Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, ⁵even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!— ⁶and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹it is not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

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You’ve surely seen a children’s book illustrations of Noah and the Ark or a nursery wall painting of a boat overstuffed with animals–with a giraffe head sticking out of the top and various other critters poking out here and there.  And that kind of a picture tends to make people wonder how in the world could 2 of every kind of animal fit on a boat.  But the problem is that most of the images you’ve seen don’t comport at all with reality.  Noah’s Ark was a massive cargo ship.  And when you look at it from a scientific standpoint there was more than enough room for all the animals, food, supplies, fresh water (if needed), and a shuffleboard court or whatever you might like some extra deck space for.  Take a listen and picture what the real story of Noah paints for you.

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Get your pencils out, it’s test time!

How do you think you stand up to God’s Top 10?

Have a listen and see how you come out.

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Trust & Obey–two great tastes that taste great together.  If you know God very well at all, then you know he’s not just looking for drones to go out and do his bidding like a bunch of worker bees.  Everything that he has done for us has been in the attempt to build and maintain a relationship.  It’s amazing to think how far God is willing to go to demonstrate his love.  And when you really understand that, it’s one of the biggest motivators for wanting to live your life for Him.  It’s like when you’re dating and you’re willing to do pretty much anything to impress somebody that you like.  But the difference is, God already knows everything about you, and he still loves you more than you can imagine.  That kind of love is worth investing your life in!

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It’s not uncommon for the world to usurp the things that God has made and abuse and misuse them in ungodly ways.  It’s a terrible thing to see, and has brought much pain and suffering to out world.  But it’s even worse when wicked people take a symbol and seal of God and use it to represent a life of sin and rebellion.

This morning we were glad to have Jed Smock of The Campus Ministry USA as a guest speaker speak about this very thing.

We hope you will be blessed by his message–either that, or convicted in your heart and motivated to repentance, which in and of itself would be a blessing. 🙂

If you would like more information about Brother Jed and his missionary work, his website is brojed.org.

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I originally shared this message on Halloween.  So there’s a short talk on that subject.  How do you think a Christian ought to handle Halloween?

It was also right before the 2010 elections.  So the rest of the talk is about some of the hot button issues then.  It’s primary time for Republicans, and not far down the road it will be election time again.  How do you decide who to vote for?  Do you use morality, popularity, random selection?  How much does the conduct of your elected leaders matter to you?

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Judge not lest ye be judged.  Ever heard that line before?  I’ll bet when you heard it, it came from somebody who didn’t want to be held accountable for their choices.  But do you think an out of context Bible verse is the best defense of irresponsibility?  Listen to the podcast and you be the judge…

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Ever heard the term “Too big for your britches”?  A lot of people sure do like to puff themselves up.  Just think about all the politicians you see on TV.  Some people just get power hungry and end up abusing their power.  And so often, the higher you go up the chain of power, the more corrupt those people get.  But all the power in the world is nothing to God.  It’s difficult to imagine what infinite power must be like.  But it’s enough to know that that kind of power ought to be respected.  And those people with more power than others, will be called into account for how they managed the resources they were allowed to steward.  And everyone, will be judged by God’s omnipotent judgment one day.  So my suggestion: don’t get too big for your britches.

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I think it’s funny how people portray Heaven as a white cloudy kind of place where people dress in robes and have halos and play harps.  And then people look at that made up idea and say it’s boring, so they’re not all that interested in going.

Of course the reality of Heaven is beyond our imagination.  The Bible says it’s massive and full of color and lights and trees and flowing water.  But it’s also a place of worship.  It will be like church 24/7.  And people will be singing praises to God and worshiping him non-stop.  Of course that idea doesn’t appeal to anyone who doesn’t believe in or like God.  So they probably wouldn’t be interested in Heaven anyway.

of course everybody who admits the truth, understands how great God is and how worthy he is of our worship and obedience, and how limitless the blessings of a relationship with God is.  But they like to hold on to the idea that Heaven is like winning the lottery and doing whatever you want without interaction with God.  Many people think they can con God into letting them into Heaven in spite of their sinful hearts and lives and that somehow their hearts and minds will magically change when they die.  But the scary truth is, your heart and mind are judged for what they are and if you’re not purified before you kick the bucket, you’ll be pitched out and burned with all the other impurities that aren’t worthy of entering God’s presence.

What do you think of that thought?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:24 — 17.6MB)

Are you content with your life right now?  Could you die today, happy?  Are you ready for the end?  Are you ready to meet your Maker?

We’re all going to die, but so many people are completely unprepared for that destiny.  In spite of the fact that we never know when our final day may arrive, so many people live in denial of death.  How about you?  Are you ready to expire, to pass on, to perish, to peg out, to push up daisies, to become extinct, to pull the curtains, to be deceased, to meet your demise, to depart, to be as a doornail, to check out, to shuffle off this mortal coil, to kick the bucket, buy the farm, cash in your chips?

It happens to the best of us?  Are you ready?  Would you like to be?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:48 — 21.0MB)