
God sent Jesus to pay it all for you and me.
Jesus paid it all – paid in full. Sealed in His Royal Blood for us.
“If you continue in my word…”
Jesus paid it all. It is paid in full.
…but you have to know that. You have to continue in that Truth.
The Word of God is a lifelong study that leads to abundant life.
His Words are life. “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
In Him was Life and that Life was the Light of men.
You have to seek that which Jesus paid such an awesome price for us to benefit from.
“To Don’ts” for 2023
1. Don’t look to the past to create your future
2. Don’t hold any grudges or unforgiveness in your heart (you don’t need that extra weight going into a new year)
3. Don’t limit God by your past doubt & unbelief.
What will you do with the truth you have received?
“Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."
“Free to Dance”
This song in my heart, this song in my soul
This song I was born to sing
It's Your song of freedom, now I'm free to dance again
I'll sing in the darkness, I'll laugh in the rain
Rejoice in Your love again
It's Your song of freedom, now I'm free to dance again
Your Spirit brings me liberty
Your breath of life has set me free
Jesus, Your love, it lifts me high
Gives me reason to run the race with joy
This song within me, Lord, will bless Your Holy name
Jesus, I'll dance before Your throne
Bring this heavenly sound to You alone
This song within me. Lord, will bless Your Holy name
This song in my heart, this song in my soul
This song I was born to sing
It's Your song of freedom, now I'm free to dance again
“You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.
When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?”
~ 1 Cor 10: 15,16
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO1p6eZvFV0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO1p6eZvFV0</a>
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A New Year – A New Heart 新年 新心
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John 8:31,31: To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
約 翰 福 音 8:31,32: 耶稣对信仰了他的犹太人说∶“你们如果遵守我的教导，就真正是我的门徒了。 你们会认识真理，而真理将使你们获得自由。” (page 1734)
1 Peter 2:2 – “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.”
彼得前书 2:2: 像初生婴孩爱慕那纯净的灵奶，好叫你们靠它长大，进入救恩 (page 1966)
John 8:47: “If I am speaking the truth, why is it that you do not believe me? The man who is born of God can hear these words of God and the reason why you cannot hear the words of God is simply this, that you are not the sons of God.”
約 翰 福 音 8:47: 属于上帝的人，听上帝的话。这是你们不听的原因：因为你们不是属于上帝的人 (page 1735)
Matt 7:11 – “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
馬 太 福 音 7:11: 你们虽然邪恶，但是还知道如何把好东西给自己的孩子，那么，你们的天父肯定会把好东西给那些向他请求的人们了！ (page 1735)
Luke 12:32 - "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
路 加 福 音 12:32: 你 们 这 小 群 ， 不 要 惧 怕 ，
因 为 你 们 的 父 乐 意 把 国 赐 给 你 们 。 (page 1735)
Creator
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Pastor Mike
Date
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01/01/2023
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Dublin Core
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Title
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2024
Moving Image
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LOVE is Not Passive
Hebrews 10:19-25
Maurice “Moe” Sill – he liked to call himself an “old hillbilly” but his life and legacy proved him to be an amazing man. A philanthropist. He served in the Peace Corps in India and Pakistan. He was an amateur pilot. He taught Rural Sociology at Marshall University.
He married the daughter of a Russian Orthodox priest. He took her faith and made it his own. He and his wife settled into an Appalachian farm and on their farm built the first Orthodox church in Wayne County. Moe was a visionary, and wanted to build a community of faith right there in the middle of West Virginia coal country.
In the late 1990s he donated his farmland to a group of Orthodox monks so they could build a monastery there (they had been displaced from their land in Missouri.)
Moe lived to see the monastery grow and flourish.
He witnessed the founding of a parish church in Wayne to help care for the families drawn to the area by the monastery.
By the time he passed away in 2019, he could behold the fruit of his labors—the vibrant Appalachian Orthodoxy he envisioned all those years before.
He was faithful, he persevered, and through his patience and foresight, and he left a legacy for his entire community.
For some of you church members, this probably sounds a lot like the earlier generations of your family who helped establish this church.
from the video, it describes a man named Charley Bradshaw, who lived on the farm decades before Mo and his wife. He built the log cabin that they first lived in when they bought the farm:
“And when you live with hope for the future, you build things to last. That’s why Charles Golden Bradshaw’s chestnut log cabin still stands to this day, over 120 years since he built it back in the 1890s.
It’s the oldest building on the grounds of our monastery.
Charley Bradshaw lived here, he labored here, and he died here.
They buried him at the top of the ridge.
Like so many West Virginians before him, he left a legacy to his family by the sweat of his brow and the work of his hands.”
…and now, here WE are.
We’re laying a spiritual foundation for all future generations to experience the fullness of our Biblical Christian faith
We serve God’s people with purpose – with Love – and Love is not passive.
Mo Sill had what we have referred to before as a “Magnificent Obsession”
Living and serving from a higher purpose – motivated by Love for God and Love for his fellow man.
Gal 6:10 - Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
Our love for God and for our brothers and sisters in Christ should cause love to empower us, by God’s grace (KEY) to serve and become more.
To strive for excellence in all we commit our hands to .
To raise the bar of possibility in 2024
To become more.
John 13:34,35: (Jesus said) “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This passage may be one of the most famous in the New Testament, and one of the most challenging. Love is the nature of God. By looking at Jesus and what he does, how he treats and responds to people, how, in the end, he sacrifices everything in order to save us from the slavery of sin and death, you get a real sense of what love is, and what it is that he is asking us to do with our lives.
Jesus shows us what real love is about. It is about being attentive to the suffering and the needs of the other. It is about being willing to sacrifice your desires, even your needs, when you are confronted by the greater needs of another. This is true for our personal relationships, in our marriages, in our parenting, in our dealings with our neighbors, our co-workers, even those we do not know, who we encounter in various situations during our day, and, yes, even our enemies.
The love that Jesus models is unconditional and merciful. At the same time, it is challenging and encouraging. It hates the sin, but loves the sinner.
Romans 5:8: But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.
This love is active, not passive.
This morning’s scripture speaks to us directly in the 21st century church
First of all, it reminds we have been made righteous because of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross for us.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
…and then, because of this, it tells us how we should step forward in faith now
(second portion of today’s scripture) “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
In our human thinking we don’t always feel worthy or qualified, but we must remind ourselves that He is the Vine – and we are the branches.
We must move forward in faith.
“Forward is not a place you are, it is a direction you go.”
Accept the freedom that comes from Christ to live out that which has been placed inside of you.
Remember – the anointing on your life is not for you – it for the people God has called you to serve.
Love compels us to strive for excellence.
“Early to bed and early to rise” has been a phrase I have heard my whole life.
