Wednesday, June 5, 2019 Acts 2:1-4: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it fillet the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now That I Have Your Attention: Shortly after the departure of Jesus back to heaven on the Day of Ascension, the promised Holy Spirit arrived. And there was no mistaking His arrival. The sound of the mighty wind and the sight of the tongues of fire. The Holy Spirit made Himself known. It was like "Now that I have your attention..." And this is consistent with God. When He wants to make Himself known, He leaves no doubt. Whether it's the flood, the chariot of fire that scooped up Elijah, or the birth of God in baby Jesus, God makes Himself know in a dramatic way. The Power to Tell: Jesus told His apostles that this was going to happen. Just before Jesus went back to heaven, He told His apostles, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8) After the sound and the tongues, the power of the Holy Spirit came to the apostles. Some might say that the apostles began to talk about Jesus on their own because they summoned the courage to do so on their own. Let's explore this a moment. Could you, who have been sitting in this house with a locked door for fear of the Jews who hated Jesus and you, suddenly with passion and power proclaim Jesus to a hostile crowd? It would be very unlikely, even impossible for you to do so. People do not overcome their fear it that radical of a way without a giant push. And that push was the power of the Holy Spirit. It was as if the apostles were new men. And they were. They Were New Men: They were no longer timid. They did not act upon fear or worry about what someone might think of them. Even some in the crowd thought that this "display" was a result of too much alcohol. Their confidence to speak of Jesus did not come from a bottle. It came from God. They were living new lives! They were inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit to speak of what they knew of Jesus. The Holy Spirit made them different. They no longer were timid, shy, and fearful of themselves and others. God the Holy Spirit gave to them the power to set all that aside and trust Him. We are New People: The same Holy Spirit changes us and inspires us to be bold and strong in our disciple life. When we come to grips with that reality, when we trust the Holy Spirit and His guidance, we then let go of the fear, timidity, and reservations. When we trust the Holy Spirit and the truth He speaks of Jesus, it is the power of God that leads to move forward with confidence and boldness in what and in whom we believe. It's like this, when we begin to more fully realize what God has done for us in Jesus, we will more fully worship, pray, and serve Him. Any thoughts? Please share.
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Friday, May 31, 2019 Revelation 22:13-15: [Jesus is saying,] "Behold I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me to repay each one for what He has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." This is It: In this part of Revelation, John sees and hears what will happen at the end of time. In chapter 21, John sees the city of God arrive from heaven. In the first part of chapter 22, John sees the river of the water of life and the twelve trees of life on the river's shores. This is it. This is the final resting place for the people of God, for those who believe in Jesus, His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. How We Get In: It's simple, really. We are cleansed, washed, and made new. All that has to be done is to wash; to be clean. Yet it is not Tide in which we are washed. The blood of the Lamb who was slain washes us clean. These same people are described in Revelation 7:9-13. Go take a look. I wait. ... Good, You're Back: Now we get to the reason why people get into heaven and some don't. Why Not? Simply put, being human. We live, and have lived, in societies where "freedom" was to indulge in self gratification. "I can do anything I want with any one I want and no one can tell me otherwise." Do you know what this sounds like? "You can be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4) Contrary to some thoughts, we will never be good enough to enter heaven. ONLY... The blood of Lamb and its' sin cleansing properties is the means of entrance. When we believe that Jesus humiliated and sacrificed Himself in order to remove our sins from us and to make us clean before God the Father, sitting on the throne, we will enter through the front gate of heaven, our eternal home with God. SO... Let us live our lives, our disciple lives, trusting that God the Father sent God the Son, also known as Jesus, to forgive our sins and cleansed us from all sin and unrighteousness. Let us obey everything that Jesus taught us as we live for Him, with Him, and in Him. Let us listen to and follow the guidance and direction of God the Holy Spirit through His Word. All Because... of Jesus. Do you have thoughts and questions? Let's talk. Monday, May 20, 2019 John 16:28-33: [Jesus is saying,] " I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father. His disciples said, "Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech. Now we know that You know all things and do not need anyone to question You. This is why we believe that you came from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming. Indeed it has come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am ot alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart. I have overcome the world." Jesus' Plan is Revealed: Jesus is heading back to the Father. Jesus is heading back to heaven. At this moment in time, Jesus is not revealing that between now and when He goes back to the Father, He will be arrested, beaten, tried, nailed to a cross, crucified, die, be buried and rise to life. At this moment in time, the disciples, I don't think, could have handle that brutal part of the truth. At the same time, Jesus is revealing that they, the disciples, will go through their own torment and struggles. Out of fear, the disciples will run away from Jesus. One will betray Him. One will deny knowing Him. The rest of them will scatter, fearing for their own lives. Then Jesus finally reveals His encouragement to His disciples. Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus has done it through what He went through. It seems backwards. Yet it is as straightforward as possible. Because Jesus was the victim of the sins of the entire world, He was the Victor over sin, death, and the influence of Satan. Jesus defeated death. Jesus gives life through His death and resurrection. "Stop being afraid." Jesus told them. "The world has not and will not defeat me." The Plan is for US: We are just like the disciples, the hand picked twelve. We deny knowing Jesus because it is easier than facing obstacles and possible rejection by friends and family. When tough things in life happen, we run away from the ONE who will guide through the tough stuff. Then we stand alone in our grief, sadness, and confusion without a guide who helps us through. Then Jesus tells us not to worry. The hardships of life are hard. That is a given. So live by means of your faith. "Trust me." Jesus says to us. "The world did not defeat me. So I will not let it defeat you." So believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You will be saved. Got questions? Got thoughts? Let's talk about them together. Wednesday, May 15, 2019 Revelation 7:9-10: After this I [John the Apostle] looked, and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" We Will Be There! When we believe in the salvation of Jesus and the truth of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we will be in front of God as He sits upon the throne. We will be a part of a number of people so numerous that no one will be able to count it. There will be people from all over the world standing in the presence of God. When people from every race, every nation, every country, and space believe in the salvation of Jesus, that Jesus gave to them a one way ticket to heaven. Jesus gave them the ticket because of WHAT HE DID. Our Entry Ticket: People, including you and me, will not enter heaven because we're "good people." No matter how "good" we are, we will not get into heaven. Why? Doesn't entry into heaven depend on us following the Ten Commandments? No it doesn't. If it did, then we would have to obey all the commandments all the time. And we all know, that we cannot obey all the commandments all of the time. Why is that? It's because we're sinners. Heaven is for saints, not sinners. Who is a saint? A saint believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for him. A saint knows and believes that Jesus' blood and righteousness saves her from all of her sins. Saints believe that Jesus gave them a new life through His resurrection. So a saint is a believer is the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Through faith in Jesus and what He did, you are converted from a sinner to a saint. And the saints homes in heaven are built and ready to go because Jesus went back to heaven and prepared them Himself. Are You Ready? It's easy to be ready. Believe in God the Father, the one who created you and keeps you. Believe in God the Son, Jesus, who saved you from yourself, your sins, the sinful world, and Satan's influence. Believe in God the Holy Spirit, who sustains you and your faith and trust Him to guide you to your future. And the future is eternal life with God. Are you ready Monday, May 6, 2019 Revelation 9:17: For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. What John is Seeing: It is like John is in a great room where a throng of people too numerous to count is before the Lord God who is on His throne. People from every age and every race are in this room. Men and women standing in the presence of God, the Almighty. It is an amazing sight. And there, in front of the throne, is the Lamb who was slain. They are all gathered in the name and presence of Jesus, who died to remove their sins from them and who rose to give them life. It has to be an amazing sight. The People: Who are these people? They are believers who lived, died, and are living forever. They are the people who believe in Jesus their Savior. They are the ones who were lead, are being lead, and forever will they be lead to the place where living water is, where fear, grief, sadness, and hardship are no more. These are the people who received, are receiving, and will forever receive their peace and strength. Tears shed are dried. Joy of living with God forever replaces sadness and grief. To Where are the Going: The people are headed to heaven. They are going to their eternal life with God in the center of their lives and Jesus as their leader. The people are going to live forever in the eternal place where being with God is the ultimate. No more sorrows and grief. No more sin and death. No more have to deal with consequences of a world that is broken because of the sin of humanity. All is connected to God. What are YOU Seeing? When you believe in Jesus and His Salvation and life, you will see this throng, too. You will be a part of a group so large you will never be able to know how many are there. People from all over. Men and women of every tribe, race, and tongue united in the presence of the throne of God with Jesus in front. The cares and the worries of our lives are DONE. The sorrows and griefs are DONE. Sin and death ARE DONE! Do you want to be a part of that? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. AND you can be in a small part of that mega group right now. When you come to worship, you are in the presence of God. His Word went it is proclaimed and preached on, will bring peace and comfort to you. You will enter a Sanctuary where Jesus is present, especially when we celebrate the Lord's Supper. And when you believe, you know that you will be a part of the great throng in heaven with God. If you're in the Huntsville area, come and be a part of the body of Christ here at Faith. Tuesday, April 30, 2019 Acts 9:3-6, 10-12, 17-18, 22 Now as he [Saul] went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And He said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." ... Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold he is praying and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." ... So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. The he rose and was baptized. ... But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who live in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. The Confrontation of Saul: Saul, who was trying to destroy the new Christian Church, called "The Way" at that time, had permission from the Sanhedrin to persecute and arrest the disciples in Damascus. On his way there, Saul was "knocked to his knees" by the presence of Jesus. In that confrontation, Saul was blinded. Why did Jesus do this? It's simple. Jesus needed Saul "see" a different path to God and life with God. So blind and helpless, Saul heads to Damascus being helped by his traveling companions. Your Confrontation: Have you had a "Confrontation Experience" with God? Has God knocked you to your knees? Has God interrupted your path in order to show you a new one? I hope so. We all need it. We need God to knock some sense into our thick heads tainted by sin. We need to know that we are helpless and in need of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Conversion of Saul: Saul had time to sit and ponder his life. Saul had time to reflect on the actions of God in his life while waiting for an Ananias to arrive. Then Ananias arrived and removed the blindness that Saul had. And it wasn't just the blindness of his eyes. It the was blindness of his life. First the physical sight returned then the spiritual sight began. Saul was baptized and washed clean. He received the Holy Spirit and a new person began. This new person, eventually to be renamed Paul, received the grace and mercy of Jesus. Saul's life turned 180 degrees away from where he was headed. Saul was headed now to life with God. Your Conversion: Have you, after being confronted by God, taken the time to ponder and meditate on your life? I hope so. Because this meditation leads to repentance. Through Confession of your sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteous. God the Holy Spirit, comes to you and removes the barriers and the sin that keep you from seeing God. Through Holy Baptism, God washes you. Through confession, God absolves you of your sins and declares you righteous, forgiven, and free. Have you been baptized? If you haven't contact me. Saul's New Life in Action: Saul was a changed man. No longer did he work against God. Saul began to work for God. Empowered by the Spirit, Saul lived out his new life in Christ through preaching and teaching. He baffled people. He caused confrontation. He addressed sin and death in people's lives. And through the words and actions, God converted people to "The Way" of Jesus Christ. People's lives were transformed. God turned their lives around. Instead of running from God, people were running to God. Your New Life in Action: God the Holy Spirit has changed your life. He has turned you 180 degrees in the opposite direction. You have a new life when you believe and are baptized. And the new life has a purpose and focus. You, along with hundreds and thousands of believers work in concert in order to confront and convert people. Do You Want to Know More? Send me a note. We can talk. Wednesday, April 24, 2019 John 20:26-29: Eight days later [after Easter Sunday], His disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." The He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and plance it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not see and yet have believed." Poor Thomas: He seems to be labeled all the time. For centuries Thomas was labeled, "Doubting Thomas." The reason? It's simply, really. Thomas was using reason and rationalism to determine whether or not he was going to believe that Jesus was alive. Did Thomas trust the words of his fellow disciples? He didn't. Thomas had to "see for himself." Then he would believe. Seeing is Not Faith: Seeing, touching, and hearing are our senses that we use in order to experience reality. For example, someone tells me that the steaks at Lone Star Steak House are great, I will want to try for myself before I would agree. I would have to experience it. Faith is trusting the words of your friend without you having to taste them yourself. Conflicted Thomas: I think Thomas believed. At the same time, his human nature took over. Still in grief and sorrow, and even some guilt, Thomas had an extremely difficult time trusting his friends who said that Jesus was alive. So that is why I think that Thomas said, "Unless I see..." The conflict did not resolve itself until he saw Jesus, in the flesh. Then Redirect: Then Jesus then tells Thomas that faith is not about what he experienced through his senses. Faith goes beyond seeing. Faith is about trusting what you don't see. Faith is trusting your gut. Faith is trusting what someone else says and accepting the truth of it. For Us: Jesus is talking about our faith. Jesus is talking about the reality that we believe the words and experiences of others, including Jesus, and accepting them as true and right without having to have experienced them ourselves. Faith in who Jesus is and what He did goes beyond our own frame of reference. Does that make us conflicted? You bet. We believe. We also have questions. And who will lead us beyond our conflict and questions to a simple faith and trust in the truth of Jesus and what He did? God the Holy Spirit will through the eye witness accounts of the reality of Jesus. What do you think? Let's share a few words about faith. Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! This is the most wonderful expression of love, EVER! Why? It’s because of God’s great love to raise Christ Jesus from death. St. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15: 20-28: But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. God's Love for Us: God loved us to send Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man into our world to be our Savior. Jesus died and thereby forgave our sins. Jesus rose to complete the work God the Father sent Him to do. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our resurrection. Our Need for Salvation: God knows that we can’t fulfill all of His Law perfectly. We are hopelessly lost in sin, which leads to death. That is why Jesus is the one AND ONLY human who obeyed the law of the Father perfectly. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Law on our behalf. God also knows that we need to be saved from our sins. We are stained with sin. The only way that stain will ever be removed is by means of the blood of the innocent sacrifice of Jesus. That is why Good Friday is called “Good.” Jesus died. He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” We are cleaned of all sinned. The Gift of Life: And the “TADA” of God’s work is Jesus’ resurrection. His resurrection is the promise that we too will rise from sin and death into His new life for us now as well as forever. This is God’s ultimate act of love. He brought life to sinners. He brought hope to the hopeless. God brought mercy to those who need it. And we express of that love in our Easter greeting: Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Come and join us this Holy Week for all of our services. Check out our website, www.faithhuntsville.org for service days and times. See you at one or all of our services. Wednesday, April 10, 2019 Philippians 3:8-12: Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him hi His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the deea. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, bu I press on to make i my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. My Losses: People spend a life time chasing after "things." What are those "things?" They include, riches, property, status, fame, pride, and power, just to name a few. There are those who want it all. There are those who want it all, NOW. The Bible uses a phrase to describe this pursuit. "Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Think about it. Fame is fleeting. Athletic prowess ends faster than it starts. Money can disappear in a moment. Power and control are illusions. You'll never have enough power and you can't control everything. If we chase after these "things" of the world, we will never have them completely. That is the reality. The only thing that lasts not only in our lifetimes, but forever, is Jesus Christ. Through faith in Him, we have something of far greater worth than the temporary things of this world. We will have eternal life with God. So I look at my life, including the material blessings that God provides to sustain my life, as a loss. I do not grieve about it. I won't miss it, too much, when it goes away. My life is in God the Father who sent Jesus, God the Son, to save me of my sins. Jesus "lost" His life in order to "find" mine and yours. The gains that I have outshine the brightest things in this world. My Gains: I gain a wealth from God that is light years better than any wealth on earth. I gain a heavenly home, far larger and grander than any castle and mansion on earth. I care not for fame, power, status, and pride. Those things won't exist in heaven. Believers are, and forever will be, one in status with Christ Jesus my Lord. I gain heaven when I believe in what Jesus did for me here on earth. I gain life eternal when I believe now in this lifetime. I gain it all. I don't have it all, NOW. I will when I get to heaven. So in the time that I have NOW, I will live according to God's love and grace and favor. I will offer my life as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him. Is this heavenly life intriguing to you? Do you want to know more? Let's talk. And then let's see what you can gain through Jesus. Monday, April 1, 2019 2nd Corinthians 5:17-18: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. No, this not an April Fools joke. This is real. New Creation: When we are "in Christ," we are a new creation. What that means is this. All we were is now gone. The blood of Jesus washes us clean from the inside out. We cannot "reinvent" ourselves. We are remade. We cannot "lift ourselves up by our boot straps." We are picked up from death and ruin into life and salvation. How can this happen? "All this is from God..." You have heard the phrase, "a leopard cannot change his spots." How true. Neither can we. We cannot change the fact that we are conceived and born into sin. Only God makes the change. Only God through Christ will change this lowly body and transform it into a heavenly body. Only God through Christ creates someone new out of someone old. We are dead to sin and alive to righteousness. The Key Phrase: "if anyone is IN Christ. (emphasis mine), he is a new creation." To be "In Christ" necessitates for us not to be "in self." Something has to give. Something has to go away for us to be "in Christ." What has to go away? We do. Jesus was told by Martha after the death of her brother Lazarus, "If you had come when we wanted you to, my brother would not have died." Jesus' reply was, "Your brother will rise again." Martha's reply to that was, "Yes, I know that Lazarus will rise on the last day." Then Jesus says something amazing. Jesus takes what Martha said and took it one step further. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in, even though he will die, yet will he live and whoever believes in me shall never die." To live in Christ means that we have to die. We have to die to sin and unrighteousness. When we believe in Jesus and what He did, we "crucify" the flesh and live according to spirit of Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus died in order to forgive our sins. Jesus rose to give to us a new life. Through Christ we are new creations. Through Christ we have new lives that live in the world today AND will live with Jesus forever. We are new creations. Let's discuss this. I would like to invite you to comment. What are your thoughts. |
AuthorPastor Robert Hemsath joined Faith Lutheran Church and School as the Senior Pastor in January 2017. Pastor Hemsath comes to FLC from Christ the King Lutheran Church in Waxahachie, TX. He has also served congregations in Aberdeen, ID and Pocatello, ID. He has been a Lutheran pastor for the past 20 years. Archives
November 2020
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