He Makes All Things New
This has been a very productive past couple of weeks for me (March 2013). As most of you already know, I was able to add the title of “grandpa” to my resume. It was a very exciting and surreal experience as I held Reid Christopher in my arms for the first time being reminded of the great blessings that come from the Lord. But not every experience is as joyous as seeing your first grandchild come into the world.
I also had an opportunity to pray and fellowship with 20 to 25 hurting pastors, many who felt betrayed in more ways than one, searching for God’s leading as they strive to be obedient to the Word of God, experiencing rejection and isolation for their efforts. Many men and women, in the fight to live by God’s Word, are experiencing what it means to remain faithful to the Word illustrated in a phrase of the song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” which says, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.”
Jesus said to His disciples and all those who deny themselves, picking up the cross of Christ, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Revelation 21:5 also declares, that the one seated on the throne of God, it is He (Jesus) who makes all things new. In the midst of betrayal and difficulty, tragedy and trials, the Lord will revitalize and renew, and remind us of His great love for us. If you are in a place of hurting, be of good cheer for God has overcome those things that would bring sorrow. He brings forth joy from sorrow, glory from shame, acceptance from rejection, and NEW LIFE from death, resurrection from the grave, JESUS MAKES ALL THINGS NEW; the core message of Easter Sunday (Resurrection Day).
Be blessed and be grateful.
Pastor Chris Hayden
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It Is A Promise
Have you ever been in a dark room, stumbling around to find the light switch? It’s an uncomfortable feeling until the light goes on and then you can see clearly. In Psalm 18:28 David says, “my God turns my darkness into light.” Isn’t that an awesome promise? No matter what you may be going through and how much darkness pervades over your life, God can turn it into light. However, I have noticed that most promises come with a premise first. In other words, “if I do this, God will in turn do that.” In Joshua 1:8, we are told at the end of the scripture that we will be prosperous and successful. The premise found in the beginning of that verse, however, is for those people who study and meditate on God’s law so that they are able to do it.
Most people want the promise with out the premise. They want God to do His thing that they want, but then they want to do, not what God wants but their own thing. Psalm 18:23 declares, “I have…kept myself from sin”, and that the rewards have come from that kind of living. The premise of God being our shield (vs.30) is “for all who take refuge in him.” The promises of God are yes and amen for all who desire to know and do His Word. You see, you can’t have the promise without the premise, because it’s the foundation upon which the promise will come to pass.
Be blessed and be grateful,
Pastor Chris
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You Can Lead A Horse To Water…
You have heard the old adage, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Often, that is so true. You can invite people to church. They can even accept your invitation and come, but whether they receive the message and believe on the Name of the Lord is another matter. The first couple of Sundays in March we looked at the sin problem and how it applies to us in this world. We discussed how God despises sin and its roots, but also how God addressed the sin problem, by the shedding of Christ’s blood and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We want to close now with why He did it, because of His great love.
Romans 5:8 says this, “But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” And in Ephesians 2:5, God’s Word tells us, “even when we were dead in our transgressions, (God) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…” He loved us that much; so much that the opportunity for us to even be saved was an act of His abundant mercy. But it gets even better.
We did not even want or desire God at all. God had to draw us to Himself for us to even make a decision to accept His love. In John 6:44-45 (The Message) out of the mouth of Jesus Himself we read, “You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End. This is what the prophets meant when they wrote, ‘And then they will all be personally taught by God.’ Anyone who has spent any time at all listening to the Father, really listening and therefore learning, comes to me to be taught personally…” If it were not for the Father God speaking to us, we would never come to Christ. We have to be drawn by the Father and the Holy Spirit, and truly listen, before we can ever make the decision to follow Christ.
Francis Chan, in his bestselling book, “Crazy Love”, said this, “The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.” Most, if not all, come to Jesus only after we hear the Father express His love toward us, give us the truth and help us realize what it means, and we need something from Him. That is ok. The important thing is, that we do come because most never come.So come to the trough! Come on and drink up! The water is fine!
Be blessed and be grateful,
Pastor Chris Hayden
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