|
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:09 am
(I'll go through an edit this later. Got to go!) Wednesday, February 13th, 2008.
Jesus is in Your Heart/As I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. What contrast, huh?? Hello FGCC! What’s happenin’? I know that the words in the title may not seem to exactly mix well together, but bear with me. I have a lot to share! I know what you may be thinking, “Not another freaking 30 page sermon!” Rest assured, it won’t be that long this time. Ok, so I don’t end up babbling on and on, I’ll get to the point. Jesus Dwells in Your Heart. Matthew 5:35
35 A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good, [a] and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.
John 14:20
20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, (A) you are in Me, and I am in you.
2 Corinthians 13:5
5Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? If you can, combine these three scriptures together. What do you see? Take a moment to do this. If you got nothing out of that for some reason, allow me to explain. Jesus is in you. Jesus is in your heart and lives there with full leadership. That is, if you passed the test (XP). Now it’s time to delve into the life of Senior James Gronseth. You might have heard of him. He’s that smelly Star Wars nut who speaks about Darth Vader WAY too much it’s probably unhealthy. Let me tell you a bit more about him. James Gronseth is a man of selfishness. I tell you, there was a time when all he cared about was getting the best for himself, usually pushing others away and not caring about giving them the best of what he had. Charity is not in his nature unless of course he somehow gained from it. He lusts after women like crazy, is all around disrespectful, hateful, murderous in his own mind and basically somebody who you wouldn’t like. James Gronseth, by himself, is nothing but a sinful man out to gain everything for himself. Before you give James Gronseth a hard time, realize something else: Whether you are Sarah Smith, or John Johnson, or even Darth Vader *heart *, you too are like this. It’s true. You too are like this by your very nature. And the Bible would agree! 1 John 1:8 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Or better yet, look at Romans 3:9-18 9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."
13"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
15"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery mark their ways,
17and the way of peace they do not know."
18"There is no fear of God before their eyes." It is SO true. We are by our very nature EVIL. E to the V to the I to the L. We murder, we commit sexual immorality, we steal, we kill, we do all sorts of unspeakable evils to one another! This has been true ever since Cain and Abel. God did not make us evil, but we ourselves had chosen to be as such! By ourselves we are lost! Why do I say, “by ourselves we are lost?” Let me tell you, friends. By ourselves we can do no good. It is impossible. Our natures wish nothing but evil and self-gain while hating others. Oh wretched people we are! How can we who are evil do anything good? *drum roll*…….JESUS!!! Tadah! I just answered my own question. Go James! My dear family, I’m going to share with you a massive struggle I have been going through for three months. Some of you already know this, others don’t. My mind has been plagued with all the evil you can imagine. Murder, rape, racism, sexism, abuse, hatred, slander, suicide, etc. are all things satan has been allowed to torture my mind with and even try to tempt me with. I tell you, it has been scary beyond belief for me, and I feared greatly two things: first and BY FAR the scariest, that these thoughts were of God, and second, that these thoughts were of me. In other words, I feared that God willed me to do such acts as well as think that I myself wanted to do such things (this will come into play again a bit later). That brought me into such depression, everyone around me could really notice I was in hell. I was isolating myself from other people, crying when nobody was looking (and sometimes when they were), screaming to God, and even physically throwing up in the morning every day for a few weeks (and yes it was because of the spiritual warfare. I’m not pregnant ). satan had planted seeds in my mind over many years of watching and playing all sorts of violent videogames and watching pornography (when you have a few older brothers…it happens) and filling my own mind with all sorts of evils from my past. The truth of the matter was, I myself had allowed this to happen. Anyway, the real point of why I’m sharing this is to prove a grand point. If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, He IS in your heart, as is His Father and the Holy Spirit. Well, as mentioned above, I was in hell mentally. There were several times when I felt like because of these thoughts, that one day I’d give in. That is a scary thought, friends! I cannot even begin to explain the fear. Of course since I have a life and have to go places like school and such, despite my mental state I had to be around others, which was when satan attacked the most. At times like that, I’d be on the inside like, “PLEASE GOD, PROTECT THEM!” all because I feared what I might do. Brothers and sisters, I feared greatly what I might