…but now it a reality.
But it comes from desire – a magnificent obsession – to make a bigger impact.
To become more. To serve more effectively.
“They who have no central purpose in life fall an easy prey to petty worries.”
I once heard a coworker humorously state, “Every day it’s the same thing – breathe , breathe, breathe.”
We owe it to ourselves and everyone we are partnered with to become more than that.
To have a magnificent obsession. To live from purpose and passion.
It’s been said, “Love is not a passive state. It is an active force. It is the force of the soul.”
Love is not passive. Kindness is not silence, and compassion is not quiet.
Sometimes it means we raise our voices…
The apostles gave all for the sake of the gospel.
Paul said, (Phil 2:17 ) My life is being poured out as a part of the sacrifice and service I offer to God for your faith. Yet, I am filled with joy, and I share that joy with all of you.
We can do this.
He is the Vine - We are the branches
1 John 4:9: This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.
Strive for progress – not perfection
He is the Vine - We are the branches
Eph 3:20: Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us;
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx4dUXEWDkQ&t=8s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx4dUXEWDkQ&t=8s</a>
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Love is not Passive 爱不是被动的
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Heb 10:19-25: And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
希伯来书 10:19-25: 弟兄姊妹，耶稣已用宝血为我们开辟了一条又新又活的路，使我们可以穿过幔子，就是祂的身体，坦然进入至圣所。 并且，我们有一位大祭司管理上帝的家， 祂洁净了我们被罪困扰的良心，用清水洗净了我们的身体。因此，我们要信心十足、真诚地到上帝面前。 我们要坚定不移地持守我们所认定的盼望，因为赐应许的那位是信实的。 我们要想办法彼此相顾，激发爱心，勉励行善。 不要停止聚会，像那些停止惯了的人，要互相鼓励，特别是你们知道主再来的日子近了
(page 1951)
John 13:34,35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
约翰福音 13:35: 你们如果彼此相爱，世人就会认出你们是我的门徒。(page 1747)
Eph 3:20: Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us;
以弗所书 3:20: 上帝的能力运行在我们里面，能够丰丰富富地成就一切，超过我们所求所想的。(page 1897)
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Pastor Mike
Date
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01/07/2024
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Hillside United Methodist Church
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Title
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2025
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<h1><strong>Peace with God: The Ultimate Gift<br /></strong><em>Romans 5:1-2</em></h1>
<p>I was almost "done"... <strong>almost.</strong></p>
<p>I did <em>my</em> part. I waited impatiently at the red light for my turn to cross the intersection onto a very busy midday Veterans parkway. The light turned green and I pressed the accelerator. Fortunately, I didn't floor it. A big white truck decided to run their red light at over 60 miles an hour. Had I gone just a few feet further, nothing would have been the same for me. </p>
<p>I give God all the praise and I thank Him for His promised angels guarding me...</p>
<p>but it sure got me to thinking about "stuff" - about what truly matters in this life.</p>
<p><strong>Ed Mylett</strong> asks a profound question: "What If This Was the Last Time?" </p>
<p><em>"Have you ever stopped to think, What if this was the last time I got to do this? Not the first time. The last time. That thought has been hitting me hard lately—and I believe it's one of the most powerful mindset shifts you can make to live a deeper, richer life." </em></p>
<p>Too often, we rush through our days on autopilot—scrolling, working, hustling—without realizing we're living what will one day be our "good old days."</p>
<p>We treat moments with our kids, our friends, and our loved ones like they'll happen forever... until one day, they don't. </p>
<p>The Stoic principle <strong>"Memento mori,"</strong> which translates to <em>"remember you will die,"</em> reminds us of our mortality to encourage a more meaningful and purposeful life. As</p>
<p><strong>Seneca</strong> said, <em>"Let us prepare our minds as if we'd come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life's books each day... The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time." </em></p>
<p>But there's a deeper problem beyond our mortality.</p>
<p>We were separated from God because of our sinful nature. The fall of man took us out of the garden and into this dysfunctional world.</p>
<p>We all need Peace with God - we want to have a real, living relationship with our Creator, but we first must recognize our own desperate need for a savior. <br /><strong>We can't fix this on our own.</strong></p>
<p>When we live without peace with God, we might still somehow be <strong><em>driven</em></strong>—but are we driven by the right things?</p>
<p>If not, it's just OCD—obsessive behavior without purpose. </p>
<p>Even if people don't recognize it because their mind is cluttered by the cares of this world, <strong>Peace with God</strong> is what we all want. What we all need most. </p>
<p><strong>1 Cori 1:18</strong> tells us: <em>"The message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God's power to us who are being saved." </em> </p>
<p>Without this peace, we remain distant from GOD, <em>"living in the shadows of evil thoughts and actions," </em>as Colossians describes.</p>
<p>We remain separated from our Creator, unable to experience the relationship we were designed for.</p>
<p><strong><em>But God...</em></strong> </p>
<p>As the familiar verse says, <em>"God so loved the world..."</em> </p>
<p><strong>Romans 5:1-2</strong> declares: "<em>Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand."</em> </p>
<p><strong>TPT:</strong><em> "Our faith in Jesus transfers God's righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us." </em></p>
<p><strong>Spurgeon</strong> so eloquently put it: <em>"My entire theology can be condensed into four words: <strong>'Jesus died for me</strong>.'" </em></p>
<p>This is the Message of the Cross.</p>
<p>As <strong>1 Cor 1:23</strong> states: <em>"We preach Christ crucified."</em></p>
<p>God sent a savior because we needed to be saved.</p>
<p>When we receive this gift of salvation through faith, look at what happens:<br /><strong>Col 1:18-19, 21-22</strong><strong><em>:</em></strong><em> "For God is satisfied to have all his fullness dwelling in Christ. And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again! Even though you were once distant from him, living in the shadows of your evil thoughts and actions, he reconnected you back to himself. He released his supernatural peace to you through the sacrifice of his own body as the sin-payment on your behalf so that you would dwell in his presence. And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored." </em> </p>
<p>The Amplified Bible expands (our KEY verses) <strong>Romans 5:1-2:</strong> <em>"Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God and the joy of reconciliation with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we also have access by faith into this remarkable state of grace in which we firmly and safely and securely stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of experiencing and enjoying the glory of our great God—the manifestation of His excellence and power." </em></p>
<p>This <strong>Peace with God</strong> brings us: <br />Justification and righteousness - Reconciliation with our Creator <br />Access to God's presence - Security in His grace <br />The love of God poured into our hearts - Confidence to approach God</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I had a deep conversation with a good friend last week about whether it is proper for us to ask God to bless us. I hadn’t realized this can be a real concern.</p>
