A Place Of Grace

They say say that a picture is worth a thousand words… In our passage today, John sees somethings visually that is difficult to find words for to describe! In order for us to visualize what he is seeing John writes down for us 611 words. Johns words will immerse us in a tour given by an angel as he has…

As I realized we would be honoring our graduates this Sunday, I looked ahead to where I would be in the book of Revelation curious what I would be preaching on… and noticed it would be the topic of ETERNITY . At first I thought, “ Well , that's a heavy subject matter ” but as I thought about it more…

The late Charles Dickens begins his novel “Christmas Carol” with these opening words: Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. … Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. … There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can…

The role of PARENTING is under attack these days. BOTH roles of Father and Mother are vital roles and both in our society have recieved pointed attacks. The war rages more and more each day! Europe has already relegated these roles to (Parent 1 and Parent 2). The family institution (Father, Mother, Child,…

Communion Jesus shared with His disciples that we are to remember Him as often as we come together… this is done when the bread is broken, the cup is drank. He left us beautiful pictures to look back and remember: His body broken for you and me His blood shed for the atonement for our sin This is also…

Jesus defeated sin and death at the cross. We had the blessed celebration of that last week. Jesus would say That “ God so loved the world He gave His only Son ” Because of this, Jesus as He ascended into Heaven would declare. “ Go into all the world and make disciples ” But Jesus would also warn His…

The book of Acts records for us that the apostles were sharing Jesus Christ risen from the dead and because of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection… there was forgiveness of sin! The religious leaders were not happy with this message that they were spreading… and wanted to stop them! One of them however…

An amazing week was coming to a close, Jesus had taught such a great deal, declared so many amazing things. NOW … it was passover, the greatest of all Jewish Feast and Celebrations!!! Jesus had celebrated with His disciples this occasion before but He was specially looking forward to this one. The Meal…

The Lure… a decoy intended for capture… it is something artificial intended to look real and appealing, very attractive. The way it moves and looks catches the eye It appeals to the senses and sparks interest Once it catches the attention it draws in its prey, seducing it The prey draws closer, mesmerized…

I Have a “ God Box ” … I made mine small, bright so it would grab my attention, I even labeled it so I would know and remember. Some of you are judging me right now Some of you are thinking, “My box is much bigger” Some of you are wondering, “why so small?” Some of you are thinking, “I don't put God…

During my trips to Africa I experienced worship a little different than we engage in worship here… I recall one of the songs we sang was over ten minutes long! In that song they sang about all they were grateful to God for. One of the ladies in one church gave me a CD they had made of their worship songs……

There has been a real struggle since I stated this series. Please pray for me, it is sometimes daily, but consistently weekly… MY WIFE keeps referring to this book we have grown to love and have been studying together as REVELATION (S) … the struggle is real and I have come to the conclusion she is doing…

We zoomed in from the large panning of the global wrath of God to focus in on some details and key individuals of this tribulation period. We observed the cosmic conflict that has raged over time between the WOMAN Israel, The DRAGON Satan himself, and the MALE CHILD Christ Himself. God sent His Two Witnesses…

Our Labrador will do everything in her power to run and jump in a pond, lake, or river. She loves the rain and snow, sprinklers are a fun toy for her… YET , you mention the word “ BATH ” and her ears go back, her tail goes between her legs and she does all she can to hide. It is a similar impression…

Apocalypse… Jesus Christ As we continue our study through Revelation we are continuing to discover more and more about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we look at chapter twelve today we will step back and observe the end times from another perspective. We begin to look closer at some of the individuals…

Today many churches across the world will quote THESE WORDS to some degree or extent… they have been declared nearly 2000 years... They bring comfort and They challenge us They draw our focus to look within They challenge our motives They cause us to want in this life what God has in heaven They call…

I have watched movies where they will pan across a scene, truthfully there is often too much to take in as the shot continues to pan. As you begin to get the impact of the magnitude the lens begin to zoom in and focus on particular characters crucial to the overall plot. With the backdrop of the larger…

Psalm 119:11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Psalm 19:9-10 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and…

Joshua as he leads the people of Israel into the land for which God had promised them, puts before the people a choice after reminding them of ALL GOD HAS DONE… Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord , choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which…

The seven churches receiving this letter of Revelation have observed The Lamb take the scroll as the ONLY One worthy... Six of its seals have been pealed back Angels have been instructed to wait for the sealing of the 144,000 They have observed the multitude of saints who have died and stand before the…

As we closed out Chapter 6 peeling back the sixth seal … those running from God shake their fist crying out… “ who is able to stand? ” Chapter 7 takes the reader to an interlude as we find the answer to the question of “ who is able to stand ”… Today in our reading we will look at: 2 Different Scenes…

Christmas morning in our home consist of waking up, enjoying a fun breakfast of strawberry crepes, the reading of the Christmas story from Luke's gospel, prayer and then the opening of gifts… Combined Emotions of: Expectation Excitement Discovery as the paper is torn back Wonder & Awe filled with gratitude…