do. I feared very much that one day I’d give in. And that, my friends, is so scary sometimes you wish you were just dead. This is the awesome part. Jesus was and IS in my heart. You know what our loving Father did during times like this? Hahah! You’ll love it. When I didn’t feel like speaking but rather just isolating myself from others, God had me speak to others in love and kindness and listen to what they had to say. The greatest example of this is when I’d speak with Poem on the phone. When I feared greatly what I might do, the Jesus in my heart stopped a bus from leaving the bus station so that an older lady, who was about to miss her bus and was running, even though it might have been hurting her, could get on, probably making her day. Same situation, when a senior citizen was walking on ice on the road because it was unavoidable, was so fearful she’d fall, the Jesus in me went to her and helped her walk across the ice safely. When terrible (and I stress terrible) thoughts of rape made me just want to leave all women all together so that they may be safe from me, the Jesus in my heart ended up comforting a few hurting women. When my mind said, “frown at everyone and hate them”, my heart, where God and Jesus dwell, smiled intently at others and patted them on the back. These are only a few of the examples! Jesus says this in the book of John, “If you love me, you will keep my commands, and I will dwell in you and you in Me.” He goes on to say, “My Father also dwells in you”. Dear friends! If you have TRULY accepted Christ in your life, He is in you. Not only Him, but the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Though our natures are evil, guess what? God changes ALL of that. John chapter 3 says, “No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again”. When we TRULY accept Christ, we are no longer who we once were. We are new creations. We are born again. When we have accepted Jesus, we become God’s children. And a profound truth is made evident when that happens! 1 John 3:4-10
4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. Jesus is then in our hearts. Take another moment to just ponder that statement. Your heart which was once filled with all the things God hates, now is the dwelling place of the most holy God. And He DOES do His work through you, that is, if you let Him. And not only that. No matter where your mind is, whether in hell or Pittsburg, Jesus still ends up doing a load of good work in you. Remember that James Gronseth guy I was talking about, you know the smelly one? Well, since he accepted Christ into His life, things have been changing in him slowly but surely. He hates all of the acts that satan has been attacking his mind with, and because Jesus is in him, there is NO way he’d EVER do those things. By himself, there was a time he probably could have. But not anymore. Not ever again. All of this is because of the simple fact: Jesus is in his heart, even when his mind is in hell….or Pittsburg….or WORSE….KANSAS!! AHHHHH! J/k. Praise be to our Father God and Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the only reason I or anyone can do anything good, for out of the storeroom of our heart do we do anything, and if God is in there, well, you do the math. Praise God!!! Praise Jesus!!! Watch this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61TwQwgGi8Y I want you to pretend the temple is your heart. If Jesus is willing to clean out the physical temple of all of which was evil, imagine what Jesus will do in your heart when satan tries to place evil in it. I tell you, there have been times I PUKE when satan tries to place evil in my heart. Jesus IMMEDIATELY pushes it out, and it’s manifested physically. Seriously, imagine Jesus in your heart. And the exact way the Jesus in this movie goes and man-handles all the junk in the temple, imagine Jesus with the exact intensity pushing out the evilness satan tries to place in your heart. Now for the second part of the sermon… As I mentioned before, for three months I have been in mental hell. Seriously, it’s been hell. Remember Asha’s sermon about shutting the hell up? (probably not what she called it exactly…) It’s true what she said, every bit of it. Remember the Israelites when they were wandering through the desert? I tell you, that can be applied to every single walk in our lives. The truth is, we go through trials and tribulations on this Earth. Make no mistake, God says so Himself, that we WILL, as Christians, have very dark moments and tribulations. It’s PROMISED. That’s exactly what I’ve been going through. Revelations 2 Revelation 2
To the church in Ephesus
1"To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the Church in Smyrna
8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
To the Church in Pergamum
12"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
To the Church in Thyatira
18"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