<p>This conversation was my initial inspiration for this message today. </p>
<p>Our salvation is our biggest gift - our biggest blessing from GOD. <br />So as the scripture says, <em>how will He not also give us all things?</em> </p>
<p><strong>Matthew 7:11</strong> reminds us: <em>"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"</em> </p>
<p>We <em>assume</em> people know things that just haven't always been properly taught to them. It is crucial we understand the truth that makes us free.</p>
<p>Free to <strong>receive</strong> the Father's <strong>love</strong> and <strong>care</strong>. </p>
<p>We can be confident of His love for us because of <strong>Jesus. </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>The Wesleyan Tradition</strong> emphasizes: </p>
<p><strong>Justification by Faith:</strong> Wesley believed that justification, the act of being declared righteous in God's sight, is received through faith in Jesus Christ.</p>
<p><strong>Peace with God:</strong> A key consequence of justification is that believers experience peace with God. This peace is a result of being reconciled to God through faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice.</p>
<p><strong>Access to God:</strong> Justification also grants believers access to God. This means they can approach God with confidence and boldness, knowing they are accepted and loved by Him.</p>
<p><strong>Love of God Shed Abroad:</strong> Wesley also highlights that the love of God is <em>"shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost"</em> (<strong>Romans 5:5</strong>), indicating a personal experience of God's love accompanying justification. </p>
<p><strong>Aligning</strong> our <strong>thoughts</strong> and <strong>words</strong> is only possible as we properly renew our minds to Truth - truth that is found in God's Word about who we are in Christ.</p>
<p>The New Testament emphasizes that <strong>God's love</strong> is the driving force behind the plan of salvation, which includes our justification.</p>
<p><strong>justification</strong> refers to God's act of declaring a sinner <strong>righteous</strong> and acceptable in His sight, based on the merits of <strong>Jesus Christ's sacrifice</strong> and through faith in Him.</p>
<p>Justification, as understood through faith in Jesus Christ, reveals the depth of <strong>God's love</strong> for humanity. </p>
<p><strong>Ephesians 2:8-9</strong> reminds us: <em>"For by grace you have been saved by faith. Nothing you did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the love gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving." </em> </p>
<p><br />ALL that GOD wants for you - all that He has for you - is <strong>yours</strong> (“yes” and “amen”) if you can receive it by faith today. </p>
<p><strong>Jesus</strong> stands at the door of your heart, and He is ready to come in to your heart today. </p>
<p><strong>Romans 5:5:</strong> <em>"God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."</em> </p>
<p><strong><br />Today’s KEY Verse: Romans 5:1:</strong> <em>"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."</em> </p>
<p><br /><strong>> What would I want to share with the people God has given me to share with,<br /> if I only had one last chance? <</strong></p>
<p>This message of <strong>Peace with God</strong> - because it's what matters most.</p>
<p><br />Today, if you hear His voice, don't harden your heart.</p>
<p>Receive His peace, His love, His salvation.</p>
<p>It's the gift that truly matters in light of eternity.</p>
<p><strong>Jesus</strong> says, “Come”</p>
<p><strong>Jesus</strong> says, <em>“All who are thirsty, come and drink”</em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><strong>John 7:37,38:</strong><em> Jesus stood and shouted out to the crowds—</em></p>
<p><em>“All you thirsty ones, come to me! Come to me and drink! Believe in me so that rivers of living water will burst out from within you, flowing from your innermost being, just like the Scripture says!”</em></p>
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<strong>Peace with God 与神相和</strong>
Description
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Romans 5:1,2: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
羅 馬 書 5:1,2: 由于我们的信仰，我们得到了上帝的认可，通过我们的主耶稣基督，我们与上帝和平相处。 通过我们的信仰，基督把我们带进了我们现在享有的上帝的恩典祝福里。我们非常欣喜，因为我们有希望分享上帝的荣耀。(page 1827)
Col 1:19,20: For God is satisfied to have all his fullness dwelling in Christ. And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again!
歌罗西书 1:19,20: 因为上帝乐意让一切的丰盛住在祂里面， 又借着祂在十字架上所流的血成就了和平，使天地万物借着祂与上帝和好。 (page1909)
Colossians 1:21-22: Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
歌罗西书 1:21,22: 你们从前与上帝隔绝，行事邪恶，心思意念与祂为敌； 但现在上帝借着基督肉身的死使你们与祂和好了，让你们在祂面前成为圣洁无瑕、无可指责的人。(page 1909)
Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved by faith. Nothing you did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the love gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.
以弗所书 2:8,9: 你们得救是靠恩典，凭信心。这不是出于你们自己，而是上帝的礼物； 也不是由于你们的行为，
以免有人自夸。(page 1895)
Creator
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Pastor: Mike J Koger
Date
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08/17/2025
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Hillside United Methodist Church
美国凤城山坡堂
3739 US 80
PO Box 8513
Columbus, Georgia 31908
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
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Video
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English audio and Chinese subtitles
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cded83733acb5801c76bc2b73d72dda1
Dublin Core
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Title
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2026
Moving Image
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911 or 333?
Jeremiah 33:3
? Who do we call first when life breaks down?
911? Google? YouTube? Ourselves? Or God?
In Luke 4:23, Jesus quotes an ancient proverb: “Physician, heal thyself.”
In medicine and healthcare, this basically means that experts should “practice what they preach” and sometimes seek help themselves rather than relying entirely on self-treatment.
Well… I just returned from a 10-day health program where all nine of us probably thought we were experts on health and nutrition — and yet there we were together, all seeking help in order to become healthy again.
Since my late teens, I have been fascinated — maybe sometimes even obsessed — with alternative health and natural healing.
Back then, all we had were a few hard-to-find health books and articles in Prevention Magazine.
Now we have the internet, YouTube, podcasts, influencers, and A.I. to ensure we remain thoroughly confused about the right choices to make.
And in recent months, my own thoughts have sounded something like this:
“What if I try this?” “What if I stop eating that?”
“What am I doing wrong?” “What do I need to change?”
“What supplement am I missing?”
And honestly… this is humbling to admit.
But I suspect some people listening today can relate.
And what is the common element in all those questions?
“I.” “Me.” “My effort.” “My understanding.”
The focus becomes what I can do.
But the older I get, the more I realize: Self-focused effort can only take us so far.
Sooner or later, we all come to the end of ourselves.
And that brings me to the real question this morning:
Who are you going to call? 911… or 333?
Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Rather than merely seeking healing… we must run directly to the Healer.
When life breaks down… when our bodies fail…
when our minds are overwhelmed… when our hearts are exhausted…
God says: “Call unto Me.”
Not: “Figure it out yourself.”
Not: “Carry it alone.”
