Sermon: God is There With You – July 23, 2017

Guest speaker–John Parker.

Like so many of the people God uses to complete his perfect plan, Jacob is far from perfect. Esau, Isaac’s first born, “despised” his birthright and Jacob trades a bowl of soup for Esau’s birthright. Later, Rebekah covers Jacob’s arms and the back of his neck with sheepskin to deceive Jacob’s father, Isaac, into believing that Jacob is actually his brother Esau and Isaac pronounces the Abrahamic blessing over Jacob. But, because Jacob is steadfast in his faith in God and God’s promises, Jacob is blessed by God with the same blessing that was said over Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham. But, the blessing does not come right away. In today’s passage, Jacob is in the wilderness and has a dream in which God pronounces the Abrahamic blessing over Jacob and assures Jacob that wherever he goes, God will be there with him. God says that he will be with him and will not leave him throughout all of Jacob’s wanderings, even until Jacob returns to his homeland.  Jacob maintains his faith for over 14 years as he labors for Laban to earn the right to marry first Leah and then Rachael before returning to Canaan.

The message for us is timeless giving us courage and perseverance to follow God’s will no matter what we face:

  1. Whatever you have done, wherever you have been, there is nothing too big that God will not forgive you. Consequently, there is nothing too big such that God cannot use you. God has a plan for your life. Whatever you have done and wherever you have been, God has a fantastic plan for your life.
  2. When you are given a birthright or blessing you can take it to the bank. This promise will not expire, it will not bounce. But you can give it away. Do not … Do not be like Esau and sell your birthright for a bowl of soup. Hold onto to your blessing. Pursue your blessing. Forget about the short term temptation to go get a BigMac … it’s not worth it.  Don’t trade your permanent  birthright for a temporary comfort like a bowl of soup.
  3. God will always be there for you. When God gives you a call, He doesn’t just send you on your way. But also, the blessing does not come the very next day. God has ordered your steps and He will be with you every step of the way … From Canaan, out to the wilderness to Laban, work for all those years, then back out to the wilderness returning to Canaan. God is there with you, will always be there for you, and will never leave you nor forsake you. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, never stop, never give up, God is there with you. God’s blessing comes in God’s time and the blessing is much bigger and much better than you could have imagined.

Sermon: Receive the Holy Spirit—Eight Words of the Risen Christ (part 7 of 8)

Jesus commanded His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).  Following His command, countless believers received the Holy Spirit in the next two thousand years.  Their ways of experiencing the Holy Spirit can be boiled down to two ways: Outpouring of the Holy Spirit [a.k.a. baptism] and Indwelling of the Holy Spirit [a.k.a. filled with].  Pastor Choi explains strengths and weaknesses of both approaches and exhorts the believers to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

Sermon: Do You Love Me?—Eight Words of the Risen Christ (part 6 of 8)

Today’s sermon is the continuation of the last Sunday’s story where Jesus had breakfast with His seven disciples.  After the breakfast, the risen Christ asked Peter three times: Do you love Me? (John 21:15, 16, 17).  Today, the same Christ asks the same question for all of His followers: Do you truly love Me?  What is your answer?

 

Sermon: Come and Have Breakfast—Eight Words of the Risen Christ (part 5 of 8)

Using John 21:1-14, Pastor Choi focuses on the character of the risen Christ and His interactions with the seven disciples.  He points out that Jesus was considerate and humble to serve them and that He is generous to do far more abundantly beyond our imaginations.

 

Sermon: 5 Markers of Vitality

In today’s sermon, using Power Point Slides, Pastor Choi introduces “5 markers of vitality” that the United Methodist Church uses to measure the congregation’s health: disciples in worship, new disciples, disciples in small groups, disciples in hands-on-mission, and mission giving.  He exhorts the congregants to work together to achieve the 2017 goals in each category.

 

Sermon: Fear Not! —Eight Words of the Risen Christ (part 1 of 8)

Fear not (stop fearing)!—these words are the first words the risen Christ spoke to the women at the tomb.  The risen Lord would speak the same words to us who are daily bombarded with fears.

Pastor Choi presents three biblical solutions to our fears: 1. Remember Immanuel (God is with us).  2. Remember how great and awesome our God is.  3. Cast away fears by filling your heart with love, joy, peace, and with God’s Word.

Sermon: God’s Medicine Bottle

Today Pastor Choi introduces a book to the congregation written by Derek Prince: God’s Medicine Bottle.  He points out four directions to take God’s words as medicine for physical healing: 1. Take them with undivided attention.  2. Take them with humility and teachability.  3. Take them with simplicity and sincerity.  4. Keep them in the midst of your heart.

 

 

Sermon: Spiritual Warfare (part 4 of 4): Hold Your Ground

Today Pastor Choi concludes his sermon series on spiritual warfare.  He explains the six components of the full armor of God: belt of truth, helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the Gospel of peace, shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit–the Word of God.  He exhorts God’s people to hold their ground standing against the devil’s schemes until Christ comes.

Sermon: Spiritual Warfare (part 1 of 4): Two Kingdoms

Today, Pastor Choi introduces a three-part (that ended up in a four part) series on spiritual warfare.  In his message, he talks about two opposing kingdoms in spiritual realm: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.  He urges the people of God to wake up from their spiritual sleep and follow their leader Jesus Christ in their spiritual battles.

Sermon: Why Do People Need MUMC?

