Notes of Faith December 29, 2024

Notes of Faith December 29, 2024

 Why You Need to Keep Coming Back to the Word

The Bible is life–changing. Not only will reading and responding to God’s Word change your life today, but the Bible will continually change you as you keep coming back to it throughout your life. It’s not enough to sample the Word; you need to incorporate the habit of daily coming back to the Word into your life.

God’s Word Is Where the Power Is

R.A. Torrey shared what has become one of my favorite quotes, “People who pray for power but neglect the Bible abound in the church. But the power that belongs to God is stored up in the great reservoir of His own Word, the Bible. We cannot obtain or maintain God’s power in our own lives or in our work unless there is deep and frequent meditation on the Word of God.”

Torrey was a longtime ministry associate of D.L. Moody who also had a passion for God’s Word and based his whole ministry on it. In one of my favorite stories about D.L. Moody, he shares:

A quickening that will last must come through the word of God. A man stood up in one of our meetings and said he hoped for enough out of the series of meetings to last him all his life. I told him he might as well try to eat enough breakfast at one time to last him a lifetime. That is a mistake that people are making; they are running to religious meetings and they think the meetings are going to do the work. But if these don’t bring you into closer contact with the word of God, the whole impression will be gone in three months.

If you really want to grow in your Christian life, you need to keep coming back to the Word of God.

It’s not enough to read the Bible once and then move on. Each of us need daily manna from heaven that God gives as we come back to His Word each day.

Your Bible Is Living and Active

When you become a student of the Bible and you read it consistently throughout the years, different Scriptures stand out at different times. God’s Word is living and active and will often speak to you what you need to hear at just the right moment.

God’s Word also becomes living and active in your heart when you memorize Scripture and meditate on it. To meditate on the Word of God means letting it roll over and over again in your heart and mind until it settles deeply into your spirit. It’s one thing to get into the Word of God, but it’s another thing to let the Word of God get into you. I spend much of my day as part of a ministry team thinking on the Word of God and what God wants to speak into the chaos, dysfunction, and brokenness of our world. I meditate and ponder what God might be saying and what He might want me to say to bring hope and truth into a world that desperately needs Him.

Remind Your Heart Daily What God Has Said

It’s important to keep coming back to the Word of God because the Bible tells us the importance of remembering what God has said:

For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

— 2 Peter 1:12-15, NKJV

It is good to be reminded of what God has said, and you do this by coming back to the Word over and over so your life is continually changed.

Excerpted from ThomasNelsonBibles.com. Written by Matt Brown, author of Truth Plus Love.

I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” I was happier still when they told me what they had been reading and studying from the Word of God!

Stay in God’s Word to hear Him speak to you daily, to strengthen you, to grow you up toward maturity in Christ all your life!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 28, 2024

Notes of Faith December 28, 2024

Out With the Old

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

The turning of the year reminds us time is fleeting, the past is unalterable, the future is uncertain, and our God is unchanging!

We can say, “Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness during all this dying year. There were good days and bad ones, but there were no days without Your constant grace and care. My mistakes and sins are covered with the blood. My victories are committed to You. Now, help me to anticipate the new graces before me—the blessings, the guidance, the opportunities, the promises. May I perceive Your ways. May I foresee by faith Your path forward and the springs You will give me in the desert.”

Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be, in working or in waiting another year with Thee.

Frances Ridley Havergal

Each day is like the next, either with the Lord, or apart from Him. Let us draw ever near the One who loves us more than any other, and seeks to be near to us for all eternity!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 27, 2024

Notes of Faith December 27, 2024

And We Know

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

In his 1618 book about the promises of God, Puritan Nicholas Byfield said, “The promises are called the unsearchable riches of Christ to assure us Christians we are very rich people when our hearts are stored with the promises of God, well applied…. God’s promises will drive away grief, discouragement, or fears that may at any time seize us. They will sweeten all our afflictions.”

Perhaps the most all-encompassing promise in the Bible is Romans 8:28. We know God works in all things. He is working behind the scenes on our behalf and for our good. Not everything that happens to us is good, but God can use everything that happens to us for good in His long-term plan and by His overruling grace. He knows how to manufacture treasure out of various and sundry components, and we must trust Him with that.

Today, remind yourself of this great promise. Apply its truth to what is troubling you. Take courage! God will work it all for good!