Not:“Trust only your own understanding.”
“Call unto Me.”
I remember my pastor many years ago quoting this verse to me:
1 Tim 4:8: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
Paul was telling Timothy that while physical discipline and exercise have benefit, spiritual life and fellowship with God are far more important because they affect both this life and eternity.
And hear me clearly:
There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve your health.
There is nothing wrong with learning wisdom about the body God gave you.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
But rather than merely seeking healing… we must run directly to the Healer.
Rom 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And remember: Our New Covenant salvation touches every area of life — spirit, soul, and body.
We needed salvation, so God sent a Savior.
Jesus said in John 6:47: “Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth in Me hath everlasting life.”
There is nothing I can do in my own power to overcome sin.
Nothing I can do to cleanse myself. Nothing I can do to redeem myself.
And in the same way, even with all the modern knowledge and technology available today, Jesus Christ is still the True Healer. (True or true?)
The question is: Where is our focus when we seek restoration?
Because self-effort without God eventually becomes exhausting.
Salvation and healing flow from God’s grace through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:24: He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
And when we finally come to ourselves… we must run back to Jesus.
There is healing today at the Throne of Grace.
One more day of God’s amazing grace.
Jesus said: “Repent ye and believe the Gospel.”
Acts 20:24 calls it: “the Gospel of the grace of God.”
And then Acts 20:32 says: “And so now, I entrust you into God’s hands and the message of his grace, which is all that you need to become strong. All of God’s blessings are imparted through the message of his grace, which he provides as the spiritual inheritance given to all of his holy ones.”
Did you hear that? The message of His grace is what makes us strong.
Paul said: “But whether I live or die is not important, for I don’t esteem my life as indispensable. It’s more important for me to fulfill my destiny and to finish the ministry my Lord Jesus has assigned to me, which is to faithfully preach the wonderful news of God’s grace.”
Church, we must get this Good News about the good things of God to as many people as possible.
Romans 10:14 says: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
I think about the woman with the issue of blood. She spent everything she had.
She suffered for twelve years. She tried everything within her own power.
And the Bible says her condition only became worse.
But then… “she heard about Jesus.”
She stopped chasing methods… and reached for the Master.
And today we must do the same.
We look to the Savior.We look to the Healer.
Now, yes — it is wise to have discipline concerning what we put into our bodies.
They belong to God. It is His temple.
But scripture also warns us not to become overly consumed with comparisons, arguments, dietary restrictions and external regulations.
Romans 14:6: The one who eats everything eats to honor the Lord, because he gives thanks to God, and the one who has a special diet does it to honor the Lord, and he also gives thanks to God.
This does not mean we throw away common sense.
It means we keep our focus centered on Christ.
We all need wisdom. And Jesus Himself is our wisdom.
1 Corinthians 1:30: For it is not from man that we draw our life but from God as we are being joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. And now He is our God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, and our redemption.
Christ becomes our wisdom. Our guide. Our direction.
He teaches us how to live. How to conduct ourselves.
What to pursue. What to avoid. How to walk through unique situations.
“Lean not unto your own understanding.”
Psalm 19:7 “The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul.”
And the Book of James tells us that if we ask in faith without doubting, God will give us wisdom for every unique situation we face.
So why depend entirely upon worldly wisdom… when as believers we have access to Divine Intelligence? (D.I.)
God still says: “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
So now - this very morning, let us prepare our hearts to come to the table of God’s amazing grace.
Come as you are.
Romans 10:4 says: “For Christ is the end of the law. And because of him, God has transferred his perfect righteousness to all who believe.”
Bring your needs. Bring your burdens. Bring your prayer requests.
Come knowing that through Jesus Christ, you have been accepted into the Beloved.
John 6:47: “I speak to you living truth: Unite your heart to me and believe—and you will experience eternal life!”
John 6:35: Then Jesus declared, ‘I Am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”
Closing Congregational Prayer
Heavenly Father, today we come to You honestly and humbly.
We confess that so often we rely upon our own understanding,
our own strength, our own wisdom, and our own efforts.
But today we turn our hearts back toward You.
Teach us to call upon the Lord first. Teach us to trust You more deeply.
Teach us to rest in Your grace.
Lord Jesus, thank You for carrying our sins, our burdens, our fears, and our brokenness to the cross.
Thank You that by Your wounds we are healed.
Thank You that Your grace is still greater than our weakness.
Today we bring You every need:
our physical needs, our emotional needs, our family needs, our spiritual needs.
Give us wisdom for every situation. Give us strength for every battle.
Give us peace in every storm.
Help us to keep our eyes upon You, Lord Jesus —
our Savior, our Healer, our Wisdom, and our Life.
And as we come to Your table today, we come by grace alone.
We receive Your love. We receive Your mercy. We receive Your life.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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911 or 333? 911 或 333
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05/24/2026
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Jeremiah 33:3: Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
耶 利 米 書 33:3: 你求告我，我就应允你，并将你所不知道、又大又难的事指示你。 (page 1290)
Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
羅 馬 書 10:13: 因为“凡求告主名的，就必得救。(page 1836)
1 Peter 2:24: He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
彼 得 前 書 2:24: 他 被 挂 在 木 头 上 ， 亲 身 担 当 了 我 们 的 罪 ， 使 我 们 既 然 在 罪 上 死 ， 就 得 以 在 义 上 活 。 因 他 受 的 鞭 伤 ， 你 们 便 得 了 医 治 。(page 1968)
Acts 20:32: “And so now, I entrust you into God’s hands and the message of his grace, which is all that you need to become strong. All of God’s blessings are imparted through the message of his grace, which he provides as the spiritual inheritance given to all of his holy ones.”
使 徒 行 傳 20:32: 现在，我把你们交付给上帝和他恩典的信息，它能坚定你们的信仰，并把上帝赐给他所有圣民的祝福赐给你们。(page 1804)
1 Corinthians 1:30: For it is not from man that we draw our life but from God as we are being joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. And now He is our God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, and our redemption.
歌 林 多 前 書 1:30: 但 你 们 得 在 基 督 耶 稣 里 ， 是 本 乎 神 ， 神 又 使 他 成 为 我 们 的 智 慧 、 公 义 、 圣 洁 、 救 赎 。
(page 1848)
Psalm 19:7: The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul.
詩 篇 19:7: 耶 和 华 的 律 法 全 备 ， 能 苏 醒 人 心 ； 耶 和 华 的 法 度 确 定 ， 能 使 愚 人 有 智 慧 。(page 897)
John 6:35: “I am the bread of life,” replied Jesus. “Anyone who comes to me will never be hungry! Anyone who believes in me will never be thirsty!”
