SERMON: Unique Relationship: Intimacy with God

Relationships.    What was the first thought that entered your mind when you read that word?....Was it a relationship between a man and a woman? A mother and a child? Friends? There are all types of different relationships. They are all important in many different ways for many different reasons.   However, there isn't any relationship more important than the relationship between you and GOD. This intimacy with God is the relationship that will institute every relationship in your life.  Not only will it be the foundation, but it will also determine how you relate to everyone around you: family, friends, enemies and strangers alike.

    God wants a relationship with you – listen to the sermon below to learn more about connecting with God in a Unique Relationship…

SERMON VIDEO : TOGETHER With God...We Can Overcome

  

Since the last church I was serving at was only able to record audio, I am sharing a video message from a few years back.  Also, please note that during this time I was into running Marathons and doing Triathlons, so I was very skinny from all the exercise and training.  Since I am no longer training for those competitions, I am no longer so very thin - still healthy, but no longer interested in the intense exercise schedule required for competing in those events.    For more current sermons, please refer to the audio files that can be found to the right.

Life is not always easy.  Things can happen that may seem overwhelming.  In the sermon below,  come and take a look in God's Word at Jesus’ “pep talk” to the 12 before He sends them out...learn as they did that our problems don’t have control over us. As Jesus teaches His disciples, we can learn how God is always here for us and TOGETHER with Him..we CAN overcome!

 May this message encourage and inspire you!

Rick

SERMON: Audio File - Rise to Live

Rise to Live

What Will You Do?

                          
                              

   Isn’t it amazing to think that the year 2015 is over and we are now in 2016?  Before we rush through the next year ...ask yourself, "WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR?"  On Jan 1 we all began jotting down our personal and professional goals.  We sat back and took note of the battles we have fought and perhaps lost on the road to our past goals.  Whether we are stepping on a scale and feeling a little irritated that all the hard work and all the sacrifice (especially avoiding all those delicious desserts over the holidays) hasn't paid off, or maybe you even find yourself questioning your role as a father, mother, husband, wife, or as a neighbor or co-worker--Have I made a difference in the lives of these people during the past year?

         Now, before you answer that question I want you to consider something -- has Jesus made a difference in your life in 2015?  

      Yes, I know that many people tend to pursue a life built around self-creating a life that has little impact upon anyone around them and feel perfectly content with living that way, but God actually planned for us, His children, to have and give so much more.  Just imagine for a moment what would happen in the world if every follower of the Lord Jesus Christ actually lived out the verses found in the Gospel of Matthew.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness,

how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown

out and trampled underfoot.  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

                                                        Matthew 5:13-16

I personally enjoy those powerful and thought provoking words.  Why?  Because they cause me to stop and wonder if the life I live is kind of bland--you know what I mean --no flavor, just kind of ordinary.  I even found myself asking how many times did I place the light of Jesus under the bowl of tentativeness, or possible rejection, or not feeling part of the crowd.  So, with all of that, I ask myself the same question I proposed to you at the beginning -- "WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT IN 2016?" 

As we begin this New Year together, let’s consider the following two items:

First, before you change the world, let Jesus change your heart.  The first and greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37).  What a goal for 2016-- it has nothing to do with weight, money, people, or a job; but rather it has everything to do with you and your relationship with God.  I personally believe that if you will follow this commandment then you will find much satisfaction in the many other facets of your life.

It is simply amazing to see how a life with God puts so much of God into your life!

Second, now that you have a great foundation loving God, it is time to follow the second greatest commandment--Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39).  Basically love others the way you would want to be loved.  So... you were thinking that everything sounded pretty good up to now.
How can we do it?  How can we love people the way God loves them?  How can we give ourselves the way God gives?  After all the things people have said or done, now we are being asked to love them the way we want to be loved?  To treat them in the way we would want to be treated? And God said --Yes!  Because I first loved YOU!  You, the apple of My eye, your name in My mind and your sins upon My heart.  God loves you--He has always loved you and He will forever love you.

     So, what will we do in 2016?  What kind of legacy will we leave behind for others to follow?  Will our homes, workplaces, churches, schools, or communities be different because of the impact of our life upon them?  A new year is here -- it is time to answer the call of God and shout out a resounding -- Yes, Lord!  Here I am -- SEND ME / USE ME!

     Consider the passage in Matthew the next time you bite into something that tastes so bland or when you walk into your home and struggle finding the light switch because it is so hard walking in the dark.  Remember -- Shine -- let YOUR life shine!

 SHINE!  SHINE! SHINE JESUS SHINE in US!

       No more bowls and pour on the salt!

Less of me More of Him, 

Rick