Saturday, December 22, 2018

Brotherly Love

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 
John 13:34,35

If the world (unsaved) were to look at your life would they find you loving others. In the reference verses Christ was speaking to those around him. He told them that he was going to give a new commandment. We are told to love one another and that by our love others would be able to tell we were Christian. 

Sunday, October 7, 2018

You can’t hide sin!



You can’t hide sin!

This morning we are going to talk about a man Named Achan. His story can be found in the seventh chapter of the book of Joshua. Most people know this story as a story concerning hidden sin. We will be discussing the hidden sin found in this chapter.
As with most of humanity, when we sin or disobey the laws we try to cover it up. Leading up to chapter seven God had given very specific instructions to the children of Israel. They had just destroyed Jericho and were supposed to turn all the spoils (gold, silver, etc…) over to the Lord. Achan was tempted and succumbed to his temptation. He coveted, stole, and hid some of the devoted items of the Lord. These items he hid under his tent in hopes that no one would discover them. “But God” knew about it.

Picture with me a moment. Have you ever went camping where you slept in a tent and bare ground? I have many of times. One of the first things you do is clear every rock, stick, and trash to make the ground as smooth as possible. You pitch your tent, lay out you bed, and now you’re ready for bed. You’ve spent half the day preparing your site for the most pleasant sleep ever. You climb into your sleeping bag and feel the worst possible annoying thing imaginable… a small pebble that feels like a boulder poking you in your side.

Here we have Achan who has fell into sin, stole a few items, and has hidden under the floor of his tent. I could only imagine him laying there trying to sleep with the guilt of his sin poking him in his side. I wonder while he was trying to sleep if he was thinking “did anybody see what he’d done?”, “did I cover it up good enough?”, “what did I do?”, or “what if someone finds out?”.  You see as a child or God we should feel uneasy when we have sinned against His Holy Word. I wonder if the boulder of his sin felt like that little pebble under our sleeping bag?

Just like Achan when we sin we attempt to cover it up in hopes that no one will find out. We even, I believe, try to conceal it from God the Father. Look at Adam and Eve in the garden. After they ate of the forbidden fruit they sewed together fig leaves to cover their nakedness (sin) and they hid themselves from God as he entered the garden (Gen 3). King David, a man after God’s own heart, tried to cover his sin after sleeping with Bathsheba by killing her husband (2 Samual 11). God sees all things and he is aware of every sin man has committed or will ever commit (Numbers 32:23 “but if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out”).

As we read the rest of the story we find out that because of Achan’s sin  he and his family along with their possessions were put to death and utterly destroyed. You see with sin comes death. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death”. With Adam and Eve there was a sacrifice made of animals to make clothing to cover their nakedness before God expelled them from the Garden. With David and Bathsheba the fruit of their sin was sacrificed (2 Samual 12). Don’t misunderstand me here on this. Not all death and destruction is directly related to sin but because of sin we have death.

Adam and Eve lived in the garden and could freely eat of all trees including the tree of life. The only restriction was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The reason God ejected them from the garden after the fall was to prevent them from having eternal life by eating the fruit from the tree of life (Gen 3:22-24).

We have all sinned. We may not have eaten a forbidden fruit, coveted and stole treasures that were devoted to God, or committed adultery and murder to cover it up but we have all sinned. We have all sinned and according to scripture (Romans 6) we all deserve to pay the penalty of death for our sin.

The good news is the rest of Romans 6:23 goes on to say  “BUT” the gift of god is eternal life through Jesus Christ or Lord. Under the law the penalty for sin was death but we are now under grace. Not that we are no longer bound by the law we are just forgiven of the penalty by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. His death paid the penalty for our sin debt. 2 Corinthian 5:21 says that He (God) hath made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Romans 3:24 being Justified freely by his Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:8-21  "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."  Rom 5:8-21

Ephesians 4:7 "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."  Eph 4:7

Romans chapters 5 and 6 mention this free gift as well as Ephesians 4. You may be asking what is this gift and how do you receive it. This free gift is the gift of salvation and to receive it all you have to do is ask for it. Romans 10:9-10 says "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  Rom 10:9-10
And Romans 10:13 is the promise to fulfill. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  Rom 10:13

Monday, September 17, 2018

Christ in me

"My faith rests not in what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is, in what He has done, and in what He is doing for me." Charles Spurgeon

It's not about me or anything I bring but it is about Christ in me!! Is this your claim or do you still believe that you have something to offer?

While God does give us the resources and abilities to do things. It isn't us that does it. It is God working through us. The end of John 15: 5 says it best, "for without me ye can do nothing.". Also in Philippines 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.". You see its not us it's Christ in us!!

Have a blessed day!!!!
Anthony

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Justification is Everything


I preached a message Sunday morning titled “Justification is Everything”. I felt after I left the pulpit that there was so much more I needed to say. So, this is an addition to that message.

We live in a world where justification is everything. As long as we can justify it it is ok. This isn’t TRUTH! While that may be in the world it is also running amuck in the churches among bible believing Christians.
You may be thinking to yourself that this isn’t right. Well let me give you some examples.

