Christian Heritage Church

02/05/2026

24/03/2024

What Kind of Saviour Are You Looking For? This Easter
When I preach I want Our church and family understand the pressure on the on the Christians Scriptures: John 12:9-12. I want us to go back to the years that Jesus walked the earth. Because our calendar is measured by His appearance, it's not that hard. B.C. stands for Before Christ and A.D. stands for Anno Domini (The Year of our Lord). But what was going on in those days?
John 12:12: ""When the large crowd that had come to the festival" The festival is Passover. Jews came from the ends of the earth to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. Today when Jews in foreign lands observe the Passover, they say: "The Bible says: "they took palm branches and went out to meet Him." vs. 13. The "palm branches" two centuries earlier had become a national symbol that indicated the fervent hope that a messianic liberator would arrive on the scene.
Antiochus Epiphanies was a Greek king who had attacked and destroyed Jerusalem and put many of its inhabitants to death — mostly in cruel ways. He ordered soldiers to enter the Jewish Temple and slaughter a pig - considered "unclean" by the Jews - on the Altar of the Lord. They set the pig ablaze, and then tried to make some Jewish men eat some of the meat. The men refused and he cut their tongues out, scalped them, cut off their hands and feet, and burned them on the Altar of the Lord. After this, the Jews began the war of independence under their Maccabean leaders, defeating the armies that Antiochus sent against them. They kept shouting: "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!" - John 12:13
"Hosanna" - the Hebrew expression literally means "Save now." They wanted Jesus to save them.” Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" (verse 13). When someone speaks kind words about the deceased at a funeral, what do you call that? A eulogy. That's the same word John uses here for "blessed." Blessed means to speak well of, to praise. The people are quoting from Psalm 118:25-26. "LORD, save us! LORD, please grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. “They are calling for him to be their earthly king. But look at the next verse (14): "Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it. "There is significance here. If he was coming in as a military or political leader, he would come in on a horse. In fact, when they travelled from town to town, people only rode donkeys if they were traveling in peace.
Verse 15: "Just as it is written." When you see that, the writer is going to quote from the Old Testament. Jesus is fulfilling another prophecy. "Fear no more, Daughter Zion; look! Your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's c**t" (Zech. 9:9). People were looking for a messiah — searching for a saviour — and they expected Jesus to come in to Jerusalem and clean house. They thought they had the solution. He had fed the people. He had healed the sick. He had raised the dead. He came to dwell in the hearts of men and women - to recreate them in God's image. Jesus came to change people's hearts.
We've been in Jesus' time, and I want us to come back to present time. If Jesus showed up today I think we might expect the same things. Jesus could end war, poverty, and homelessness. He could eliminate stress - financial stress, marital stress, work stress, emotional stress, family conflict, fear. But what He did back then was go to the cross and sacrifice His life for us so that we could be transformed. Our core purpose as a church family: spiritual transformation of individuals, families, our community, and the world for the glory of Jesus Christ. Let Him change you. Then He will change your situation, then He will change your family, then He will change this church, then He will change this community, then He will change this world. Through his death on the cross, He makes a way for you to have a relationship with God. Through his resurrection, He gives you the hope of resurrection from the dead and eternal life. Through his Holy Spirit, He wants to change your life.

08/02/2024

Hold fast to dreams even when your situation is overwhelming you.

