Resurrection Day 2008

Resurrection Day 2008

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

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INTRODUCTION

Palm Sunday ushered in the beginning of the Passover celebration.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the prophecy states on a colt.

The Passover celebration, one of the seven feasts of the Lord, was given to teach of why Jesus had to come.

God’s people were enslaved to Egypt.

Through their obedience to the Word of God, a Lamb was sacrificed; the blood on their door posts saved them from the coming judgment of Egypt by God.

They were told to remember this day, for what the Lord did for them.

In the same way, today God’s people are slaves to sin.

Through our obedience to the Word of God and Jesus as a sacrifice, His blood will save us from the coming Judgment of sin by God.

Jesus tells the Apostles at the Last supper, which takes place during the last Passover, the night before Jesus’ sacrifice, “Do this in my remembrance”.

This was a Thursday.

What we call “Good Friday” is the day Jesus was crucified.

For years I never understood why it was referred to as “good”?

What was good about it?

If it wasn’t for this day, none of us would have the opportunity to have a relationship with the Father in heaven, and none of us here today would have the opportunity to go heaven when we died.

Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Today we are going to be talking about 3 men and the Cross.

SCRIPTURE READING

Luke 23:26 – 49 The Crucifixion

26 As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' 30 Then
" 'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!"
and to the hills, "Cover us!" 31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

38 There was a written notice above him, which read THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Jesus' Death

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

I. THE BELIEVER, THE UNBELIEVER & THE UNDECIDED

a. Jesus – our example of Faith

i. His life is a testament of His faith

ii. His life is our example to live by…as best we can

1. Paul struggled with Spirit & flesh

2. We struggle

iii. His death is a testament of His love

1. I have not come to condemn, but to save, for the world is already condemned.

iv. We are to be that saving light, drawing the lost to Christ.

b. The un-penitent thief

i. Unbelievers that mock God

1. Even they know the truth, for a measure is given to every man

2. The Law has been written on everyone’s heart.

3. They try to sear their conscience so that sin may abound

a. No God = No Laws

b. No Laws = No Sin

c. No Sin = No Judgment

4. Your ‘belief’s’ have no bearing on reality.

a. The truth is unchanging

b. Your thinking can not change the truth

New age belief systems are everywhere today.

Think “positive” and only good energy will be evident in your life.

But your thinking will not alter reality.

It will alter “your concept of reality”, but not reality itself.

I was involved in a door-to-door sales company when I was in my early 20’s.

They taught this positive thinking = positive results.

They had people think their way to walk over hot coals and broken glass without getting hurt.

And I was watching and thinking, “Man, I just answered a want ad in the paper, I just want a job.”

Were the coals “not hot” because of positive thinking?

Was the glass “not sharp” because of positive thinking?

Or was it, their thinking had altered their perceptions to the pain?

Was reality itself changed?

No, their concept of reality had been altered.

Many do this today with God.

They “think” themselves to a point of being OK with themselves and the world around them.

They “positively think”; therefore altering their perception of reality.

But it only alters the perception, not reality itself.

No amount of positive thinking is going to make glass not sharp, coals not hot, and hell not real.

c. The one who WAS lost, but found

i. As the one hurled insults (plural) at Jesus, the other opened his eyes to the Truth and recognized Him.

ii. He was saved from Gehenna that day on the cross.

iii. Here is how:

1. He recognized “Don’t you fear God?” – Recognizing Jesus is God.

a. Not a God

b. Not part God

c. Not a servant of God

d. Not a prophet of God

e. G O D

2. He confessed “We are punished justly” – Confessing he was sinful.

a. For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God

b. We are guilty by the Law. Not justified.

c. Jesus came to save not condemn, because the world is already condemned.

