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Articles from Pastor Jon's Blog

Romans 4:17-18 2007-03-05 00:00:00 Romans 4 - Abraham and David Demonstrate Righteousness Apart from Works 2. (17-18) The life-giving power of the God Abraham believed in. (As it is written, ?I have made you a father of many nations?) in the presence of Him whom he believed; God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ?So shall your descendants be.? a. So that he became the father of many nations: Even as it took a supernatural life-giving work to make Abraham the physical father of many nations, it also took a supernatural life-giving work to make him the spiritual father of many nations. b. God?s life-giving power is demonstrated in the manner in which He can give life to the dead and call those things which do not exist (such as our righteousness) as though they did (by counting us righteous). i. If God could call the dead womb of Sarah to life, h ...

And Where Were You? 2007-03-04 17:00:00 In the early days of World War II, Winston Churchill called Britain's coal miners together... A great crisis had arisen. The miners were not getting out enough coal to fuel the factories that produced the planes, ships, etc., so desperately needed. When the Prime Minister arose he said, "I want to give it to you straight--nothing! Two hundred guns, no more! Twenty tanks, that's all! I heard he (Hitler) was coming with a million men, and I said to myself, 'The British Navy will put five hundred thousand of them to the bottom of the channel, but what will we do with half a million of them ashore?'" For an hour and forty minutes he outlined the desperate situation confronting Britain. Then in stirring language he said, "When at last it is all over, we'll parade these streets again and as you go by people will call out, 'And where were you?' Someone will answer, 'I marched with the Eighth Army,' and someone else will say,' I was in the skies over Britain.' Ano ...

Sunday Quotes 03.04.07 2007-03-04 00:00:00 One of the pastor's problems is to decide when a church member is dead enough for burying. --Unknown The 10 commandments are not multiple choice. - Unknown Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation. -- Henry Ward Beecher <:))))><< ...

KneeMail 2007-03-03 00:00:00 Knee mail is edited by Mike Benson. There are instructions at the end of the post if you would like to subscribe. KneEmail"At the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." (Philippians 2:10).Mike Benson, Editor ORBITING OUR PLANET at speeds more than 4.5 miles per second is a growing collection of space junk... Nuts, bolts, and other discarded debris from space flights are presenting a real hazard to future spacecraft.  Their sheer speed makes the tiniest object strike with the impact of a bullet.  During one of the shuttle missions, a speck of paint created a pit a quarter-inch wide in a window of the craft. One study revealed that there are 110,000 objects larger than 1 centimeter in orbit.  Their combined weight is 4 million pounds!  To avoid a space junk disaster, the US Space Command monitors orbiting debris for NASA. Sinful choices create their own kind of junk -- unintended consequences.  When Achan stole and hid forbidden booty, it cost hi ...

Matthew 24:16-20 2007-03-02 00:00:00 Matthew 24 - Jesus? Olivet Discourse 2. (16-20) Jesus warns what should be done when the abomination of desolation appears: flee immediately. "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." a. Then let those who are in Judea flee: These are warning specifically addressed to Israelites. Judea, housetops, and Sabbath all speak to a Jewish environment. b. This is because at the appearance of the abomination of desolation, the desolation will first be poured out at Judea, and because the church will not be a factor at this time, having already been caught up to meet Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). i. Because Jesus tells His disciples about the abomination of desolat ...

Matthew 24:15 2007-03-01 00:00:00 Matthew 24 - Jesus? Olivet Discourse C. Jesus describes the sign of His coming and the end of the age. 1. (15) The sign: the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel. "Therefore when you see the ?abomination of desolation,? spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), a. When you see the "abomination of desolation": Essentially, the abomination of desolation speaks of the ultimate desecration of a Jewish temple, the establishment of an idolatrous image in the holy place itself, which will inevitably result in the judgment of God. It is the abomination that brings desolation. i. In the vocabulary of Judaism of that time, an abomination was an especially offensive form of idolatry. Jesus describes a gross form of idolatry, standing in the holy place, that will usher in great destruction (desolation). b. Standing in the holy place: This means that the abomination of desolation takes place in the Jewish t ...

