Joel D. McMahon is a pastor, teacher and counselor currently serving San Felipe United Methodist Church in historic San Felipe, Texas.
John 14:15-18 Until his Aldersgate experience, John Wesley was a sincerely religious man. That evening at Aldersgate, he was saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. Before he tried. Afterward, he did. Before, he was sincere. After, he was saved. The difference between the presence or absence of the Holy Spirit is results. God wants to empower believers to live a supernatural life. As we study scripture, what we find is that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and is absolutely and completely necessary and essential to live the life that God wants us to live as followers of Christ. God wants to fill His children with His Spirit so that we can live a supernatural life pleasing to God in all ways.
Ephesians 6:10-13 As we do battle, we recognize that we don't battle with the weapons of this world, but with the weapons of the spiritual world. What do you have? You have the helmet of salvation. You have the breastplate of righteousness. You have the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the evil one. You have the belt of truth. You have the shoes with the Gospel of peace. You have the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and you can pray in the Spirit on all occasions, invoking the power of God to do battle on your behalf.
Ephesians 6:10-20 Though we live in a physical world, there is another world. There is a spirit world, where there is a war raging. There is the, the Kingdom of Light versus the kingdom of darkness. When we engage in the spiritual battle, we don't fight with the weapons of this world; instead, we engage in this battle with prayer and by faith and using God's word. In this world, there is a very real spiritual battle going on.
John 20: 18-21 Easter morning Mary Magdalene met Jesus outside the tomb. He told her to go and tell His disciples that He had risen. Obediently, she did. To her frustration, they didn't believe her. Then, that evening, while the disciples were hiding out in fear, Jesus showed up in the midst of them. Then they believed, and Mary was vindicated. Sweet! Thomas, who wasn't there when Jesus appeared, refused to believe the disciples when they informed him that they had seen the Lord. Later, Jesus appeared to Thomas, and he believed. The disciples were vindicated. Sweet! Notice the pattern: Someone experiences the presence of the Resurrected Jesus and they tell others. The others won't believe. It takes Jesus to convince them. When we're saved, we want to share what we have found with others. In fact, we have, like Mary been told to by the Lord. When we first share the Lord with someone, they probably won't believe us. That's okay. Share anyway, and sooner or later the Lord will vindicate us.
On Easter morning, when God raised Jesus from the dead, He confirmed that all that Jesus said was true, and that all the benefits He offered could be ours, and that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) It's incredible, All it takes is that you to make a commitment of your life to Him.
Isaiah 53:1-6 We call it “Good Friday” because that is the day that Jesus died on the Cross to pay the price for every sin you ever committed or will commit so that you could have Eternal Life.
Philippians 3:4-14 SAVING FAITH is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. It means resting upon Christ alone and what He has done rather than upon what you or I have done to get us into heaven. The Bible says, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31a)
Luke 15:11-20 In trials, God wants to be with you. In discipline, His purpose is to bring you to forgiveness and relief If you've taken off on your own, He wants you to get back with Him so He can help you.
John 21:1-17 The story in today's scripture reminds us that we worship a God who is the God of all grace. He's the God of the second chance, and the third chance, and the fourth, and the fifth, and the sixth too. You may even have been staying away from the Lord because of something like this. You shouldn't do that. Remember – Jesus knew you were going to do the thing you feel keeps you from Him. He died for sinners, like you, and like me. And so now He asks, “Do you love me?” As He asks, just say, “Yes,” and come home.
John 12:1-22 From the other gospels we know that Jesus had been telling them that the Son of Man must be delivered up for crucifixion. He was very clear about this. We also know that the disciples did not want to hear this and it seems evident that they didn't fully grasp what He was saying. But Mary had learned the importance of sitting at His feet and listening to His words. But more than that, I'm convinced she heard His heart. “If You are to be crucified, then I will anoint You now for Your burial.” It was an act of extravagant love. Why did she love extravagantly? Because she understood how much Jesus loved her.
