PastorBlastor

Whom Do You Love? - Mark 12:28-34 By Pastor Lee Hemen November 28, 2010 This past Thanksgiving I heard people exclaim that they loved pie, sweet potatoes, dressing, turkey, and just about any other food that was placed in front of them. We use the word love for defining a lot of things in our lives. Sadly, the word love is often used in the wrong way concerning relationships in our lives. Perhaps no better definition for our day concerning love is better expressed than in the song Barney the Dinosaur sings: “I love you, you love me; we’re a happy family! With a great big hug, and a kiss from me to you; won’t you say you love me too?” Love has been reduced to an emotion we feel, rather than an expression. Here in Mark’s gospel we find Jesus answering his questioners concerning what the greatest commandment of God is. Contrary to what some may think, the love of God is conveyed throughout the commands of God. Jesus remarked to his disciples, “If you love me, you will obey wha...

Old and New Wine Skins – Mark 2:18-22 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 27, 2009 AM I have found it interesting and sometimes humorous to have conversations with those who claim to have faith in Jesus Christ, but in reality have no idea what it means. A lot of folks will say, “I’m a Christian,” thinking that because they are good people, were born in a religious home, or live in America that they are “Christian.” It is really kind of silly because they would not think that by entering a grocery store that they all of sudden became a loaf of bread! Here is an experiment to try to see if what I am saying is true: Go to the local airport, get on a jet bound for Hawaii, and then insist that you should be allowed to fly the plane because you are now an airline pilot simply because you got on board the aircraft. The TSA would haul you off the plane quicker than you could say, “Wait! I was only kidding! Don’t lock me up!” Why then do people try to delude themselves and try to fool others into thi...

Celebrating Our Independence! – Luke 4:15-30 By Pastor Lee Hemen June 29, 2008 AM What does independence mean? For some it is the ability to do what you want, when you want to do it. For others it means the ability to vote, to peacefully protest or assemble. Still others see it as a means to be able to speak your mind openly and honestly about any issue or the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. And there are those that see it as a means to worship as one desires without the government telling you where to go to church, what to believe, or by taxing you to support a state-run church. No matter how we view independence it could not have been possible without one man, and that is the man Jesus. Why would I say that? When we as Americans celebrate our independence we are celebrating our nation’s decision to free itself from the tyranny of a king and to have a government that was of the people, by the people, and for the people. This is why the Declaration of Independence states, “We...

Why Do We Do Evangelism? -- 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 12-15; 2:1-7 by Pastor Lee Hemen April 27, 2008 AM Many people reject the concept of evangelism. They may think evangelistic efforts violate a person’s freedom. Others, though they believe in evangelism, refuse to take part in it for a variety of reasons. Time, effort, or the will to do it. They do not recognize that all Christians have a responsibility to participate in evangelism. God calls believers to do their part in evangelism. Today’s sermon encourages us to do our part in winning others to Christ. How and why we should do this is very important for us to understand anew for our world today. We live in a time when many misunderstandings exist about salvation. Believing that all truth is subjective, many do not acknowledge objective truth: That there can only be one truth. Therefore they resist efforts at evangelism because they do not believe that any single road leads to salvation. Others may believe that objective truth exists, but ...