Genesis chapters 37-41). God gave Joseph a literal dream and basically told Joseph that his brothers, family, and everyone would one day bow to him—but it sure didn’t happen right away. Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers, and that’s when his story seemingly took a turn for the worse. See, his brothers were already jealous of Joseph because of his relationship with their father, Jacob. Then, after sharing his dreams, Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him and then ultimately sold him into slavery. Joseph could have let his situation overwhelm him and lost sight of his dream, but he didn’t. He held fast even in the midst of all the crazy. Here’s what we can learn from him.
1. Look for God in your current situation. You may think you’re in the fire alone, but just take a minute, close your eyes, and feel God’s presence. When we look for God, we’ll see Him right beside us. He is never far from us. Looking at Joseph’s story, God was with him literally every step of the way. The phrase “the Lord was with Joseph” is seen at every stage of Joseph’s journey. When he was Potiphar’s slave and when he was later imprisoned, the only constant was God’s continual presence. No matter how Joseph’s circumstance and environment changed, God was with him. Just as God was with Joseph, He is with you.
2. Recognize God’s power. We may feel powerless, but God is always there to be our strength. Joseph relied on and recognized God’s power. Joseph was asked to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, and while he felt it was beyond his abilities to see the dream’s meaning, Joseph knew God could interpret the dreams. God’s omnipotence always trumps our feelings of powerlessness.
The curveballs that may seem like demotions may be leading to your biggest promotion.
3. Be at peace with your limited perspective. When God told Joseph that he would be someone people bowed down to, I bet he never thought to get there he would be a slave and a prisoner. In both situations, Joseph easily could have become anxious and had doubts about his dream coming to fruition. The path that God is leading you down may not make sense to you right now, but the curveballs that seem like demotions may be leading to your biggest promotion. When Joseph became a slave, he served Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard. When Potiphar threw him in jail, he was thrown in with the king’s prisoners. One of the king’s prisoners was the cup-bearer, and Joseph interpreted the cup-bearer’s dream which led to him telling Pharaoh about Joseph. Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams led to the fruition of Joseph’s dream. God knew what He was doing. He knew that Joseph needed to be a slave and a prisoner. What doesn’t add up to us makes perfect sense to God. We’re not omnipotent or omniscient—but our lives are in the hands of the omnipotent and omniscient One. Your current situation, fears, and challenges may be overwhelming you, but God is bigger than all of that. God is good, and He is working for your good (Romans 8:28). When it’s hard to hold fast to our dreams, remember that God always fulfils His promises, and He gave us our dreams and visions for a reason. Abraham and Sarah had a child and are the parents of a great nation. Esther did save her people. Joseph did see everyone kneel before him and ran a kingdom. So hold fast to the dreams God has put in your heart; you won’t be the exception.

06/02/2024

9

Hold fast to dreams even when you’re unsure.

King Xerxes needed a queen after he banished his previous wife. After being taken into the king’s harem, Esther became queen. But she kept her true identity hidden; Esther was a Jew and she was the cousin of Mordecai, a “rebel” who refused to bow to Haman. Haman was the king’s right-hand man. And because of his beef with Mordecai, he issued a decree with the king’s blessing that in the following year, Jews had to be slaughtered, and as a “bonus,” the Jews’ property would be given to whoever killed them. Esther was somehow tasked with saving her people. That’s heavy.
Is this what Esther always dreamed about? Was this the purpose she felt called to and had planned for? All we know is that God called her. God put Esther in the palace and in her position for a purpose. Sometimes God has a dream, vision, and purpose for us that we’re unsure about. We question where we are going and what God is doing, and we let our feelings of uncertainty and discomfort erase the truths we know about God. Here’s what we can learn from Esther’s story about holding fast to our dreams and God’s promises.
1. Trust God even when you only know the first step. Even though we know God has the whole vision and plan and is working behind the scenes, we want a backstage, all-access pass before we commit to taking any action. Esther’s first step was going before the king and explaining the problem. But she was hesitant about her first step. She knew that you had to be invited to see the king; you didn’t just show up. Then, as we later learn, the king’s decree was irrevocable once written and sealed with his ring. So Esther also probably wondered how her bringing the decree to his attention would even help. The thing is, it’s not our job to wonder; it’s our job to trust and obey. We don’t need to get caught up in the details, because God is in control of the details.
2. Walk confidently, knowing God chose you. Sometimes, we look at the dream and the only thing that seems out of place is us. We feel like we’re not the person for the job, but as the saying goes, God qualifies and equips the called (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). When Esther questioned her role, Mordecai said a powerful thing:“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NLT God is not a God of coincidence. He gave you this dream, put you in this situation, and called you on purpose at the perfect time. He knows everything about you—your qualifications, your skills, your past, your every thought, and He still wants you to be the one to bring the dream to life. And if that doesn’t add a bit of swagger to your walk, then just remember God’s “got you” (Romans 8:31)! He is walking with and before you.
3. Know the battle is already won. We have the victory (Romans 8:37). We don’t know the endgame for all of our dreams, or we may think the endgame is failure. We’re unsure of our outcomes. Hold fast to dreams even when your situation is overwhelming you. Is where you are today overshadowing where God promised you’d be tomorrow? Do your dreams feel far and unreachable? Maybe you have a vision for tomorrow, but you’re drowning in the demands of today. You’re not alone God is with you.
Top be continued.

