There is an interesting contrast that appears in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.  This contrast was highlighted Sunday night by our guest speaker, missionary Jeff Dove.  Hebrews 11 is commonly referred to as the “faith chapter.”  It tells of many heroes and heroines of the Bible and what they accomplished by faith.

The contrast appears in vv34 and 37 where we are told that by faith some were delivered from the sword while others were delivered to the sword.  If given the choice I opt for deliverance from the sword.  How about you?  No one likes to suffer and go through hard times.  And it’s wonderful when God miraculously delivers us from trouble.

The Bible is full of stories of deliverance.  We love to read the stories of Joseph delivered out of prison, Israel delivered out of Egypt, and Daniel delivered out of the lion’s den (just to name a few). Those are great Bible stories that build our faith!

But what about those in Hebrews 11 who were delivered to the sword?  These must have been people with defective faith.  Surely, these were the failures of the Bible.  No, they are listed right along with the others in the faith chapter.  Hebrews 11:39 says, “And all these…obtained a good testimony through faith.”  Those delivered from the sword and to the sword were all given a passing grade.

The lesson of the contrast is this:  Faith has a twofold victory.  In one sense it conquers.  In the other, it endures.  It takes strong faith to endure the ordinary and extraordinary hardships of life.  It takes strong faith to keep believing when it seems the answer is nowhere in sight.  In God’s estimation of things, such endurance in the midst of trouble is not failure.  It’s victory!

There will come a day when our faith becomes sight and all our troubles are past.  Until then, we live by faith.  Sometimes that will mean conquering.  Other times it will mean enduring.  Either way, may our faith be strong enough to stand all the tests of time.

Pastor Todd Weston

“The just shall live by faith.”  Those words were first spoken by the Old Testament prophet with the funny name (Habakkuk).  Two New Testament writers considered the statement worth repeating:  Paul (Romans 1:17; Gal. 3:11), and the Hebrew writer (Heb. 10:38).  It is a fundamental principle of the Christian life that believers live by faith.

Habakkuk was having a hard time of it.  Things were happening he didn’t understand.  His book that appears in the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament because of its brevity seems to be one big “why?” question.  But as the late J. Vernon McGee observed concerning the book of Habakkuk, “It begins with a question mark and closes with an exclamation point.”  The lesson learned amid all the questions is simply this, “The just shall live by faith.”  Period!

The problem for most people is that they tend to live by feelings, not faith.  That is a dangerous thing to do because feelings can be so volatile.  Feelings can be easily affected by many things – circumstances, people, health, the weather, you name it!  Faith, on the other hand, is based on the certainty of God’s Word which is forever established in heaven.  The one is shifting sand.  The other is solid rock.

Here is the rule to remember:  Feelings follow faith, not the other way around.  Faith is the root; feelings are the fruit.  The question isn’t, “How do I feel about something.”  The question must always be, “What does the Bible say about it?”  That is where faith takes its stand.

If like Habakkuk you find yourself in a tough spot asking a lot of “why?” questions, remember the outcome of the prophet’s journey, “The just shall live by faith.”  Live the life of faith.  You may never have all the answers in this life.  Just rest assured in faith that God does, and that He does all things well.

Pastor Todd Weston

One of my favorite Christian artists of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s was Andrae Crouch.  I first began listening to Andrae Crouch and the Disciples (as they were known) in 1975.  That’s when our family moved to California and my best friend gave me the album “Take Me Back” as a going-away gift.  I wore it out!

Andrae Crouch wrote and recorded such classics as:

·         The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power
·         My Tribute (To God Be The Glory)
·         Jesus Is The Answer
·         Soon And Very Soon

One of my personal favorites is, “Through It All.”  Maybe you’ve heard the song before.  If not, just go to www.youtube.com and type in “Through It All Andrae Crouch.”  You will be blessed.  The song begins with this verse:

“I've had many tears and sorrows,
I've had questions for tomorrow,
There's been times I didn't know right from wrong.
But in every situation,
God gave me blessed consolation,
That my trials come to only make me strong.”

Another verse delivers this perspective on the trials of life:

“I thank God for the mountains,
And I thank Him for the valleys,
I thank Him for the storms He brought me through.
For if I'd never had a problem,
I wouldn't know God could solve them,
I'd never know what faith in God could do.”

And then the chorus reaches this crescendo of faith:

“Through it all, through it all,
I've learned to trust in Jesus,
I've learned to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all,
I've learned to depend upon His Word.”

For anyone going “Through It All,” let the message of this song encourage your heart today!

