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Death or Demons? - John 8:48-59 by Pastor Lee Hemen May 31, 2015 It isn't new that when some folks can't win an argument with logic or rational thought they resort to name-calling. Like children at play who do not like the outcome, some adults will revert back to their childish behavior as well. After all, we can't be the ones who are wrong or at fault and our logic is always impeccable, right? In an argument, one does not have the license to be childish, abusive or immature. If a person has legitimate logical thoughts, they can give a reasonable voice to those thoughts in a constructive way. Jesus faced those who disagreed with him but instead of using reasonable or logical arguments, they resorted to name-calling and being just plain mean-spirited. Let's discover how Jesus handled the issue of his detractors calling him demon-possessed and him trying to show them eternal life. It was a matter of death or demons… READ: John 8:48-59 In this passage we join the conversat...

Who's Your Daddy? - John 8:37-47 By Pastor Lee Hemen May 24, 2015 One of the greatest detriments to our society's stability is the dysfunctional makeup of families; namely the amount of absentee father's in the home. According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, "There is a crisis in America. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America—one out of three—live without their biological dad in the home. Consequently, there is a “father factor” in nearly all of the societal issues facing America today." Children of absentee fathers are more likely to live in poverty, have emotional and behavioral problems, more likely to commit crime, use drugs, get pregnant, and more likely to face abuse and neglect. I see the affects of absent fathers daily where I work as a playground monitor. While the absence of natural fathers in families is a terrible thing, the absence of having our Heavenly Father in a family can be far worse. Strong Christian fatherl...

The Truth Will Set You Free! - John 8:30-36 By Pastor Lee Hemen May 17, 2015 Shel Silverstein once quipped, "Tell me I'm clever, Tell me I'm kind, Tell me I'm talented, Tell me I'm cute, Tell me I'm sensitive, Graceful and wise, Tell me I'm perfect - But tell me the truth." Contrary to what some would like you to believe, there can only be one truth. However, for some the truth is completely relative, meaning it is only relevant when it benefits them or agrees with their own preconceptions. In our day and age where many think that lying is just part of life, we would do well to remember what Mark Twain wrote, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." Jesus was the embodiment of the truth. He never lied nor did anything for his own benefit; his life was one of complete honesty, humility, and sacrifice. God knew that if he was going to relate the gospel message of salvation by faith through Jesus, Jesus would have to be ...

Not of this World! - John 8:21-29 By Pastor Lee Hemen May 10, 2015 Moms are not of this world. They must have some kind of internal sensor system that lets them know when their offspring have stopped hearing their genteel suggestions. I know this to be true because my Mom used to tell us, "You're not listening to me!" as a child. I often wondered how in the world she could know that I wasn't listening to her. Was it the glazed look in my eyes, the impatient wiggling, or the constant yawning? Whatever the clues, she knew I was spaced out and not listening. Jesus had the same kind of problem with his detractors; they simply refused to hear what he was trying to teach them about himself. In this section of John's gospel we find Jesus confronting the deaf ears of his enemies. They simply refused to understand that he was not of this world, let's discover for ourselves what occurred and why it is important for us this morning. READ: John 8:21-29 My mom often had wo...

The Light of the World! - John 8:12-20 By Lee Hemen May 3, 2015 People seem to be always searching for who they are; but what does that really mean? We can exercise to change our body shape. We can educate ourselves in order to change our intellectual state. And, we can meditate to try and change our spiritual state, but none of these truly change who we intrinsically are. Paul would write, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature" and in fact he understood that "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. (Romans 7:18; 8:5 NIV)" We are what we are, sinners by nature and by choice, and the only means by which we can change our innermost self is by coming by faith to the one who created us in the first place. Again, Paul wrote, "Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (Ro...