05/02/2024

Hold fast to dreams even when it seems impossible.

Do you feel like God has placed an impossible dream on your heart? Sometimes what we are called to can almost seem laughable. I am here to encourage you to hold fast to your dreams, even when they feel impossible;
Maybe you’re looking at your current circumstances and are overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness and disbelief. I’ve been there. In those times, it’s hard to look at anything other than the problem. But what if there’s another place we should look? What if we can hold fast to dreams—even when they seem impossible?
1. Listen to what God is telling you. God reminded Abraham of this promise at least four times. Sometimes we need to quiet every voice but God’s. God is the one who spoke this dream into your life. You can’t let doubts or worries become louder than God’s voice. And don’t be afraid to ask God for reassurance and to remind you one more time. He loves hearing from us, and He loves when we listen.
2. Bring Him your worries. God loves it when you come to Him with your worries and problems. Abraham didn’t hold back from telling God about his doubts and fears. God didn’t get mad at Abraham or ignore his worries; He reassured him. God reminded Abraham that he should focus on God and His infinite power rather than on his own limitations. Immediately after this encouragement, Abraham believed the Lord. Holding fast to a seemingly impossible dream is a lot easier when you let go of your worries and give them to God.
3. Stop laughing and start believing. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” The way we act is our answer to this question. When God told Abraham that Sarah would give him a son, Abraham literally laughed. Sarah laughed too. By this point, he was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, so reason and logic would say that having a baby was impossible. But what is impossible for us is completely possible for God. Sometimes having bold faith can look and seem a little crazy, but it’s worth it. Think of how Noah looked building an ark (Genesis 6:7-22). Remember David? He probably looked a little nutty going to fight a giant with some stones (1 Samuel 17:32-40). Sometimes you have to stop laughing at what seems illogical and start believing in a God who says all things are possible!

04/02/2024

Hold Fast to Your Dreams Even When They Seem Impossible

Has God ever placed a dream in your heart that right now seems laughable? Maybe you’re looking at your current circumstances and are overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness and disbelief. I’ve been there. In those times, it’s hard to look at anything other than the problem. But what if there’s another place we should look? What if we can hold fast to dreams—even when they seem impossible?
When we feel like our dreams are hopeless, we have to start looking away from ourselves and instead look to God (Psalm 121:1-2). When we shift our focus to Him, it’s a lot easier to hold fast to the dreams He’s given us. But how do we do that? How do we rely on Him when it seems like it’s time to just give up?
Let’s look at how to hold fast to dreams even in the hardest situations: How do you hold fast to your dreams even when it seems impossible? How do you hold fast to your dreams even when you’re unsure? How do you hold fast to your dreams even when your situation is overwhelming you?
Hold fast to dreams even when it seems impossible.
If anyone can relate to having an impossible dream, it’s Abraham. Just take a look at his story in Genesis chapters 12-18. God told Abraham that He was going to be the father of many nations. When God first revealed this plan and promise, Abraham was 75 years old, and his wife Sarah was 65 and unable to have children.
To Abraham and Sarah, this dream of having their own child and being the beginning of a large family line seemed unattainable.
Maybe you feel like the dream and promise God spoke to you is crazy impossible. Don’t give up on it just yet. Here are three pieces of wisdom we can take from Abraham’s story.
Don’t let doubts or worries become louder than God’s voice.

To be continued.

