"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GETTING TO HEAVEN"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GETTING TO HEAVEN"

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ"

Some explanatory thoughts/Application, and a prayer:

1. This is a statement of fact, and truth about God, His work in the lives of His people, and it's a promise of what God is going to do in the lives of His people.
God cannot lie, and here's a wonderful and encouraging truth/promise from Him about you as a Christian, and the future.

2. You will notice that Paul was "confident" or, that he was "certain" that God would continue the work within you as a christian. It's called the work He began, which if referencing His having led you to repentance, given you faith in Jesus Christ, and when you believed Christ, He saved You, and placed you in His body, and is now working and seeking to work in Your life.

3. Paul's confidence is that God is going to continue His work in you, until it's finished. In that sense, we are all as we often hear, a "work in progress" The Bible refers to this as our being Sanctified, Growing, Maturing, Being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. That's what God is seeking to do in our lives right now.

4. The promise is that He is not going to give up on the work He is doing. We may have that tendency from time to time, but, God will never give up on you. He has plans for you that extend into eternity.

5. His work is actually going to continue until it's finished. And, that finish line if you will is when Jesus Christ returns for us. Either we go to Him through death, or we are taken up in the air to meet Him in the rapture. Either way, we are going to be with Him. And, He is faithful to finish what He has started.

A prayer:

Father, When we read Your Word and take the time to digest it, we find ourselves, with an attitude of thanksgiving and praise for You. We also want to lift up our hearts to You and say, Lord, take my life, and do with it as You please. I'm Your servant, and want to serve You all the way till the finish line. You are committed to finish what You have started in us, and we are and or want to be just as committed from our side of the relationship. Thank You for Your Grace, Your Mercy, Your love, Your peace, Your power, Your hope in our lives, and all of the many promises You give us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visala

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S BLESSING IN YOUR LIFE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S BLESSING IN YOUR LIFE"

James 1:25 But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law--the law that sets you free--and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. In this verse, it tells us very simply, about one of the ways, the Lord brings blessing into our lives. This is such an important and wonderful promise from God to His Children.

2. Notice what James 1:25a says, "But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law-the law that sets you free. So, the first thing is, that we must have a regular relationship with God's wonderful, life giving Word. To keep looking steadily, implies a consistency, rather then an on again, off again looking into God's Word. Please notice all so, how God's Word is described. "God's perfect law-the law that sets you free. So, two things are being said here about God's Law, or God's Word.

(1) It's perfect. The word perfect here, means of full age, or brought to it's end, finished, wanting nothing, mature. In other words, God's Word is complete. All we need for life and Godliness is found in His Word.

(2) It sets you free. Free means, come to pass, or to become, to arise, to be made finished. God has a plan for your life, and as you continue in His Word, He will reveal that to you, and as you obey and respond to His Word, you will find out just exactly what God wants for you. But, the key is to be a person who is consistently in God's Word.

3. Here's the next part that alluded to just above. And, this is the point where I believe many Christians find themselves. And, they wonder why they do not have the blessings of God that are promised. Look closely at what James says. James 1:25b and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. Again, there are three things said here.

(1) And, if you do what it says. Doing what God says, is simply being obedient to what God says. It's putting God's word into action, taking God's Word seriously. So, hearing it is the first part, accompanied by doing it.

(2) And don't forget what you heard. And, here's the other important aspect of this truth that leads to blessing. And, it's not to forget what we have heard. In other words, don't just let God's Word go in one ear, and out the other as like to say. But, let it stay in your mind, and not forget it. How do we do that? Well, the Bible says we can "meditate" on God's Word, or ponder it, and think about it. Try to remember it. One way to do that is to think about what you read or heard, and then talk to yourself about it. Or talk to another person about it.

(3) James 1;25c "then God will bless you for doing it." There you have it. This is what God will do. It's not a reward for hearing and doing, but rather, it's just the way our Lord has arranged it for us. He gives us His Word, He wants us to not just hear it, but to remember it, doing it, and the result is we are blessed. Why is that, and what is the blessing He brings into our lives. A changed life. A Transformed life. A growing life. A useful life. A rejoicing life. A fruitful life. A hopeful life. A peaceful life. Etc, etc. But to be sure, He will bring blessing into your life.

4. Finally, in the last part of James 1;25d "For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance." James sums it up for us. And, illustrates what we are like if we just hear God's Word but fail to obey it. We are like a person who is looking at their face in a mirror, but doing nothing to improve their appearance. We can hear, forget and not obey. Or we can hear, remember, and obey. And, change will take place, and that change is the blessing of God.

