19 APR 2024 · Why Did Jesus Have to Die?  - To Display God’s Wisdom  - To Demonstrate God’s Love - To Destroy the devil - To Defeat death - To Deal with Our Sin

19 APR 2024 · Jesus had to die to deliver us from our greatest enemies: the Devil and death.  He delivered us from the fear of death through death.  He died that we might live forever!

18 MAR 2024 · Why did Jesus have to die?  

11 MAR 2024 · Why did Jesus have to die?  To demonstrate God's love.  Do you feel loved?  Do you believe that you are loved?  Do you believe that your family loves you?  What about your spouse or friends?  Do you believe that God loves you? We should never doubt God's love for us.  He loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to save us by His death.  

4 MAR 2024 · Christians believe that God saves us from our sins through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.  It is foolishness to the world and a stumblingblock for many.  They think, "What a strange and cruel way to save people."  Why did it happen this way?  Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Couldn’t there have been another way? Jesus, after His resurrection, said, "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:26-27 ESV)This was the best way.  This was the only way.  It was purposed and planned out of the wisdom of God.

25 FEB 2024 · How can we help those who are weary and heavy burdened?  If we aren't careful, we can do more harm than good. Instead of compassion we can offer up ungenerous suspicions, ungracious judgements, underserved condemnation, and uncaring platitudes. According to Charles Spurgeon, “strong minded people are very apt to be hard upon nervous folk,” and “to speak harshly to people who are very depressed in spirit,” saying, ‘really, you ought to rouse yourself out of that state.’” “one of the most cruel things that can be said to the sufferer.”  While trying to help he “only inflicts additional pain.” We need to follow th golden rule: Treat others how we would want to be treated.  We need to ask the question: How does God deal with us?  How does God care for us when we are weary of soul?  

19 FEB 2024 · Are you mastered by your feelings or the master of your feelings? What about anger?  Do you have it under control or does it control you?  We need God's wisdom to rightly deal with our emotions and keep them from dominating and destroying us. Proverbs 14:29-30 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.

13 FEB 2024 · “An ointment for every wound, a cordial for every faintness, a remedy for every disease.  Blessed is he who is well skilled in heavenly pharmacy and knows how to lay hold on the healing virtues of the promises of God.”  Charles Spurgeon

5 FEB 2024 · What causes our souls to be weary and heavy burdened? There can be physical, circumstantial, and spiritual causes. One of the main spiritual causes of misery is guilt. People will spend thousands of dollars and countles hours in therapy trying to get rid of the feeling of guilt. Even Christians can feel overwhelmed with feeling accused and condemned by God. We believe we have sinned too much and lost God's love. He is angry with us. We doubt that we have ever been a Christian. To relieve the burden of guilt we need to understand who we are in Christ: regenerated by God and reconciled to God. We are a new creation and have a new relationship through faith in Jesus.

5 FEB 2024 · Depression is a pervasive illness in our society. Since the launch of Prozac in 1987, antidepressant use has quadrupled in the United States, and more than 1 in 10 Americans now takes antidepressants, according to the CDC. Since the mid 90’s, depression has been largely treated as a physical problem that can be cured or controlled through medicine. However, every person is different. No two depressions are alike. The cause of depression is hard to diagnose and the cure can be even harder to find. What does God's word say about dealing with depression? Listen to the words of the Psalmist as he cries out to God about the darkness of his depression.