We gave our kids a vacation years ago that cost a great deal of money. Our kids loved it. It was only a few weeks later after coming home that they said we needed to go again, not realizing the great cost. Years later we would go again, but this time we strived to help them understand the true value……

Seal One, Two, Three, & Four have been peeled back… the Four Horsemen have charged their way into “ The Day of the Lord ”… bringing with them the wrath of God upon the sin and evil of mankind. As the next two seals are peeled back we observe a contrasting response to this wrath… Heavenly Perspective…

John has been taken in the spirit into the very throne room of God Almighty… Chapter 4 was introducing us to what John saw and as we look at Chapter 5 we continue his survey of this magnificent sight to picture and behold. This is not a new event, a change in circumstances, or another moment… we are…

I would like you to recall John's instructions recieved in Revelation 1:19 as he was directed to: “write the things which you have seen,” “and the things which are,” “and the things which will take place after these things.” Where we have been... We have seen Christ in His glory in Chapter 1 We have…

We live in a day when self help books flood the shelves of book stores, podcast stream the poison of self help, YouTube and other social media boats large volumes of those directing people back to themselves… Pull yourself together If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself Just believe…

Invite the kids to come up before being dismissed... How BIG is your God? What can your God do? Is there ANYTHING too hard for God? While visiting Mali Africa a local pastor told me a story about a massive Radio Tower in his small little town of Kati just outside Bamako, the capital of Mali Africa. The…

What would it look like to be in a dead church??? Their pastor graduated from a theological cemetery. They sing “Amazing Grave, How Sweet the Ground.” You might describe their worship as stiff. At the Rapture, they'll be the first churches taken up because the Bible says, “The dead in Christ shall rise…

JEZEBEL... This name has never been on the popular list of baby girl names, and for good reason! The name Jezebel carries with it the stigma and personification of evil, wickedness, and immorality. We're introduced to Jezebel in the Old Testament in 1 Kings 16:29-33 This Queen Jezebel... Was a murderer……

Many of you knew Zach and Mackenzie Richardson when they lived here and fellowshipped with us. Lisa and I had the privilege of visiting them on our way home from the IFCA National Convention this summer. They showed us around the family farm and they brought us to the barn where they had all of their…

What if… you could know what tomorrow held for you? Would you want to know? Would it offer you HOPE ? An old legend tells of a merchant in Baghdad who one day sent his servant to the market. Before very long the servant came back, white and trembling, and in great agitation said to his master: “Down…

My wife and I had a prolonged engagement of 13 months. In that time I would sit down and write her a “love note” each day and drop it in the mail. Many were lovey dovey, mushy and gushy. I expressed my heart, I shared my desires with her, and even from time to time would encourage her in some way to…

Ted Williams, at age 42 slammed a home run in his last official time at bat. Mickey Mantle, age 20, hit twenty-three home runs his first full year in the major leagues. Golda Meir was 71 when she became prime minister of Israel. William Pitt II was 24 when he became prime minister of Great Britain. George…

Some time had passed since John wrote his gospel introducing the world to “The Word becoming Flesh”. At the first coming of Jesus Christ, we read that Christ Himself declared , “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes…

All the neighborhood stood still and quiet, my wife froze where she was at, I stood looking at my son… my heart beating powerfully in my chest with some of the deepest fear mixed with concern and panic that it had ever felt. Just seconds before… I watched as my young son rode his bike between our cars…

Walking… I appreciate the fact that I could walk up here this morning. I think walking is something many of us take for granted. DID YOU KNOW? The average person will walk 65,000 miles in their lifetime ( 3 times around earth) Most people walk at a speed of 3 miles per hour Your average tennis shoe will…

For one to define LOVE it is best understood by going to 1 Cor 13: 4-8 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness,…

False teaching or false teachers are those who (often very subtle and quietly) either take away from or try to add to the Person and work of Jesus Christ. When we add or take away we find that there is an opening in our lives for either subtle or blatant sin to be excused and unaddressed Peter has stressed…

It was before the Israelites entered the land that Joshua would stand before them and warn them… Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord , choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of…

Jesus would look at His young ambitious disciple, full of passion and zeal… not that long ago this disciple would declare in Matthew 16 when Jesus asked… “ who do you say I am? ” … it would be this disciple that declared boldly without hesitation!!! … “ You are the Christ (Messiah). the Son of the Living…

BETTER… a more excellent or effective type or quality. Better is an adjective that describes something as being superior Better as an adverb that means something is done to a higher degree or more completely. As a verb, better means to improve Today we will be looking at the SUPERIORITY of Jesus Christ.…

Father's Day… a day to honor fathers. I am grateful for the many fathers out there who have invested in their children, who have set an example to follow. I am extremely thankful for the fathers and men who have put forth the effort to lead their families according to the scriptures… those who have lived…