PASTOR'S CORNER

I just want to share something that's been on my heart......I was reading the post John Piper put out about taking a break from the pastorate....And I thought to myself the passage of Scripture that Paul said to the church of Philippi and us too! " Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus," Phil 2:4-5 Here is a man who preaches the word with such enthusiasm Here is a man who is an amazing pastor/teacher Here is a man who I admire and look up to with great respect Here is a man who loves the Lord with all his heart, mind and soul Here is a man who has been faithful to the word of God for so many years Here is a man who knows (sees) when something is wrong personally! Here is a man who humbled himself for the people he loves (Noel, and his church family) Though his statement came as a shock to me! It grieves me [my selfishness of course] to see such a lo

Jesus did not wrestle his angry Father to the floor of heaven and take the whip out of his hand. He did not force him to be merciful to humanity. His death was not the begrudging consent of God to be lenient to sinners. No, what Jesus did when he suffered and died was the Father’s idea. It was a breathtaking strategy, conceived even before creation, as God saw and planned the history of the world. That is why the Bible speaks of God’s “purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Timothy 1:9). Already in the Jewish Scriptures the plan was unfolding. The prophet Isaiah foretold the sufferings of the Messiah, who was to take the place of sinners. He said that the Christ would be “smitten by God” in our place. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our Christ Suffered and Died . . . iniquities. . . . All we like sheep

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” G a l a t i a n s 3 : 1 3. God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. R o m a n s 3 : 2 5 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.1 J o h n 4 : 1 0. If God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving. Therefore his love is willing to meet the demands of his justice. God’s law demanded, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more. This is what sin is—dishonoring God by preferr

I cannot say OUR if my religion has no room for others and their needs. I cannot say FATHER if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my daily life. I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things. I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I, who am called by his name am not holy. I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am unwilling to give up my own sovereignty and accept the righteous reign of God. I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life. I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN unless I am truly ready to give myself to his service here and now. I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD without expending honest effort for it or by ignoring the genuine needs of my fellowmen. I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone. I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately choose to remain in a sit