3. He realized Jesus was an innocent lamb, led to the slaughter “This man has done nothing wrong!”

4. He called on the only name that can save “Remember me when you come into your kingdom…”

He recognized Jesus is God, confessed his sin, recognized Jesus was innocent on the Cross, and called on the only name that can save…Jesus

II. THE CENTURION WATCHED THESE THINGS

a. There was one other man that day whom we over look.

i. The Centurion watched

1. At the 6^th hour darkness fell on all of earth

2. The curtain in the temple which separated man from God’s presence in the Holy of Holies was tore in two for the gap which separates God from man, SIN, has been bridged by our Savior, Jesus Christ.

3. Jesus released His spirit…No man takes His life, He laid it down.

4. And the Centurion watching praised God and said, “Surly, this was a righteous man.”

In our reading today there were 3 men marked for death, and a fourth who watched.

Praise God if you have already made the decision for Jesus Christ.

But many still mock God in hopes He will stop existing. The only name that saves has become nothing more than another curse word.

And some will curse His Holy Name until the day they die, as they spend their life “thinking” God away, altering their perception of reality.

But that perception will break 2 seconds after you die…and you stand before the Lord.

You will either be judged by the First Covenant which only condemns us, or you will be judged by the Second Covenant which free’s us from the bondage of sin.

Perhaps you relate with the thief on the cross who recognized Christ and saw it was not too late.

It’s not too late…at this moment. But none of us know when our time is up.

And when you breathe your last, will you be carried to paradise and the presence of the Lord by angels as Lazarus was, or like the rich man, will you lift up your eyes and find yourself in torment?

Or perhaps, you are like the Centurion, who finds himself watching everything unfold before you, and even confessing to a point that Jesus is something special.

But you have never made a commitment to Him.

Don’t wait.

Jesus is calling you.

Respond to Him.

On the night Jesus had Passover feast with the Disciples, as He lifted the bread up, just as He would be lifted up on the Cross within the coming hours, He blessed it and said, “This is my body, which was broken for you”.

Jesus, the Bread from heaven, Bread of life, broken for you.

He lifted up the cup, just as He would be lifted up on the cross, and said, “This is my blood, which is shed for the remission of sins.”

The blood of the unblemished lamb for a covering, the Blood of Jesus for removal.

Today we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord.

Because of this event, we too can have a relationship with God.

When we call on the only name that saves, God will place His Holy Spirit within us, make us a new creation, a new creature, and the old will pass away.

Just as Jesus had died and risen again, you to can die to your old selves, and live again now, being a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Simply call on His name.

Let us bow and pray together for this.

Peter Confesses Jesus is the Son of God

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WHERE WE ARE AT

† The Sermon on the Mount.
† He and his Disciples and Apostles begin to travel from Galilee to Capernaum.
† Jesus heals the Centurion’s servant.
† He then has dinner in a Pharisees home where He was anointed by a sinful woman who had repented.
† Jesus then returns to Galilee preaching along the way.
† Jesus Calms the Storm.
† A Prophet without Honor in His hometown
† Jesus send out the Twelve
† John the Baptist Martyred
† Jesus Feeds 5000
† Jesus’ Prayer Life


INTRODUCTION

Jesus, having just spent the afternoon praying to the Father in heaven in solitude, walked on water to reach the Apostles in their boat, which was in the Sea of Galilee in a storm.

As Jesus approached, they thought He was a ghost or spirit at first and they did not recognize Him.

Many times in the scriptures we see that.

Jesus walked with two of the Apostles after His resurrection and they did not recognize Him.

When Jesus appeared to the Apostles in a prayer meeting, some recognized Him while others, such as Thomas had to have more proof to be convinced because he didn’t recognize Jesus.

Many times in our lives, Jesus appears to us in our dreams, our thoughts, He replies in our hearts, and we sometimes do not recognize it is Him.

How many times has the Lord tried to reach you, and you did not recognize it was Him?

After they returned to the shore, the Apostles knew it was Jesus.

And the scriptures say, they worshipped Him and they recognized He was the Son of God, although none had said it.

None of the Apostles at this point have confessed with their mouths that Jesus was Christ.