約 翰 福 音 6:35: 耶 稣 说 ： 我 就 是 生 命 的 粮 。 到 我 这 里 来 的 ， 必 定 不 饿 ； 信 我 的 ， 永 远 不 渴 (page 1728)
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Pastor: Mike Koger
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Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
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Title
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2025
Moving Image
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A Holy Calling 2025
2 Timothy 1:6-9
It is fun to explain to our international church family just how important college football is here in the Southern United States.
“It’s not a matter of life or death, it is much more important than that”
Usually, we align ourselves with one school – one team – and then we stick with it, good years and bad years.
When people ask me, as they often do in the south, who I pull for in college football, I let them know I am a lifelong Georgia fan. I tell them I was “literally born a Georgia Bulldog.”
My mother and father went to school there, I grew up in Athens, and most of all, my dad was on the UGA football broadcast team when I was a wee young’un.
You can’t argue with that, can you?
Much MUCH more importantly, you and I, whether in the sanctuary or as a part of our online church family, are part of a bigger team with a much higher calling.
What is Our Mission? What is Our Purpose?
Nehemiah 2:17-18: “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.”
“Thankful people recognize the mission they have to fulfill and they rise and build.”
Why are we thankful?
vs 9: “He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
You have a holy calling on your life - and it already was there when you first opened your newborn eyes. Even before time began.
Things to focus on today:
share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.
He has saved us and called us with a holy calling
not according to our works according to his own purpose and grace,
given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
The change we want to see in our lives – our families – our community – our nation – starts with a new hope in our hearts. The change literally has to flow through us.
“I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
This quote is from Psalm 27:13 and speaks to the importance of faith and hope - even in difficult times. It expresses the idea that without belief in God's ultimate goodness and a future in the "land of the living," a person would despair and lose hope.
The verse encourages perseverance, strength, and courage in the face of adversity by focusing on a confident expectation of God's faithfulness.
2 Tim 1:12 (Paul) “The confidence of my calling enables me to overcome every difficulty without shame”
If you’re still breathing – you’re still in this
“It is not over” (We walk by faith)
If you truly live by faith you believe that the battle is the Lord’s
Faith Sees – Faith Believes – Faith Steps Out
Psalm 27:14: Here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Don’t give up; don’t be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep on waiting—for he will never disappoint you!
In today’s lesson, Paul wrote to Timothy, “I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you. For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control.”
Spurgeon: “Every living saint has (their) charge to keep, (their) talent over which they are a steward. A measure of a gift is in all of us, needing to be stirred up.”
2 Tim 1:6: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you…”
Methodist Hymnal: A Charge to Keep I Have
• “A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify”
• “To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill…”
Eph 2:10: "We are his workmanship"
As we close out 2025, if we are determined to still to “rise and build,” we must do it through God’s Power at work within us.
(2 Tim 1:9) “God saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace in King Jesus before all time and ages…”
“Not according to our works” – which reminds me (reminds most of us, no doubt,) of Eph 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Spurgeon: “Again, in order to shut out everything like boasting, the whole is spoken of as a gift. Do notice that, "purpose and grace which He gave us" — not "which He sold us," "offered us," but "which He gave us."
“God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.”
As a Believer:
• You are Saved
• You have a Holy Calling
…and it is a gift of God
We are to be Christian soldiers – putting on the gospel armor – holy instruments of God’s reconciliation.
Are we up to the challenge? This is a tough season
Jesus said (John 16:33) “I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”
In our scripture today, Paul says we are to “share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.”
“fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you”
This is our time to get strengthened and equipped
Psalm 90:12: Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Now is the time to feed our faith and starve our doubts
Embrace our total salvation by grace through faith
God gives the believer “the Holy Spirit who gives (us) mighty power, love, and self-control.”
The Living Word speaks to you and me in this hour just like it has in every hour and in every age – if we will listen and apply it
AMP: [For it is He] Who delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]; [He did it] not because of anything of merit that we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited favor) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago].
omnipotence: the quality of having unlimited or very great power. universal power
We serve an Omnipotent, Almighty God
Rev 19:6 - Then I heard what seemed to be the thunderous voice of a great multitude, like the sound of a massive waterfall and mighty peals of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!”
As a Believer:
• You are Saved
• You have a Holy Calling
…and it is a gift of God
They replied, “’Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work.”
2 Tim 1:2: I pray for a greater release of God’s grace, love, and total well-being to flow into your life from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ!
Dublin Core
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Title
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A Holy Calling 神圣的呼召
Date
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11/23/2025
Description
An account of the resource
2 Timothy 1:9: He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
提 摩 太 後 書 1:9: 神 救 了 我 们 ， 以 圣 召 召 我 们 ， 不 是 按 我 们 的 行 为 ， 乃 是 按 他 的 旨 意 和 恩 典 ； 这 恩 典 是 万 古 之 先 ， 在 基 督 耶 稣 里 赐 给 我 们 的 ， (page 1929)
2 Timothy 1:6,7: That is why I want you to remember the gift God gave you. God gave you that gift when I laid my hands on you. Now I want you to use that gift and let it grow more and more, like a small flame grows into a fire. 7 The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.
提 摩 太 後 書 1:6,7:为 此 我 提 醒 你 ， 使 你 将 神 藉 我 按 手 所 给 你 的 恩 赐 再 如 火 挑 旺 起 来 。因 为 神 赐 给 我 们 ， 不 是 胆 怯 的 心 ， 乃 是 刚 强 、 仁 爱 、 谨 守 的 心 。 (pg 1929)
Psalm 27:14: "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"
詩 篇 27:14: 要 等 候 耶 和 华 ！ 当 壮 胆 ，
坚 固 你 的 心 ！ 我 再 说 ， 要 等 候 耶 和 华 ！(page 905)
Ephesians 2:10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them
以 弗 所 書 2:10: 我 们 原 是 他 的 工 作 ， 在 基 督 耶 稣 里 造 成 的 ， 为 要 叫 我 们 行 善 ， 就 是 神 所 预 备 叫 我 们 行 的 。 (page 1895)
Creator
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Pastor: Mike Koger
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
-
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Dublin Core
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Title
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2025
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A New World
Romans 11:33-36
Give a Great Speech: 3 Tips from Aristotle
• Tell them what you’re going to tell them.
• Tell them
• Tell them what you’ve just told them.
So… I am going to begin today with a summary of what you’re about to hear.
“Nothing in your life can ever really change if you’re way of thinking remains the same.”
Your first thought may be, “I know what he’s going to say. He’s talked about this before.” If that is your thought right now, you definitely need to hear this message.
Have you ever tried to talk to someone and they say “I know” as soon as you start talking?
…or worse yet, they start filling in the… blanks? Finishing your… sentences?
