Category: Uncategorized
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Touching the Throne of God
Revelation 4:8 declares that the four living creatures say “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Have you ever thought about what that would be like? What would it be like to just say, all the time and without stopping, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord…
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Desiring God Conference on Prayer
This week I went to a conference that dealt with the prayer life of a pastor. Since the conference speakers quoted the reformers quite liberally, I thought that it would be appropriate to put a quotation on prayer in this week’s devotion. This is from my favorite preacher of the 1800s, C. H. Spurgeon: “Continue…
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Choosing to Stand
Consider this thought: An amazing Christian is just a normal Christian who keeps saying yes to Jesus. What do you think? We studied the testimony and martyrdom of Stephen last Sunday. The only description of him that we have before his witness is that he was a deacon who was full of the Holy Spirit.…
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Where are We Going
Last Sunday’s message was intended to lay out a continuing vision for this new year. We looked at how God has blessed our church and its efforts to reach out to our community with the love of Jesus. Wow. God has worked! Yet, I don’t want anyone to think that projects are the vision of…
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Christmas Shadows
I was thinking last week about the dark things that we sometimes miss seeing when we talk about the first Christmas. We overlook that Joseph was about to abandon Mary. We tend to not talk about the babies that were killed by Harod. We gloss over Simeon’s blessing in the temple that includes declaring that…
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Behind the Scenes
Our scriptures last Sunday focused on the many ways that God had planned the coming of Jesus – and brought those plans to pass. Have you ever thought about how much God was working behind the scenes to get things to happen just as He predicted. He had told Israel that their Messiah would be…
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Preparing for Christmas – A Struggle of Faith
Sometimes we forget how much of struggle Christmas was for the first people who experienced it. I think of the struggle of Mary and Joseph as they made their way to Bethlehem. I think of the struggles of everyone who was visited by an angel. At each encounter, the angel had to say, “Do not…
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Why Jesus Came
On Sunday we began a new series on the things that we forget about Christmas. What profound meaning Christmas has! The reality that the lights, presents, family get-togethers, and other trappings are just trappings is easy to mess up. It is easy to substitute the icing of Christmas for the cake. I mentioned Sunday that…
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Unforeseen Consequences
When we think about the flood recorded in Genesis, we think of judgment, salvation, rain, animals, and an ark. We don’t necessarily think of the subject of unforeseen consequences. Yet, they are there. We have the consequence of the terror of animals. We have the consequence of a fear of rain and a fear of…
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Thanksgiving
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving. Yet, I wonder how often we really have given thanks. I mean, it is one thing to utter the simple, “Thank you.” It is quite another to truly give thanks. Do we even understand how powerful thanksgiving is? God has said in His Word that the refusing to give thanks…
Pastor John D Jakes 