Mary Mother of Jesus - Hero of the Bible

Mary the mother of Jesus
www.crossroadsinitiative.com

This summer my home church is doing  a series on Heroes of the Bible and so this Sunday we studied Mary the Mother of Jesus as another hero of the Bible. The basic point of the sermon was that Mary was available to God to use her however He would see fit. We see this clearly in the gospel of Luke where the angel's announcement came to Mary.
Luke 1:38  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.


So here are the notes I took from Sunday's sermon:

Why would God choose Mary?
There was nothing super special about Mary - She is poor, she is a peasant, she has no power or influence. She is not already well established to be able to give a child the best of everything.

Just as we sometimes ask why would God want to use me she may also have asked why me? Why would God pick me? Why would He choose to use me when there are so many other people who seem to have it all together?
God chooses to work through me, I am not that smart nor am I worthy of such an honor.

Then we may also look for excuses and ask "why should I do this?" or "what is special about me, who am I that I could think even for a moment that I could do this?"

Mary is available for God to use her.

We see this at the wedding in Cana where they run out of wine. Mary sees the need and goes to Jesus for help. We find the story in John 2 - And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

When Jesus responds in verse 4 by saying Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.,  he is really asking her to slow down. She knows Jesus is come as the Messiah but His time to reveal Himself as Messiah is not yet come. Then Mary says these important words " 
Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. she says this because that is exactly how she lives her day to day life - in obedience to God the Father. 
I will do whatever God tells me to do. She is available to God.
Are we available to God to use us?
When God calls - do you respond " I'm here" ?

God works with our weaknesses. We must be open to doing what God calls us to do.

Regarding the recent tragedies in our community -  ( the deaths of two teenagers in separate tragic accidents ) we do not understand why things happen but we can see how God responds in tragedy.  We are called to be available to extend love and mercy to those around us.
 Every morning start your day by praying to God making yourself available to Him. Be open to God's Hand and leading.

Last Sunday we saw how God was working behind the scenes in the life of Esther. God is working on our character to make us more like Jesus. God is setting up work for us to do.

Are we available??

Esther - Hero of the Bible ( The Girl who Became Queen )

Last Sunday at my home church the message was about the story of Esther. You can find the sermon  notes at the bottom of this post.

Esther 4:14  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Esther the Ordinary girl who became Queen

The Biblical account of the story of Esther is a favorite to people of all ages. An ordinary girl who becomes a royal queen and heroically saves her people ( that is the Jews.)  King Ahasuerus has a royal feast for his male friends which lasts many days. One day Ahasuerus in his drunken condition decides that his royal Queen Vashti should be brought out so all his male friends can see how beautiful she is. Vashti refuses to be put on display like this and that is why she gets dismissed and King Ahasuerus begins to look for a new queen to replace her. This is where Esther comes in. We will continue by reading a condensed account of this story from the Veggie Tales website. I am a Veggie Tales fan and always enjoy their Dvds. You can link to the Veggie Tales page  HERE

( You will notice that King Ahauserus is referred to as King Xerxes here. Ahasuerus is the Hebrew name while Xerxes is the Greek name of the same King.)

So we continue the story now from Veggie Tales -

King Aheruerus and Esther  ( veggietalesitsforthekids.wikia.com )

King Xerxes of Persia was searching the entire kingdom for a beautiful
woman to become his new queen. Esther was a very beautiful Jewish girl
and was one of the women brought to the palace as a possible queen successor. Esther did
not tell anyone about her Jewish family. Mordecai, Esther’s cousin who took care of her
because she had no parents, worked for the king and was able to check on her daily. When
it was time for Esther to go before King Xerxes, he was very pleased and crowned her as his
new queen.
Two of the king’s officers became angry at King Xerxes and were planning to kill him.
Mordecai overheard their plans and told them to Queen Esther. Esther reported the plot
to the king and gave Mordecai the credit for saving the king’s life. After all of these things
happened, King Xerxes promoted another of his officers, Haman, to a higher rank, and all of
the other officers had to bow down and kneel to him. Mordecai was a Jew and refused to
bow down or kneel to anyone but God, so Haman became very angry and convinced the king
to sign an order that all of the Jews in the land were to be killed. Mordecai told Esther that
she must tell the king of Haman’s plot, but Esther knew it was against the law to approach
the king unless she was invited. But Esther was courageous… her people were depending
on her. When she approached the king, he was pleased and held out his scepter for her to
come forward. Esther told King Xerxes of Haman’s plan to destroy her people. The king was
so angry with Haman that he had him killed, and Mordecai was promoted to his position.
Because of Esther’s courage, all of the Jewish people in the kingdom were saved.