It was once said: “Knowing it all is nothing but an illusion of knowledge.”
The impulse to tell ourselves that we already know something is a conditioned response.
The “know-it-all” is programmed to believe that way – and they don’t even know it.
Here’s a super-big challenge for us today:
First of all, can you admit that maybe there is something in your life that is not quite “perfect” just yet? ( )
If you’re honest enough to admit that – even if only to yourself, then this might just indicate that you don’t quite know it all yet.
Encyclopedias were great, but…
“You can’t use an old map to explore a new world”
Can you embrace this opportunity right now to approach today with a grateful heart to be able open GOD’s Word together accept the challenge to learn and grow?
To find new answers today?
Isaiah 55:8,9: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,”declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
“What are you giving up for lent?”
For this fresh new Lenten season, maybe what we should “give up” is our own presuppositions about Who God is – and what He wants to do with us in 2025?
Romans 11:33-36: Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the LORD’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
“Nothing in your life can ever really change if you’re way of thinking remains the same.”
Being a “know-it-all” and being negative minded usually seem to go together.
It makes sense – because if you already “know” everything, where is the HOPE of learning more – ? - or things getting better for you?
Welcome to Lent 2025.
Are we willing to give up what we “know” for what God is trying to reveal to us?
The most used scripture for the start of the Lenten season is from the book of Joel:
That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.”
Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
(Joel 2:12,13)
I started pastoral ministry with very little traditional Methodist background.
My two Methodist pastors were both very non-traditional. And they were both two of the strongest voices in my life as mentors and as Godly men who lived by example.
We learn – and we grow.
Our understanding expands as we allow ourselves to become teachable.
Horace said, “Men cease to think when they think they know it all.”
We build our faith on a foundation of scripture and tradition, so we have to make sure we are always building it on truth.
There are many well-meaning but misguided people who would minimize what GOD is able to do in your life today –
- despite what is happening all over the planet -
- and it is all because they have been taught wrong.
You cannot have faith for something that you don’t believe is the will of GOD.
Right Believing will produce Right Results.
A limited Gospel is a powerless message that will not change this world.
My trip to Wales
My one desire for that trip was to visit where the Welsh Revival bagn.
Historically, the revolutionary prayers of Evan Roberts and a small group of praying people changed an entire nation.
Had they not had the faith to believe that “all things are indeed possible to those who can believe” – what would have happened?
Would there have been a Welsh revival?
Would thousands have been saved and multitudes of lives transformed?
Evan Roberts: “The Power of the revival in South Wales is not of men, but all of God. He has been close to us and has shown us the way.
… I have merely preached the religion of Jesus Christ as I myself have experienced it.
God has “made me glad,” and I am showing others the great joy of serving Him, a joy so great and so wonderful that I shall never be able to express it in its completeness.
We are teaching no sectarian doctrine, only the wonder and the beauty of Christ’s love, the love of man for Him, and the love of man for man.
I have been asked concerning my methods. I have none. I never prepare the words I shall speak. I leave all that to Him.
I am not the source of this revival. I am only one agent in what is growing to be a multitude. I am not moving men’s hearts and changing men’s lives; not I, but “God worketh in me.”
I have found what is, in my belief, the highest kind of Christianity. I desire to give my life, which is all I have to give, to helping others to find it also. Many have already found it, thank God, and many more are finding it through them.”
The Prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says,‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants — men and women alike — and they will prophesy.
People all over the world are praying for and expecting a new “Great Awakening”
like we read about in times past.
An awakening where men and women’s hearts are once more turned to the Lord in repentance and submission to GODs Word.
When their eyes are opened to the truth and are no longer blinded by the lies of the world – the media – the carnal globalists who want to strip you of your uncompromised faith.
We know that revival – the Great Awakening – starts with the believers.
2 Chron 7:14: “ …if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Jung's idea is that we don't see God because we don't look low enough.
We have to humble ourselves and pray and seek GOD’s face and turn from our wicked ways.
…Just like they did in England… in Germany – in Wales – with the early settlers in America - and anywhere that GOD moved and changed the landscape with the truth of the Gospel.
We must take the limits off of what GOD can do by building our foundation of faith on the truth of GODs Word and no longer believing for anything less than true Holy Ghost revival in our lives – in our churches – and in our communities.
2 Tim 1:6 reminds us to “stir up the gifts that are inside of us.”
? Is your heart cold and un-stirrable today – or can it yet again be touched by Holy Spirit’s still small voice today?
Heb 3:11: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."
“Nothing in your life can ever really change if you’re way of thinking remains the same.”
If you’re ready to change today – you will have to learn to look forward again.
You will have to be open to hearing a New Word from GOD today.
One word from God today can change your life forever.
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A New World 新世界
Description
An account of the resource
Romans 11:33-36: Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
羅 馬 書 11:33-36: 上帝的怜悯是何其地丰富，他的智慧和知识是何其地深奥！他的判断是何其难测！他的道理是多么地难以理解！ 正如《经》上说的那样：“谁知道上帝的心思？谁能当上帝的参谋？”“谁先给过上帝什么，使他不得不偿还呢？”万物都是上帝创造的。万物都是通过他，也是为了他而存在的。愿荣耀永远属于他！阿们。 (page 1839)
Joel 2:12,13: That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
约珥书 2:12,13: 耶和华说：“现在，你们要禁食、哭泣、哀号，全心回转归向我。”你们要撕心般地悔改，而不是撕裂衣服。归向你们的上帝耶和华吧，因为祂有恩典和怜悯，不轻易发怒，有无限的慈爱， 不忍心降灾祸。(page 1480)
2 Chron 7:14: if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again.
历代志下 7:14: 而这些被称为我名下的子民若谦卑下来，祈祷、寻求我的面，离开恶道，我必从天上垂听，赦免他们的罪，医治他们的土地。(page 721)
2 Tim 1:6: I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you.
提摩太后书 1:6: 因此我提醒你，要把上帝在我把手按在你身上时赐给你的恩赐充分发挥出来。 (page 1929)
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Pastor: Mike J Koger
Date
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03/09/2025
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Hillside United Methodist Church
3739 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
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2026
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The Quiet Place
Psalm 145:18,19
It’s easy to get caught up in all the to-do’s
“There’s always something that needs to be done.”
Always chasing. Always thinking about the next step and almost missing the current step. Not being in the present moment.
…and the Present Moment is All That We Really Have.
“Slow down, young man.” (I can still hear that voice calling out to me.)
For years now we have heard we live in a “microwave culture”
Lamentations 3:26: it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
How often do we actually take time to “wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD?”
One of my favorite (and maybe one of my most quoted) Bible verses is Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I Am God.”
