JESUS CHRIST IS THE HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS

Sunday Morning Sermon 30/08/2020

By Pastor BD. Kowarson.

First of All Praise the Lord

In this contemporary world many believers are hopeless mentally when one consider about himself/herself. But there is hope for every type of people that has been designed by God.  These Sunday morning in my short sermon i want to draw Devotional Though from the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is so salty that it contains no flora and fauna. What accounts for this unusual condition? There are absolutely no outlets! A great volume of water pours into this area, but nothing flows out. Many inlets plus no outlets equal a dead sea.  Piles of driftwood, bleached white like old bones, surround the shoreline. If bodies of water could be ghost towns, the Dead Sea would top the list. It’s the lowest place on earth; it’s the hottest spot in Israel. With a name like the “Dead Sea,” it might expect a disappointing for the tourists.  

Devotional Thought on the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea has had many names throughout history. The Scriptures refer to it as the “Salt Sea” (Numbers 34:3), the “Sea” (Ezekiel 47:8), and the “Eastern Sea” (Joel 2:20). Other designations in history include the “Sea of Asphalt,” the “Stinking Sea, and the “Devil’s Sea.”

It may seem hard to believe, but the region used to be a well-watered area as lush and attractive as the Garden of Eden. But God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah changed the area’s fertility to a desolate expanse that represented judgment on sin (Genesis 13:10; Deuteronomy 29:23; Jeremiah 17:6). The evaporation hovering over the Dead Sea gives a constant haze over its surface. It reminds us of the furnace-like smoke that rose from the valley after the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:28).

Today, the Dead Sea represents the remnants of God’s judgment on sin. But one day, Scripture promises, the Dead Sea will live again. When Jesus rules the earth in the Millennial Kingdom, water will flow from Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and fishermen will line the banks of the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:8-11; Zechariah 14:8). There is hope one day Flora and fauna will be found in the Dead Sea as the Lord Jesus Christ will heal the world from the cures.

This law of nature may also be applied to the child of God, and it explains why many believers are so unfruitful and lacking in spiritual vitality. It’s possible for some people to attend the conferences, listen to the Preaching from the media ministry, reading the Scriptures, and yet seem lifeless and unproductive in their Christian lives. Such individuals may be like the Dead Sea. They have several “inlets” but no “outlets.” Here is the healing to be vibrant and useful believers, we must not only “take in” all we can, but we must also “give out” in service to others for God. There will be healing from the cures, even there is hope for the Dead Sea to be healed by God, so there is also hope for everyone  in Jesus Christ, as He dead to give hope and healing to the hopeless in this world. 

God Bless Us All

PARENT-CHILD DEDICATION COMMITMENT

Scripture: 1 John 3:1

Summary: Outline for message on what parents do when they dedicate their child to God

Parent-Child Dedication

A. IT IS ABOUT GOD’S SPECIAL LOVE!

1What MARVELOUS LOVE the Father has extended to us! Just look at it--we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.

2But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him--and in seeing him, become like him. 3All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own. 1 John 3:1-3(MSG)

B. Special Delivery from God:

“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3 (NLT)

B. Jesus values what you are doing:

13Some children were brought to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. The disciples told them not to bother him. 14But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." 15And he put his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Matthew 19:13-15 (NLT)

C. What you are doing is a Commitment to teach about the God of LOVE:

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9(NIV)

The dedication of children is a three-fold covenant.

First, it is a covenant of parents to God as they promise to teach their children to love and honor God.

"Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it." Pro.22:6 (NIV) - Recognize their individuals bents, giftings, and lead them to God!

Second, it is a covenant of parents to children as they promise to love them unconditionally and provide for them.

Finally, it represents a covenant of the church body to support parents in the task of raising children in the faith

Amen🙏🙏🙏

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/parent-child-dedication-commitment-andrew-chan-sermon-on-children-70533?ref=SermonSerps

TOPIC: FREEDOM IN JESUS CHRIST

Prepared by: Pastor. Bd. Kowarson, Lecturer Calvary Bible College, Shillong.

SundaySermon August 16, 2020

Greet you all in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Introduction

All human beings are born in this sinful and fallen world. And sinfulness can bond and control a person unless one is born of water and Spirit in Christ, every sin hinder to follow Jesus Christ. As born in this sinful and fallen world we need liberation, so Jesus Christ came to this world two thousand years back to give us liberation from the bondage of Satan. Any sins that hinder us to follow Jesus Christ freely today in our life can lead us to be under the bondage of sins.

Freedom in Christ

Freedom is a basic human desire, so we would expect to read about it in the Bible. While the Bible speaks often of freedom, its focus is most frequently related to the spiritual freedom a person can experience in Christ.

First, freedom in Christ is seen in contrast to the bondage of sin. Romans 6:20-23 says, “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In other words, sin enslaves people for spiritual death and eternity apart from God. Knowing Christ provides freedom from the control of sin and eternal life with Him.

Second, freedom in Christ is seen as the only true form of freedom, because it provides lasting freedom beyond this life. In John 8:36, “If the Son (Jesus Christ) sets you free, you will be free indeed.” We now know the truth that sets us free as believers (John 8:32).

Third, a person who has experienced true freedom in Christ is called to live as His servant. The apostle Paul was an example of this, as many of his letters began with the introduction of himself as a “servant of Christ Jesus” (Romans 1:1). We are set free to serve Christ. This seems like a paradox to the non-believer, yet the freedom found in Christ gives the believer a desire to live for Christ as a servant. This attitude reflects the attitude displayed by Jesus Himself during His time on earth (John 13:1-20; Philippians 2:5-11).

Fourth, those who find freedom in Christ also become His children. John 1:12 teaches, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” As Galatians 4 also notes, we are now children and heirs of the inheritance of eternal life with Christ for eternity.

Yet this freedom does not mean sin is completely removed. Paul spoke of his ongoing struggle with sin (Romans 7:15-20), yet also noted that sin no longer controlled him (Romans 6:1-2). He was now a person who sought to live a transformed life because of his new life in Christ (Romans 12:1-2). This included putting off old habits and developing new patterns that honored God (Ephesians 4:22-32).

In short, we experience true freedom in Christ by knowing Him, walking in His ways, and engaging with the changes He makes in and through our lives as we focus on service to Him and to others. This freedom transcends the human freedoms desired in this world, providing peace in this life and freedom with Christ forevermore.

Conclusion

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us examine ourselves whether we are under the bondage of sins and still controlling us that draw us way from God. As faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we must be away from sinfulness that controlling us to be away from Him. Sinfulness can lead us into dreadful hell (eternal tormented place). But Only through Jesus Christ we are free from such bondage of Satan domain, physically and spiritually on this earth. Let us continue to faithful long for heaven our eternal home tirelessly whether we are young or aged Christian.