Pastor Todd Weston

The place was Capernaum – a fishing village located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus was teaching in a house that may have belonged to Simon Peter.  Wherever Jesus went He attracted large crowds.  This time was no different.  The house was filled beyond capacity.  You couldn’t even get near the door.  Had there been a fire marshal in town, he certainly would have shut the meeting down. 

As Jesus continued to teach, four men stood outside the house formulating a plan.  Their paralyzed friend was on a stretcher.  Their dilemma was how to get their friend past the crowd to Jesus.  There seemed to be no way.  Then they hit upon an idea.

At first the crowd inside the house became aware of a strange sound coming from the roof.  Can you imagine their shock when all of a sudden debris and dirt started falling down on their heads?  In a few moments daylight broke through.  Then appeared the faces of the four men as they peered down through the sizeable hole they just dug in the roof.  I wonder if Jesus broke into a smile or maybe a silent chuckle as He considered the comical side of what was happening.

While Simon Peter was frantically looking for his homeowner’s insurance policy to see if it covered the damages, these four men lowered their friend on the stretcher directly in front of Jesus.  Seeing their faith, Jesus performed the double miracle of salvation and healing.  The paralytic who had to be lowered through the roof on a stretcher got up and walked out of the house completely healed!

Sue Anderson, who leads our prayer team ministry, made this great observation from this story:  Hope in and of itself would have stopped at the door. But real faith will dig a hole in the roof! The audacity of the faith of these four men captured the attention of Jesus!  The story teaches that Jesus is moved by faith that dares to believe and refuses to give up.

What miracle are you in need of today?  Don’t be discouraged by a few obstacles or setbacks.  Don’t give up because of the seemingly impossibility of the situation. Possess and practice audacious faith.  Dig a hole in the roof.  Believe and keep believing until the answer comes.

Pastor Todd Weston

Three times in the Christmas story you will read the phrase, “Do not be afraid.”  The first time it was spoken to Mary as the angel Gabriel explained her role in God’s redemptive plan (Luke 1:30).  The second time it was spoken to Joseph in a dream as the angel of the Lord instructed him to take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20).  And the third time it was spoken to the shepherds by the angel of the Lord who appeared to them announcing the birth of the Savior (Luke 2:10).

In a world full of fear, the message of Christmas is this:  Do not be afraid. God is with us!  
 
The recent tragedy in Connecticut reminds us that we live in a dangerous world where evil occurs.  Evil isn’t just a concept; it’s a supernatural person the Bible calls Satan.  Three times in John’s Gospel Jesus called Satan, “the prince of this world”(John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).  Jesus also told us that Satan has a threefold agenda for humanity: steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  When we witness tragedies like the one that occurred in Connecticut last Friday, we are witnessing the handiwork of Satan.  Satan specializes in death; God in life.
 
So what about, “peace on earth, good will toward men!”?  It was fulfilled in the spiritual sense when Jesus died on the cross to reconcile sinful people with a holy God.  In Romans 5:1 Paul said, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

But peace on earth in the sense of the absence of evil and its painful consequences is futuristic.  It will occur at the Second Coming of Christ when the prince of this world is cast out, and the Prince of Peace reigns.
 
So what do we do in the meantime?  We remember the words of Jesus in John 16:33. Jesus told us that in the world we will have tribulation.  That’s a reality.  But Jesus also said that in Him we could have peace.  In a world full of fear, we can have perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).
 
So do not be afraid.  Be of good cheer.  Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us.  And He has overcome the world.
 
Pastor Todd Weston

What do you do when you’ve done everything you know to do and things still don’t work out? That’s where we find David in 2 Samuel 12.  His baby boy was sick and David was taking it hard.  So he dropped everything and went to prayer.  He fasted.  He lay each night on the hard, cold ground.  When friends tried to make him more comfortable or get him to eat something, he refused.  He only cared about one thing – his child being healed.
 
This went on for seven days until David sensed the worst.  No one had told him that the child had died.  David was in such a sad state they feared what the news might do to him.  So he asked, and they told him.
 
Then David did something that puzzled everyone. He got up, washed, put on a fresh change of clothes, went to the House of God to worship, then came home and ate. His friends thought he would be a basket case, but he wasn’t.  He explained, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast?  Can I bring him back again? 
I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:22-23)

David knew he had a kingdom to govern, many people to care for, a family and remaining children to support and guide. He also knew in his heart that he and his baby son would be reunited in eternity.  So standing on the promises of God, he committed it all into the Lord’s hands and went on with his life.
 