The Bible tells us that God hates gossiping but so many of us are guilty of this. “What, not me, I’ve never gossiped a day of my life!” Well let me ask you. Have you ever asked a prayer request for someone and give all the details of the request? Has someone ever come to you and shared a burden to which they asked you to pray for them and then you turned to your prayer group and said, “pray for so and so because they are burdened by complete disclosure”? Or has someone come to you and done this without you stopping them? Justifying gossip by claiming it’s a prayer request is still gossiping.

How about telling a little white lie to save someone’s feelings? I know there is no one guilty of this because the Bible tells us not to lie. We are caring compassionate people and we are to love others the way we want to be loved. We would not want someone to hurt our feelings so therefore we spare other’s feelings. Or we may stretch the truth to keep us from getting into trouble.  A lie is a lie no matter how you justify it.

We even justify not witnessing to others because “I’m not as educated as so and so”, “what if they ask me something I don’t know about the bible”, “that’s the pastor’s job; that’s why we pay him”, or “I’m just to busy with all the junk I have in my life”. What if someone justified not sharing with you?  

I tell you that there is coming a day when you and I will stand before an all mighty righteous God and we won’t be able to justify the actions we have committed. The only justification we will have on that day is if we were / are covered by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  

I know that this is / has been a touchy subject because we have all been guilty of this at some point in our lives. Lord knows I have been! If you have in the past or if you are currently trying to justify your actions, then I submit to you that it’s time to confess and repent. According to God’s Holy Word “God cannot look upon any sin” (Habakkuk 1:13). I submit to you that if you have unconfessed sin in your life that you aren’t in a right relationship with God the Father.  

The good news according to 1 John 1:9 is that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and JUST to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

I love you all,
Pastor Anthony Kennedy

Sunday, September 2, 2018

The Shema Prayer

The Shema Prayer.

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord :  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."
Deuteronomy 6:4-9

"Shema (“hear”) is the Hebrew word that begins the most important prayer in Judaism. It is found in Deuteronomy 6:4, which begins with the command to “Hear.” The whole Shema prayer, which includes verses 4-9, is spoken daily in the Jewish tradition. The Shema prayer was so influential and important that Jesus used it as the beginning of His answer to the “greatest commandment” question in Mark 12:28–30. When Jesus began His answer with the Shema prayer, He acknowledged the Lord God as most important and that complete devotion to Him is the most important of the commandments. Even today, Christians can look to the words of the Shema as a wonderful expression that the Lord is the one true God. As we acknowledge His lordship, our response remains to “hear” Him, love Him with all our heart, soul, and might, and love our neighbor as ourselves."

Not boasting nor bragging but these words are written and posted beside the door of my home. When we leave our home they are there to remind us to love God and to carry / talk about Him everywhere we go.

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Broken Relationships

Some broken relationships can be healed and the two people can be reunited. Other relationships may not be rejoined, and in those cases you will need to seek healing from the broken relationship itself.

Whatever the case you find yourself in, carrying around emotional pain is similar to living with an untreated wound. It can lead to further infections as the bacteria of bitterness and regret is left to spread. On top of that, if you had an open wound filled with puss on your arm (yet under your shirt) and someone brushed up against you unaware of your wound, your reaction would probably be to jerk your arm, or to became angry and possibly say something unkind, or even to walk away in pain. This reaction wouldn’t make sense to the friend or stranger who simply brushed up against you. It would seem like an over-reaction to them.

Any over-reaction is tied to an old reaction that has not yet healed.

That is why it is critical to either heal your broken relationship with someone, or heal from a broken relationship. Otherwise, you run the risk of harming future relationships due to the wounds from the past.

These words are so true!!! Men this also applies to you and I.  If we have broken relationships with other men and/or our families they need to be healed!

There is no need to carry our pride and bitterness around any longer. Make amends while there is still time!!

If you were unfortunate to not make amends before it was to late give it to God!! God will forgive you and help heal your broken heart.

I love you and God bless!!!
Pastor Anthony

Friday, August 24, 2018

Prayer - God desires you.

“I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”  1 Timothy 2:8

Prayer is two way communication. We speak to God and God speaks to us. He doesn’t speak in an audible voice even though he could. His spirit speaks to our spirit.
C.H. Spurgeon said “The goal of prayer is the ear of God”
Prayer isn’t reciting our needs and wants in a shopping list format. It is much deeper than that. It is coming humbly before an awesome, all powerful God seeking to be in his presence and under his will.

May you have a blessed week. 

With much love and prayers, 
Pastor Anthony

Thursday, August 16, 2018

God longs for you.

God longs for you. 

The father in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is a representation of God the Father desiring his sons and daughters to return to him. 

I envision God the Father sitting on the front porch watching the horizon longing for his children to turn from their life and turn to him. I can see the Father leap from the porch and run to his children at the moment we make that first step to return unto him. 

He doesn’t ask where you’ve been, nor does he condemn you for where you’ve been. He just greets you with loving arms saying “Welcome Home, I’m glad you’re back!” 

Would you “come home”? 

With much love and prayers, 
Pastor Anthony 



Monday, August 13, 2018

Warning of Helll!