27'He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father. 28I will also give him the morning star. 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Wow….ain’t that something? Jesus is speaking to different Churches at this point….and what does He say to at least one of them?? “I’m going to place you in tribulations for 10 days…but hold on!!” When I read that last Monday I was amazed…and comforted. Dear brothers and sisters whom Jesus loves, having tribulations is all part of being Christian. It’s a hard fact, but it’s true. Lol. I really like Asha’s sermon on shutting up. I tell you, during this tribulation, I have done everything BUT shut up. Seriously, I freaking have been all like, “God, this sucks, make it stop!” and God’s probably been like, “James, shut up for a moment, and you WILL get through this….freaking guy.” Anyway, why do you think there are trials and tribulations?? Is it because God wishes to watch us suffer? Is He a sadist? We know that isn’t true. Then what? Well, I don’t know exactly, and please feel free to say anything you like about it. But I believe it’s as Gini once told me, “so that God could prove His love to us.” Those might not be her exact words, so please Gini correct me if you didn’t say that exactly. Tribulations, though they are NOT caused by God, are indeed allowed to come against us. This might be because we have free will, or simply because…of something else. I don’t know. Like I said I don’t really know why. But I tell you, there have been past tribulations, when after I got through them, I felt God and knew He loved me, and I loved Him. In fact, in my journal on Gaia I wrote in April of last year, “Now for the religious part. Dude, I am so in love with Jesus. He's my savior, through and through. I nearly gave up faith pretty recently, but God came through for me and proved me wrong. I'll never again doubt my savior Jesus, my creator God, my comforting Holy Sprit. Never again. EVER.” Unfortunately, that part about never doubting again isn’t true. However, the part about almost giving up was true, and the part about God coming through for me is true, too. Or maybe tribulations come against us because tribulations came against Jesus. We all know what our savior had to go through in His lifetime. And as followers of Jesus, the same is expected of us. Or maybe God is refining us of things impure in our life that need to go before Jesus returns. Or maybe all of the above. I REALLY don’t know why tribulations happen exactly. I’ve been going through them, you’ve been going through them, Bob’s been going through them (according to Lala, there is no Bob! XP). But rest assured, dear bros and sisses, tribulations are NOT meant for us to give in. I know (though I forget sometimes) the tribulations I’ve been going through are not meant for me to give in under ANY circumstance. I’m talking about all of it. I love the 22nd and 23rd psalms. 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel. [a]
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced [c] my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save [d] me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you [e] will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.
David is going through one heck of a tribulation!!
23.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
And here, David is delivered from this tribulation.
We all go through tribulations, brothers and sisters. They may suck, but have heart! God is going to deliver you from them, and I’m not talking about just when Jesus returns or in Heaven or the new Heavens and new Earth (whatever they may be), but now, in this current. Look at Jesus life. He went through the temptation in the desert for 40 days, He was hated by His own people, and of course, the greatest sacrifice of all. But when we look at this, we must also see the other parts of His life. Jesus had a good life! His followers loved Him, His God loved Him, He had MANY moments of great joy and went to several social events and parties. His life wasn’t all suffering! God BLESSED Him on this Earth. Jesus had times of tribulation, but He also had times of great rejoicing and happiness. And I’m not even talking about after His assenting into Heaven!
God will lead you through whatever trial you’re facing. I’m facing one as I type this. Shut up (as Asha’s sermon said) and have patience. Patience is also key to EVERYTHING. The impatient lose it all, but the patient receive. When I was younger, I was one of those kids that would get up super early on Christmas morning, long before anyone else, and go look at presents. I remember once when I was really little, I got impatient and opened one of my gifts before Christmas time. Well, it turned out first of all that it wasn’t actually my gift but my brothers, and second that I had just spoiled something…and lost it. My parents were like, “Freaking guy!” and I was like, “What?? I wanted my gift!” well guess what, Jamesy-poo, you didn’t get that gift, now did you??
I remember in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Yoda says to young Anikin (Darth Vader before he became Darth Vader), “Patience, young one!” lol. Yeah, I know, that wasn’t exactly necessary to use Yoda as an example, but it’s true nonetheless. Look at what happened to impatient Anikin! He lost EVERYTHING. He lost his wife, his kids, his legs and arms, his ability to breath without a built in iron lung, his whole life!! Brothers and sisters! Patience is KEY for Christians. Impatience loses everything. Patience is something I don’t possess usually…and you know what, that’s dangerous. Look at the parable of the servant who was impatient with his fellow slave and didn’t forgive him. He LOST IT ALL!! The patient receive while the impatient lose it all.
