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Accept God's Free Offer! - Isaiah 55:1-13 By pastor Lee Hemen March 30, 2014 AM How many churches offer Sunday School as a means of baby-sitting to over-worked parents so they can be safely separated without guilt from their children for an hour or so? How many adults think that the thirty-minute sermon on Sunday is all they need in studying the Bible, depending on the emotional high they get from the worship service? They fail to understand they are missing an important part of the Christian life--relating to other believers, building unity and fellowship of the local church! Too many settle for a cheap grace experience rather than mature growth. Why would anyone invest so little in their spiritual life when God wants to give them so much more?” God declared He would restore Israel creating a righteous nation that would grow in number, territory, and faith. God would protect His people rather than punish them. God freely invited Israel to seek and know Him. He alone could provide ...

Recognize God's Ways! - Isaiah 53:1-12 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 23, 2014 AM God often works in ways contrary to human thinking to accomplish His glorious purposes. Bill, a college student, spoke to the church’s senior citizens’ group about his summer missions experience. He had been in Cambodia helping to create a sanitary water supply for a community. He told about the backbreaking work; the wonderful, generous people he met; and his call to return as a missionary to the area. After Brandon left, some complained he had not dressed very nicely. Others wished he had gotten a haircut or at least combed his hair. Still others pointed out he had made three grammatical mistakes and they wished students would pay more attention to speaking skills. What factors sometimes cause you not to recognize God’s ways of working? As we look at the work of the Suffering Servant that Isaiah speaks about, let’s focus on ways we can recognize God’s ways of working in our life. Isaia...

Worship No Other! - Isaiah 44:16-22; 46:1-5, 8-9 By Pastor Lee Hemen    March 16, 2014 AM George leaned over to his wife and grumbled, “Will this sermon ever be over? We’ll never make it home in time to see the game!” Jena sat at her desk watching the clock. “Of all days to work late,” she thought to herself. “I usually spend time in prayer before working out, and I’m stuck here. I really need to go by the fitness center because I have not worked out all week. Looks like I’ll skip prayer tonight.” “I’m going go on vacation,” thought Matt. “I deserve a break. I won’t be able to give my tithe to church, but I think the church will survive without it.” Our worship of God is often reflected in how we invest our lives. Perhaps our worship is not where it needs to be and we are suffering the consequences of our lack of worship. The trials the Israelites were going through, was due to their inconsistent worship. However, God promised to restore His people. Only He possessed the ...

Take Comfort In God's Strength! - Isaiah 40:1-8, 10-11, 27-31 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 9, 2014 AM We live in a world that worships the immediate. When the Polaroid SX-70 camera was introduced in 1972, it revolutionized photography. An article by Owen Edward in Smithsonian magazine described the camera as “a miracle of physics, optics and electronics.” When a photo was snapped, “a blank square would emerge from the front of the camera and develop before our eyes.” People were sold on speedy, immediate results. In today’s world, digital cameras offer instant gratification that makes Polaroid cameras obsolete. Sadly, far too many want God to immediately gratify their emotional spirituality in much the same way. When times get tough, they want Jesus to fix it immediately. People respond differently under stress. Some lose hope, some get depressed, while other seek God’s strength and comfort. The nation of Judah was facing consequences for their ungodly actions, but the Lord held out h...

Do You Take Your Burdens to the Lord? - Isaiah 37:10-12, 14-20, 33-37 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 2, 2014 AM What do you do when you are faced with difficult situations? Do you run and hide, do you get angry, or do you depend upon the Lord and His guidance? You can tell a lot about an individual’s faith not just during the mundane ordinary times, but how they conduct themselves during bleak situations. She was young and not prepared to be a single mom but her life choices had brought her to this point. With a baby on the way, no support from the baby’s father, she had some tough decisions to make. She first began to work on her relationship with God, worked herself through college, got a better job after graduating, and raised her child. At a church gathering, she met a godly man who loves her and her child. Whom do you take your burdens to when faced with tough decisions? Sennacherib had left Lachish and was at Libnah, about five miles north of Lachish. Word had come that Tirhakah was c...