Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 27, 2018 at 03:31AM

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via IFTTT Where is your faith? Such a powerful question. It digs deep into man's soul and touches the very heart of who we are. This question shakes the ground of our understanding of God himself and His relation to us. It is the question asked of America today! Of you. Where is your faith? This situation may seem extreme. In fact, it was. Seasoned fishermen, were afraid for their life. They we're convinced that they would die. All evidence pointed to their imminent demise. They woke Jesus because the honestly thought it was over. And he asked, "where is your faith?" Today we face such trials. A doctor's diagnosis, a financial ruin, an impossible task, a sure failure. It all brings worry, anxiety, fear in our hearts. We tremble inside because we know that we are incapable of calming the storm. The storm, this one, this time, is just too big. We are doomed. Where is your faith? Then compromise sets in. We turn to man's wisdom, man's talents, man's advice, man's science, man's ways to calm the storm. We try anything because there is so little time left. God is silent and yet we perish. Jesus sleeps as we face the storm, alone! Where is your faith? When Jesus asked that, after quietly rebuking the wind and waves, think how conviction must have sunk Into their souls. They had not trusted. They had believed satan's lies. They had doubted. Just as Israel had refused to trust God and spent 40 years wandering in the desert, these disciples of Jesus rejected faith for fear. Oh the sting! Have we done the same? Do you worry about this or that? Do you fear tomorrow? Is Jesus asleep while you perish? Do you doubt? Do you turn to medicines or substances to dull the fear? Do you seek man's practices to deal with anxiety? Do you compromise to try and slow the destruction? Where is your faith? Whether it be health, finances, job, marriage, family, politics, security, or even life itself... Jesus asks "where is your faith?" "Who do you trust?" Pray for faith. True faith. The faith that stares down any storm with peace and security. The faith that cares not if the storm rages or quiets, because it just doesn't matter! Pray that you find the faith which allows you to rest calmly in the boat as others panic for life itself. There is a day coming when you need such faith. Perhaps it is already upon you? Perhaps you are already anxious, worried, panicky? The answer? Turn to Jesus. Trust. Either Jesus is God or not. Either his voice commands the universe into existence, or he is but a bold helpless liar. There is no in between. Choose you this day, today, who shall you serve, and therein find true rock solid faith.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 25, 2018 at 03:21AM

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via IFTTT "Has not been granted".... That speaks volumes! You and I can not discover the truths of heaven through our own abilities. No amount of study, research, education, reasoning can reveal heaven. Understanding and wisdom are granted, not built. Remember that tree back in the garden? The " knowledge of good and evil", that talk about "become like god"? Are we still tempted today as Adam was? Did we not learn anything from the fall of man? Seeking to know the things of God through our own efforts, is both pointless and dangerous. That IS what Adam did! That is why sin and death and suffering entered the world! Are we to rise above it through more of man's effort? "Granted". That requires desire, asking, and receiving. We seek wisdom from the source of wisdom, not from our own efforts to become wise like a god! We must be humble enough to simply ask. he will not deny understanding to those that ask, but wisdom is not granted to those who seek to build it themselves. What then? Is study bad? Is research evil? No! This is about the order of things, not the things themselves. First we seek to be granted wisdom, to see, to hear. We seek because we accept that is must be granted, not built. Then we study out of faith that the Holy Spirit will grant understanding. We study scripture not to gain understanding, but because we have been granted understanding and wish to use it! If scripture seems flat, dead, shallow, then pray for understanding. No amount of reading or study will bring it, only God can grant it. Seek Him! Ask Him! It comes not through our efforts, but by His grace. Don't be like the Israelites who shook with fear at the foot of Gods mountain and told Moses "you go talk to him and tell us what he says". How sad! God wants to speak to you! Directly! He desires to grant YOU the wisdom of heaven. All you must do is ask.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 24, 2018 at 02:47AM