appshopper.com

Sermon Notes
My home church is doing a summer series on Heroes of the Bible. So this past Sunday we covered the story of Esther. So what can we learn from Esther?
Here are a few points from the sermon from Pastor Ben:

The Name of God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. So why is it in the Bible?
The Bible is not primarily written to record history, nor to tell amazing stories.
The primary purpose is to reveal the character of God. To give us an understanding of the God of Israel and the Lord Jesus Christ.

How can the book of Esther teach us about God?
* Just because God is not mentioned does not mean He is not there.
* We see God's hand throughout the story.
* God is in every situation.
* God works in the background in behind the scenes in the circumstances making things happen.
Most of our lives are that way - God working in the background, working though our circumstances.
We see God working in our world, we have to pay attention to figure out what God is doing.

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

God is working in your life. He is forming you - making you the person He wants you to become. He is working on your character.

God wants you to do good works.
Just as Esther stood up and risked her life so must we.

God is working in you not just so you can sit there.

God has prepared good works in advance for you to do.

He is getting things ready for you to do.

See God's work around you.

John Wesley Quote

 ( from Facebook )

Isaac - Hero of the Bible

We are in our summer sermon series at church on Heroes of the Bible. This Sunday Pastor Ben spoke about Isaac. He told stories from the life of Isaac. The question of why Isaac is a hero in the Bible was not answered though.
 I would say that Isaac was a hero in how he demonstrated his faith in God. He was willing to trust God for His choice of wife for him and when the servant came back with Rebekah he took her as wife and loved her. He had no complaints - she was the one for him and he loved her. Secondly we see that time passed and no children were born to Isaac and Rebekah. Now Isaac goes to God and prays sincerely for a child. He puts his faith and trust in God - and God blesses them with twin sons. In Hebrews 11:20  we read  20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. Here again we see the faith of Isaac. He believed God for the future. This is the lesson for all of us today. Isaac teaches us to 
1) Believe God to provide and then be content and thankful for His provisions
2) Pray to God, tell Him what is on your heart. God hears and answers the prayers of His children
3) Believe God concerning things to come. God knows the future. He will carry us through. We can depend on Him and trust His promises!

I would encourage you to study the Bible study below on the life of Isaac. It is quite thorough. I have highlighted a few important points. 

This Bible Study on Isaac is written by the good folks at  http://www.wenstrom.org/downloads/written/people/old/isaac.pdf

