Friday 3/13/15 The Cross (4)

Dear Father in Heaven: I love You and I appreciate all You do for all of us, and I appreciate what You have done personally for me. Thanks, Lord, for forgiving me of my sins, and thanks for working with me as I repent and come  nearer and nearer to you. Please, Lord, be with Keith and his crew as they travel. Please be with the police that were shot in Ferguson and also be with their families. Please bring calm to the area. Please, Lord, place Your healing hand on Bev's eyes and Ruby's eyes and touch them so they can see clearer and better. Please be with the families of the Marines and National Guardsmen that were killed when their Blackhawk went down. Please watch over Burt and Patsy and keep them healthy and safe. Please  help Danelle as she starts her new job. Be with the family of the young man killed on the railroad tracks in Lebanon. Also be with all of those who lost their homes to fire yesterday and today. Lord, please  help me with the message and then to get it dispatched. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, what a great day here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. God has been so good and has been opening doors for Carry The Light Ministries to keep growing. Working for God is the most exciting work you can do. And I must say He is also the most wonderful Boss a person could ever ask for. Today as we talk a tad more about the Cross, I want to talk to you about how exciting it is to work for Him. Let's get moving on the message, "The Cross."

Friday: March 13, 2015: The Cross (Day Four)

Hebrews 12:1 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the CROSS, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful man, so that you will  not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you  have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons. "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son." (NIV)

Years and years ago our dear Lord Jesus went to the cross for all of us who were and are sinners. He was sent to die once and that to last forever and ever. Over the years we have been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. I want you to think about that statement in Hebrews 12:1. We are surrounded by a great group of witnesses. Think of this as why once we are saved we need to have the support of a bunch of believers who will witness to us and we can witness to them. Yes, believers need to be witnessing to each other so we do not lose our faith in our everyday living. Sometimes in this world we live in today it is hard not to get drawn into sin. It is all around us and once we are saved, that makes Satan mad and he wants to get us back. Again, this is why we need a GOOD CHURCH, A GOOD BUNCH OF BELIEVERS, led by a pastor that preaches the truth. The Bible tells us that we need to throw off everything that hinders us. In other words, we need to get rid of everything and anything that interferes with our relationship with our Dear Lord Jesus. In Hebrews 12:2 The Bible tells us we need to fix our eyes on Jesus. I just need to ask this question. Guys, this one is for you. You are standing and talking with Jesus, and you are looking Him in the eyes, as we are told to in the Bible - "Fix your eyes on Jesus." As we are talking to Jesus a young lady walks past in a mini-skirt. Will our eyes still be fixed on Jesus or would they wander after the young woman as we "check out her legs"?

We also find out in these verses that once we are saved and we sin, our Lord Jesus will discipline us. And why does He do this? Well, as a father I know we must teach our children right from wrong and when they break the rules we had to discipline them. I can remember my dad saying when he would fan my backside that this is hurting him more than me. I did not understand that until I had children of my own. You discipline your children because you love them. God, our Father, is the same way. He loved us before we were saved and He gave us rules to live by and even gave us rules to get into heaven. If He did not love us or care about us, He would not punish us when we mess up. Yes, He punishes us. When we endure His punishment, then we become better sons and daughters, and how do we become better sons and daughters? Well, we sin less and we work the fields of harvest for Jesus more often. When we repent and try not to sin, we make better witnesses for Jesus. When farmers and their workers go into their harvest fields, it is really hard work. It is the same when we work for Jesus. It is hard work, but it is exciting. How exciting? That is up to you. You can go out in the fields to work for Jesus because we have to do it, or we can go out into the fields of harvest because we want to go. We go out singing and lifting our voices in praise. Let me ask you this question today. When you go into your church, is it dead? Do people sit around either not talking to each other or running the gossip mill? If your church is dead, find a new one, for when a pastor is preaching The Word, The Real Word as in the Bible, it is EXCITING and it is not dead. Come on, brothers and sisters, let us get on fire for Jesus today. Are you ready to GET ON FIRE FOR JESUS? Fire up, brothers and sisters, fire up. Let us get the word to the world and let us let others know that Jesus died on the cross for us, but He is ALIVE AND WELL TODAY. Are you alive and well in Jesus?

Dear Father in Heaven, help me to repent of sin, walk in Your light and be on fire for You. Light my fuse, dear Lord, light my fuse, and let me get to working even harder for You. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Now go forth and get excited for Jesus as you share your blessings. Love ya. Please, please, share the love of Jesus and my love also.

Pastor Dan