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via IFTTT Do you have ears? Not the ones on your head, but the ears of heart? Do you long to hear truth? Many don't. Some do. Jesus is not referring here to hearing words as if this was some school lesson. He is referring to the ability and more the desire to hear. The desire for truth at all cost, for understanding. Why would anyone not? Selfishness! Truth often means pain and change. If we are a fallen creature as scripture says, then we have a long way to go. We need to grow and growing means revealing the need to change. It is painful. It is difficult. It means admitting fault. If we value feelings above truth, we lose the desire to grow. We lose, our "ears". We read scripture and hear stories but the deep life-changing truth and power to quicken a soul is not available. Jesus spoke in parables, largely because His goal was to speak deep truths that unfold layer after layer as we develop ears to hear. The deeper our desire for truth and growth, the deeper those layers unfold in our own understanding. You see, it is not truly "our understanding" that reveals the truth, it is the Holy Spirit. He is our teacher. That still small voice inside that speaks to our heart first, but only to the level, we are willing to listen. All we must do is seek, knock, desire truth. This isn't about intellectual learning. This is about heart changes. As our heart grows closer to God, our minds understand more. It can not be reversed. We can not achieve understanding through intelligence! Study is pointless without"ears" and"ears" are a gift from God. So, all we must do is pray for the deep desire for truth at all costs. Pray that a hunger builds inside to know the things of heaven. Pray for "ears to hear". Jesus promised that those who seek him will find. All we need is the desire! Priorities! Years ago, I would read the old testament scriptures and see great stories, but they were just stories. More historical than inspirational. But listening to certain preachers, those stories would come alive! They would unfold the layers and WOW there was so much truth! I wanted to be able to hear that truth, those deeper things, for myself. For years I asked God to let me see what they saw. And finally, it came. The stories of old grew relevant, powerful, each one taking on useful meaning. The words came alive in a way I had never experienced before. God gave me " ears". You to can hear what Jesus is saying. You too can experience the exquisite beauty of scripture! You can hear our Lord speaking to you through scripture, every word digging deeper into your soul with life-giving water. All you need do is ask for "ears to hear". He waits for you to ask. Seek Him today!

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 22, 2018 at 03:07AM

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via IFTTT This seems a harsh message in this day of grey, of relativism, of compromise. But it is truth from Jesus own words. There is no grey. The is only black and white! For or against. And more.. All not for are against! You can not be neutral, because neutral means against. There is no such thing as neutral. Apply this to our daily lives, and most of us fall under conviction. Take a typical day on a minute by minute basis. Evaluate each minute... Was it for or against the gospel? The personal mission of Jesus? Did our words exemplify Christ in that minute? Did our actions reflect the Father? Black or white, minute by minute. Seem impossible? It is! Well, if we attempt it under our own power, it is impossible. You simply can't be good enough to work your way to Heaven. But with God all things are possible! Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the teacher, every minute can become white. Time is not wasted! Jesus can shine through our lives. I'm not speaking of Sunday, I'm speaking of EVERY minute 24x7! Every one can and should count. Living for Christ is not something we do, it is someone we are. The most important moments are when we think no one is watching! Those quiet private moments reveal the true heart. All else is show. What do you do when alone? When private? Do your thoughts and actions glorify God? Be honest... It matters. If you are not secure that your private moments are ripe with the righteousness of christ, repent! Turn to Christ! Let the Holy Spirit bring about the change of heart you long for! Stop hiding from God! He knows you... Let Him fix you. It is the private moments that reveal a black or white heart. Take those moments to God, ask Him to wash those moments with the redeeming freeing blood of Jesus. Be free finally of that which you hide inside.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 19, 2018 at 03:56AM

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via IFTTT Self esteem... Perhaps the most insidious lie of Satan! The gospel of today has been perverted with the gospel of self-esteem. Today we tell each other "think well of yourself", " you are ok", "you can do anything", " you must love yourself first", and other such lies. Even from pulpits these lies abound sometimes directly said, sometimes hidden under layers of justification. All in an attempt to make us feel good about ourself, build confidence, improve self image. But, wait! Jesus says that the secret is the opposite! It is in realization of utter guilt, shame, blackness that we find peace through forgiveness. This woman was honest with herself, she knew how wrong she was. She humbled herself at Jesus feet out of a HEALTHY self image of a lowly sinner worthy of nothing but death. And that is where she found peace. The wages of sin is death We have sinned We deserve death That is the beginning of wisdom! In realizing that we are nothing, we deserve nothing, there we find the amazing grace! Joy of redemption! Freedom from anxiety and worry! And, according to Jesus, there is where we grow love for God. Next time you sing those hymns of old, consider the words. Amazing grace ... That saved a wretch like me Nothing but the blood... I once was lost.. Though my sins be as scarlet... And on and on... That is a healthy self image! Humans are a broken, sinful, vile, wretched lot, all of us! We deserve death! But.. God chose to pay that debt, out of an act of pure free love. We don't deserve it, none of it! You see, in realizing our hopeless position, in seeing our darkness and worthlessness, only then we see the depth of gods love! Only then do we understand the gift we are given. Only then do we love God more than self. Satan would have us love ourself. He is still touting the lie that " you will not die, you will be like god!" That's where it started, death and suffering. It started with man thinking he would create his own worth, be like god. Are we going to continue such foolishness today? Jesus said here, that when we realize how much we have been forgiven, then we will love God. If we minimize that depth of blackness within ourself with words of a "good self image", we destroy love for God! We set ourselves up for ultimate failure by repeating that scene from the garden in our own life. It doesn't work! We deserve death. We are granted life. That is love. We have no self worth, we have Jesus worth!