This verse has always meant so much to me – even though it can be such a challenge for someone like me to actually practice it.
I have always had to be very deliberate in order to follow this lesson, whether it meant locking myself away, taking a walk on a nature trail or even going away to a monastery.
This season of my life has made it more essential to practice this, and it was through such a deliberate effort that this message began to take shape.
I hope there is some learning here that maybe you can benefit from, too.
Will it require a desperate moment for you to “Be Still and Know that He is GOD?”
Are you willing to embrace a new way of living?
The old ways won’t go away quickly or easily. (routines, habits, learned behaviors)
It will require Divine help – and with your humble cooperation.
Psalm 46:1: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Good News: New Beliefs can grow into a new reality.
“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”
“We all find time to do what we really want to do.”
So, in other words, this message won’t be for everybody.
You will have to really want this shift in your daily life.
David Wilkerson: "When God wants to bring you into a new place, He first brings you to the end of yourself."
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6)
Jeremiah 29:13: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
so – are you still with me? Are you in?
“The LORD is near to all who call on him…”
drift.
It’s easy to get off track and find yourself in a place or situation you weren’t meant to be in. A little compromise. A little comfort. A little distraction.
Next thing you know… ( )
Drift doesn’t announce itself. It just slowly pulls you away.
For us to Be Still and Know we have to release the distractions that take our attention off of God’s Presence
Those “distractions” could also be called “attachments”
Attachments are like unnecessary chains – holding us back from the higher objectives we should be focused on
“The greatest enemy of stillness can often be distraction.”
Col 3:2: “Set your affection on things above…”
“fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm.”
Where are we pointing our hearts today?
Psalm 145:18 states: "You draw near to those who call out to you, listening closely, especially when their hearts are true"
Not being at peace is when your soul is still attached to outside distractions.
These distractions can be attachments to who we think we must be – outside our identity in Christ
Jesus said “My yoke is easy”
“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life”
Matt 5:3, (Jesus taught) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," is recognizing our own spiritual bankruptcy and utter dependence on God's grace, rather than self-righteousness.
Being "poor in spirit" means emptying oneself of self-assurance to receive God's kingdom and His righteousness.”
“God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness”
In the still quiet moment, we come Him just as we are.
Attachments and all.
How else can we be made free?
If we could do it ourselves we would have already done it.
Paul: “I will show you a still more excellent way.” (1 Cor 12:31)
LOVE
When we “arise and go to our Father” we need to come to Him in faith, trusting in His love, His grace, His mercy.
1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
“If we really love God, we will not be afraid of him. We cannot love him completely and also be afraid. We would only be afraid of God if we thought that he would punish us. So, if someone is afraid that God will punish them, it shows that they do not completely know God's love.”
When we come to God, do we really trust that He loves us and has made us righteous through the blood of Jesus?
from last week:
Romans 5:10,11: Now that we are at peace with God, and because we share in his resurrection life, how much more we will be rescued from sin’s dominion!
And even more than that, we overflow with triumphant joy in our new relationship of living reconciled to God—all because of Jesus Christ!
There is a saying that says, 'To lose yourself is to find yourself.'
From a Christian perspective, we know “Apart from Him (Jesus) we can do nothing.”
John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
This is the scriptural, spiritual answer to “There’s always something that needs to be done.”
We have something in us called the “Fight or Flight” or “Stress Response”
The fight-or-flight response is your body's natural, automatic reaction to stress or danger. It triggers physiological changes, such as a faster heart rate and tenser muscles, that prepare your body to deal with the source of the stress.
This can be helpful in the short term, but if it goes on too long without giving your body a chance to relax, it can have negative effects on your physical and mental health.
We can remain in a state of Fight or Flight – or we can “be still and know”
That “Power, Love and a Sound Mind” is starting to make even more sense now, isn’t it?
John 17:22,23: For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me.
Psalm 119:130: Break open Your Word within me until revelation-light shines out!
“Those with open hearts are given insight into your plans.”
Psalm 145:18: You draw near to those who call out to you, listening closely, especially when their hearts are true.
In every situation, the pattern was the same
First, the reaction Then, acceptance Then, surrender
When you release resistance and trust that God knows the path, solutions appear in ways you couldn’t plan. You don’t need to control everything. You don’t need to fear negative thoughts. You simply need to return to trust.
God is the solution. God is the way.
So today, let go of fear. Accept where you are.
And trust that you are being guided.
Wait upon the Lord and let your strength be renewed
Meditate on God’s Name – Jehovah Shalom
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Right now, we come to You—not with performance, but with open hearts.
You are near to all who call on You in truth.
Lord, we confess—we’ve been busy, distracted, pulled in too many directions.
We release the striving. We release the fear. We release the need to control everything.
And we choose to be still.
Teach us to abide in You. To rest in Your love. To trust in Your goodness.
For those who feel overwhelmed—be their peace.
For those who feel distant—draw them near.
For those who feel bound—set them free.
We trust You. We rest in You. We return to You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dublin Core
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A Quiet Place 安静之处
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04/12/2026
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Psalm 145:18–19: The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.
诗篇 145:18–19: 耶和华靠近一切求告祂的人，就是诚心求告祂的人。敬畏祂的，祂必成就他们的心愿，也必听他们的呼求，拯救他们。 (page 1028)
Psalm 46:10: Be still, and know that I am God.
诗篇 46:10: 你们要安静，要知道我是神。(page 926)
Lamentations 3:26: It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
耶利米哀歌 3:26: 人仰望耶和華，靜默等候他的救恩，這原是好的。(page 1341)
Matthew 5:6: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
马太福音 5:6: 饥渴慕义的人有福了！因为他们必得饱足。(page 1563)
Jeremiah 29:13: You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.
耶利米书 29:13: 你们寻求我，若专心寻求我，就必寻见。 (page 1280)
John 15:5: I am the vine; you are the branches… apart from Me you can do nothing.
约翰福音 15:5: 我是葡萄树，你们是枝子… …离了我，你们就不能做什么。(pg 1749)
1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.
约翰一书 4:18: 爱里没有惧怕；爱既完全，就把惧怕除去。(page 1981)
Return to the Quiet Place
回到安静之处
Creator
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Pastor: Mike Koger
Contributor
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Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
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Dublin Core
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Title
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2025
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A Return to Sanity
From Old Form to New Life
(Psalm 23)
There are certain scripture passages and verses that form the bedrock of our Christian faith:
John 3:16
Jesus teaching what came to be referred to as “the Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13)
The opening verses of the first chapter of the Gospel of John
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…”
…and the 23rd Psalm
One of my favorite and most quoted parts of that chapter is Psalm 23:3: “He restores my soul – He leads me in paths of righteousness”
I want to begin this morning by saying something simple:
God wants to restore us.
