PastorBlastor

God's love and our duty! - Galatians 2:11-21 By Pastor Lee Hemen June 26, 2016 There are folks who confuse God's love with carte blanche which does not exist anywhere within the pages of Scripture. The love of God for us is founded in the person of Jesus and he was not some quasi mushy-hearted let it go good time fella. God does not wink at our sin in any form nor is he accepting of our halfhearted excuses for deliberately trying to circumnavigate our way into his presence through our own convoluted view of who he is. The Bible makes it plain that the gospel is all about God's love and our duty. Paul knew this to be absolutely true. While God accepts anyone from any circumstance he does not accept their sin. In fact, God sees it as abhorrent and totally contrary to his holy nature. This is why Paul got so upset with those who were trying to lead the Galatian Christians astray and back into a works oriented faith practice. And Paul was not afraid to stand up to and toe...

The Cause of Christ – Mark 9:38-42 Pastor Lee Hemen July 18, 2010 AM There are many “causes” in the world today, everything from saving whales to wearing natural clothing. Someone once said, “When folks do not have a life, they find someone else’s life or something else to make their life have meaning.” I believe there are so many causes in our world because people have lost what should be their true focus in life – the Lord. I have to laugh when I see the parade of Hollywood elites heading out on publicity vacations in order to discover some new cause they can wrap around their lives. Simply because you play a farmer in a movie, does not make you an expert on the plight of farmers. And while there are many good causes in the world, as Paul would say, “‘Everything is permissible’--but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible’--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24) However, is d...

An Acceptable Sacrifice - Philippians 4:10-20 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 19, 2009 AM Sacrifice is a quality that has been lost on many in the church today. Let me illustrate what I mean: According to a Worldmag.com article, “Of every dollar given to a Protestant church, the average amount that goes to overseas missions is two cents.” In fact, they noted that “In 1920, the percentage of giving to missions from the total offering was 10.09 percent, just over a dime out of every dollar.” Empty Tomb, of Champaign, Ill., has analyzed the contributions and spending patterns of American churches. They found that “Noticeably missing in this study of church giving is tithing.” The study shows that total giving for American churches was at about 2.5% for all religious contributions! They found that “If church members were to tithe 10 percent of their income, churches would reap an additional $156 billion.” Christians have forgotten what it means to sacrifice for the kingdom of God. Interestingly, ...

Conduct Worthy of the Gospel - Philippians 1:27-30 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 5, 2009 AM My father would come home from work and ask, “Boys, how have you behaved today while I was at work?” If we had been at school, he would ask, “Boys, how was things at school?” When he asked us these questions we knew it was not some quick acknowledgement of us, but he wanted to know exactly how we conducted ourselves whether at home or at school. Our personal conduct, behavior, and appearance were important for my father. Why? Because he knew that how we acted or how we displayed ourselves to others spoke volumes not only about our own behavior but about his parenting of us as well. It reflected on him and who he was. Therefore, we knew whether we were with him or away from his sight, we had better conduct ourselves in the right way. This is true for Christians and their relationship to Jesus as well. Christians should display conduct worthy of the gospel. Paul related as much to the Philippian churc...

How to Use What We Earn Wisely! -- 1 Timothy 6:3-21 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 20, 2008 AM “A penny saved is a penny earned.” “A fool and his money are soon parted.” “The buck stops here.” “Money talks.” “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” (Proverbs 13:11) “With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.” (Proverbs 8:18) These are all bits of wisdom that use money in them in some form. Why are these snippets remembered by so many in our society but others not so much? I believe it is because we have placed an improper role for wealth. How about these: “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6) “For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” (Proverbs 2:10) Or that “Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse.” (Proverbs 2:12) These too should be important to us, but few remember them as well. Why...