Link here to get to their site   Wenstrom



Outline
I. Who was Isaac?
II. Abraham and Isaac
III. Isaac and Rebekah
IV. Jacob and Esau
V. Abraham Blesses Jacob
I. Who was Isaac?
A. Isaac was the son of Abraham!
B. God promised Abraham that He would give him a son (Gen. 17:19; 15:4).
C. His mother was Sarah!
D. Both, Abraham and Sarah were heroes because they trusted in God’s promises!
E. Isaac became a hero also!
F. Hebrews 11:20, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.”
G. Isaac showed his faith in God by blessing Jacob and Esau!
H. He trusted that God would keep His promises.
II. Abraham and Isaac
A. One day God told Abraham to sacrifice his Isaac!
B. Genesis 22:1-2, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said
to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He (God) said, ‘Take now you son, you
only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a
burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’”
C. This must have been hard for Abraham because he waited a long time for Isaac to be born.
D. Abraham loved his son Isaac very much.
E. But Abraham did what God told him to do and passed the test.
F. Hebrews 11:17, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and who
received the promises was offering up his only begotten son.’”
G. What Abraham did was a picture of what God the Father do when He would offered up His
only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
H. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He (God) gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) should not perish, but have eternal life.”
I. God was really going to have Abraham kill Isaac.
J. God was just testing Abraham’s doctrine in his soul.
K. God wanted to show the angels (both elect and fallen) Abraham’s trust in Him!
L. Abraham and Isaac both showed their faith in God by going to Moriah!
M. Abraham was ready to kill Isaac but God stopped him (Gen. 22:9-14).
N. Isaac showed courage and faith in God by not crying or becoming afraid when his father
raised the knife to kill him.
O. Isaac went with his father and did what he was told just like the Lord Jesus Christ did what
His Father told Him to do!
P. Isaac obeyed his father.
Q. He was a good boy.
R. Isaac’s obedience to his father is a picture of God the Son’s obedience to His Father’s will!
S. We are to follow in their footsteps.
T. We should be obedient to our heavenly Father and our earthly father’s.
1 U. Isaac learned Bible Doctrine from his father and mother and became a hero also like his
parents did!
III. Isaac and Rebekah
A. Isaac was 40 years old and still hadn’t gotten married.
B. His mother had died a few years earlier.
C. He was spending too much time feeling sad over the death of his mother whom he loved
very much.
D. Isaac was also in the Negev which means that he was not into learning God’s Word at the
time.
E. Yet, God still blessed him because of his association with Abraham!
F. Abraham sent one of his trusted slaves to go and bring back a wife for Isaac from among his
people (Gen. 24).
G. Rebekah was the distant cousin of Abraham.
H. Rebekah lived in Mesopotamia in the city of Nahor.
I. Abraham wanted the slave to bring back a wife from among his relatives there.
J. The slave prayed to God to give him guidance in choosing the right women for Isaac and
granting him success (Gen. 24:12-14).
K. The servant met Rebekah at the well and she was the answer to the servant’s prayer (Gen.
24:15-26).
L. The servant told her parents about his mission to find a wife for his master’s son (Gen. 24:34-
51).
M. Rebekah’s parents let her go with the servant and marry Isaac.
N. The servant was very happy!
O. Rebekah was brought to Isaac while he was still feeling bad over his mother’s death.
P. When Isaac saw Rebekah he went “OH, BABY!”
Q. Isaac stop thinking about his dead mother and married Rebekah whom God had given to
him.
R. He loved Rebekah very much!
IV. Jacob and Esau
A. After 20 years of being married, Isaac and Sarah still had no children.
B. Back in the days when Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived that was not good.
C. This was a terrible thing for the wife to go through because she couldn’t bear a child for her
husband.
D. Isaac prayed that the Lord would open Rebekah’s womb (Gen. 25:21).
E. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer and Rebekah became pregnant with twins (Gen. 25:22-23).
F. The Lord told Rebekah that she had two nations in her womb, Jew and Gentile (Gen. 25:23).
G. Rebekah gave birth to two twin boys, Jacob and Esau!
H. Esau was the oldest because he came out first.
I. Jacob came out second.
J. Jacob was grabbing onto Esau’s heel when he came out after Esau (Gen. 25:26).
K. Esau was a hairy person like a chimp (Gen. 25:25)!
L. Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah gave birth to the twins (Gen. 25:26).
M. Esau grew up and became a great hunter (Gen. 25:27).
N. Jacob hung around the house with his mother!
O. Isaac loved Esau because he like to play outdoors and was rough and tough.
P. Rebekah loved Jacob because he hung around the house vacuuming and cooking brownies
with his mother!
Q. Jacob was wimpy because he always hung around his mother in the house!
2 3
R. Esau was rough and tough and like to go out and kill animals for food!
S. Esau was not God’s choice to receive the promise from God!
T. Jacob was!
U. Jacob was a liar and a deceiver!
V. Jacob deceived Esau into giving him his birthright!
W. Esau didn’t think to much of his birthright.
X. Jacob did!
Y. Isaac blessed Jacob instead of Esau because he was God’s choice!
V. Isaac blesses Jacob
A. Isaac got old and became blind.
B. Isaac thought he was going to die so therefore he wanted to passed down the blessing to his
son Esau!
C. Esau was his favorite but not God’s choice to receive the blessing from God!
D. Jacob was God’s choice even though he was a liar and deceiver.
E. One day Rebekah was listening to Isaac and heard him instruct Esau to go out and kill him
his favorite game and prepare him dinner.
F. After the dinner, Isaac was going to bless Esau!
G. Rebekah wanted her favorite son Jacob to receive the blessing instead.
H. She came up with a plan to deceive her husband into giving Jacob the blessing.
I. She told Jacob to go out and get a goat and she would prepare a savory dish for Isaac.
J. She then put animal’s hair on Jacob’s arms so that he would feel like Esau.
K. Remember, Isaac can’t see anymore.
L. Jacob went along with his mother’s plan and deceived his father Isaac into giving him the
blessing instead of Esau (Gen. 27)!
M. Even though Jacob was a jerk, God still blessed him, Grace!
N. Isaac was going to do the wrong thing by blessing Esau!
O. Esau was not God’s choice but Jacob was!
P. Isaac realized that Jacob was God’s choice!
Q. God used the deception of his wife and son to bring to pass His plan!
R. Isaac showed his greatness by remembering the prophecy and believing.
S. The prophecy in Genesis 25:23 said that Esau the oldest must serve Jacob the youngest!
T. This was God’s plan!
U. Isaac remembered this prophecy from God and understood that Jacob must receive the
blessing even though Jacob was a deceiver and not Isaac’s favorite son!
V. Isaac showed his faith in the Lord by blessing Jacob instead of Esau!
W. Hebrews 11:20, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.”
X. Isaac became a hero by obeying God’s prophecy in Genesis 25:23!
Y. Isaac blessed Jacob with the promise and not Esau which was the according to God’s plan!