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 18, 2018 at 03:01AM

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via IFTTT Things are not always as they seem! Identity theft! Jesus warns of false prophets and teachers in this passage. But those false prophets are performing miracles! Wait... How can that be? How can one doing "good works of God" be a false prophet? People are often swayed, attracted by exhibitions of power and success. We tend to flock to someone "doing" something. Once enthralled, we place trust into that person or organization. We become blinded by the notion that "he must be special". We assume that power comes from purity. But Jesus says no. Look closely, these false prophets do miracles in the name of Jesus! Yet, Jesus never knew them. How can this be? Stolen identity. Identity theft! They use Jesus name and authority to "do thing" when they are not actually connected to the person of Jesus at all. Just like a common thief today, they pretend to be someone they are not. They practice lawlessness. They are working for their own desires not God. They do their own will, not the Father. How can we tell? They look so real! I mean, miracles even! Answer? Fruit. What is the end result? Don't look at the miracles, nor the words. Look at the fruit! Are they humble? Kind? Loving? Forgiving? Patient? Generous? These are fruit. Those that they touch and influence, do they exhibit good fruit? Are they people surrounding these becoming more like Jesus or more like the world? Are they giving more than receiving? Is their heart yearning to reach a lost and dieing world? Or are they seeking for comfort for themself? Do they sell all that they own to follow Jesus? Do they visit the widows, orphans, jailed? Do they feed and clothe the poor? Are they growing more humble? Fruit. Falsehoods can not produce good fruit. But fruit takes time. You can not always tell the fruit of a plant before harvest season approaches. We must be careful, slow to jump on board, cautious and watchful. The Holy Spirit will lead us in all truth, when we are listening to the still small voice of wisdom.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 17, 2018 at 03:15AM

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via IFTTT Boast about weakness? That seems completely foreign today! Who brags on how weak they are? Today we live in an age of pride, a day of celebrating our own abilities, relying on strong capable men and women with proper training, skill, experience. We praise education, seminars, self help, specialists, professionals... Pretty much everything but God! How far we have drifted from the truth of the new testament! In what part of life today, do you praise weakness? In what arena is weakness a sign of positive strength? Yet here Paul talks of the power of Christ dwelling in us because of weakness! Without weakness, how can Christ dwell in us? Confused? Only because we have been lied to. We have been sold an alternate gospel that trusts in man's wisdom and strength. We fool ourselves into thinking that we can actually do something! NO! Anything done of man's strength is worthless! Strength comes from realizing our utter weakness, from our humility. Power, God's power, flows only when we get ourselves out of the way. When we stop trying to do it ourselves and let God's spirit move. When we are "doing the right things" in the eyes of the world, we are missing out on God's power! How could the world ever approve of doing it God's way? Is the world suddenly holy? No! The world only approves of doing it the world's way, man's way. If the world approves, God does not. This is why the church today is so ineffective. This is one reason God's power does not move. How can He? We are not weak today! We pride ourselves in our own strength, and thereby reject God's power and presence. Walking in God's power requires man's weakness. Let that sink in for a minute. Let the Holy Spirit reveal this great truth. Walking in power, seeing God move, being at peace requires weakness. Seek Him and Him alone, He is our strength.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 11, 2018 at 03:44AM

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via IFTTT Many a sermon has been preached on HOW to properly fast based on this scripture. But... The real question for today is... DO you fast? It seems that few people today have ever experienced the cleansing hunger of fasting. Few incorporate this age old practice into their life. It is just not something that"we do" in modern America. Have scriptures been rewritten? Has God changed? No! Jesus did not say here "if" but rather "when". Like it or not, Jesus expected us to fast regularly! That seems an unpleasant truth for most of us. Yet it is exactly that unpleasantness that makes fasting so valuable! It is the denial of what we want, the deprivation of a basic bodily need, where we find much of the benefit. In the denial, we grow power over the flesh. We practice putting the spiritual first, denying our flesh those earthly desires. But... But... I get so hungry! Exactly! That is why we are called to do it! If we can not deny food for a time, who is in charge? Our spirit or our body? If we can't not deny food for a time, what other earthly pleasures can we not deny? How will we stand firm resisting temptation if we can not even skip a meal? Among other things, fasting builds strength of spirit over body. It places our very being in order as God intended. It allows us the ability to refuse to indulge in sin, to resist the devil. "When you fast" is an expectation of Jesus disciples. How long has it been for you? Have you fasted and prayed over that issue you are waiting and seeking God about? How important is it too you, if you are not willing to skip a meal to find time to pay over it? When you fast... Do it properly, but first... Commit to fast!