Week after week I stand before you and present the Gospel. What is the Gospel? The word Gospel means “good news”. 

The “good news” is that God loves you, He sent his son Jesus to die on a cross for your sins, after three days in the grave he arose again, walked around before many witnesses, and he now sits at the right hand of the father. In the “good news we find the formula to have a secured eternity in that “if we believe in him we shall have eternal life” (John 3:16).  That’s the condensed version of the Gospel. 

Now unfortunately for us to have a “good news” with must inevitably have a “bad news”.  The “bad news” is that satan hates you, he wants to destroy you, he wants you to join him in the ground, and be totally separated from the Father. 

Today we are going to focus on the “bad news” not because I want to but because it the Word and we must accept the whole word. 

Satan hates you and wants to destroy you. His purpose in life is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). 

Satan wants you to join him in hell totally separated from the father. Satan’s objective in life is to cause you to not receive the good news. He wants to deceive you into believing that you can live however you’d like and still enter in heaven and God’s presence. This just isn’t so! 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Galatians 5:19-21 gives us a list and tells us that those who do these things “SHALL NOT” inherit the kingdom. 

Satan even tempted Jesus in the wilderness to try to separate the son from the father (Matthew 4). 

Revelation 20:15 says that “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Hell is a real place that is designed to be a prison of sorts. Jesus speaking in Matthew (25:41) says it is a place that was designed for Satan and all the demons (fallen angels). It isn’t a place that was designed for you and I. But because of sin and an unrepentant heart it is a place where we (mankind) to will spend eternity. How do I know it wasn’t designed for mankind? Because 2 Peter 3:9 says that God wishes “that none should perish but that all should come to repentance”.  So why would he had made it for mankind if he wished that we all would repent. 

Hells is described in Luke 16:19-31. It talks about an unnamed rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. They both die and the rich man enters hell. Lazarus enters into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man was in pure torment and was crying out for Lazarus to drop his finger in water and drip it on the rich man’s tongue.
It also describes the great separation between heaven and hell; “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” (Luke 16:26)

Hell is also described in Revelation 20:10 as a place of torment. It is called a lake of fire and brimstone. 

People at the moment of our death our eternal destiny will be forever sealed! There will be no second chances! 

I want to close with the “good news”. 

As a child of God you won’t have to ever worry about hell or an eternity separated from God. 

Romans 10:9-10 says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” And verse 13 say “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

I ask you “will you receive Jesus as you Savior and lord today”? 


Thursday, July 19, 2018

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13

Don’t become complacent because this verse is heard quite often. There is nothing good in us and it is only through Christ that we can do anything. If we don’t remind ourselves of this daily, then we are no longer doing things through His will but ours. We must devour God’s word each day as if this was our first meal of all time. We must be humbled each day before Him so that He may provide us the strength we need to do His will. Don’t just read the verse but heed the verse. He will give you more strength than you could ever imagine you had inside of you. 


With much love I pray you have a blessed day, 
Pastor Anthony
2 Peter 1:5-8

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

What we believe

What do we believe?

A) What do we believe? –
1. We believe that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all three one being incarnated in three persons.
God the Father – 2Thes 1:2 “grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus the son – John 1:1-5 “the word was God” John 10:30-33 “I and the Father are one”
The Holy Spirit – Acts 5:3-4 “But peter said, Ananias, Why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? ... Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”

2. We believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore altogether sufficient as our only infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice.  Psalm 119:160; Proverbs 30:5a; II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:19-21.

3. We believe that Jesus is the only begotten son of God. John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

4. We believe that Jesus was miraculously conceived and born of a virgin. Luke 1:26-35

5. We believe that Jesus left his heavenly home, walked among men, was tempted by Satan, and that he overcame that temptation. Matthew 4:1-13

6. We believe that Jesus died upon the cross at Calvary as the payment (sacrifice) for our sins. Romans 6.23, Romans 6:10-11 “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

7. We believe that Jesus was buried in a tomb, rose again the third day, and brought victory over death. Romans 5:8-11



8. We believe that Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father. Acts 7:56“Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Col 3:1 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

9. We believe that Jesus will return again to call us into heaven to be by His side. John 14:2-3 “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

B) Why do we believe?
1. The spirit of faith that is within each one of us. 2Cor 4:13-14 “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.”

2. God told us that it is the truth and he cannot lie. Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”


C) Why should they believe?
1. We have a caring God that wishes that none should perish. 2Pe 3:9  “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

2. There are none righteous. Romans 3:10

3. All have sinned. Romans 3:23

4. God sent his son to die for us. John 3:16
    If this were not true, do you think God would have allowed His Son to die the horrible death that he did?

5. Another reason is that we may all experience the Grace of God. Tit 2:11 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,”


6. And the main reason is that through unbelief you will be eternally separated from God burning in a lake of fire.
 Mat 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
 Rev 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”.

The unsaved are considered to be dead in trespasses and separated from God at the present time. Eph 2:1-12

By believing in Christ and having a relationship with Him, you will be joined to Him and God for eternity. Eph 2:13-22




Loving and Comforting Arms

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