God Is Not Looking For Your Sins!

1 Thessalonians 5:9
9For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

When you think of Sodom and Gomorrah, what comes to your mind?  God’s wrath and fiery judgment?  The truth is that God was not all out to judge the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.  He was not on a sin hunt.  He was, in fact, on a righteousness hunt!

This is evident because if God was on a sin hunt, He would not have allowed anyone to stop Him.  But we know that He let Abraham in on what He was about to do and even allowed Abraham to entreat Him.

Abraham asked God if He would destroy Sodom if He could find 50 righteous people there.  God’s reply was, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” (Genesis 18:26)  Abraham then asked God if He would destroy the city if there were only 45... 40...30... or 10 righteous.  And each time, God’s reply was the He would spare the place for the sake of the righteous.  Abraham stopped at 10.  If he had gone down to just one righteous man, I believe God’s reply would have been the same because He was on a righteous hunt.

Now, If God was not all out to destroy then, how much more today, when God has already judged our sins in the body of His Son?  At the cross, Jesus exhausted all of God’s fiery judgement until there was no more fire of God’s wrath left for us!

Today, God is not judging us for our sins because He has found the righteousness of the one Man - Christ Jesus.  So do not let anyone tell you that God judges you for your sins and punishes you with cancer, care accidents, business failures or brokenness.  God would be unjust if He punished the same sins twice - in Jesus’ body and then in yours.

Beloved, God is not out to judge you but to bless you today, not because you deserve it, but because Jesus was judged and punished in your place!  remember...if God had a fridge, your picture would be on it...if God had a wallet...He would have a picture of you inside.

God Loves You and I Love You!  Pastor Eriwin

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word

Born To Die...So That We Might Live!!!

Luke 2:12
12And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

You are probably familiar with the story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.  The Bible says that when the time had come, Mary “brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger.” (Luke 2:6-7)  But have you ever wondered why the angel told the shepherds that the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger was a “sign”?

A manger is actually a feeding trough for livestock.  Do you  know what a feeding trough in those days looks like?  There is a similar one at Solomon’s stables in Meggido, Israel.  It is basically a big rectangular block of stone with the trough hewn out of it.  So baby Jesus, who was wrapped in swaddling cloths was placed in such a stone trough.

But why was that a sign?  Because if you have seen the empty tomb of Jesus at a place called The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, you would have noticed that the place where His body was laid, inside a tomb hewn out of rock, resembles a stone trough.  The Bible says that after Jesus’ crucifixion and death, Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body, wrapped it in linen and laid it in a tomb hewn out of rock. (Mark 15:43-46)

Can you see the similarities?  Wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger, baby Jesus would one day be wrapped in linen and laid in a tomb.  That was the sign the angel was referring to.  it pointed to Jesus’ death.

Jesus was the only child in all of humanity born to die.  Once you realize that, you will realize how much God loves you.  you will realize that He gave up His Son for that one purpose, and that His Son willingly came for that one purpose - to die for your sins and mine.

Beloved, can you imagine living your life knowing that you are just qualifying yourself to die on the cross to save the world?  That was the life that Jesus lived.  He lived to die, so that we might live and enjoy life abundantly today!  This Christmas, pledge to LIVE for Jesus Christ!!!

God Loves You and I Love You!  Pastor Erwin

Experience God's Presence Daily!!!

Matthew 1:23 
...and they shall call His Name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

God has promised you His constant presence (Hebrews 13:5),but are you conscious of His presence every day?  When You are conscious of His presence every day, you will experience a peace that gives you rest, joy inexpressible in your spirit and a power that nothing in this world can offer.  In fact, you will begin to be peaceful and powerful like Jesus.  You will speak and behave like Him.  This is because you cannot be in God’s presence without His beauty, love, peace, power, and glory rubbing off on you.

But how do you practice being conscious of God’s presence?

Start by seeing God with you in whatever you do and wherever you are.  For example, at your office meeting, while deliberating on issues, see the Lord there in your workplace with you, guiding you in your thinking.  And you can be sure that His presence will bring clarity of thought and wisdom to you.  You will find yourself flowing with great and sound ideas.

If you are going for an interview, see the Lord there in the interview room with you, putting answers in your mouth.  You nervousness will melt away as you see His favor on you bringing on smiles and approving nods from the interviewers.

Perhaps you are going for surgery.  Well, see the Lord in the  operating room with you, guiding the hands of the surgeons.  Your worries will dissipate because nothing can go wrong in the Lord’s presence.

If you are in the middle of an argument, see the Lord standing within earshot.  Your words will change and your body language will become more reconciliatory as you see Him right there with you extending His grace to you.  There will be a restraint which is not borne of willpower, but which comes supernaturally when you know that the One who loves you and watches over you is with you.

Beloved, when you become conscious of God’s presence in your life, worries and fears will have no foothold in your mind.  You will see Him maximizing your joy and fun, and prospering you in what you say and do!  so, this Christmas season, rest assured that Jesus Himself is available to you...now and forever!!!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin

 

Feed on God's Word Daily!!!