Matthew 24:9-14 2007-02-28 00:00:00 Matthew 24 - Jesus? Olivet Discourse 2. (9-14) Jesus describes what His disciples must expect during the time between His Ascension and Second Coming. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name?s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." a. They will deliver you to tribulation and kill you: In the period after Jesus ascends to heaven and before He comes again, His disciples should expect to be persecuted. But this is not the specific sign of His return. b. False prophets will arise and deceive many: In the period after Jesus ascends to heaven and before He comes aga ...

Matthew 24:4-8 2007-02-27 12:33:31 Matthew 24 - Jesus? Olivet Discourse B. The flow of history until Jesus? return. 1. (4-8) Jesus describes general world conditions during the period between His Ascension and the time immediately preceding His second coming. And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ?I am the Christ,? and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." a. Take heed that no one deceives you: From the outset, Jesus warns the disciples that many will be deceived as they anticipate His return. There have been times in the history of the church when rash predictions were made and relied on, and resulted in tremendous disappointment, d ...

One Question 2007-02-26 20:08:53 How big is your God?Think about it.......<:))))><< ...

Sunday Quotes 02.25.07 2007-02-25 07:00:00 Feel far from God? Who do you think moved? ? Unknown We may not always see eye to eye, but we should walk hand in hand with Jesus. ? Unknown "You are only as strong as your purpose, therefore let us choose reasons to act that are big bold righteous and eternal." -- Barry Munro <:))))><< ...

What Is A Missionary? 2007-02-24 07:00:00 This past Thursday evening we had a missionary from New Tribes Missions who ministers in Papua New Guniea. It is interesting what she is doing and how God is using her in reaching the lost. She shared a lot of fascinating information. We will have her share with the church in April. In my time in New England, God has done a significant work in my heart as to the question; what is a missionary? What is a mission field? Is the term missionary Biblical? The word missionary does not appear in Scripture. And yet, in the truest sense, Paul was a missionary. So were many of the Christians around him; Titus, Timothy, and Silas to name a few. Why were these missionaries not called missionaries? The Bible uses a different term; apostle. The word means one who is sent with delegated authority.  Ephesians 4:11-12 indicates that apostles are gifts to the Church (the Body of Christ). Many people view apostle as only the Twelve (the twelve disciples minus Judas plus Paul, or something to tha ...

Matthew 24:3 2007-02-23 07:00:00 Matthew 24 - Jesus? Olivet Discourse 2. (3) Jesus? prediction brings up two questions. Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" a. When will these things be? Jesus said the temple would be completely destroyed. It was logical that the disciples wanted to know when it would happen. i. Matthew does not record Jesus? answer to this first question, but Luke does in Luke 21:8-23. b. And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? The disciples may have thought they asked only one question. In their minds, the destruction of the temple and the end of the age might have been tied together. But really, they asked two questions, and this second question is answered in the remainder of the chapter. i. It may also be that this second question was asked as they remembered the events surrounding the last temple?s d ...

Matthew 24:1-2 2007-02-22 17:25:34 Matthew 24 - Jesus? Olivet Discourse A. The destruction of the temple and its implications. 1. (1-2) Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple. Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." a. His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple: This temple was originally rebuilt by Zerubbabel and Ezra (Ezra 6:15), but greatly expanded and improved by Herod. It was the center of Jewish life for almost a thousand years - so much so, that it was customary to swear by the temple (Matthew 23:16), and speaking against the temple could be considered blasphemy (Acts 6:13). i. After Herod?s work, the temple was huge - nearly 500 yards long and 400 yards wide. Herod?s rebuilding work started in 19 b.c., and was only completed in 63 a.d., ...

Trees Are Smart Series 2007-02-22 07:00:00 Here are the links to the Trees Are Smart series. It will appear on the sidebar under Pastor Jon Series. Part 1Part 2Part 3 <:))))><< ...

Trees Are Smart - Part 3 2007-02-21 21:03:56 Trees are smart! Have you ever noticed that? In fact, trees are smarter than people. What? Yes, trees are smarter than people. How so? Reason #3So what is the deal with these trees? They just accept what God has for them. As a spiritual analogy, this is an expression of faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:1-3).But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Faith does not run away in the times of ice and snow. It hangs in there even when the warmth can not be felt and the light can not be seen. Faith stays. Faith finds a way to endure and not give in. Faith is tough stuff. Trees are smart as well as tough ...