Pastor Mary Haley

Intro:  Sometimes the holidays—for a variety of reasons—leave people feeling lonely, discouraged, or even empty.  It is understandable, because life can change in a moment and sometimes we are simply not prepared for how that change will affect us. I’m thinking right now about some of our neighbors on the southwestern coast of Florida who lost jobs, homes, and even loved ones when hurricane Ian made landfall on September 28, 2022.  For many, they may be longing for the holiday celebrations they enjoyed in the past.

In our passage today, the psalmist longs to go to Jerusalem and worship.  He longs to celebrate the nation’s God-given holidays and festivals in the temple; however, that is quite impossible because Israel is in exile.  The psalmist and the people long for the festival celebrations they enjoyed in the past.

This week we are learning more about the power of inward joy—a fruit produced by the Holy Spirit.  Joy is an amazing gift from God, because it is not based on outward circumstances.  Joy is rooted in a person’s relationship with God.  The joy of the Lord is strong and is able to withstand and recover quickly from difficult situations.  Joy is experienced when we believe the truth that God will make all things work together for our good when we love him and are called according to his purpose (Ro 8:28).  So, no matter what we face in this temporal life—things we can’t control or even the consequences of our own sinful choices—God is faithful.  Put your hope and trust in the Lord, because he is your Savior.  Let his joy fill you.

Psalm 42:1-5 NLT

1 

As the deer longs for streams of water,
    so I long for you, O God.

2 

I thirst for God, the living God.
    When can I go and stand before him?

3 

Day and night I have only tears for food,
    while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
    “Where is this God of yours?”

4 

My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

5 

Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and 6 my God!

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for making your presence available to us.  In your presence, we find the fulness of joy.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

December 13, 2022

Intro: The first advent of Jesus set into motion what Scripture calls “the last times.” Jesus came as a baby in a manger and he lived his life as the humble and suffering Servant mentioned in Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah (Isa 7:14; Ch 53). Yet, we must also remember not all of the prophecies regarding Jesus have been fulfilled; more revelation will be coming (Luke 22:37). According to prophecy, the second advent of Jesus will be when he returns with the armies of heaven to rule the nations (Rev 19:11-16).  

Truth is always under attack; therefore, the Church must remain vigilant and faithful. Preceding our passage for today, Jude—the brother of Jesus—condemns false teachers and their heresy. These teachers distort the Scriptures in order to serve their own desires. Jude proclaims the Holy Spirit is simply not in them (v.19). These leaders teach Christians they may live any way they want and still be free from God’s punishment. Jude warns the Church not to reject the lordship of Christ.  

False teachers seek to stir doubts in believers. They basically use the same line Satan used in the Garden with Eve, “Did God really say…?” If believers are not careful, they will discard the righteous commands of God and wander into deception. Jesus said, “When you obey my Father’s commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11). So be filled with the Holy Spirit and let the joy of your salvation fill you, today. As we follow God’s commands, we are held in God’s love!

Jude 17-25 A Call to Remain Faithful

17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.



22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

A Prayer of Praise

24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Intro: I am always blessed to see God’s family reach out when others around them are in need. This is reflective of a life led by the Spirit; the Lord will always respond compassionately when others are suffering in distress and lack. God cares about the wholeness of every person, not just the spiritual well-being. The Lord heals all our brokenness.

Many people think about peace as merely the absence of conflict. However, the biblical meaning of the word “shalom” is much, much more—it means universal flourishing or wholeness. Christ is the liberating King who connects us in the restoring wholeness or shalom of God—Jesus is our Prince of Peace.

Yesterday, we held onto our desire for peace as we reached for God our Helper. When our lives are built upon Christ’s love and Word, he promises to hold us in his care. This is such Good News, because the unredeemed world does not share God’s values, nor does it have a genuine love for people; it simply wants power. The government on Christ’s shoulders [under his authority] is governed completely different (Is 9:6). I pray for the kingdom of the world to become the kingdom of our Lord (Rev 11:15).

In our passage today, the psalmist continues to share how God cares for his children with a goal to restore wholeness. Believers desire spiritual wholeness first and foremost, because from that proper foundation we open the door for the shalom of God to come in and mend all that is broken and supply all that is lacking. As human beings, if we would just get our spiritual lives fixed upon Christ, we would be building a life that can withstand any kind of storm [and there are plenty of them circulating around us]. For believers, we have the opportunity to help people see their greatest need as making Jesus the Savior in their lives, because then they will see and know the Truth. Be Christ’s ambassador of peace, today.

Psalm 146:7-10 NLT
7 
He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
8 
    The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
9 
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 
The Lord will reign forever.
    He will be your God, O Jerusalem, [Zion] throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the justice in which you govern your kingdom. You provide a path toward restoration through your amazing shalom. Please continue to help us see the truth, lift our burdens, and feed our souls in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: If we are going to remain in the supernatural peace [Heb. shalom/Gk. eirene] of God, we will need to respect God’s guidance about where we place our trust and confidence. We do not trust everyone; sadly, not everyone is trustworthy. If we foolishly build our confidence [and lives] upon what people can do for us, we will be unsettled and distraught most of the time. The biblical definition of trust is an action based on the bold confidence we have in someone or something. Therefore, believers wisely place their complete trust in the loyalty, truth, ability, and strength of Almighty God.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us about the connection between trust and peace, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed upon you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal rock” (Isaiah 26:3-4). We all need stability in our lives, so making Christ our foundation of peace is the place to start, because he alone can bear our load (Mat 11:28-30).

In our passage today, the psalmist sings praises to God for his divine help. Human beings can never save us, so we cannot place our trust in the fallible and have peace. Rather, real peace is found in the infallible love of God who because of the OT covenant he has made with Abraham and the NT covenant Jesus affirms with his followers, he will always be there in our times of need. The enemy comes each day to knock us off our foundation and shake our faith in the Lord’s care. However, keep your thoughts fixed on the Lord, because God is our Helper (Ps 121:1-2). The enemy must bow to the power of Christ. Peace be with you, today!

Psalm 146:5-6 NLT
5
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being our Helper. You are always there for me, so I trust you completely. Help all your children abide with you in peace, today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: This week we are walking through Scripture with the righteous fruit of peace on our minds. In a world that is always producing diverse perspectives on right and wrong, truth and lies, good and evil, belief and unbelief we must decide how we are going to respond to this fruit salad! Peace comes as we draw near to God. Our perspective and decisions about these issues must always be built on the foundation of Christ and obedience to him. Our response must be righteous.
It is easier to deal with the bad fruit production of strangers than trying to sort through the good and bad fruit production in our inner circle of family, friends, and neighbors. Nonetheless, we must continue on with Jesus. We will find greater victory as we identify the fruit; knowledge with understanding comes from God.

Jesus is all about the heart; so, let’s face it he is always going to get to the heart of the matter. If we are not walking “with” Jesus, we are opposing him. It really is that simple. If negative or nasty comments and immoral living is manifesting in our lives, it is because the desire for it lives in our hearts. If we have a rebellious problem in the heart, no amount of self-discipline is going to fix it. Only Jesus can fix and redeem our ungodly attitudes, desires, and motives.

In our passage today, Jesus calls out the Pharisees, because their evil hearts are directing their mouths. These religious leaders have such hardened hearts, they are literally rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit who desires to help them repent, receive forgiveness, and be restored to God. Jesus wants to bring healing to the heart. If we are connected in obedience to Christ, we are connected to the Tree of Life and our fruit will be good. If we are trying to connect to a worldly idea/action thinking our disobedience to Christ doesn’t matter, we are actually connected to a corrupt tree and will bear evil fruit (Mat 7:18).

We are not to judge people, but let’s be real…you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions (Mat 7:20). Lastly, what we say flows from what is in our hearts (Luke 6:45). Don’t let someone producing evil fruit rob your peace. Love them, pray for them, but do not let them steal your treasure.

Matthew 12:33-37 NLT 33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sharing the wisdom your children need about the connection of the heart to righteous or unrighteous fruit production. Create in us clean hearts. Holy Spirit, please empower us to walk in obedience to the Word, so the fruit we bear through our words and actions will please you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: For believers, the holidays can be a beautiful time shared with family and friends coming together to celebrate the birth of Messiah the King of Glory. I truly enjoy the Christmas season and the time I spend with loved ones. Quality time is my dominant love language so naturally all the gatherings and meals shared just fill me up physically, emotionally, and spiritually. However, I do realize being around family, friends, and many people is not everyone’s “happy place.” If we are going to surround ourselves with human beings, then there is a potential for the perfect storm—conflict. Pray about everything and ask God to use each Christmas gathering as a way to live the peace revealed in the Gospel of Christ.

As long as the Father leaves his children on earth, we will be exposed to the conflict experienced by human sin. Sometimes it is our own sin that rises up to rule, sometimes it is the sin in others that screams for satisfaction, and sometimes it is simply because we live in a spiritually fallen or broken world. Even on the best of days, please do not lose tract of that reality or you will be unprepared. Every human being requires deliverance from sin (Romans 3:23). That is why Jesus came to bring us life from above, so we may receive healing and experience inner peace with God (John 14:17). We then must work for peace with others (Mat 5:9). Scripture reminds us to place our hope in God’s promises while guarding our inner peace, because conflict between good and evil will continue to exist in this world until the Father sends Jesus a second time to judge sin in the living and the dead (John 5:26-29; Phil 4:7).

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul finds himself in prison for preaching the Gospel; suffering from the spiritual conflict between good and evil. Paul would love to go home to God and be done with this fallen world; yet, beyond his own desires to be free of the conflict raging against the righteousness of Christ in him, he wants to see more and more people find peace with God. So, Paul presses on with hope, in spite of his present suffering, to reveal to others the peace he found in fellowship with Christ.

Philippians 1:19-26 NLT 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

Paul’s Life for Christ
20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. 26 And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the promised peace you always provide as we place our hope in you. Help us to hold fast to our purpose in this life to live the Gospel. May this Christmas season bring us opportunities to be victorious peacemakers in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: What do you have to say about yourself? How we see ourselves in this natural world has everything to do with who we know we are in the spiritual realm. If we have our focus on earthly things and want to gain a sense of identity or belonging from the world, we will demand this present culture and social institutions satisfy us. There is a lot of that going on in our culture now. If we are focused on heavenly things, we will reach for the gracious hand of Christ to provide for us and live satisfied in the abiding presence of God knowing we belong to him. If we know who we are in the Spirit, then we will never be satisfied by the temporal things of this world nor will we ever fit into the culture that demands for the world to be its god.

Scripture teaches John the Baptist is the first to identify Jesus as the Son of God. John knows who he is in the spiritual realm; therefore, John knows who he is in relationship to Jesus. As well, please notice John the Baptist knows who he isn’t when facing the questions issued by the religious leaders. John wants to be known as a voice shouting in the wilderness! As believers, we must know who we are, as well as who we are not. Like John, we are voices calling people from the dark places they have settled to come and meet Jesus who baptizes his own with the Holy Spirit of Truth.

John 1:19-23 NLT
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”
“No.”
22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
    ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping us know who we are in relationship to you. We look forward to your Second Coming. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: God is all about giving his children new beginnings; he brings forgiveness, salvation, and hope. God is merciful and he knows how difficult life can be, so his mercies are new each morning and he brings a glorious new beginning with each sunrise (Lam 3:23). We can place our hope in the faithfulness of God. Yet, as God’s children, our part is to align with his nature and live for his purpose. How can we live with that hope?

In our passage today from the prophet Isaiah, Israel is facing a new beginning following the Exile. They have new choices that come with this new life. Although God brings judgment on Israel, he does not completely destroy them. He leaves a remnant to demonstrate his mercy and faithfulness; God helps them gain a truer picture of his nature and his purpose for them. God lives high above human difficulties. So whatever is going on in your life, God is able to help you.

Today’s passage speaks to my heart about the Righteous Branch who brings my life eternal salvation and hope. The Lord promises to cleanse us and sanctify us [transform us by making us holy]. Everything about God is a message of renewal, we just simply have to desire the offer he brings. God’s purpose is to make those called by his name into a new creation in Christ Jesus. As his new creation, God dwells with us and protects us. As followers of Christ, we are the chosen who have become the temple of the Living God (2 Cor 6:16). If you need restoration, Jesus is your answer. Trust him with your life.

Isaiah 4:2-6 NLT A Promise of Restoration
2 
But in that day, the branch of the Lord
    will be beautiful and glorious;
the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory
    of all who survive in Israel.
3 
All who remain in Zion
    will be a holy people—
those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem
    and are recorded among the living.
4 
The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion
    and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains
    with the hot breath of fiery judgment.
5 
Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion
    and all who assemble there.
He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day
    and smoke and flaming fire at night,
    covering the glorious land.
6 
It will be a shelter from daytime heat
    and a hiding place from storms and rain.

Prayer: Lord, to align with your nature and purpose is always difficult for our flesh, but thank you for providing the Holy Spirit and the power to follow you into something so much better than what the world offers. Thank you for your mercy and your many blessings. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Humanity, as a whole, has struggled to recognize or even acknowledge its innate sinfulness and rebellion against Creator. Yet, even in the midst of our indifference, God has promised to provide a place of protection for human life—salvation for seekers (Heb 11:6). For believers, that salvation and protection comes through a relationship with our Creator. We can have that relationship because Jesus Christ took the penalty for our sin upon himself. Because of Jesus, believers will never spiritually perish in God’s future judgment against sin (John 3:16). God cannot overlook sin and a final judgment will come like in the days of Noah, but God has provided a way to eternal life (Mat 24:37).

The flood was an act of God to judge his sinful and wicked creation (Gen 6-8). However, prior to the flood, he sent Noah to proclaim that God’s protection from destruction would be extended to repentant hearts (2 Peter 2:5). Humanity was given a warning and an opportunity to be saved. Yet, only Noah and his family believed in God and that he would fulfill his Word.

God made a covenant with Noah. In Scripture, God’s covenants are many times confirmed by a sign. In our passage today, God confirms his covenant with Noah by placing his “bow” in the clouds. This sign was given to bring hope and a measure of peace to humanity for facing the future. God’s covenant offered three promises: 1) future floodwaters would be accompanied by divine protection; 2) seasons [God’s planned activity under heaven] would continue; and 3) when it rains, the rainbow would be a sign of God’s desire for peace through repentance. If you have never repented from your sin or asked for Christ to save and protect you for all eternity, then please do so, today.

Genesis 9:12-17 NLT
12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant [promise] with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” 17 Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the covenant promise you made with Noah; your rainbow in the clouds ministers grace to me. Thank you for the covenant promise you made with the individual hearts of believers to save us no matter what comes in the future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.