04/02/2024

GRACE IN TIME OF NEED, HEBREWS 4:16
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

In church not too long ago, a few statements were made about grace and then it became grace and mercy. It confused a lot of people because they don’t understand the difference between grace and mercy. Mercy is the withholding of deserved punishment. Mercy is that we are not punished for what we have done or left undone. God’s mercy is unrelenting; He does not change His mind about it. Grace, though, is an unmerited gift. It is receiving good that which we have not earned. We have not earned love, yet God loves us. We have grace unbound from God, our father.
The grace that we receive is unlimited. He has given us grace to save us, bring us to Him and love us unconditionally. His grace extends to us when we most need, whatever we need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) affirms this: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
When we are overwhelmed with things to do, a schedule to keep, overwhelmed with sadness or grief, overwhelmed with depression or debt, overwhelmed with pessimism, overwhelmed by harsh work environments or colleagues. When we are out of patience, full of anger, or frustrated by lack of action, his grace provides. His grace gives us the strength and the breath and the life to go on. His grace offers us the peace and joy of the Spirit as we go on. It shares the burden and lifts the weight. His grace is always meets us where we are, meets our need.

14/01/2024

Isaiah 60:15 (NIV) “Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.”

In today’s text, we find God summing up and comparing Jerusalem’s past, one of rejection, abandonment, and forsakenness; to what the future holds for her, majesty and joy forever. At first glance, Jerusalem would appear rejected, forsaken, and despised, not only by the nations, but by her God as well. But she will not remain that way. She will experience a restoration, or a rebirth if you will, she will be delivered from her time of punishment, and she will finally humble herself before her God and undergo a transformation. Remember God’s promise to Israel: The same may applies to you in a manner that you may feel rejected by the grace of God restoration is coming your way in 2024. Just remember this promise of God. “If my own people will humbly pray and turn back to me and stop sinning, then I will answer them from heaven. I will forgive them and make their land fertile once again. I will hear the prayers made in this temple, because it belongs to me, and this is where I will be worshiped forever. I will never stop watching over it.” -2 Chronicles 7:14-16

10/12/2023

Psalm 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

02/12/2023

GOODNESS AND MERCY, PS 23:6

In Psalm 23:6, David wrote, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”. When David began the Psalm, he wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd”. With the Lord as your shepherd, two of the things you get from him follow you. Goodness and mercy:
Goodness and mercy are necessities. David wrote of his condition with the Lord as his shepherd, “I shall not want”. You need the Lord’s goodness and you need the Lord’s mercy. It’s the Lord’s goodness that leadteth thee to repentance, Rom 2:4. And it’s the Lord’s mercy that keeps you in his grace. David wrote, “Shall follow me”. The devil told God that Job feared God because the Lord had been so good to him, Job 1:10. He said, “thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side”. The Lord has you covered on every side, front and rear. Before you are green pastures, still waters, and paths of righteousness. Behind you are goodness and the Lord’s mercy. Never fail. David wrote, “All the days of my life”. Sometimes, before you is a dark valley. Even then, the Lord is with you, and these two things follow you. From the very beginning of your relationship with the Lord to the very end, he is good and merciful to us. Look what Jeremiah wrote in Lam 3:22-25. No matter how dire your circumstances are, no matter how discouraged you may become, don’t look at the circumstances and don’t react to your feelings. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” in 2024. Amen.

19/11/2023

Life is a gift from God.
The only way to fulfilling life is through thanksgiving and praise. When we recognise life as a gift from God, we start appreciating every breath we take. And when we do that, we are fully living. Our life is not then any more glamorous or easier than before but life becomes full of meaning and purpose. And that is another gift from God. When we start recognising that is not what do, eat, clothe or have that give us life but God then we should be thankful. Life becomes more and more precious as we continue to grow in God’s love and grace.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Eph. 5:15-16, NIV)

Do not take it granted
Taking God’s good gifts granted leads to misery. As soon as we forget to give thanks and praise God for his gifts, we take them granted. When we don’t remember we are not entitled to luxuries and niceties in life, we blame God for our hardships. That’s why it is important to seize every day and remember that life is a gift from God. Counting blessings is an effective way to keep us from taking life and other gifts of God granted. And that enables us to truly enjoy every breath we take.


Prayer
Gracious God
Help us to appreciate every breath we take. In Jesus’ name,
Amen