Today Pastor Choi concludes his sermon series on the Church of God.  He exhorts the congregation to focus on what God has in mind for MUMC and be faithful to His call as the Church in Philadelphia did: with a little power, keep His Word and not deny His name, hold fast Christ’s Promise on Second Coming, and listen/obey what the Holy Spirit says to the churches.

 

 

 

Sermon: Why Do People Need the Church?

Pastor Choi talks about the necessity of the Church in today’s sermon.  The Church of Jesus Christ is commissioned to take the message of reconciliation in Christ to the world (Matthew 28:19-20).  No other organizations in the world was chosen by God for that task.  God reveals salvation the divine mystery through the Church.  That’s why people need the Church.

Sermon: Why Do People Need Jesus?

Today Pastor Choi addresses the congregation on the question of why people need Jesus.  For healing, for peace, for happiness, for teaching, and for eternal life.  Yes, they are all legitimate reasons, but the true reason why every soul on earth needs Jesus is because of their broken relationship with God through sin.  Everyone is a sinner and every sinner needs a Savior.  That’s why we need Jesus the Savior and Lord.

 

Sermon: Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Pastor Choi’s sermon series on Jesus’ Why questions ends today.  Jesus’ question of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” was directed not to humans but to God the Heavenly Father.  He cried out to God not because His disciples betrayed and abandoned Him.  Nor because of the mockery and insult from the religious leaders and bystanders.  He rather did so, because the sin of entire world entered between Him and His Father and created a total separation between Christ and His loving Father in whose presence nothing unholy or impure is allowed.  That separation made Christ cry out to God, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

 

Sermon: Why Are You Thinking Evil in Your Hearts?

Through the story of a paralytic man who was healed by Jesus, Pastor Choi highlights the following: Be the friend to bring your loved ones to Jesus in prayer, God searches all hearts and understands every intent of our thoughts, Forgiveness trumps all other blessings, and Accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Sermon: Why Do You Test Me?

Today Pastor Choi talks about putting the Lord to the test: what constitutes testing of the Lord.  Not every act of asking for God’s sign is considered ‘putting the Lord to the test.’  The Scripture identifies three elements of testing the Lord: 1) Unbelief of God’s wisdom, power, good will, and His existence  2) Demand of wanton cravings  3) Rebellion against God.

Sermon: Why Do You Call Me Good?

Pastor Choi talks about three approaches people take in terms of salvation and eternal life: human goodness, the Law, and Christ.  He explains how the first two approaches fail to bring us into God’s eternal presence.  He reiterates what God’s Word says about salvation: Christ is the way, the life, and the truth.  No one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

 

Sermon: Why Do You Worry?

Pastor Choi today talks about the cure for anxiety.  First, he points out four characteristics of worries: useless, evil, stressful, and contagious.  Next, he identifies four ways to handle life’s worries: keep a heavenly perspective, have faith in God, stop worrying, and seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.

 

Sermon: What does this mean?

Acts 2:1-13

Substituting for Pastor Choi, John Parker delivers a sermon on Pentecost when everyone asked “What does this mean?”

Pentecost is considered to be the day that the church was born. Ten days before, the apostles were with Jesus when He told them to wait in Jerusalem until the Spirit came upon them and that they would be given power through the Spirit to be His witnesses to Judea, Samara, and all the earth. This was the last thing that Jesus said to the disciples before He ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father.

After waiting and praying for 10 days, for the first time the Holy Spirit baptized all of the believers and they were forever changed. The power of the Holy Spirit made them boldly proclaim the great works of God in every language and dialect of all of the devout Jews who had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Peter became the rock that the church would be built upon reciting passages from the prophet Joel as he gave the first sermon of the Christian church.  As prophesied in Jeremiah, the Word of God and the will of God would be written on people’s hearts and “they will be My people and I will be their God.”

These 50 days were perfect fulfillments of the Jewish feasts. At Passover, the sacrifice of the sinless Jesus, God’s only Son, the perfect Lamb of God, Mashiach ben Joseph , was the final payment for all sin of all mankind. At the Feast of Firstfuits Jesus was resurrected from the dead and so became the firstfruits of the new covenant. And at Pentecost or Feast of Weeks when the wheat harvest is celebrated, over three thousand souls were saved as Peter delivered the first sermon of the Christian church reaping the first harvest of souls ripe for salvation.

120 believers had faith in Jesus’ promise that He would never leave them alone even though He had gone to be with the Father. The believers waited patiently, expectantly, and prayerfully for the Holy Spirit to come to them.  And on this Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven with the sound of a mighty wind and these 120 believers turned the world upside down. We are this generation’s body of Christ and we are called to do the same. We are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth proclaiming the great works of God in every tongue to every nation.

Sermon: Jesus: Risen or Stolen?

Pastor Choi invites the congregation to examine the biblical accounts on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  “Where has the body of Jesus gone?”  Two theories: one by the Christian community that He is risen indeed.  The other theory by the chief priests and the elders that the disciples of Jesus stole away the body of Jesus, that’s why the tomb was empty.

Which theory do you believe?  The sermon urges the congregation to make up their minds.

Lenten Challenge

prayer 4

This year the saints at Manahawkin are participating in a Prayer Challenge using a prayer journal.  During the 40 days, each one records specific prayer requests in the journal and keeps track of the prayers: the date started, what the prayer is about, date answered and how it was answered.  Want to participate?  Click here to download the form of prayer journal and start praying.   May the Lord bless you in your daily prayers!