SCRIPTURE READING

Matthew 16:13 – 20 Peter Confesses Christ
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

I. Who do people say I am?

On the answer to this question hinges the Salvation of man.

a. John the Baptist
i. King Harod believed Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life to get him for beheading him.

b. Elijah
i. The Jews knew from the scriptures that in the end, Elijah is to return to preach.
ii. This is why they make a place setting for him at every Pessach, and not only do they mention him in the Haggadah, but the children run to the door and call out to him before the meal to see if he has come.
iii. I believe the scriptures are true, and Elijah is going to come in the end to preach, but this is going to happen in the Tribulation.

c. Jeremiah or one of the Prophets
i. Even other religions, such as Islam, will acknowledge Jesus as a Prophet of God. Anyone who teaches the Old Testament is recognized as a Prophet of God.
ii. But being a Prophet of God is not enough to save a man from the debt he owes to God under the covenant of the Law. For the penalty for sin is death and separation from the Father in Heaven.
iii. Only the perfect sacrifice could REMOVE that sin and make us right with the Lord, and giving us access to the Father in Heaven once again.

II. Who do you say I am?
a. Simon Peter exclaimed “You are Christ, Son of the Living God”
b. Jesus answered “Blessed are you, because this can only be revealed by the Father in Heaven through the Holy Spirit”
c. The Apostles had a measure of the Holy Spirit, and they had Salvation when Christ died on the Cross.
i. They were Saved BEFORE Pentecost, which took place 50 days after Jesus rose, which was 10 days after His ascension.
ii. Pentecost was ON the day the Jews were instructed by God to celebrate the Feast of the Harvest, which signified the decree given by the King which authorized God’s people to be able to use force to defend themselves against their enemies. It was a declaration of power and authority given by the King.
iii. The EXACT SAME DAY Pentecost took place, Where the Apostles received the Holy Spirit.
iv. The Decree from our King, which gives us power and authority in the Name of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.
v. Along with that Holy Spirit, we have the power and authority to defend ourselves as well against the devil and his attacks, through the whole armor of God.
vi. We also obtained the Spiritual Fruits, which is the Character of God in our lives, not by us, but produced by the Holy Spirit living in us.
vii. And the Spiritual Gifts from the Holy Spirit, which give us abilities that, Build and Strengthen the Body of Believers, called the Body of Christ, or the True Church here on earth.
d. This revelation by the Holy Spirit which brings Salvation, brings us to a point that we are a New Creature, a New Creation in Christ Jesus!
i. Jesus shows us this by changing Simon Peters name to Peter which means fragment of rock.

III. The True Church (Body of Believers)
a. Upon this rock I will build my church.
i. Not on Peter…but the Confession of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
ii. Peter is but a man, and the scriptures tell us men fail.
iii. Is Peter greater than Jesus?? Some Churches say Peter is the foundation of the Church, and it’s built upon him…but the scriptures are clear there is only 1 foundation, Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 11 – 17
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.


iv. Christ is the Rock! No other foundation will do!
v. Will you build on sand or the rock?
b. Christ is building His church, the body of Christ on the foundation (HIM) by the Confession of Believers that Jesus is the Christ which is revealed by the Father in Heaven through the Holy Spirit.
c. And the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!
i. Death, where is thy sting!
ii. Victory over sin and the effects of it…lost to the Victory of the Cross!
Matthew 16:24 – 28
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."


IV. Power and Authority to all Believers
a. Jesus tells us what the Believers who confess Him receive.
i. Jesus will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven
1. The Kingdom to heaven is here and now!!!
2. Believers in Christ who confess Him, will have access to the Kingdom of Heaven along with all of it’s benefits, blessings, provisions, power and authority given through the Lord of Lord and King of Kings most Holy Name!
ii. What you bind on earth is bound in heaven.

Mark 16:15 – 18
15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved (New Covenant), but whoever does not believe will be condemned.(By the Old Covenant) 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; (not bind as in tie up) they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

Luke 10:19
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions (devils and servants of satan) and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

iii. What is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven.
1. What is loosed? The Power of God!

