False Religion Will be Judged and Destroyed!

As I read of the ultimate judgment and destruction of all false religion in Revelation 17, I am deeply moved and appreciative of the fact that not only did God save me through Jesus Christ, but He kept me from being deceived and sucked into a false religion that would have dammed my soul for eternity. Praise God for His good pleasure in electing me by His free and unfettered grace unto salvation through Jesus Christ His Son.

The Real Meaning of Christmas (Part 2)

SERMON        GMT14-023

SERIES:          Topical Messages:  Christmas

SETTING:        North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:        Sunday AM (Dec 14, 2014)

SUBTITLE:    The Real Meaning of Christmas (Part 2)

SCRIPTURE:      Philippians 2:7c-8

SUBJECT:        God became a man

SUMMARY:    God became man in order to redeem his people from their sin.

SCHEME:    that believers appreciate the incarnation of Jesus Christ

_____________________________________________________________

Our theme is: God became a man

This is a good reminder for us all that as the Christmas season approaches with all of its frenzied excitement, we do not lose sight of the true or the real meaning of Christmas.

 Proposition:  God became man in order to redeem his people from their sin.

Interrogatory Sentence:  What does God want us to know about the incarnation of Jesus Christ?

Transitional Sentence: The passage before us identifies three (3) aspects of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. As we develop our theme we will clearly see the real meaning of Christmas.

The Real Meaning of Christmas is seen in:

1. The Person of the Incarnation         3.  The Prize of the Incarnation
2. The Purpose of the Incarnation   

The Waters Turned to Blood

I had to drive in to Vancouver today and as I drove south on I-5, we drove along the Columbia River. We also crossed the Cowlitz River, the Kalama River, and within sight of the Cowee River. I then thought of the Puget Sound which runs from near Bellingham to Olympia. These are extremely beautiful bodies of water and I truly appreciate God's handiwork in their creation. What made me think of them? I was in Revelation 16 today for my devotion and I read where God commanded an angel to tip his bowl and empty God's wrath on the sea and the rivers and springs. When the angel did so the bodies of water were turned to coagulated blood. I cannot imagine the great Columbia River or the Puget Sound or the Cowlitz as coagulated blood with every living water creature dead. How much does God hate sin and will judge sin? The waters will be turned to blood.

Say, I Believe In Christ

Say, I Believe In Christ

by Gregg Metcalf

December 10, 2014

This version was written in response to the song being circulated on Face Book and You Tube called Say I Believe In Christmas.

I believe in Christ…I believe He’s true

I believe in the Savior…sent for the chosen few

If you…believe in Jesus…join me in this song

Keep living for him…be obedient all year long

If…you don’t see Merry Christmas in a window

No! You don’t go past that store (don’t go by)

If you don’t see Merry Christmas in the window

Yes! You walk right in their front door

Oh…it’s all about the gospel…the meaning of His birth

It’s the one and only reason we worship in every season

Sharing the good news of Jesus to everyone on earth

If you don’t hear Merry Christmas…don’t let it get to you

When you walking through their store

Find the nearest employee and forget about you

Share with them what they haven’t heard before

Words are chosen every year to hide the truth

Of the reason for this time of year

They may not like our song and profit is not wrong

Let them make some dough that is all they know

Unless you stand out from the crowd and share the gospel loud

Christmas is just man-made but what a great holiday you know

What would they be missing? Now let’s see

If you don’t share the truth of the Nativity…

No forgiveness of sins or joy of salvation

No freedom from sin or condemnation

No joy deep down in their soul

No knowledge of being made whole

No promise of grace for livin

No celebrating all God has givin

No help to fight the battle of sin
No one to who calls them his friend

No promise of reward and blessing

No confidence just a life of guessing

And one more thing there wouldn’t be

No-ooo recognition of Calvary------

If…you…don’t see Merry Christmas in the window

Yes! Run right straight into that store

If you don’t see Merry Christmas in the window

Yes! You walk in by their front door

If you don’t believe the reasons to share the gospel…you’re not ok with me

Please don’t blame a blind mind for walking into a wall clumsily

After all we celebrate Christ and His resurrected life all year ‘round

Christian come out from the shallow end and stand your ground

Christmas is just a man-made holiday!

Happy 81st Birthday Mom!

Happy 81st Birthday to my mom, 

Evelyn L. Metcalf of Modesto, CA

I love you Mom!

From the pages of "You Got To Be Kidding Me?"

You have got to be kidding, right?

“If you don’t see merry Christmas in the window you don’t go in that store?” “If you don’t see merry Christmas, yes you walk right by that door?”

Have we lost our minds? I guess there is no use being ignorant if you can’t show it every now and then. People, let’s get a grip.

First of all, Christ wasn’t born in December or on December 25th.

Second of all, the emphasis of the incarnation is not on the fact that a baby was born in a manager named Jesus. The emphasis on the incarnation is that the Christ agreed to empty Himself of His glory and to be born as a man in order to redeem His people from their sins.

Third, if saying or hearing ‘Merry Christmas’ is needed as some emotional or psychological lift, get a grip and get into Scripture. Depend on the promises of God rather than some more often than not faked annual greeting.

Fourth, do you really want to die on that hill? Come on, is that the battle you want to be known for? Can’t we pick a better battle to engage? Do we really want to hurt local merchants, many who have families, who have never done a thing to you, and who may be on the verge of bankruptcy due to the economy?

Fifth, do we really want to show ourselves as that ignorant? How do you plan on sharing the gospel, the real meaning of the incarnation with the store owners that you refuse to go into and do business?

All this is, is symbolism over substance, feel-goodism, and shallow Christianity.

It is Vital That You Pray!

"Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap,f or the harvest of the earth is ripe." (Revelation 14:b, NKJV)

 

The time is drawing near when Christ will participate in the judgment of all sin and unrighteousness on this earth. We don't know the moment of this event but it certainly is closer today than when John recorded this for the seven churches in Asia. 

Two thoughts emerge from this impending judgment; first, this gives great encouragement to all believers of any age that God through Jesus Christ will judge and punish all unrighteousness; and second, we must work while it is day because the night is coming when no man can work - we are to preach the gospel to every creature. 

Jesus told the seventy disciples as He commissioned them to go into the harvest to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers into His harvest.

 Let me ask you; are you praying regularly that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers into His harvest?