"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING"

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING"

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Some explanatory thoughts:

1. First of all, there is a blessing in store for the these persons.

2. The man or woman spoken here, is the one who endures temptation, or trials of some type.

3. These temptations, trials, may come in many forms. For example, it could be those who endure the suffering of some type of physical infirmity, or having to live through a bad marriage, or some type of emotional trial that is no fault of their own. It could be because they suffer because of their Christian Testimony. Or just any type of suffering. 

4. The blessing is called "The crown of life" 

5. The Lord may allow you to suffer down here in some way, and He will help you endure, and when you get to heaven, He is going to reward you with a very special crown. 

6. Jesus said, in Matt 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

A prayer for those being tempted, tried, and suffering:

Lord, You never, ever said in Your Word, that our lives would be peaches and cream so to speak. In fact, You told us just the opposite. That in this world we would have tribulation, and, You said to be of good cheer because You have overcome the world. Thank You for telling us the truth, and thank You for overcoming this world, and thank You for what You have in store for us. 

Two quotes about suffering and reward:

Suffering does not separate us from God and His Love.  

Sin separates us from God.

Thomas Aquinas wrote:

O saving Victim, opening wide,

The gate of heaven to man below,

Our foes press on from every side,

Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE ASKING JESUS TO HELP THEM"

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE ASKING JESUS TO HELP THEM"

Luke 5:12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Luke 5:13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.

Some explanatory thoughts:

1. First of all, do you think it was a coincidence, that Jesus and this leper found themselves together in the same city? I do not. For God's children, there are no coincidences. The Bible tells us that He is in control of all things, and that means all things. The Bible tells us He knows what we have need of before we ask. He knows where we are, and what we are thinking etc. 

2. This man, was full of leprosy, (the Bible uses leprosy as a type of sin) saw Jesus. Again, no coincidence. Sin, like leprosy, eventually ends in death. In the meantime, it destroys slowly, it takes away usefulness, it isolates us, it makes us not want to be with others, etc, etc. 

3. The leprous man fell on his face and implored, (which means, to desire, to make request, to beg, to ask, to pray) This man was at the end of his rope as it were. He had apparently heard like we have, that Jesus can help a man, no matter what the problem is. He did the sane thing, he humbled himself and asked Jesus a question.

4. Here's the question he asked, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Little did he know how willing the Lord was. He had some sense or belief that Jesus could heal him, but, he was not sure if Jesus would help him. 

5. Here's what Jesus did. Luke 5:13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. May I say, that this is what Jesus will do for you also. He will reach out to your prayer, He will cleanse you of sin. The Bible is chock full of stories of people like this leper, who asked God to help them, and He did. And, He will for you also.

6. Note: God may or may not heal a disease, but, He will every time, forgive sin, and bring healing to our hearts from the sin we have done. We can count on that. He is our Saving Savior. Let's go to Him with our needs today. Will You do that? I pray you will, because, He is willing. 

A prayer:

Lord, Thank You for showing us about who You are in the Bible. We need to know more and more about You, and it helps us so much when we learn about Your ways and Your actions, and what You will do for us. You are our friend, You want us to come to You, You will not deny our approaching You, we can and ought to run as fast as we can to You, anytime of the day or night, with any problem we have, and seek Your help. There is nothing that You cannot help us with. 

Thank You Lord, In Jesus name, amen

Pastor Bob Grenier

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR YOUR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE"

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR YOUR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE"

Isaiah 43:18 Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

Some explanatory notes:

1. God was calling His people to not remember the former things, Nor the things of old.  The word "remember" means, to recall, call to mind, to be brought to mind. The Lord was guiding His people to not think about their past, (their captivity in Babylon) He did not want them to think about what had happened to them. 

2. Instead of thinking about what had happened, the Lord was speaking to them about what He was going to be doing for them. Please notice the specifics of what the Lord was saying.

3. Behold I will do a new thing. It will spring forth. And, His people would come to know it. He would also make a road in the wilderness. And, rivers in the desert. 