Jesus then commands the Disciples to tell no man He was Jesus Christ…

Why?

Because the Name Jesus Christ means He is the Messiah.

And by this time in Jesus’ ministry Israel has rejected Jesus as the Messiah.

Jesus came first to the Jew, then the Gentile.

The Jews have rejected Him, and there was no use proclaiming He was the Messiah any longer to the Jews.

Now was the time for the Gentiles.

We now live in what is called the Church age.

For Jew and Gentile, Salvation is available to all!

If you have never proclaimed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can right now.

Simply confess that you are sinful, we all are according to God’s Law.

Confess Jesus is the Lord, and died to pay the price for those sins.

Repent from those sins, and live for Jesus Christ.

Jesus said the greatest of all commands is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, body and soul.

And to love your neighbor (unsaved) as yourself.

Jesus also says, “If you love me, you will obey my commands”

If you want to show Jesus you love Him today, right now, then obey His commands.

House of Faith - Part 4 - The Confessing Pillar

WELCOME

† SCRIPTURE READING

Proverbs 18:21

²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

PRAYER

† We’ve talked about spiritual warfare. We understand that God hasn’t left us without means here on earth. We know that He has given His Holy armor to protect us and our families.

We are being bombarded daily with attacks from the devil.

Backbiting, gossip, lies, sickness, etc..

In fact, there were more backbiting, gossip and lies being told about me since I started preaching than all my years as a Christian before put together.

There are still rumors gossip and lies being spread about me right now.

But we have the shield of Faith that protects us from these attacks and extinguishes the devils flaming arrows.

Through God’s armor, we are capable of withstanding the attacks from the devil.

This is like a roof to our house of faith.

Try as they may, they can lie all they want, gossip all they want, they can say whatever they want, but because I walk in truth and the Holy Spirit, I have protection.

But to qualify for this protection, we must be saved. And our house of faith must be established by God.

† The foundation to our house of faith must have Christ as the cornerstone and the teachings of the prophets and apostles (which is the Bible) as the foundation.

Upon receiving Christ and making Him the foundation in our lives, God will grow us through the study of His word.

Our thinking begins to change as we read and study His Holy word.

† As God grows us, we start to filter the things we allow in our minds; we filter the trash from our thinking.

We filter the garbage of this world from our sight, ears and thought process.

This is like a pillar set on the firm foundation to hold up our roof on our house of faith.

As we continue to study and build our personal relationship with Christ, (like the prayer David prayed) God writes His word upon our hearts.

† His word begins to fill our hearts like a filing cabinet.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of the Lord.

And as we continue to fill our hearts with Him, our filing cabinet, or hearts, begin to overflow, and like we read a few weeks ago, a spring of living water will flow out from us.

The Holy Spirit will fill us to a point that He will begin to flow out of us and into this world through us.

A spring of living water, flowing from us into this world.

This is how God works in our world today.

Through us!

We are the Kingdom of God!

If you hear people say they just don’t see evidence of God in the world today, it’s because we’re not doing something right.

Rivers of living waters should be flowing from us everyday!

God works through us, His people, to reach the lost of this world.

And this river is the Holy Spirit.

Because nothing is possible without the Holy Spirit, and it is through the Holy Spirit in us that we do these good works.

This becomes our second pillar holding up our shield of faith which protects us.

† The Confession pillar is a result of what is overflowing from our hearts.

What we speak is from this overflow.

† Matthew 12:33-37

³³“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every idle word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted (forgiven) and by your words you will be condemned.”

An apple is from an apple tree, and an orange is from an orange tree. If I hold up one or the other, you know without seeing the tree itself, which tree the fruit came from. You can tell the tree by the fruit it gives.

Do you have a river of life, living water, Holy Spirit flowing out of you and your mouth?

What fruit are you producing in your life?

Is it Holy Fruit?

Or, do you have sewage overflowing?

Remember, the tongue has the power of life and death.

The Lord spoke everything into existence.

And the Lord cursed the fig tree with His mouth for not producing fruit when it was supposed to.

