Sermon Reflections from Jesus is Alive| John Klobuchar | April 21, 2024
It was a pleasure to have John with us this Sunday giving the message and telling us more about the Bay Area Chaplin’s ministry. John oversees this ministry and works directly with inmates on a daily basis. His goal is “To Make Christ Known.” Working with the segment of society that is incarcerated is a calling and requires understanding, insight and wisdom as he seeks to make Christ relevant and meaningful to those in hard circumstances. Regardless of where we are in life, Christ is the answer. Showing the inmates the pathway to life and true freedom holds a spiritual challenge for the one who is delivering the message. Knowing that God is impartial and His Holy Spirit can cut across any boundary or barrier is essential. John knows this and walks this pathway each day. John encouraged us from the book of Colossians as he read 3:1-17. As John does with the inmates, he sought to show us that the things we have in Christ are already there, accomplished, finished. We have these things by faith and are now hidden within Christ ourselves. We are secure in Christ. Knowing this we are instructed by Paul to put aside our old self, our old nature and put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are to leave that old life and those sins that came so easily to us and take up a new course with Christ. Even though we may not be in jail for crimes, we too have committed crimes against God. We are all sinners as we are reminded in Romans 3:23 “ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Thankfully, in Christ we are all new creations 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” All of us, regardless of who we are or where we live or what we’ve done need Jesus. He is the answer, John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Jesus is the answer. Whether John is at the prison, at home with family or with us, he is striving to make Christ known as he knows that Jesus is the answer! 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” Linda MESSAGE LINK Click Here to View the Message on Youtube Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass Sermon Reflections from Jesus is Here | Julio Barros | April 14, 2024
It was a pleasure to welcome Pastor Julio to the pulpit today as he and his congregation had worked alongside us in packing meals for Rise Against Hunger. It was a glorious time of serving together in spite of the fact that there was a language barrier. It was a glimpse of heaven as we know all believing peoples will be there on day worshiping the Lord together. The text of Pastor Julio’s sermon was Luke 18 and the parable of the unbelieving judge who was constantly bombarded by the widow coming to him seeking justice. She was persistent until the judge finally relented and sought justice for her. Her persistence was likened to our prayers and our need to be persistent in prayer. God is listening and desires to know our hearts. That which one prays for repeatedly is truly on their heart and matters to them. God knows this and honors persistence. Pastor Julio spoke on the importance of prayer in various ways. First, he mentioned that prayer has a physical effect on the one who prays. This close time with God makes one happier and even will cause one to smile. Taking time to pray daily will make a difference in your life as it is what the Bible would consider good medicine. Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Spending time with God will change your heart and provide an attitude adjustment for better living. Next, Pastor mentioned the spiritual effects of having a prayer life. When you pray you build something around you that adds protection and hope for your family and wisdom for daily living. It is a time when you tap into the wisdom of God and let it flow into you. Prayer is not just mindless repetition but communication and relationship building with God himself. How do you build friendships with others? You do it by spending quality time with them, sharing your heart and working together. God allows us to spend quality time with Him, share our hearts and serve Him with others to strengthen our relationship with Him. Jesus called himself our friend in John 15:14 “You are my friends if you do what I command.” Our question to ourselves should be, how do I know what God commands of me? Through His Word He reveals himself to us, through faith in Jesus and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit we can learn of God’s ways and through prayer God speaks to us. Being the friend of Almighty God is an awesome thing. Now to the actual praying and the need to be persistent like the widow in the parable. God will answer prayer but in His time. Isaiah 55:9 “ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We do not know the times of life, the interactions of relationships and the whys and why nots of all things like God does. So His answers are sometimes, “Yes”, sometimes “No” and sometimes “Wait”. We must keep praying and trust in God’s timing and sovereignty. We must always remember that God gave man free will and what God desires may not come to pass if the person is unrepentant and rejects God. Pray diligently that the Holy Spirit will be able to soften your loved ones hearts towards God and that they will come to know Jesus. I lean on 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God desires that all come to know Him- so keep on praying. Pastor Julio closed with this thought, “May our daily life be an act of prayer.” That would truly bring a change of heart to us both physically and spiritually. Praise God! Linda MESSAGE LINK Click Here to View the Message on Youtube Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass Sermon Reflections from Jesus is Grace | Alex Hardt | April 7, 2024
As Pastor Alex preached from Luke 15 this Sunday, I caught a vision of the many facets of Jesus’ character. Our God has many attributes to who He is. Some are ones that are for him alone like- sovereign, creator, Savior, glory, Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient and others are ones that He has in perfection but desires that we emulate like love, mercy, justice, goodness, kindness, compassion, patience, etc. From the parables in Luke 15 and Jesus’ actions we can learn much about our Lord. As Pastor Alex noted, Jesus began by confronting the narrow minded thinking of the religious leaders. Luke 15:1-2 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” The religious leaders were criticizing Jesus for associating with known sinners. Their idea was that their sins were small in comparison and they were more worthy. However, Jesus showed by his actions and words that He is impartial. He loves all sinners and desires that all would come to repentance and faith. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” The first parable Jesus told the crowd was of the lost sheep. The shepherd loses one sheep and leaves the 99 in search of the lost. His conclusion in verse 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” This attitude shows Jesus’ incomprehensible love. It is a love beyond our understanding. Alex put it this way, the pursuit of the lost.. is a reflection of the Father’s love for His children. We do not understand that kind of full love that would lead Him to send his only son to die on our behalf. John 3:16 says it this way, “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God’s love is complete and beyond our understanding. Thanks be to God for His great love for us! The second illustration Jesus told the crowd was of the woman who had 10 silver coins and had lost one. She went in search of this lost coin and like the lost sheep she rejoiced when she found it. Luke 15:10 “ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” This speaks of God’s great joy when someone turns to Him and accepts Jesus as their Savior and Lord by his infinite grace. His joy at our turning to him shows His kindness that we do not deserve. His grace is favor that is undeserved. He gives it freely, feels His joy freely and we did nothing to earn it. The joy of redemption is the restoration of the lost by the GRACE of God! Thanks be to God for His marvelous grace towards us! The last parable in this series is the story of the prodigal son. The son who takes his inheritance and squanders it recklessly. When he comes to his senses in the depth of despair, he realizes at that the servants in his father’s house are better off than he is. He returns home and his father unexpectedly welcomes him home and prepares a feast of celebration. Jesus was trying to explain the concept of mercy and forgiveness. The father is merciful and forgiving towards anyone who repents and turns to Him. Without Him, they were lost and now they are found. They have moved from death to life which is what we do in Christ through our faith in Him. Alex’s statement is so true, only the compassion of the Father can turn sinners into repentant citizens of heaven! The other son who had worked diligently all those years was upset over the father’s welcome feast. However, the father shows understanding and wisdom when he tells the other son in Luke 15:31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” The son who stayed has had the benefit of the father’s love and care all those years and has a full inheritance plus time with the father. The father desires that the other son understand the love, joy and compassion towards the lost when they come home. They were dead and now are alive. Ephesians 2:4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Thanks be to Jesus for His amazing Grace towards us! Linda MESSAGE LINK Click Here to View the Message on Youtube Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am. Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass |
AuthorA collection of thoughts from our community Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|