These promises soundly studied and laid on our hearts will breed cheerfulness of spirit and contentment, which makes godliness a great gain.

Nicholas Byfield

Rom 8:28-39

who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,

"FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;

WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is indeed NOTHING that can separate us from the LOVE of God! We who belong to Him know His promises, cling to His promises, look ahead to His promises fulfilled when we live with Him forever in a place prepared for us from before the foundation of the world. Come to Jesus. Believe, and received the inheritance of the saints, the incredible glory that God has promised and prepared for us!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 26, 2024

Notes of Faith December 26, 2024

Blanket Coverage

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Genesis 50:20

In short, insurance in all its forms is protection against the possibility of loss or damage. It involves the transfer of risk from one party to another based on compensation from the insured to the insurer. For thousands of years, various forms of insurance have been used—an acknowledgement of the human desire to avoid the impact of negative events in life. Insurance can be taken out for a limited time (travel insurance) or for a lifetime (life insurance).

With a new year approaching, it is natural to wonder what events will transpire. The Bible says we have an insurance policy of sorts with God that says, regardless of what happens, it will result in a good outcome in our life. That is the message of Romans 8:28: All things in the new year (and every year) will work together for the good of those who belong to God’s family. No insurance company offers a policy with that kind of blanket coverage!

If you belong to God through faith in Christ, you are “insured.” Regardless of what the new year brings, it will be for your good.

Contentment is an embracing of the providence of God.

George Seevers

I am sitting in my office at church working on this Sunday’s message … waiting for a plumber to fix a toilet that won’t shut off. It may have been running since Tuesday night’s candlelight service. Oh well, it’s always something. And in the providence of God, maybe I will get to share the hope we have in Jesus with the plumber that arrives to fix it! God is good all the time! I pray that you are “content” in the Christmas that God gave you, knowing that all things work together for good, to those who love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose! May you be blessed now and every day until we meet the Lord together!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 25, 2024

Notes of Faith December 25, 2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Right Time

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.

Galatians 4:4

“I’m not sure exactly what time I’ll be there; but I will be there—promise,” a father tells his teenage daughter. The daughter’s faith is dependent on one thing: the father’s character. She has grown up knowing that her father keeps his word. She doesn’t need to know exactly what time he will arrive, but she knows he will show up.

God spoke through the Old Testament prophets about the coming of the Messiah without ever saying exactly when He would appear. But there is no record of the prophets doubting God’s promises. They didn’t need to know the exact time because they had learned to trust in God’s words. So when Christ did appear, the apostle Paul said it happened in “the fullness of the time.” That is, it happened at the “right time” according to God’s plans and purposes (Galatians 4:4, NLT).

God has given us promises without telling us, for the most part, how or when they will be kept. But the fulfilled promise of Christmas reminds us that God always keeps His promises at the “right time.”

Christmas is the day that holds all time together.

Alexander Smith

God is always right on time for everything! Jesus came to us right on time and He is coming again right on time…perhaps today!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 24, 2024

Notes of Faith December 24, 2024

Holiday Peace

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:6

A 2023 survey reported by the American Heart Association noted that out of 1,000 respondents 63 percent said the Christmas holidays are more stressful than the April tax season. And 51 percent reported that it takes weeks to recover from the holidays—especially for mothers.1

Recommended Reading:

Luke 1:13

The very first Christmas was simpler than our modern, commercialized version—and, therefore, less stressful, we would think. But there was fear and stress associated with the first Christmas as well. Zechariah was fearful about the announcement of his son John the Baptist’s birth (Luke 1:13). Mary was fearful about becoming the unwed mother of Jesus (Luke 1:30). And the shepherds outside Bethlehem were fearful when a host of angels announced Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:10). In each case, it was the fear of the unknown that resulted in their unrest.

If you have concerns or fears this Christmas season, commit them to God in prayer. Be anxious for nothing by receiving His peace (Philippians 4:7).

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.

Unknown

Luke 1:12-13

Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias.

Luke 1:28-31

"Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

Matt 1:20-21

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.

Luke 2:9-14

9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid;

Throughout the Bible we read “Fear Not” 63 times in the King James Version.

Even in the Christmas story we are told “Fear Not” when God is pleased.