We have the power of God within us in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Are we speaking words of life or death?

The power of life and death are in our tongue.

Are you edifying, encouraging, lifting up and growing?

Or are you spewing out filth, cutting down, killing others with your words and foul language.

Are you foul and filthy in one sentence, and then praising God in the next?

That’s what the bible refers to as double minded.

You need to choose the master you are going to serve.

What fruit are you producing with your mouth?

Because this fruit is evidence of what kind of tree you are.

The tongue has the power of life and death!

What is life?

† Matthew 10:32-33(Jesus Speaking)

“Whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father in heaven. (LIFE ETERNAL) ³³But whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my Father in heaven. (DEATH ETERNAL)

Remember what we read a minute ago in verse 36?

^36”But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every idle word they have spoken.”

What do you speak in idle?

What is coming out of your mouth?

Remember, Jesus said that it’s what‘s coming out of your mouth that defiles you.

† Psalm 39:1-3 (David Speaking)

¹ I said, "I will watch my ways

and keep my tongue from sin;

I will put a muzzle on my mouth

as long as the wicked are in my presence."

² But when I was silent and still,

not even saying anything good,

my anguish increased.

³ My heart grew hot within me,

and as I meditated, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue:

David was saying, “if I can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

But he couldn’t continue to keep silent!

When he couldn’t take anymore, he spoke, but GOOD and to God!

That’s what David just told us.

Gossip, backbiting, false witness and lies are snares of the devil.

So what if I slip up…

† James 1:26-27

²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

To do good, and keep yourself from being polluted by the world.

How do you know if you’re polluted by the world?

Easy, has your thinking changed since you’ve accepted Christ?

Have your thoughts, or way of thinking changed?

Do you filter what comes into your mind, your house?

Are you filling your heart with God’s word or do you spend all your free time on worldly things?

Is God really number one in your life?

What is the most important thing in your life?

Your job, your retirement, your husband or wife, your children?

If any of those were your answer, you may be headed for disaster.

God HAS to come first!

“You mean even before my husband, wife or kids?”

I mean even before YOURSELF!

What good is a man whose priority is himself?

The most evident proof to see if you are polluted by this world is by your fruit.

† Proverbs 10:11

“ ¹¹ The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.”

If you are speaking violent, hateful, hurtful, angry, vile, things, then you have the mouth of a wicked person.

You heart is full of the things you speak.

Your fruit shows this.

Why does Jesus tell us this?

So we can recognize where we are, and make it right!

So we can see the evidence of our hearts, and know whether or not we have allowed Christ into our hearts.

So we can see what is filling us.

So we can change it!

God’s word was designed to fill our hearts and from that overflow, be in our mouths.

† Deuteronomy 30:11-18 (The Offer of Life and Death)

¹¹ Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹² It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" ¹⁴ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

¹⁵ See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶ For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, ¹⁸ I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.”

God has set before us Life and Death. And the power is in our tongue!

Judging by the fruits of your mouth, where is your heart today?

Are you choosing life or death?

You can choose life today!

† Romans 10:8-10 tells us that “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has risen Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.”

“For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation!”

Confess to the Lord today and choose life

Examine your tongue to see what tree you are from.

Psalm 32:5 says “I confessed my sin to you and you forgave me”

1 John 1:8-10

“⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

† Today you can choose life.

Today you can confess the Lord before man, and Christ will confess you before God in heaven.

Today you can examine your mouth, and know what is truly in your heart.

Today you can confess to the Lord and He can change your life.

And before you know it, you have made God first in your life, and through your study of God’s word, it will fill your heart and overflow through your mouth and you will confess and speak the goodness of the Lord.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for your word.

Thank you for showing us the power our words have.

You spoke everything that is, into existence.

You have given us the power of life and death in our tongue.

I pray that anyone here today that wants to confess to you Lord, they come forward.

I pray that they recognize that their hearts need to be changed by you Lord.

I pray that they confess you Lord before all, and confess to you so they may be forgiven.

Amen.