A prayer:

Father, thank You for wanting to bless Your children. We want to be blessed as well. Thank You for the clear instruction, and the simplicity of how that blessing comes into our lives. Thank You for Your Word, and the Holy Spirit, who gives us power to live for You. Lord, we want to have that personal resolve to not only look into Your Word, but to understand it, and than to obey it. Blessings will become a regular part of our lives, if we are regularly following Your way. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S SUFFICIENCY FOR YOU DURING TIMES OF INFIRMITIES, INSULTS, HARDSHIPS, PERSECUTIONS, AND CALAMITIES"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S SUFFICIENCY FOR YOU DURING TIMES OF INFIRMITIES, INSULTS, HARDSHIPS, PERSECUTIONS, AND CALAMITIES"

2nd Cor 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

2nd Cor 12:8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

2nd Cor 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2nd Cor 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. Let's start with the first verse above to set the tone and context of what Paul was saying. 2nd Cor 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

Paul was being helped by God not to be puffed up with pride, in light of the fact that he had been taken up into heaven, and saw and heard things that were unlawful to speak about. He had been given as he says, "the abundance of revelations" So, what the Lord allowed was this "thorn in the flesh to be given to him" We are not sure if it was a physical malady, or it might even be a reference to the false teachers who had crept into the church of Corinth, teachers differ as to the exact nature of the thorn, but it was something painful in his life. He also says it was a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him, and the whole point was so Paul would not be lifted up with pride.

2. In light of this "thorn in the flesh" Paul tells us 2nd Cor 12:8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

So, he had asked the Lord over and over again, to please take this away from him. He pleaded with God that it might go away. But, the Lord's answer was 2nd Cor 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Essentially, this means that God said, no, I'm not going to take away this problem, but what I'm giving you is my grace, which is enough for your you. And, then the Lord explained why this was so. God told Paul that His strength would be made perfect in Paul's weakness. Or to put it another way, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. How about that. God's power works best when we are in times of weakness.

Paul then concluded So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me." 2nd Cor 9b NLT.

3. To wind up this whole teaching by Christ, here's the final verse again in this section.

2nd Cor 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

And, here's how it reads in the NLT 2nd Cor 12:10 "Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

So, Paul had learned, ( and I know the Lord wants us to learn the same lesson, and respond the same way Paul did. ) That when we go through times that are filled with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, that that's when we can find God's strength in our lives.

Isn’t' it funny in a sense that it when we are really in touch spots that God's unmerited favor, His unlimited strength and power really find their way into our lives. So, that like Paul we can say, that when I'm weak, then, I'm strong.

A prayer:

Father, as always, we are so thankful to You. Not only for having rescued us from permanent separation from You by coming to faith in Jesus Christ who died for our sins. But, also Lord for the fact that You do not leave us helplessly alone here while we serve You and wait to see you in heaven. But, You actively help us when we need it. You are with us to give us grace and power in all of the painful and difficult times of our lives. Help us to remember this truth about the way that You do things. And, help us to believe what You have said about all this in Your Word. You cannot lie. We love You and we thank You Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR LONELY HEARTS"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR LONELY HEARTS"

Hebrews 13:5  Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.”

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. The writer as he ends his letter, deals with several issues. All in this one verse. The love of money, or
covetousness, and being satisfied, and finally, the promise of that God will always be with you.
He will never forsake you. 

2. The first main thing he deals with is how we live or conduct ourselves, or what the Bible calls our walk with the Lord. And, the message to us is a simple, straightforward and very important one. It's telling us to not let our lives be filled with covetousness, or the love of money. What he says, is "Let your conduct be without covetousness" or "Stay away from the love of money" This is indeed something that we need to stay away from. It's been the downfall of many a person. Here's what Paul says about the love of money. 

1st Tim 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1st Tim 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

3. The second thing that the writer tells us about has to do with being satisfied, or being content. Here's what he said. Hebrews 13:5b "be satisfied with what you have" We are to be content with what we have. The word content, has the idea and meaning of "being sufficient, being enough, to suffice. To be possessed of unfailing strength, to be strong, and to be able to ward off.
Contentment and satisfactions is possible, it can be learned, and the Lord wants His people to live this way. 

Here's what Paul said about it.
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:

If Paul learned to be content, that means he had to deal with those times when he was not, but the Lord was faithful to teach him how to be content, and he wound up learning it, and so can we. 

4. Lastly, here's what's said in our verse today. Heb 13:5c For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.” This is what God has said, and He has said it many times over in the Bible, and He means it, it's true, we can bank on it, and we find great joy in knowing it's true. Let's look at it one more time.
Heb 13:5c For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.”
There are actually two things God says in this portion of Heb 13:5

(1) I will never fail you. To never fail you, means, leave you. God will never leave you. It means, He will never relax or loosen His being with you. He will never give up on you, never quit you, always uphold you, and not let you sink. 

(2) I will never leave you. To not leave you here, is similar to not forsake, but not completely similar. It means, I will never desert you, I will never abandon you. I will never leave you in straits, I will never leave you helpless, totally abandoned, utterly forsaken, I never leave you behind. 

5. Here's the verse again in it's entirety. Hebrews 13:5  Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.” NLT.

A prayer:

Father, what comfort we derive from You, and from Your Word. It seems that You always know just what to say to us. And, that no matter what part of Your Word we read, it speaks to the deepest part of our lives. Your Word always makes sense to us, and it resonates in our hearts, and we say amen, amen, and amen. We affirm that Your Word is true and right. And, we receive Your Word, and want to let it dwell in our hearts richly and deeply. May Your Word not only be heard by us, but may we also be doers of it. We will be blessed as we do, for you have promised that to us also. Thank You Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia. 

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE"

Rev 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. This verse is actually part of what is being said to God in heaven, by the 24 elders who are before the throne of God. Here's what they are saying. Rev 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”

2. In looking at this verse more carefully we notice a number of truths.

(1) "You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power" In other words, it's right that God would receive this praise.

(2) God is called "Lord our God" He is indeed the Lord, the master, but please notice, the word, "our" He belongs to these 24 elders, just as the Lord belongs to You. You can say, Lord My God.
He has made it to be so, when He saved you. He became Your God.

(3) For you created everything. Imagine that for just a moment if you will. All that exists in heaven, and on earth, in the skies, in the stellar heavens, that is the stars, the planets, the galaxy's, everything that is in the oceans, and under the oceans, all things that are visible and invisible, i.e angelic beings, hell itself, the lake of fire, literally everything has been created by God. That alone would make Him worthy to receive glory, honor and power.

3. But, now, we get to the last part of this verse, and here's where it deals with, and explains to us about our purpose for existing. We may not think about why we are are here on this earth very often, or perhaps you have never really stopped to think, why am I here? Well, the answer is contained in this verse.

(1) Rev 4:11b "For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”

(2) Please notice the last part of the verse. "and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”

(3) We have been created and we exist for His pleasure.

(4) The word pleasure means, desire, or what God wishes, or has determined shall be done. Or the purpose of God. Or of what God wishes to be done by us. It speaks of will, choice inclination, desire, and pleasure.

4. So, when you simply put this together, God's purpose for creating you and putting you here on this earth, is for Him, it's for His good pleasure. God has put You here according to His desire, He has something for you to do. And, it's to live for His pleasure, or to do His will.

5. Now, in closing here's the wonderful truth of knowing and applying what we have just read and learned from God's Word, Guess what happens to you, when You line up your will day by day with God's will, ( which is that You have been created for His good pleasure ) ? You will find fulfillment and joy, and personal satisfaction that you cannot find anywhere else in life. No matter what you do, what you live for, what accomplish, or acquire, if you are not living for God, none of those things will bring you the true happiness and sense of personal fulfillment you long for.

6. It's truly only when we say, Lord, I want to live for Your pleasure, so, please guide me today, tomorrow, and each day of my life, to live for You, and to accomplish what You have for me to do.
You will be among that group of people who are truly happy, blessed, filled with joy, peace, and personal satisfaction, unlike those who live for themselves, and for their own pleasure.
So, this is God's purpose for Your life. To live for His pleasure.

A prayer:

Father, thank You for showing us all that we need to know in our lives. This particular truth goes right to the heart of what the vast majority of people want. To simply be happy and fulfilled.
And, here it is. You have created us for Your pleasure. And, how true it is, that we are the happiest when we yield ourselves to Your will, and walk in it day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year. We simply are blessed, because we are aligned with You, and with Your purpose for us. In Jesus name, amen

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST A LOVED ONE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST A LOVED ONE"

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Some explanatory thoughts/Application, and a prayer:

1. God is speaking to Jeremiah here, to speak to the children of Israel, He has a message for them, and it's one that applies to you and I as well.

2. Here's what the LORD said. Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

3. Let's break this down little by little.

(1) The message of God was said to be delivered long ago to Israel.

(2) The message is "Yes I have loved you with an everlasting love"

(3) Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

4. What does all of this mean to us?

(1) God is love, and He has loved His people, and He loves You also.

(2) God also tells us that His love is everlasting. He always has been "Love" He is today.

(3) God is also declaring that His love is unfailing. His love never ceases or fails.

(4 ) God is also saying, that "I have drawn you to myself. His love draws people to Himself.

5. You and I have been loved by God, and we have been drawn to Him because of His love. We are His people, and we always will be His people. Nothing can separate us from the love of God ( Rom 8 )
For anyone we know who was drawn to the Lord and has passed from this life to the next, they also were drawn by that same love, and they two were drawn to God Himself, and they are at this moment with God in heaven.

6. As a pastor I regularly meet people who are dying and will soon be with the Lord. Here I am talking with someone down here in this world, and in just a few hours, or days, they will leave this temporary dwelling place called their body, and enter into heaven itself and see the Lord, and be clothed with an eternal body, one not made with hands. We will see them again. They are with the Lord and that's where we are headed to be with God forever, and ever.

A prayer:

Father, You have given Your Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, and in doing so He paid for our sins. And, You did this because of Your great love, Your love for us. And, Jesus died not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world. ( John 3:17, and 1st John 2:1-2 ) And, You by and through Your goodness, have led us to repentance, and You have given us faith to believe in You, and You have saved us. We are Yours today. We will be Yours tomorrow, and forever and forever.
We also know that our loved ones who are in heaven are waiting there for us, to see us no doubt, just as we are waiting to see them again. Thank You for saving them, and thank You for saving us.
In Jesus name. Amen

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.