This should remind us that there are rewards and consequences for our actions and most certainly in our relationship with God. Being an obedient child of God brings reward and blessing, for God is pleased. Being rebellious, disobedient, unbelieving, brings consequences of God’s discipline, even His wrath.

Those that belong to God, even though they sin, need to “Fear Not” for you are in Christ Jesus, and are seen in the perfection of Jesus, with whom God is pleased!

My prayer for you this day is that you are in Christ, a believer and follower of your Lord and Savior, and therefore have NO reason to ever fear!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 23, 2024

Notes of Faith December 23, 2024

Seeking and Saving

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:10

Countless paintings show Jesus holding a lamb in His arms. Other paintings show Him approaching an individual sheep that He, the Good Shepherd, sought out after it became separated from the flock. This latter image comes from the parable Jesus told about a man who owned 100 sheep but discovered one was missing. He left the 99 and searched until he found the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14). In His words to Zacchaeus, the tax collector, Jesus summarized His mission: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The premise behind seeking is an acknowledgement that something is lost. In Romans 3:10-18, Paul cites a litany of Old Testament verses showing that man is lost and in need of being found. The problem is that man is not inclined to seek after God: “There is none who seeks after God” (verse 11). And no one can be found who does not first acknowledge he is lost.

The first step in being saved is admitting one is lost—separated from God. The good news is that Jesus came to seek and save all who need to be found.

Thou didst seek us when we sought Thee not.

Augustine

Rom 3:10-18

"THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

13 "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,

WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,"

"THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS";

14 "WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS";

15 "THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,

16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,

17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN."

18 "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

This unbelieving in this world want no God, no authority above themselves.

Heb 4:7

TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,

DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.

Matt 11:28

28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

We all need rest from a wearying, dark and lost world.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 22, 2024

Notes of Faith December 22, 2024

Immanuel

In the Greek: Ἐμμανουήλ

EMMANOUEL

The name Immanuel appears twice in the Hebrew Scriptures and once in the New Testament. One of the most comforting of all the names and titles of Jesus, it is literally translated “with us is God” or, as Matthew’s Gospel puts it, “God with us.” When our sins made it impossible for us to come to Him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making Himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin’s disruptive power in order to cancel its claim. In Jesus we see how extreme God’s love is. Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too timid to undertake some new endeavor. For Jesus is still Immanuel — He is still “God with us.”

All this happened so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: “The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they will name Him Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” — Matthew 1:22–23

God Reveals His Name in Scripture

Matthew 1:18-23

Open your personal Bible translation and read the same passage. Make note when you see the name IMMANUEL.

18 The birth of Yeshua Christ took place in this way. His mother Mary had been promised to Joseph in marriage. But before they were married, Mary realized that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph was an honorable man and did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break the marriage agreement with her secretly. 20 Joseph had this in mind when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son, and you will name Him Yeshua [He Saves], because He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All this happened so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: 23 “The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they will name Him Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

Understanding the Name

The name Immanuel (im-ma-nu-AIL) first appears in Isaiah 7:14 as part of a prophetic word that Isaiah spoke to King Ahaz of Judah (the southern kingdom) at a time when Aram and Israel (the northern kingdom) had formed a coalition against Assyria. The prophet Isaiah counseled Ahaz not to join in their uprising against Assyria, he urged Ahaz to trust in the Lord. Then the prophet invited Ahaz to ask the Lord for a sign to confirm the prophetic word, but the king refused.

In response to Ahaz’s refusal to trust God, Isaiah proclaimed: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 NIV

Matthew’s gospel recalls Isaiah’s prophecy, applying it to the child who would soon be born to Mary (Matthew 1:22–23). The sign given hundreds of years earlier was meant for all God’s people. In fact, the Bible is nothing if not the story of God’s persistent desire to dwell with His people. In Jesus, God succeeded in a unique way, becoming a man in order to save the world not from the outside, but from the inside. Immanuel, God with us, to rescue, redeem, and restore our relationship with Him.

Jesus is still Immanuel — He is still “God with us.”

What does this title of Jesus reveal about His nature?

How have you experienced Immanuel — God being with you in your life thus far? See if you can recall a specific time in your life when God seemed especially near or think about all the small signs of his presence in your life.

When have you struggled to believe that God is living up to His name? That he truly is with you?

Matthew begins and ends his gospel (see Matthew 28:20) with the promise that God is with us. How would your life be different if you began and ended each day with the firm belief that God is with you?