One thing that is also important to do is as Gini said to me recently (love you, Gini!!). During trials….STAND. Just stand. Here’s her exact words,
“Heh heh .... Good. Standing is important!! That's why the armor of God portion talks about ... 'having done all ... stand!' ... you do all you know to do and then you stand there .... gird with the armor of God. As long as you don't panic and do something stupid, there's not much the enemy can do. Example: You are in the African jungle and a full-grown, full-toothed male lion starts sniffing you ..... (Jack thinks I shouldn't put the word 'butt' after the word "you" .... ) ANYWAY ..... he's sniffing you. What do you do?? Do you RUN?? NO!!! He will POUNCE ON YOU AND KILL YOU! NOT because he's hungry ... but simply because its his nature to jump on anything that runs .... BUT ... if you just stand there? Fighting EVERY screaming nerve in your body, trying to breathe slowly so you don't panic and run .... chances are, that lion would do NOTHING but sniff you .... (make a face if it's your butt ) and just leave. The HARM comes in running!! Stand and ... just stand.”
Oh Gini…You rock SO much. I don’t think I have to elaborate on this!
Stand. STAND!!! Stand against unrighteousness, at least in your own life! My dear brothers and sisters, I will be writing a sermon soon about not sinning. Do not be deceived! Those who continue in sin are not the children of God, but of satan! We know what happens to satan and his children! That doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes, and that we’re suddenly senior el perfecto, but we CANNOT continue to live a life of sin! Sin leads to DEATH. Death is NOT GOOD, whether it be the second or first death. It’s as Lala (who also rocks SO much) told me recently, “There’s God, and there’s satan, there is no Bob.” Bob, of course, being the middle point. There is no middle point in this.
I wanted to write one more quick thing before I finish this sermon. It’s about struggles we may face with the horrible idea of suicide. Lately, I’ve felt like God is a million miles away and that has been paining me deeply. A few times there, by the influence of satan, I get this idea in my head….well…if I died, well, I’d be with God! That’s trickery right from satan, and the Jesus in my heart has been forcing that out just like in the video! My dear brothers and sisters…suicide is never a good thing. Not only is it murder of ones self, but something that does nothing but hurt. Please know this: if God didn’t will you to live, you’d be dead. It’s true. If God didn’t will us to be alive right now, we not be alive! We know that life can be hard at times, but please know this, God loves you and wants get to know you here on Earth, and love you on Earth, and for you to know Him and love Him on Earth. If He didn’t….you’d not be here. Look at Enoch in the Old Testament in Genesis. He walked with God and God took him. God doesn’t need you to take matters into your own hands, nor does He want you to. If you’re alive, you’re needed here. You’re needed here, friends! You’re needed here to live like Jesus lived. You are the lights of the world!! The world needs lights, friends, for many people are lost and suffering. Jesus was here for that very reason. Do not be deceived in this either: God is not a million miles away. He’s RIGHT here. What does Jesus say at the end of Matthew? “I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS”. Life has its moments of suffering. But it also has its moments of greatness and joy. Remember patience. The patient received. The impatient lose it all. Know that you are loved DEEPLY. God loves you DEEPLY. Jesus loves you DEEPLY. And you know what? People on this Earth, even if only a few, love you DEEPLY. You’re needed here. If you weren’t, you’d not be here.
To sum up everything in this sermon: Jesus is in your heart. He’ll do good in you and through you, and like when He was on Earth and suffered tribulation, He’s in you getting you through your tribulations. He is the good sheperd, and like His Father did with David, He’s leading you through the valley of the shadow of death, but you will make it through, if you stand, have patience, continue in His ways, and fulfill the commands: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Have courage, friends.
Father in Heaven, forgive us our sins. Lord, I praise you that Your Son, as well as Yourself, live in our hearts. I praise You that you have a plan for all of us, and that we’re needed here. If we weren’t, we’d not be here. I thank You that You will get us through our tribulations, for the sake of Your name. Father God, be Praised. In Jesus name. Amen.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Reply