Restoration assumes something was off. Something was not right
The quest for restoration should begin the moment we realize it is needed in our lives.
One of my favorite movies opens with this line:
“A beginning is a very delicate time.”
And today—this first Sunday of 2026—is a beginning.
Not necessarily a loud one or a dramatic one. …But a delicate one.
Proverbs reminds us to know the importance of the season we are in.
Not every season is for speed. Some seasons are for alignment.
Psalm 16:11: Thou wilt show me the path of life
Let me ask you something gently…
Were there moments in 2025 where you took actions that didn’t seem in line with your goals… your values…
…or even your own character?
Moments where later you thought, “What was I thinking?”
Shakespeare once lamented, “These rebel powers that thee array…”
talking about forces inside the soul that pull us off course.
“these “rebel powers” in the soul replaying” (forces that doubt belong there)
anger. resentment. guilt. bitterness. unforgiveness. We all know them.
The TV commercial asks, “What’s in your wallet?”
But maybe our deeper question should be: “What’s in your soul?”
Sometimes we kinda need a setback to prepare us for a comeback.
And so much of recovery — so much of restoration—
can be traced back to one thing: A return to sanity.
In the Twelve Steps, Step Two says this:
“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
Sanity simply means: reasonable, sound, clear thinking.
Living in alignment with reality.
I submit to you: Insanity, then, isn’t madness — it’s misalignment.
“He wasn’t in his right mind when he did that”
“not being in your right mind” can mean all kinds of things.
It doesn’t have to be addiction or something that people can see outwardly
It can be anger, resentment, anxiety, unforgiveness, being judgemental
Someone once said, “That rare person who truly sees their betrayal by their own wrong ideas is ready to awaken.”
A wake-up call is really a return to sanity.
That’s mercy.
Jesus gives us a perfect picture of this in Luke 15. (Prodigal Son)
Luke 15:17 says,“When he came to himself…”
That’s restored sanity.
TPT says, “Humiliated, the son finally realized what he was doing.”
Not condemned. Not rejected. Awakened.
Truth did something nothing else could do.
Truth can show mercy toward you by being merciless toward everything that is harming you.
“The TRUTH shall set you free”
3 John 2 says, “…even as your soul prospers.”
God desires your life to flourish— but flourishing follows restoration.
Our souls need to be restored to God’s divine settings so that our souls can prosper, so that our lives can flow the way they were designed to flow.
…so that we can accomplish our “Divine To-Do’s”
This isn’t about trying harder. It’s about returning to alignment.
Proverbs 8 says this: “If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen.”
Listen to this line: “…the fountain of life pours into you every time you find me.”
(ref: Prov 8:34) That’s not striving. That’s beholding.
But Proverbs also warns us: Ignoring wisdom brings harm to your own soul.
Not punishment — harm.
The opposite of sanity is in-sanity.
Scripture describes insanity this way: “Like a dog returning to its vomit.”
This comes from Proverbs 26:11 and describes a fool who repeats their foolish mistakes … someone going back to harmful or sinful behaviors, even after knowing better
… it’s going back to what once made us sick and wondering why we still feel unwell.
So when we ask, “What was I thinking?” the honest answer is often:
“I was thinking — but I was thinking carnally.”
“To be carnally minded is death.” Carnal thinking disconnects us from reality.
But Proverbs 9:10 says, “The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship the Lord.” “Consumed with awe.”
Isn’t that what we’ve been talking about?
Isn’t that beholding?
Transformation doesn’t start with effort. It starts with awe.
One of the clearest signs of insanity is often revealed in the way we speak.
Why would we curse ourselves? Why would we speak against our future?
1 Peter 3:10 says, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil.”
Words reveal what’s happening in the soul. …those “rebel forces”
Wisdom guards the mouth because wisdom guards the soul.
This year isn’t about becoming someone else.
It’s about coming back to yourself — the self God intended
…before fear, distraction, and misalignment set in.
Psalm 23:3 doesn’t say, “He pushes my soul.” It says, “He restores my soul.”
Restoration is not force. It’s return.
“Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.
From old form - to new life. From confusion - to clarity. From insanity - to sanity.
So today, don’t rush this new beginning. It’s a delicate time.
Let Him restore your soul.
Father,
We come before You now not to fix ourselves, not to promise improvement,
but to return.
We confess that at times we have lived out of alignment—
thinking without awe, speaking without wisdom, moving without clarity.
And yet You have not withdrawn.
You have remained near.
You are the One Who restores our souls.
So we yield the noise within us. We release the old ways of thinking,
the old fears,
the old forms
that no longer belong to the life You are shaping in us.
We choose stillness over striving. Awe over anxiety. Wisdom over impulse.
Restore our souls to Your divine settings.
Bring us back to clarity. Bring us back to truth.
Bring us back to ourselves as You intended us to be.
As we behold You, quietly and honestly,
let our thinking be healed, our words be purified, and our lives realigned.
We trust You with this beginning.
It is delicate — and it is held in Your hands.
We rest in You. We return to You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
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Title
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A Return to Sanity 《回归清醒》
Date
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01/04/2026
Description
An account of the resource
Psalm 23:3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
詩 篇 23: 3: 他 使 我 的 灵 魂 苏 醒 ， 为 自 己 的 名 引 导 我 走 义 路 。(pg 901)
Psalm 16:11: Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
詩 篇 16:11: 你 必 将 生 命 的 道 路 指 示 我 。 在 你 面 前 有 满 足 的 喜 乐 ； 在 你 右 手 中 有 永 远 的 福 乐 。(page 892)
Romans 8:6 - The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
羅 馬 書 8:6: 如果你们的思想受罪恶自我的控制，只能导致死亡。如果你们的思想受灵的控制，你们就会得到生命与和平。(page 1832)
John 8:32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
約 翰 福 音 8:32: 你 们 必 晓 得 真 理 ， 真 理 必 叫 你 们 得 以 自 由 。(page 1734)
3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I pray you to prosper concerning all things and to be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
約 翰 三 書 2: 亲 爱 的 兄 弟 阿 ， 我 愿 你 凡 事 兴 盛 ， 身 体 健 壮 ， 正 如 你 的 灵 魂 兴 盛 一 样 。 (page 1985)
Prov 9:10: The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship the Lord.
箴言 9:10:智慧始于敬畏耶和华，认识至圣者便是明智。 (pg 1045)
Psalm 23:6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
詩 篇 23: 3: 我 一 生 一 世 必 有 恩 惠 慈 爱 随 着 我 ； 我 且 要 住 在 耶 和 华 的 殿 中 ， 直 到 永 远 。(pg 901)
Creator
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Pastor: Mike Koger
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States