Jeremiah 1:4-10 Question: How do you find out who God says you are? The short answer is : Read the Bible and Talk to God. For the longer answer, listen to this message. In it you will find that you are not defined by your performance, your possessions, or other people's opinions. You are defined by what God says about you. And He says you are blessed, chosen, holy, blameless, adopted, forgiven, loved, a masterpiece, a new creation, and you belong to His family!
2 Timothy 1:7 Jesus said, “The thief comes but to kill, steal and destroy. I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly. Inordinate fear is one of the enemy's tools to paralyze you and keep you from living the abundant life Jesus wants you to have. We have to get rid of it before we can move on in our daily lives and in the Kingdom of God.
Mark 2:1-12 God is the only one who is your Creator. God is the only who owns the earth and all of us in it. God is the only one who loved you so much that he sent his son to die on the cross for your sins…so that by the blood of Christ He purchased you from sin and death… He is your Creator, Purchaser and Owner. God is the only one who has a right…to label you… If we could live our lives simply rejecting all the labels that other people try to stick on us…and instead choose to let God be the one to label us…our lives would be so so so much better.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 I don't think I've ever heard a sermon on apathy before. One of the most silent, yet deadly of the negative emotions. We need to deal with it, or it can destroy us. God wants to help you with it.
Galatians 6:3-4 Comparison is a snare that can easily ensnare us and distract us an cause us to stumble in our walk with the Lord. It can leave us prideful. It can leave us jealous. It can actually cause us to resent God's goodness in the life of others, and ignore his blessing in our own lives. How do we avoid this trap?
Mark 9:38-50 Many of us, in looking back, can identify people who have been stumbling blocks in so many ways. In fact, it seems that many make a career out of pinpointing those people who have been stumbling blocks in their lives. There are many others who have latched onto this and make their living helping people find those in their past they can blame for their problems, insufficiencies, addictions, etc. Jesus has made it very clear what we are to do with those people. We are to forgive them and move on with our lives, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. In our Scripture lesson today, we find Jesus telling us of the rewards of being a stepping stone for others, and the dire consequences of being a stumbling block. The message today is a call to examine ourselves and see if we have been or are being stumbling blocks to others, and encouraging us to be stepping stones instead.
Faith is a powerful thing, but I want you to understand that unbelief is powerful as well. Unbelief is a great force. The power of unbelief is so great that it extends throughout all eternity.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Sometimes we don't know if something is good or bad, but we can be thankful that God is working for our good in everything.
Mark 2:13-17 What you do speaks louder than what you say. “Your talk talks Your walk talks Your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”
Veterans can be freed from their past people abused as children can be set free Victims of all sorts can receive new life and new positions in life Bruised and broken people can be made whole
2 Chronicles 7:11-16 It has been said that “religion and politics don't mix.” But is that really true? Can we have political views outside the considerations of our Christian faith? The answer is, no, we cannot. Our faith should inform our political views. The Bible gives us two truths regarding our stance toward politics and government.
What we need in God's church today, more than anything else is a greater revelation and appreciation of Jesus and everything that He has done for us! In Hosea 4:6, God lamented, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Let's not be numbered among these people. Instead, let us be a people who are full of the knowledge of Jesus, His person, His love, and His finished work. Don't let custom, wrong teaching, ignorance or pride to rob you of the Abundant Life He has for you anymore!
John 10:7-11 When Jesus said he is the door of the sheep, he meant that the fold has only one entrance; life has one source; spiritual nourishment is obtained one way; heaven can be entered only through one entrance. And the single means of access to all that is life is Jesus. Jesus is the door into a life that is completely different than you could ever imagine without Him. Once you begin to experience the life He has for you, you realize, “People Need the Lord.”
Psalm 91 I need Him. You need Him. And as you look at the people all around you, they need the Lord, too.
Everyone has an Accuser Not everyone has a Savior Not everyone has an Advocate But you do. Jesus promised Him. When you are saved, the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, comes and walks with you. The accuser condemns. He leaves no hope. The Advocate convicts. Leading to repentance and restoration and life. So the next time the Accuser starts talking to you, bringing up all sorts of things from the past. Remind him of your testimony. Let him know that on a certain date, at a certain time you received the washing and cleansing of the precious Lamb of God, and all those true things, have been swept away, and are gone. There's no longer a case to be made, so he needs to take it up with the Judge Who has already found you not guilty.
