PASTOR'S CORNER

Prov 16:2 If you talk to most unsaved people about Jesus and the gospel they will usually say something like this “I don’t need to be saved, I’m alright, what’s wrong with me?”  Or you can hear them say “I’m not afraid…..I’m an honest person, I don’t hurt anyone.”  By our human nature [depravity] we tend to think the problem is outside of us when in reality the problem is in us. We think that we’re ok, but such a pre-mature opinion of oneself is adolescent and smug at best. The person may be far from pure when the Lord weighs the motives. Albert Barnes said “We are blind to our own faults; we do not see ourselves as others see us.”  Remember the words of Jeremiah “the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked...” Jer 17:9. You talk to most religious people they will say “I’m alright, we just fine” Ask a Mormon? Ask a Jehovah’s Witness? Ask a Jewish person? Ask a Muslim? Ask an Atheist? Ask an Agnostic? Ask an libertarian? The...

Prov 18:22 I want to talk to the men this morning; but ladies I want you to hear this as well, because it involves you too. God has given us an institution of divine grace! An institution that causes us to leave selfishness and pride at the door. It's the institution of marriage [holy matrimony]. See marriage is beautiful covenant union that God has blessed us with. Not only has He saved us from our sins through the finished work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He has also blessed with the gift of marriage as He gives us His daughters. So my question for you husbands is this! Have you thanked the Lord for your wife lately? Seriously, have you ever stopped and did that? Thank the Lord for your good wife, because He is the one who gave her to you. John Newton had these words to say when he wrote to his wife Polly “It is no wonder if so many years, so many endearments, so many obligations have produced such an uncommon effect, tha...

Prov 15:1 When you think of the word “hot tempered” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  See the major problem with a hot tempered person is that they like a good fight and they will never back down! They will always insist upon having the last word in every  argument . And the sad reality is that it can be very dangerous for  them-self  and others. There is a poem that my dear wife brought to my attention….. It’s about a dog and a cat that don’t see eye to eye, and neither one of them is willing to back down! And the story is narrated by a Chinese plate after he was told by the Old Dutch clock on the wall. The Duel by Eugene Field The gingham dog and the calico cat Side by side on the table sat; 'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!) Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink! The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate Appeared to know as sure as fate There was going to be a terrible spat. (I wasn't there; I si...

I HAVE CHOSEN YOU! George Mylne, "Fear Not!" 1854 "Fear not, I have chosen you!" Isaiah 41:9, 10. Christian reader, God says to you, "I have chosen you!" This is a great mystery--but it is a comforting truth. God does not tell you WHY He chose you. He only tells you the simple fact. It is not for you to question it, or to shrink from it--but to receive it, and be thankful. God was free to love you--or free to loathe you.  He was free to choose you--or free to reject you. He says, "I have chosen you!" Believe what God says, and rejoice. "Before the mountains were brought forth, before He had formed the earth and the world," God had chosen you! "From everlasting to everlasting, He is God." From everlasting to everlasting He loved--He chose--He delighted in His people.  Fellow-sinner, if God says, "I have chosen you," He says it . . . to encourage you; to strengthen you; to sanctify you; that...

Job 31:1 In today’s technological age we are bombarded with all kinds of ways to cause us to stumble, especially in the area of sexual immorality.   Everywhere you turn we are faced with the temptation of lust or sexual immorality!  In his book Eyes of Integrity, Craig Gross contends that our battle with sexual immorality (and other sins) often begins in the mind. He went on to share the following personal story about identifying the battle for our mind: “It was spring break in New Orleans, the streets were packed with college-age partiers, and the debauchery had reached an all-time high. My friend Donald and I ... had no idea we were going to be stepping into a raucous street party. A few minutes of the madness swirling around us, and both of us knew we needed to get out. Quick. The smell of beer infused the air, and high above the street level, lined along the apartment balconies, women revelers danced, flashing the crowd. Spontaneous applause and cheers erup...