Heroes of the Bible - Ruth

My home church is doing a sermon series this summer on "Heroes of the Bible". Last Sunday we looked at Abraham - link to my blog post here>  Abraham Now this past Sunday we looked at Ruth as a hero of the Bible. Pastor Ben was our speaker and I thought he had a very good message and discussion about Ruth. 
I took notes as he spoke and so here is some of what he said:

When you plant a garden, you get what you plant. If you plant peas you will get peas. If you plant corn you will get corn and not lima beans. You get what you plant. This is also a Biblical concept that we see right through the Bible.
Galatians 6:7-8  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting

What you sow - you will reap - And what Ruth sows she ends up reaping. Ruth sowed kindness and that is what she ended up reaping.


Our text was Ruth 1 so please take the time to read it here below:

 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.

7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

9 The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;

13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

21 I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Widows were the most vulnerable people in that society. So Naomi and her two daughters-in-law found themselves in a desperate spot. ( All three of them were widows). They are in need of protection and provision. So Naomi wants to go back to Israel.

Ruth consistently does what is right with no regard for her own future. She wants to take care of the ageing Naomi. Naomi sees no hope for Ruth. Ruth ( as widow of Naomi's deceased son ) understands her responsibility to care for Naomi. That is how things worked in that culture. It was the adult children's duty to  provide for ageing parents - there were no retirement homes etc. So Ruth accepts the cultural responsibility to take care of Naomi.
Ruth is loyal - She demonstrates loyalty to Naomi. Ruth constantly chooses to do what is right.
Ruth goes to work in the fields. This is an extremely dangerous thing to do. She has no husband and no male protector. There were guys who would take advantage of her situation. She is a foreigner with no protector.

We see Ruth doing what is right, not worrying about the future. She is going to reap what she sows.

By Divine Providence she happens to end up working in the fields of Boaz. Boaz instructs his workers to leave extra grain for Ruth to pick up. He doesn't do this because she is pretty or trying to win her heart. Boaz shows kindness to Ruth because he has heard of her loyalty and kindness toward her mother-in-law Naomi. He has been told what she has done for Naomi - Boaz shows loyalty to Ruth because she has shown loyalty to Naomi.
We must remember that these circumstances began in tragedy - in the death of Naomi's husband and two sons Mahlon and Chilion. Tragedy and disasters strike because we live in a fallen and broken world.

The things we plant in our lives will grow and produce.

What are you sowing in your life? 
*honesty - develops character where you are trustworthy
*lies and gossip - no one will trust you

What are we hoping to reap and harvest in our lives?
* strong friendships, good family relationships, close walk with God
What are you planting in order to develop that?

This is not instant - a garden takes time to grow

We want something to grow - it takes faithfulness, steadfastness and perseverance.