Romans 5:1-11 Salvation has 2 parts, like a coin or a door. On the one side is Justification. On the other, Sanctification. Justification - Justification is the way of entry, the door, if you will, into the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven. It is really believing and receiving the fact that Jesus died on the Cross and rose from the dead to pay the price that had to be paid so that you could be cleansed and freed from sin and reconciled and reinstated into a living relationship with the One True God. It's an act of faith, and only that one act of faith can save you from the judgment that God will soon pour out on the world. 2. Sanctification - Sanctification is what you step into when you go through that door. The moment you believe and receive, you are related to God and at peace with Him. You no longer are a part of the world that He must destroy to rid creation of the horrid taint of sin. The moment we have peace with God, we have the peace of God.
Psalm 103:1-5 What are the ways you forget the LORD and his benefits? Distraction by everything screaming for your attention. Maybe it's things like work, schedule and media demanding your attention. It could be pride that tells you things are going fine or that things have gone fine before. Maybe there is significant physical or emotional pain in your life that drowns out your view of God's benefits. Maybe you are simply tired in life. One or several of these reasons might resonate with you. Whatever the reason that causes us to forget, can you see the danger of forgetting? Can you see the need to remember?
You've probably have been told that God loves you. As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It is good and right that this attribute be made much of, for God's love is the heart of the gospel, and the heart of the entire Bible. But the question I want to answer today is, “Why does God loves us?” Why does He have this love that gives salvation and blessing and eternal life. Why does He love us?
1Thessalonians 4:1-8 Our Scripture today can be summed up succinctly in these 3 statements about how we live as Christians: 1. Live a God-pleasing life. 2. Your sanctification is God's will. 3. To reject this is to reject God. From the moment of salvation on, the Christian life is a life of giving as much of yourself as you know to as much of God as you understand. When you're first saved, it's easy, because you know all the things you have repented from. Lying, Cheating, Stealing (blatantly), Sexual Immorality. But then as you move on, the Holy Spirit begins to teach you. The little white lie to avoid hurting someone's feelings is still a lie. That creative accounting you did on your income tax is dishonesty. All those pens and tools laying around the house from your workplace are Stolen Property. That anger, bitterness and unforgiveness you find in your heart; Jesus said it's murder. That temptation that you gave in to. You sinned. So it becomes a little more complicated. But you pray, ask for forgiveness, and you move on. You choose to do that. Every time you deal with the stuff that the Holy Spirit reveals, and choose God's way, you're choosing God. And that pleases Him. Sometimes it's hard to take that step. It's hard because you have to wrestle and come to a decision. You have to choose God's way over the ways of the World.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 This is the first message in a series on sanctification. Sanctification, Paul says, is God's will for our lives. It is for the person who is not just trying to “get by spiritually” – but for the one who wants to please God in every way and be all he or she can be for the Lord.
Jesus says that the work we are to do for God is to believe in Him Whom He sent. The word translated “believe” in this context means to “entrust”. We are to entrust our very being to God. This kind of faith can be divided into three progressing categories: Acknowledging faith, Saving faith, and Living faith. In this message we review these three aspects of the Christian Faith.
Revelation 5:1-10 Takeaways from the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games 2024: What we saw confirms that the Bible is true, because it fulfilled prophecy about the Last Days. What occurred reminds us of the importance and sanctity of Holy Communion. What we saw reminds us of what is at the core of the Christian faith. The reactions of others give us wonderful opportunities to share our testimonies. In order to be ready to share the Good News, we need to be sure that we can share our personal testimony succinctly.
Revelation 3:14–22 is a letter from Jesus to the church at Laodicea in Asia Minor. It was given to John in a vision and had the purpose of saving the church from lukewarmness and possible destruction. It's a message that every church needs to hear. These are solemn words of counsel and love to a church that is content with itself, and feels need of nothing.
Revelation 3:7-13 The Philadelphians, these people that Jesus said had a "little strength," were true to His word and true to His name. As they trusted and obeyed, they discovered He kept His promises to them in the midst of people who were antagonistic to followers of Christ.