What do you do when you’ve done everything you know to do and things still don’t work out?  Paul said, “And having done all…stand.” (Ephesians 6:13).  Stand on the promises of God and keep going.  Then what?  You stand. And after that, what?  You keep on standing!

 There are some things in life for which answers will not be given until we reach eternity.  So commit it to God and get back to the business of living and what God has called you to do.  
 
By the way, did I mention the future blessings? Don’t forget them.   The baby that died was the first son born to David and Bath-sheba.  But that’s not the end of the story.  A second son was to come along as a result of that union.  His name was Solomon, and the rest is history!
 
Pastor Todd Weston


 
 
 

When you hear the phrase, “mountain men,” you probably think of someone like Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett tromping through the woods clad in buckskin, crowned with a coonskin cap, and toting a black powder rifle.  You probably don’t think of the biblical character Moses.  However, Moses was quite a mountain man.

There was the Mountain of Revelation, otherwise known as Mount Sinai, where God revealed Himself to Moses and delivered the Law containing the Ten Commandments.  The lesson learned on this mountain is that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deut. 8:3). 

Later on came the Mountain of Intercession.  It was upon this nameless mountain Moses stood with arms raised interceding for the army of Israel as they battled the forces of Amalek.  As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed.  The lesson learned on this mountain is that the Church prevails by prayer. 

The last mountain in Moses’ life may surprise you.  It’s the Mountain of Disappointment.  In Deuteronomy 34 Moses climbed to the top of Mount Pisgah where God showed him the land promised to Israel.  Moses was forbidden to enter because of his disobedience concerning the water of Meribah (Numbers 20:1-13).  Moses saw the land in the distance, but died having never stepped foot in the Promised Land.

I wonder how many hopes have died on some mountain of disappointment. 

Amazingly, Moses’ story doesn’t end there.  About 1,500 years later we find Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration located in the Promised Land (Matthew 17:1-1-3).  Joining Him there on the mountain were Elijah and…….you guessed it, Moses!  He made it!  Not only did Moses make it, but he had the privilege of standing on the mountain with the Son of God.

Maybe you find yourself on some mountain of disappointment today.  Be encouraged.  The story of your life is still being written.  Stay faithful.  For as Moses learned, God’s disappointments in the end will prove to be a greater blessing.

Pastor Todd Weston

Psalm 37 and Matthew 6 are the “don’t worry” chapters of the Bible.  Three times in Psalm 37 David said, “Do not fret” (Psalm 37:1,7,8).  And three times in Matthew 6 Jesus said, “Do not worry” (Matthew 6: 25,31,34). 

After the third caution against fretting, David added this warning, “It only causes harm” (v8).  The act of worrying yields no constructive results; only destructive.  Worry can actually affect your physical body.  It can result in loss of appetite, insomnia, digestive problems, respiratory issues, anxiety attacks, the inability to focus and think clearly, and so on. 

There is never a shortage of things to worry about.  What we need is a plan to overcome the worry-monster!  We find such a plan in Psalm 37:3-8.  It’s a simple five-step plan that will help us live worry-free lives.

Step #1:  Trust in the Lord (v3).  The word “trust” in that passage means “to lean.”  When I am worrying I am leaning on myself.  When I am trusting I am leaning on Jesus.  So maybe we should learn to lean!

Step #2:  Delight yourself in the Lord (v4).  The word “delight” carries the idea of having a good time.  Instead of fretting and fuming over life’s problems, have a good time with God.  Spend time with the Lord, because in His presence is fullness of joy.

Step #3:  Commit your way to the Lord (v5).  This step takes trust to a higher level.  The word “commit” has to do with the length of time involved.  It speaks of a permanent thing.  When you commit something to God you give Him control.  The pressure is off when I get out of the driver’s seat and let God take the wheel.

Step #4:  Rest in the Lord and wait patiently (v7).  “Rest” means to be silent.  “Wait patiently” carries the idea of remaining under.  Here is the idea – once you commit something to God, be silent.  Quit talking about it.  Quit thinking about it.  You’ve put it under the lordship of Jesus so leave it there and wait patiently for Him to work. 

Step #5:  Cease from anger (v8).  The word “cease” means to let something alone; to let it go down.  Anger, anxiety, and worry will naturally subside unless we do something to stir them up again.  Let God settle you down.  And whatever you do, do not take matters into your own hands.

If we wanted to, we could all worry ourselves into an early grave, or at least a nervous breakdown.  Don’t go there.  Follow these five simple steps laid out by the same man who wrote in another psalm about green pastures, still waters, and paths of righteousness.  It’s the better way to live.

Pastor Todd Weston