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 06, 2018 at 03:15AM

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via IFTTT Credit cards can be a very evil thing. Like a bottle of whiskey, a moment of illicit pleasure, or any other vehicle of sin, credit cards (debt) promise the benefit before the payment. Pretty much all sin looks attractive and feels good in the moment. We are attracted to and tempted by the good without fully comprehending the cost, until it is too late. Debt. Often too much to repay. We owe many debts. Every selfish act, every act of our own will creates another ledger entry of debt against us. In the end, that ledger will be read and accounted for with our very life. The debt must and will be paid! The answer? Jesus paid our debt! He owed no debt himself, was not worthy of the death He endured, so His death can be accounted for payment on our account. That is His free gift! He literally paid our debt so we don't have to! He has the power to forgive our sin, because he paid the price! BUT! There is a "but", His words here run deep! Forgive us our debt, "as we have already forgiven our debtors"! Has someone hurt you? Cheated you? Abused you? Then yes, that is who we must forgive, first. We deceive ourselves if we think that somehow what was done to us is worse than what we have done to God. You are no more worthy of forgiveness than the person who has hurt you the most. If you were somehow more worthy, it would not be a free gift! You would have earned it! So no... Each of us is exactly as guilty as our neighbor, as that one who hurt you most. "If you but are angry with your brother, you have committed murder in your heart" If you believe Jesus, then this clause of the Lord's prayer is heavy. You owe a debt, and are forgiven freely to the extent that you forgive those who hurt you most. So stop now, call to mind the name of those who have truly hurt you. Take those names to heaven and ask for the heart to truly forgive them. This is between you, and Jesus. Ask Him to empower you to forgive as He forgives you. Ask Him to remove that hardness, that grudge, that debt you hold against another. Forgiveness is a personal inward thing. It is release of the debt on your part. It is freedom from the hurt you carry. It does not justify the evil done, it erases the debt incurred and lets you move forward. It is a legal choice, a moment of decision, an act of will to forgive a debt, and it is good. We are forgiven much, realizing that allows us to forgive others, as we are all the same. Refusing to forgive is an act of arrogance, of saying you are somehow better, more worthy. Forgiveness says we realize our own debts, we are the same. Forgive today, that one, the hardest one. It sets you free of the pain of the hurt, and opens the door to our own forgiveness. Do it now, because we are to ask our own forgiveness AFTER we have already forgiven all.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church September 02, 2018 at 02:44AM

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Hallowed by thy Name

Hallowed by thy Name

Revered as holy, respected, honored. It starts there. Without this foundation, all else is but a dead religion of laws and rules and works. Truth starts with the hallowed name of God, reverence for greatness and power that we can not even fathom.

Hallowed begins at the revelation of that greatness, the overwhelming glorious righteousness, the unending power to speak universes into existence. There is none like this but God.

Our prayers, our walk, our lives must be rooted in the foundation of due respect for God's holiness and sovereignty. It must be real, the guiding force of our every act. The "fear of God" which gives birth to wisdom comes from this realization of unfathomable power.

What if the "lords prayer" stopped there? What if it was true and all the world walked in reverence to the hallowed holy name of God? There would be no more crime, no more abuse, no more cheating, no more suffering, no more evil at all, because men would remain in awe of the god of creation. All prayers would be answered in this one truth...

Hallowed be thy name.

Not me, not you, not your favorite personality, not your favorite author or group, but God and God alone. He is so far above all else, all else is but "filthy rags" by comparison. We put God alone as worthy of praise, no one else.

Any man, any, that draws attention to himself, in any way, violates this. Any man that claims ability of himself is deceived. Any man who claims success of himself, deceives others. Truth is in our humility because all good things come from above, not from within. Are we to steal God's glory? Are we to claim ourselves worthy of praise? Heaven forbid! Only God's name is to be revered. Only His name is to be praised. He is not one of many, He is all.

Jesus said to start prayer with this, hallowed be they name, because this is the beginning of all. Go to the Father and give Him proper respect, ask Him to reveal His holiness to you. Ask Him to let you see His glory! Moses did... And God allowed it. He, your loving Father, wants to reveal Himself to you too. Just ask.

It all starts with respect, with honor, with revelation of who God really is. Let our prayer be to truly honor our Father with the sovereign respect He deserves. Once we experience that in a deep and personal way, everything else falls into place.