Revelation 3:1-6 The church at Sardis was a church with great reputation. They were known far and wide, and they were active, filled with activity, action, and programs, they were huge, some called it a mega-church because of its large fellowship. They are proud because of the success of their programs and activities. By the world's standards they were successful, but then notice what the Lord says: “you are dead.”
Revelation 2:18-29 “Jezebel” was teaching in Thyatira that sexual immorality was okay for Christians. Jesus had harsh words against that in this letter, and this is just what many are demanding today: that we accept their immoral, un-Biblical behavior just as it is, in the church, and not only tolerate it, but also approve of it, and consider them to be Christians in good standing. This is exactly what Jesus says here we must never do in His church, or we will become exactly the kind of “Jezebel” that He is calling out here. Allowing blatant, un-Biblical immorality and teaching in the church, is wrong. Tolerating in the church what God has prohibited is NOT a virtue!
Pergamus was the compromising church. The message we get as we read Jesus' letter to this church is: “Don't compromise your humility, your integrity nor your purity.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 As we conclude our series on “Bad Words,” we look at what the Bible says about death. For the unbeliever, it is a bad word. For believers, although it has been turned into a word that no longer has the penalty of sin attached to it, if we are honest, it is still also a bad word and a sad word.
Matthew 6:1-4 Every person, is appointed to die, after that the judgment. But, if you don't give your life to Christ, you'll be punished for every evil work you've done. If you give your life to Christ, He took your punishment for you, and you're actually going to be rewarded for every good work you've done. Even the word judgment becomes a good news word because of what Jesus did!
Sooner or later a couple is going to have a conflict. If conflict is handled in self-centeredness, conflict becomes a wedge; if handled in love, as the Lord desires, it become glue to the relationship. Two concepts to remember: 1. The objective is to resolve the conflict, not win a fight. 2. When one of you wins, you both lose!
John 15:1-8 All through the New Testament you can see that spiritual fruit is expected from the Christian life. Jesus tells us, “You shall know them by their fruit.” It is very important to note that the fruit the Lord expects in our lives is not the goal of the Christian, but the proof, or evidence of our abiding in Him.
John 15:1-7 Before you can abide in the Lord, draw life from Him and bear fruit, you have to be connected!
Luke 24:44-49 Repentance is not a bad word. The Greek word we translate “repentance” means to “change your mind. The most important thing we must change our mind about is God. Once we change our mind about Him, and realize that He loves us and is for us, and we need Him, we'll quit running an hiding from Him, and He will begin to change our hearts.
John 3:16-21 The Good News changes everything. The Good News takes all the bad news and filters it and changes it, so that all these words (condemnation, repentance, judgment, death) that were very, very bad news for us as sinners, all change because a Person, a Messenger, The Messenger came into this world, and brought the Good News!
2 Chronicles 20:1-30 We worry a lot about the “What-ifs” don't we? When faced with a challenge or problem in life we can waste a lot of time on the ‘what-ifs. On Easter morning the two Marys realized they had a problem: “Who will roll away the stone for us? At the moment the question came up, they had 2 choices. They could just get on to the tomb and see what could be done, or they could have gotten caught up in the “what-if” game: What if the guards are mean to us? What if they refuse to let us into the tomb/ What if there's no one around? Interestingly, when they got there there was no problem at all. Jesus had already risen, an the stone was no problem at all. We can waste a lot of time worrying about the “what-ifs.” What should we as Christ-followers do instead?
Mark 16:1-8 Many have grown up in the Christian faith, and believe God can, but when it comes to them, personally, they don't believe God will! They believe God might do it for somebody else, but don't believe God will do it for them. Maybe you've even heard about God doing really incredible things, but you just think God's going to do it "way over there;" “He's never going to do it over here. That's for others, not for me.” A child has the faith to believe not only my God can but my God will do these things in my life..
God is 100% Loving God is 100% Merciful God is 100% Just Only one place that all three of these characteristics can come together to bring us into a forgiven state with God, and be brought into His Kingdom, and that place is the Cross. That's why we sing, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”