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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...

Who's without sin? - John 8:1-11 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 26, 2015 Self-righteousness can express itself in many different forms. We often think of it as the overtly bigoted religious persona depicted by the media, movies, or television. However it can take the form of someone who thinks they are spiritually okay when in fact they know next to nothing about God, his Son, or the Bible. They self-righteously equate their good intentions, actions, or attitudes as more that good enough for God. And in fact, their intent becomes God's for them. They do not see themselves as a sinner in need of a Savior. This is the millennial mindset of much of America today. It is not new. We discover that even the hyper-religious bureaucrats of Jesus' day fell into this self-inflicted trap, thinking they were far better off spiritually than the common man or in this case woman. Here in John we find an interesting account of Jesus rescuing a sinful woman from her wrongful accusers. In doing so...

The Living Water! - John 7:37-53 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 19, 2015 I was reading an old western the other day by Louis L'Amour. In it the hero was trekking across the Southwestern desert without water when he comes to a small watering hole. He figures out that the water is no good; it is poisoned and would kill him if he drank it, and since there is no other water for miles he has to do something about it before he can drink it. This little piece of the short story I was reading made me begin to wonder how in the world do folks in our day and age know, when they are dying of thirst, if the water they are drinking is poisoned or not? Folks can be poisoned by a lot of things: What they read, what they are taught, by the example given them from their peers or parents, or what they watch in movie or TV. Everything from our spirituality to our worldview can be slowly poisoned and we never realize it until we have to pay the ultimate price. The common folks of Jesus' day were slowin...

Are you listening? By Pastor Lee Hemen April 12, 2015 I like listening in on conversations. Yes, I suppose you could call me an eavesdropper, but really this carries with it so many nasty connotations. I prefer to be known as an observer of people and listening to them is part of the character of someone like me. Why just the other day I was listening to my grandson and wife talking together. He had climbed onto her lap and was enjoying a book with her. She exclaimed, "I like it when you climb into my lap and snuggle with me." Then I heard him giggle in response and reply, "I like snuggling with you too grandma." Now, how in the world could anyone not want to overhear that! I am a fulltime pastor and a part time "recess teacher" during the week at a local elementary school. I have learned by listening in on conversations how many of the children there are neglected, loved, pampered, or encouraged. I have discovered that in fact many of these children who s...

Of Potlucks, Power Rangers and People by Pastor Lee Hemen April 12, 2015 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47 NIV) These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead. (Jude 1:12 NIV) The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ… But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? ... The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the fee...

The Victory! - Mark 16:1-14 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 5, 2015 Victory can come in many forms in our lives. It could be getting good grades, making a promotion at work, or retiring in comfort and contentment. Parents see victories in their children all the time. Perhaps one of the greatest victories that were totally unexpected happened during the 1980 Winter Olympics when the USA hockey team beat Russia at Lake Placid, New York. It was called "The Miracle on Ice" for a reason because no one expected it to happen since Team USA had been badly beaten by the Russians earlier in the year. Today's verses in Mark show us a different kind of victory. It is one that does not give out gold medals, good grades, or future monetary compensation. It is the victory that gives anyone who believes in it the power over death and the newness of a whole new relationship with Almighty God. It was a victory that few expected that morning after experiencing and seeing what they already had. Th...

Luke 19:28-44 – Palm Sunday By Pastor Lee Hemen March 29, 2015 AM I was wondering what you thought about peace. You know what I mean, not the peace the world tries to aspire to because that is impossible. I am referring to the peace that passes all understanding that only comes from intimately knowing the ruler of peace. Perhaps you have realized peace does not come from people, places or things. Education, money, or power cannot give you the peace you need or seek. Only the one who died for you can give you peace when all else in life falters, fails, or falls apart. The absence of war, strife, or personal hurt is not the peace He gives. His peace comes by the sword of His truth that pierces the human soul right down to the spiritual bone marrow. The Jews of Jesus’ day were searching for a worldly peace, a solution to their national and personal problems. Just like much of the world today. They had not learned from their history that going to war, throwing out the oppressor, or strivin...