Let Man Not Separate

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (English Standard Version):

1″When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, 4then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.

Matthew 19:1-9 (English Standard Version)

1Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

Because the Lord is the creator of marriage, we must listen to his teaching about marriage and divorce.

1. We must obey the Lord’s command.
2. We must understand the Lord’s compassion.

Click the link below to listen to sermon audio:
Matthew 19:1-9

The Bad Samaritan

Dear friends,

Have you heard the Old Testament story about the “bad Samaritan”? It is less familiar, of course, than it’s New Testament counterpart, “the good Samaritan.”

In 2 Kings 17, we read about the king of Assyria resettling Samaria with people from other nations. These new inhabitants of Israel’s former territory soon took up worshiping the Lord! This would have been great, but there was one big problem:

“They feared the Lord, but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away” (2 Kings 17:33).

This is the lesson of the “bad Samaritan.” It is not uncommon for people to become excited about God, Jesus, the Bible, church, and the idea of eternal salvation. However, these same people are often unwilling to let go of their past. They want the benefits of a relationship with God, plus the sin of which they have grown so fond. They hope to serve the Lord AND their “own gods.” This simply does not work. God does not want to share space with anything else in your life. Thus, the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods besides me” (Ex. 20:3) and the words of Jesus, “You cannot serve two masters” (Mt. 6:24).

Friends, let’s ask God to help us clear out those things of the world that clutter up our relationship with Him so that He alone sits enthroned in our hearts!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

The Life That Values Christ Above All Things

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8).

Have you ever wondered, “What would a life that truly valued Christ above all things look like?” Perhaps we can get some idea from the man who wrote the sentences above.

Paul was a skilled craftsman, a tentmaker. As a professional in that trade he could have been constantly employed, built up his own business, and maintained a comfortable lifestyle.

But Paul was also a scholar of the highest level. He was well versed in both Rabbinic and Greek literature. He could write, speak, and debate with the best thinkers of his day. He could have opened schools or advised rulers if he had chosen to pursue an academic career.

Furthermore, Paul was at one time a respected religious leader. He was a rising star in the sect of the Pharisees with a promising future of leadership in this popular religious party. He could have even become a politician, a ruler among his own people.

Paul, however, experienced the grace, mercy, forgiveness, and power of Jesus Christ when he was saved on the road to Damascus. From that moment on, Jesus became the most important part of Paul’s life. When he wrote the verses above, he was in prison in Rome, most likely chained to a Roman guard. He had few possessions, a couple sets of clothing and a few books. His future on this earth was uncertain. He had chosen Christ above all other things, answering a call to the gospel ministry and passing up more lucrative possibilities. Doing this landed Him in jail. Was he disappointed? I will let him answer that question himself:

“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-13).

Paul was content, even in prison. Notice, however, that he knew how to be content in abundance too. What Paul had and the situation he was in did not matter to him that much. The thing that was most significant to Paul was his relationship with his God, Jesus Christ. This is where he found his strength, his joy, his peace, his motivation, his purpose, and his treasure. And that is what the life which values Christ above all things looks like. It is a life content with plenty or with little, so long as Christ abides in the heart.

May the Lord help each of us to learn to live this kind of life!

Your servant,

Stephen

Serving Christ With Others

Mark 9:38-42 (English Standard Version)

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Because we belong to the body of Christ, we must support all those who serve Him!

1. We must encourage other individuals who are serving Him.
2. We must encourage other groups who are serving Him.
3. We may enjoy the benefits of belonging to Him.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 9:38-41

Watch Out for Things That Draw Your Heart Away from God

Dear friends,

“For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4).

Let King Solomon’s later years serve as a warning. Never assume, Christian, that you are totally safe from stumbling. Although your sins are paid for by Christ, you may not put down your guard until you stand inside the gates of the Heavenly City. Watch out for those things that can draw your heart away from the Lord your God.

Awake each morning with an awareness of your need for the grace of Jesus, the counsel of the Holy Spirit, and the rule of the Father in your life. Open the Bible and beg for His wisdom; get on your knees and beg for His help. With God it is possible for you to stand firm until the end. Without His help, you must ask yourself if you are wiser than Solomon was?

Your servant,

Stephen

Humility in the Kingdom

Mark 9:33-37 (English Standard Version)

33And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

If we are to understand how to live in the Kingdom of God, we must listen to the Lord!

1. He teaches us through the disciples behavior.
2. He teaches us through the little child.
3. He teaches us about Himself.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 9:33-37

Observations After 20 Years of Christian Marriage

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