Jesus said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (see Hebrews 13:5). How should this truth affect your perspective, especially in difficult times?

Describe times in your life when you have not been with God. How might this have affected your experience of Immanuel?

Thank God for His persistence in pursuing you. Ask Him to increase your confidence in His desire to be with you.

Focus on the meaning of the name Immanuel, God with us, as you read

Psalm 139:7–10.

7 Where can I go to get away from Your Ruach? Where can I run to get away from You? 8 If I go up to Heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, You are there. 9 If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun or land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets, 10 even there Your hand would guide me and Your right hand would hold on to me.

Look up and read: John 15:9–12

How can you remain one with Immanuel? In His conversation with His disciples just before His death, Jesus assures them that obedience allows them to live in His love. Ask God to lead you into deeper obedience.

Promises from Immanuel

11 But Moses said to Elohim, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the people of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 Elohim answered, “I will be with you. And this will be the proof that I sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship Elohim on this mountain.” — Exodus 3:11–12

20 Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. “And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” — Matthew 28:20

For Deeper Study

Read the following passages, considering the name IMMANUEL and how its meaning relates to the context of the passage.

Genesis 28:15, Exodus 3:11–12, Joshua 1:5–9, Isaiah 8:10, Matthew 28:20, John 14:15–21, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Hebrews 13:5–6

Excerpted from Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks by Ann Spangler, copyright Ann Spangler.

God has always been with us, will always be with us, but the relationship we have with Him can be very diverse. Do we know Him and continue to pursue the One who created and loves us with a perfect love? Do we know about Him and yet pursue the things of this world to satisfy the desires of a sinful heart? Only God can fill the emptiness within. Through His grace, love and mercy, we are forgiven of sin and given glory, an eternal pure and perfect life with Him! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 21, 2024

Notes of Faith December 21, 2024

NOEL—Ways to Celebrate the Season: Love and Laughter

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Psalm 126:2

Comedian Milton Berle said, “Laughter is an instant vacation.” As we come to the last letter of our NOEL acronym, let’s use love and laughter for L. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul bragged on the people for their “labor of love” (1:3). He said their love was good news to him (3:6). Then he prayed for their love to “increase and abound” (3:12). He said God had taught them to love one another (4:9) and that they should do so more and more (4:10).

We love our friends and families, despite all the ups and downs that come with close and sometimes complicated relationships. The Lord teaches us how to love one another. Let’s do so more and more. Let’s display our love with laughter. Not hurtful, sarcastic laughter, but the laughter of fun and fellowship. Especially at Christmas. The people in Psalm 126:2 said, “We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them’” (NLT).

Let your love and laughter be contagious this season.

If God is God…then laughter fits life.

Charles Swindoll

Laughter has often been said to bring healing. It is also often related to love. If someone can laugh at themselves they are at peace with who they are. Laughter seems to be filled with good for the soul and body. Let us awake with joy and laughter for the work of the Lord in our lives each day!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 20, 2024

Notes of Faith December 20, 2024

Savior

We know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.

John 4:42

Jesus, Immanuel, Messiah, King of Righteousness, Prince of Peace, Son of David, Cornerstone, Lion of Judah, Morning Star, Redeemer, Lamb of God, Counselor, God, Lord, Word, Advocate, Shepherd, Master, Servant, Holy One, Rabbi, Carpenter!

Recommended Reading:

John 4:39-42

You can find hundreds of names and titles for Jesus in the Bible. One was given by the angels: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior” (Luke 2:11). The Greek word soter means “someone who can make safe, deliver from a threat and bring safe and sound out of a difficult situation.”

Whenever you need a savior, you need one badly—to save you from drowning, from a fire, from a medical emergency. Jesus does all that and more. When we were sinking deep in sin, He saved us. When we were in danger of hell, He saved us. When we were dying inwardly and eternally, He rescued us. It takes all the names in the Bible to describe Him. But aren’t you glad Savior is among them! Ponder His saving power today and rejoice!

I must have the Savior near me, for I dare not go alone. I must feel His presence near me, and His arms around me thrown.

Fanny Crosby

John 4:39-42

39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

Matt 1:21

21 …you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins

Luke 19:10

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Lost in sin and death…saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who alone offers the free gift of salvation, forgiveness and everlasting life!

Pastor Dale