If you plant bad things - it will take time to fix
*you may change but people will not instantly necessarily believe you have changed. People will watch and take a step back and wait to see if there is change.
But don't give up - show complete dedication!

Ruth kept on doing right, and did not worry about the future.
Keep working and planting!
We will reap what we sow!

Abraham - Hero of the Bible

God wants you to worship Him, follow Him and thank Him!

James 2:22-23  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Our church is starting a sermon series titled "Heroes of the Bible". We started with Abraham. Later on in this post I will share the sermon notes from my home church. But I must admit that the sermon really didn't answer the question I have about Abraham. The question I have is why is Abraham a hero? What character trait is it that God is looking for in us that He would call us "friend" as He did with Abraham?  Jesus says in John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. So we see that obedience is part of it.

 I found the following article written by Jeff Strite. I think he makes a good point. You can read the entire article at  Abraham - Hero of the Faith   Mr Strite writes the following.

He was so significant, that in Genesis 12:2-3 we find that God sought Abraham out and gave him some very impressive promises. God said to Abraham:

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God promised he was going to make Abraham the father of a great nation and make his name would become great. Abraham would receive a special protection of God and not only was he to be blessed by God, but everybody on earth who would ever be blessed by God, was to blessed because of Abraham.

How did Abraham rate such an honor?

Because the eyes of the Lord had run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those who were loyal to Him.

God set Abraham up to be one of the major heroes in Scripture. And God made him a hero because God saw in him a special trait – Faith.

Romans 4:9 tells us that “… Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.”

So much so that Romans 4:12 tells us “he is the father of (those) who walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.”

Faith is a highly valued commodity to God.

Heb 11:6 “…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.”

And Hebrews 10:38 says “… my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”

God calls His people to LIVE by faith. That implies that not just any old faith is going to do. God wants a faith that changes how we live.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 So we can see that it is when we put our faith in God that He becomes pleased with us. A faith that changes how we live, a faith that produces obedience to the Word of God - The Bible.

Hebrews 11: 8-12

 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

It's pretty clear from the passage from Hebrews 11 that Abraham is a hero of the Bible because of the faith that he demonstrated as he lived his day to day life in faith - faith that influenced his decisions and choices every day.

Now to our sermon notes. 


The text is Genesis 12: 1-9 

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto theLord, who appeared unto him.

8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.

9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

 Our speaker was Pastor Ben. Here is some of what he said:

Abraham is huge in the Bible. The Bible keeps referring back to Abraham.
God makes massive promises to Abraham in verses 2-3.
* I will make you a great nation 
* I will bless you and make your name great
* I will bless them that bless you and curse those who curse you
God promises to make Abraham a blessing to the entire world.
This seemed impossible to  Abraham - he was living in a tent in the middle east, doesn't even know that America exists. Abraham was about 75 years old when God called him. He is not a young man. Yet the promise of a great nation??

This shows us that you are never too old for God to work in your life. Abraham has no children, no power and no influence.

The question for us is "Is God Faithful and Can we trust Him?"
Can God be trusted to keep His Word?
God's promises are for abundant life to those who follow Him - Can He keep His Word?

Abraham demonstrates great faith when he packs up his family, his goods and possessions and goes as God commands him to do.
Abraham waits years and no child is born. Sarah and Abraham decide to "help" God with this so Hagar the slave is given to Abraham as wife in order to bear a child. Ishmael is born, but we soon learn that he is not the son that God has promised to Abraham and Sarah.
God reaffirms his promise to Abraham.

God is faithful and does keep His promises - Isaac is born.

It is our choice whether we want to keep walking with God or if we want to turn our back to God and walk away from Him. We can reject God's promises, but God does not give up on us nor does He forget His promises to us. God is faithful to His Word.

Abraham's name has become great.
Abraham has become a great nation - the nation of Israel.
God's promises have come to pass.
God is faithful to every one of His promises!!

Heroes of Faith - Billy Sunday



Who is Billy Sunday? He is one of the Heroes of Faith and in this post I will share some interesting things about his life as well as quotes.

Billy Sunday was born on November 19, 1862 in Ames Iowa. Sadly his father William Ashley Sunday died just three days after Billy was born due to pnemonia. Therefore Billy Sunday grew up without his father. Billy began to play baseball for the Chicago White Stockings at the age of 21 years. Things did not go so well as he struck out the first 13 times at bat. Three years later, Billy Sunday came to know the Lord in Chicago through the witnessing of a woman named Mrs Clarke.  At the age of 26 he married the love of his life - Helen Thompson and they had four children though only two survived.
Billy Sunday left his professional baseball career to become an evangelist. He held his first evangelistic service in Iowa in 1886 and he would continue this work for some 40 years. He would invite people to make a decision for Christ and as they came forward make that commitment they would also shake Mr Sunday's hand - they would walk up the "sawdust trail".  He consistantly preached against dancing, gambling and the use of alcohol - calling it "demon rum"  and warned people of the dangers of hell with fire and brimstone type preaching. He kept up with the news of the day hoping to see positive changes but he is quoted as saying "It's just like putting a new frame around an old picture-the picture is unchanged."
Billy Sunday passed away on November 6, 1935 after suffering a heart attack.  Only two weeks earlier, he had preached at the funeral service of a dear long time friend. It is estimated that he preached to 80,000,000 people during his life as an evangelist.
I would like to share twelve of Billy Sunday's notable quotes:
1) Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile
2) The backslider likes the preaching that wouldn't hit the side of a house, while the real disciple is delighted when the truth brings him to his knees.
3) The Bible will always be full of things you cannot understand, as long as you will not live according to those you can understand
4)The reason you don't like the Bible, you old sinner, is because it knows all about you.
5)  Listen, I'm against sin. I'll kick it as long as I've got a foot, I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist, I've butt it as long as I've got a head, and I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. And when I'm old, fistless, footless, and toothless, I'll gum it till I go home to glory and it goes home to perdition
6) One reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake.
7)  Hell is the highest reward the devil can offer you for being a servant of his.
8) The rivers of America will run with blood filled to their banks before we will submit to them taking the Bible out of our schools
9) I believe that a long step toward public morality will have been taken when sins are called by their right names.
10) Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in.
11) Try praising your wife, even if it does frighten her at first.
12) I believe the Bible is the word of God from cover to cover.

What a great inspiration it is to read about this hero of faith - Billy Sunday.

Heroes of Faith - John Wesley

Hebrews 12: 1-2 says  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

I believe that we can learn much from the Heroes of Faith who have gone before us.  John Wesley is just one of those heroes and in this post I want to share a little bit about him. John Wesley was born in England on June 28, 1703 to his parents Samuel and Susanna Wesley. He was the fifteenth child in the family. He is a brother to Charles Wesley who also would be in the group of the Heroes of Faith.

John Wesley spent much time preaching. He was married to a widow named Mary Vazeille when he was 48 years old. The marriage was a heartbreaking one and he had no children. This wife left John Wesley after years of unhappiness and sorrow  in the marriage. This shows us how God uses broken people. God often uses people with hardships in their lives and sends them out to proclaim the gospel. John Wesley travelled on horseback, preaching two or three times a day, preaching some 40,000 sermons during his life as a preacher. John Wesley finished his life strong and when he lay dying on March 2,1791 he said these words: "The best of all is, God is with us."  Then he lifted his arm in victory and he raised his voice and with a loud voice he again spoke the same words -  ‘The best of all is, God is with us"  and so he passed into the presence of the Lord into Heaven.  He died at the age of 88 years.

I want to post ten of John Wesley's well known quotes - many of which have a direct Biblical message bound up with in them:
1)  Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.

2)  Earn all you can, give all you can, save all you can

3) By salvation I mean not barely according to the vulgar notion deliverance from hell or going to heaven but a present deliverance from sin a restoration of the soul to its primitive health its original purity a recovery of the divine nature the renewal of our souls after the image of God in righteousness and true holiness in justice mercy and truth.

4)  Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.

5) Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing

6) When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.

7) My ground is the Bible. Yea, I am a Bible-bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small.

8) Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago.

9) Justifying faith implies, not only a divine evidence or conviction that ''God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself',' but a sure trust and confidence that Christ died for my sins, that He loved me and gave Himself for me.

10) I desired as many as could to join together in fasting and prayer, that God would restore the spirit of love and of a sound mind to the poor deluded rebels in America”