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Showing posts from March, 2008

Reconciliation – Colossians 1:15-23

Reconciliation – Colossians 1:15-23 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 30, 2008 AM A ceasefire can only occur between two warring factions if there is an understanding and a settlement that resolves outstanding issues that led to the conflict in the first place. I found this out when as a third grader I began to like a little blonde girl with pigtails. Of course I could not let her know that I actually liked her, that would have been gross. Instead, I had to publicly tease her and pull her pigtails so that my guy posse would never find out my true intentions. There is only one problem with this scenario: The female you like, whom you are teasing, will not understand and will want to take revenge on you. It is at this point you have to begin to make appeasement. Which can include a lot of humiliation on your part. Needless to say, we were not soon reconciled. Spiritual reconciliation while being similar in some ways, is handled differently because of God’s mercy through Jesus Christ. Following h

Transformed! -- Colossians 1:1-14

Transformed! – Colossians 1:1-14 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 16, 2008 AM A man who is in jail for robbery has been stealing since boyhood. He says he cannot stop and he knows he will be in trouble again. Liars say they cannot stop lying. Alcoholics say they cannot stop their addiction. Some psychiatrists relate that telling someone to repent is “like telling a person to change the color of his skin.” The prophet Jeremiah would agree that it is sometimes impossible for people to change their conduct -- but for a different reason. It is not because they cannot change; it is because they do not want to change. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil,’” God related to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 13:23). However, there is good news! The Bible relates that people can be transformed! Paul wrote his fellow believers in Colossae around 60-62 AD, while he was imprisoned in Rome. One purpose was to correct the heresy of Gnosticism

Freedom – Colossians 2:6-10

Freedom – Colossians 2:6-10 March 9, 2008 AM By Pastor Lee Hemen How did you come to Christ? Perhaps a better question would be: How did you receive Jesus? Some will relate their “salvation story” whereby they “accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord,” while others would say it was a gradual process of coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus. This is fine but this is not what I actually mean. In our Christianity we have reduced faith to an act that we have performed in the past. Faith is more than a past act, it is the daily acknowledgment of who you are, what you need to do, and thereby realizing that you cannot do it on your own, and that you moment by moment must trust completely in Jesus, whom you cannot see, with all that you are! When Jesus said, “Trust in me,” He was not saying we can depend on Him to be nice to us but rather that we are to give up all that we know, think we know, and set our complete faith in Him alone. We are to literally set aside everything we hold near

Being Wise About Finances and Money – Proverbs 6:6-11; 21:20; 11:24-25

Being Wise About Finances and Money – Proverbs 6:6-11; 21:20; 11:24-25 by Pastor Lee Hemen March 2, 2007 AM Major financial decisions, such as buying a house, require careful thinking. Multitudes live under financial pressure, some through no fault of their own. However, many are under pressure because they have not managed their money and finances well. By adopting a lifestyle beyond their means, they not only spend all they make but also use credit, spending money they do not have. Thus they have no funds for those who seek their help. God does not want His people to be victims of poor financial management. The Lord wants His people to be good managers and generous givers. I grew up in a family situation where my parents could not afford to buy games, toys, or comic books outside of Christmas or birthdays. In fact, there were times when we did not have much for these either! It taught me to be wise about finances and the money I earned. Today’s sermon is going to deal with something