Matthew 4:4
4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
 
The Bible tells us that God breathed into man and he became a living being.  (Genesis 2:7)  It is also tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed.  (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV)  This means that when you read the Bible or listen to God’s Word preached, you are imbibing the very breath of God which gives you life.

That is why there may have been times you walked into church feeling tired at first, but left at the end of the service feeling refreshed and energized.  God’s Word had breathed life into your body!  Many faithful church members become healthier, stronger and even younger-looking because they spend time in God’s Word.

It is no wonder that Proverbs 4:22 tells us that God’s words are “life to those who find them and health to all their flesh”.  So if you are under the weather or if symptoms are attacking your body, double up on God’s medicine.  Simply feed more on God’s Word, and you will find life and health flowing through your body again.

Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  If it is important to eat our meals every day, how much more feeding on God’s Word?  Jesus wants us to know that we need God’s Word even more than our daily meals.  He made us, so He knows best what our bodies need daily.

So whatever you do, remember that get your daily feeding of God’s Word.  Read your Bible in the comfort of your home or in the office during your lunch break.  Play sermon CDs while driving to work or doing household chores.  If you prefer something more visual, watch DVDs on the preaching of His Word.  Choose whichever form you prefer and get His Word inside you!

Beloved, you cannot live when you stop breathing.  In the same way, you cannot live without the Word because it is the very breath of God which gives you life and health!  So, bring it up another notch...don’t just feed on the Word...FEAST on the Awesome Word of God!!!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin

Jesus is Our Restorer and Nourisher!

Ruth 4:15
15And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age... 

Famine impoverished the life of Naomi, an Israelite.  But it was the deaths of her husband and two sons that left her completely destitute.  (Ruth 1:1-5)  Or so she thought, until Boaz, who was a wealthy and close relative, entered her life.

As her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz married Ruth, Naomi’s widowed daughter-in-law.  and through that union, Naomi had a grandson.  The birth of her grandson gave her a new lease of life, causing the womenfolk in her village to declare that the restorer of life and the nourisher of her old age had come into her life.  (Ruth 4:14-16)

Boaz is a picture of Jesus, our kinsman-redeemer.  Jesus became our kinsman when He was born into this world as one like us.  And He became our Redeemer when He paid with His life and blood at the cross to redeem us.

Jesus gave Himself to us as a our restorer of life and nourisher of our old age.  When the restorer of life is in our lives, what we have lost can be restored.  (Joel 2:25-26)  And with the nourisher of our old age in us, our bodies can be gloriously renewed even though we advance in our years.

That is why when Moses died at the age of 120, his eyes were not dim and his natural vigor was not diminished.  (Deuteronomy 34:7)  Caleb, at 85 years old, could still drive out the giants from the land.  god had literally nourished his body and made it strong for war.  (Joshua 14:11)  Sarah was certainly rejuvenated in her old age by God for she was still desirable to a king at the age of 90.  (Genesis 20:1-2)  God even renewed her womb.  She received strength to conceive seed (Hebrews 11:11), giving birth to Isaac in her old age.

Beloved, God is outside of time and your faith in Him brings you into this timeless zone.  There, what the years have stolen will be restored.  And even as  your years increase, you will not grow weak and weary because the restorer of life and nourisher of your old age is in you!  So, keep flexing your faith muscles and claim your inheritance from God!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin

God is setting you up for a BLESSING!

Ruth 2:12
12The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.
 
Have you ever wondered why, in some Bible stories, God asked the people to give what little they had to Him?  It may appear cruel, but the truth is that God was setting them up for a blessing!  God’s way is to use whatever we have, and multiply it back to us once we put it in His hands.

The widow of Zarephath had only a handful of flour and a little oil to make one last meal for her son and herself before they faced starvation.  But she trusted God and used a portion of the little that she had to make a cake for the prophet Elijah.  And God rewarded her by making sure that her bin of flour was not used up and her jar of oil did not run dry until the drought ended (1 Kings 17:8-16)

Similarly, the boy who gave his little lunch of five loaves and two small fish to Jesus not only ate well, but he also saw it being used to feed more than 5,000 people with 12 baskets full of leftovers! (John 6:1-13)

Whenever we give what little we have to God, whether it is money, time or energy, it opens up our hearts so that God can fill us up with more.  And when we give our lives to God, we can trust Him to make things right for us and to be the rewarder of our faith.

When Ruth, a childless Moabite widow, left the comfort of her home to follow her mother-in-law Naomi and the God of Israel back to a foreign land (Ruth 1:16), she was given a full reward by the Lord.  God gave Ruth protection and ensured that she was well-provided for through Boaz, a wealthy relative who took on the role of kinsman-redeemer for her and Naomi. (Ruth 2:9, 4:9-10)

Beloved, as you trust God with what you have today, know that He loves you and is setting you up for more blessings.  So expect to see even more of His provision and abundance in the days to come!  We serve a God who is ever faithful...ever loving...So, trust Him for ALL you need!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin