“Arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you! The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you, but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light and your God your glory”. Praise the Lord!
The gentiles shall see your righteousness and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, you shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall be no more termed ‘Forsaken’ nor shall your land anymore be termed ‘Desolate’ but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah, for the Lord delights in you. Isaiah 62: 2-4
Lord, “The Heavens are Yours, the earth also are Yours, the world and all its fullness, You have founded them. You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand and high is Your right hand. Your banner over us is love”.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne, O Lord, mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength and in Your favor our horn is exalted, for our shield belongs to the Lord. Psalm 89:14-18
“Oh, brother, have you told how the Lord forgave? Let us hear you tell it over and over again. Thy coming to the cross where he died to save, let us hear tell it over and over again”.
“Oh, sister, are you now walking in His blessed light? Are you now cleansed from every guilty stain? Is He your joy by day and your song by night? Tell it over and over and over again. When toiling up the way, was the Savior there? Did Jesus bear you up with His tender care? Never have you found such a friend as He. So, tell it over and over and over again. All the world should hear what He has done for you. Go, tell it over and over and over again”.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1
“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.” I am so very thankful that I am not controlled by a spirit of fear to tell others of the goodness of the Lord, that I am strengthened daily by his powerful hand, that I am born of love and that I operate in a sound mind. Lord, continue to use me as a vessel to preach the Gospel, so that those who do not know you may come to know you in a intimate way, to understand that your goodness never fails, that in you is fullness of joy. Lord my prayer this morning is for you lift us up and let us stand; by faith on heavens thirsty land, no higher plain that we have found, Lord, plant our feet on higher ground.
Over the Easter weekend, I am sure that many of you like myself had the opportunity to renew your baptismal vows; the solemn promises and vows of Holy baptism, by which we renounced Satan and all his works and promised to serve God faithfully. Help us, Lord, to stay committed in our service to you.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, you and I could renew our Baptismal vows at any time and as often as we wish, as we will undoubtedly break our promises in thought, word, or deed; and God understands our frailty in our service to him, and that is why he remains faithful to us, even when we are unfaithful to him, but, this does not mean that we should continually sin, but strive to walk in God’s way, and if we are weakened by sin and the evil way, let us repent and return to the Lord. Too many of us have fallen short and give the Devil the opportunity to plunder us, to the point where we are ashamed to return to the Lord, and instead of returning, we draw farther away from God. My brothers and sisters in Christ, there is nothing outside of blasphemy that God will not forgive us. Therefore, if you have allowed sin to run rampant in your life and cause you to stray, it’s time to come home. Come home to Jesus, he is forgiving and faithful.
Do you want to be free from the burden of sin? Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide, there’s wonder working power in the blood.
“Would you be free from your burden of sin? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood, would you o’er evil a victory win? There’s wonder working power in the blood. Would you be free from your passion and pride? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide, there’s wonder working power in the blood. Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow, there’s wonder working power in the blood. Would you do service for Jesus your King? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood; would you live daily His praises to sing? There’s wonder working power in the blood. In the precious blood of the Lamb”.
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:21
My brothers and sisters in Christ, my prayer for you and I this morning, is that we all not just be hearers of God’s word, but doers of his word; and we could only be successful in doing the will of God when we are committed to him. I want to ask you this morning, how committed are you? Have you accepted Christ as your Lord and Master? For, unless we commit ourselves to God, and living daily for God, we will not be able to fully understand the will of God for us. There is nothing that we have living in the flesh, or can do in the flesh, that will never bring us as much joy as when we have received the gift of salvation. There is joy in the service of the Lord! It is challenging, but rewarding. When I look back at the things I gained in my sinful state, I am ashamed; and Scripture cannot lie, Romans 6:20-23 says, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in death. But, now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Acts 2:32 – God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this”. If you are a witness this morning, say, Alleluia, the Lord is risen indeed, Praise the Lord! HAVE A JOYOUS AND BLESSED EASTER!
“But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches. God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses”. To God be the glory!
“Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine; living with Jesus a new life divine; looking to Jesus ‘till glory doth shine, moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine. Moment by moment I’m kept in His love, moment by moment I have life from above; looking to Jesus ‘till glory doth shine; moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine”.
“God is so good! “Never a battle with wrong for the right, never a contest that He doth not fight; lifting above us His banner so white; moment by moment I’m kept in His sight. Never a trial that He is not there, never a burden that He doth not bear; never a sorrow that He doth not share, moment by moment, I’m under His care. Never a heartache, and never a groan, never a teardrop, and never a moan; never a danger but there on the throne, moment by moment He thinks of His own. Never a weakness that He doth not feel, never a sickness that He cannot heal; moment by moment, in woe or in weal, Jesus, my Savior, abides with me still”. Thank you, Lord!
Alas! And did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die! Would he devote that sacred head, for sinners such as? Yes he will! He sure did! Thank you, Lord! You died to save a sinner like me. Help me Lord, to never take for granted the sacrifice you made for me.
“Was it for crimes that I have done, he groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love beyond degree. Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut its glories in, when God, the mighty maker, died for his own creature’s sin. Thus might I hide my blushing face, while his dear cross appears; dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes to tears. But drops of tears can ne’er repay, the debt of love I owe. Here, Lord, I give myself away; ’tis all that I can do”. Lord, because of all that you have done for me, I give myself to you and commit myself to serving you only, but, I cannot do this alone in my own strength, so I am trusting you to lead me and to guide me along the way, and I am confident, that if you are leading me and I am obedient, I will never stray. Thank you, Lord!