4. The things the Lord was going to do, were actual things, not just wishful thinking. He did do this for His people. 

5. There is a tremendous encouragement for us today. Don't look back, look ahead. God has a plan. He can do things that you can't even imagine. God wants to continue growing You in His grace, and in His knowledge. He wants to fill you with His Holy Spirit. He wants to show these things to us. He is our road as it were. We walk in Him, and follow Him. He can quench our thirst. 

6. In closing, these verses are good to keep in mind. They are good to even commit to memory. They are good to apply. They are good, because they are true. 

A prayer:

Father, thank You for Your hand being with us, and Your promise to us, of what You will do in our lives. Thank You also for the guidance to not be looking backwards, but forwards, believing that You will do new and wonderful things in our life.

We love You Lord. In Jesus’ name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE STRUGGLING WITH IDOLATRY"

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE STRUGGLING WITH IDOLATRY"

1Cor 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Some explanatory thoughts:

1. The word therefore, is an important word, and it's helpful to ask, what is it therefore?  In this case, it's there, because, it connects what Paul is saying with what he has been saying.

2. And, what he has been saying is that God is faithful to always provide a way of escape that we can bear up under temptations. See 1 Cor 10:13

3. Please notice, how God describes and calls His people. "My Beloved" This means, two things. First of all, God's people, are in fact, His people, He owns them, He has purchased them. They are no longer the people of darkness and the devil. But, they are, ( You ) are His person. You are one of God's people.

4. Secondly, God calls His people, "Beloved" which means, dearly beloved, well beloved, dear, well loved, esteemed, favorite, and worthy of love. That's how God sees You, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ. You are "My Beloved" from God's perspective.

5. What is idolatry? Simply, put, it's the worship of false God's. While there really are no other god's but the one true living God, a man can and often does give something else, someone else, some desire, some goal, some material object, something besides God, God's place in his heart and life. That's what Idolatry is. It's making a replacement god, in your life, instead of having God in His right place. And, that is the number one priority in your life. To know Him, and to bring honor and glory to Him, to serve Him,     and to please Him, to follow Him, and not do your will, but His. That's not idolatry, that is the true Biblical Worship of the Living God.

6. Here's what do to with idolatry. Flee it. Two simple words, that mean so much. To flee in Scripture, means, to seek safety by flight. To shun, to avoid, especially vices. To be saved by flight, to escape safely out of danger, to vanish.

A prayer:

Lord, You are the one, and the only true and living God. We ask for forgiveness, for the times when we move away from focusing on You, and simply worshipping You as we ought. Thank You for the gift of repentance, we may need it this day, to turn away from what we have been "idolizing" and run to You, and let You have first place in our life. Idols can't speak, hear, or help. But, You hear us, You speak, and You can help us, You can heal us, You can guide us, You can forgive us, You can do for us what no one else could even come close to. In fact, there is no one who can do what You can do. It makes all the sense in the world to flee from idolatry. Please help us to do so day by day. Thank You Lord, in Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE, FOR THOSE BEING TEMPTED"

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE, FOR THOSE BEING TEMPTED"

1Cor 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

A few explanatory thoughts:

1. What you are going through is not uncommon. In fact, it's common to men. ( No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man ) The idea here is pretty clear, common, means, "after the manner of men", or "things belonging to men" it's what we go through living in this world. Or, as the NLT puts it, "The temptations that come into your life are no different then from what others experience"

2. But, God is faithful, and promises, that He willl not allow you to be tempted, or tried beyond what you are able to bear. In other words, He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. Now, that's a real comfort. He is keeping watch over you. He knows what you can take, and what you can't take. He will always take care to watch over you.

3. Here's another blessing and comforting truth. God will also, always make a way of escape, ( not from the temptation ) but, so that you can bear it. He does not always take you out of it, but will always show you how to bear it. Or as the NLT says, " He will show you a way out, so you will not give in to it" We can count on Him to do so.

4. One last quick thing. 1 Cor 10:13 says, "God is faithful" What does that mean? It's speaking of His nature, He is dependable. Constant. Unchanging, trustworthy, always will do as He says He will do. You can bank on Him. He can be trusted all the time.

A brief prayer:

Lord, Thank You for always keeping an eye on us. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for guarding our lives. Thank You for being faithful. And, thank You for your faithful provision, that will always allow us and show us a way to bear the temptation. To not have to give in to it. Who could do these things but You. Lastly, Lord, we pray that You would also give us grace, and the personal resolve to always take the way of escape that You show us. Why would we want to be ill affected by the temptation, ( because, that is what it would do ) Keep us from it Lord, and show us the way of escape.

In Jesus name. Amen

Pastor Bob Grenier

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE DEALING WITH GUILT FROM SIN"

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE DEALING WITH GUILT FROM SIN"

John 8:10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

John 8:11She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Ps 130:4  But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Some explanatory thoughts.

1. Sin is very real, but, please notice what is not real. And, that is the condemnation from Jesus. See John 8:10-11, and 1John 3:17 above.

2. Condemnation, means, to judge, to call into question, or to say, "I've had it with you, I reject you, I'm done with you, there is no hope for you. Well, none of those thoughts are in the mind and heart of our Lord towards us when we have sinned. Be sure of that.

3. What we do have from God is forgiveness. See Ps 130:4a which means, to send away, to depart. He can send away our sins, because of what Christ has done in dying on the cross for our sins, and our believing in Him.

4. There is not only forgiveness, but there is also another truth about God and our sin. See Ps 130:4b, and it is that God may be feared. Or respected. Sin, blocks our true view of God, and it causes us to somehow forget about Him at the moment, and we become unwise. But, when we have sinned, and we start feeling the guilt from our thoughts or actions, the fear of the Lord can come back into view in our minds and hearts.

The Bible says concerning the fear of the Lord, 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

5. Back to forgiveness for a moment. It's in a very real sense conditional. We must confess, or admit our sins, and then we are forgiven. But, not only are we forgiven, but we are promised cleansing. Which means, to be free from the defilement of sin and from our faults. It means to be free from guilt.

A prayer.

Lord, the Bible says, "What man is there that sinneth not" Or "He who is without sin" So, that certainly includes each and everyone of us. We especially pray for anyone who this day has sinned, and is dealing with the guilt and the consequences of that sin. We know that You not only forgive sin, but You also even have a way of taking those consequences and working them together for our good. Sin, and forgiveness, give us much to be thankful for. Not the sin, but for Your forgiving us. Thank You. Cleanse us, and help us to do what you told the woman to do, " Go and sin no more" Thank You again Lord, in Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOING TO HEAVEN"

"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOING TO HEAVEN"

Today someone many of us know and loved, went to heaven. The Bible verses below are now fully realized by Pastor Chuck Smith.

I thought these verses might be of great comfort and encouragement to you, as many times people have questions about heaven. These are just a few of many, many verses in the Bible. I pray they are a blessing to you.

2 Co 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Php 1:23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

2nd Tim 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2nd Tim 4: 8 finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Rev 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Some explanatory thoughts:

1. We can be very confident and well pleased about what will happen to us when we leave this world. We will be present with the Lord.

2.  When a Christian dies, their soul leaves their body, and goes immediately to be with the Lord, which Paul says is far better.

3. Our fighting is over, our race is over, and as Paul exampled for us, he "kept the faith"

4. There is a crown waiting for us ( I believe this is our new body )

5. All things for us will be new. These are the promises of God.

6. We will drink from the fountain of the water of life freely.

7. We will inherit all things. And, God will be our God.

8. The Lord Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, no more sorrow, and no more crying, no more pain. All that we call now, will be then called former, and they will have passed away.

A Prayer:

Lord, there is so much more in Your Word about where You are taking us. It's truly only the start of an eternity with You in one sense. But, for the few things we have posted here today, we rejoice, we thank You, we take great comfort and joy in them. We appreciate Your faithfulness to get us all the way to heaven. Today, Pastor Chuck Smith has been there just a little over 24 hours our time, in fact, about 28 and 6 minutes as of this writing. We will see You, and we will see him, and all of our other loved ones who have gone before us.

Thank You Lord, in Jesus name, Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier