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Christian Church of Moore Haven Florida, P. O. Box 997, 199 7th Street N. W, Moore Haven, FL (2026)

06/14/2026

Back When
TEXT - 2nd Kings 2: 1 – 12
Folks, this week has been busy, politically, spiritually, and worldly! On Monday, in order to get your attention, I thought about mentioning many of the thousands of different sporting events that are going on and then ask you if you had any heroes in any of those events.
But, later, on Monday afternoon there came the Earthquake that occurred off the western tip of Cuba, but was felt throughout Florida. And then the tensions between America and Iran flared up again and the bombs and missiles started falling. Yes, we do need to continue to pray for the people caught up in the aftermath of all of this.
Beloved, with all that has happened, and in respect of your time, I will not take the time to point out all the different happenings and sporting events or any possible hero you might have in any of the many different sporting events that were or are going on.
Besides, you might not be interested.

However, there is the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, that will be running in six countries between May and November of this year. One of their stopping off points includes St Petersburg, Fl.
Do you have any heroes in any of the many different events that have been held or will be held this year? How about the NBA basketball world series? Do you have any heroes among any of those NBA players?
Folks, can you believe it was predicted that close to 20 million people watched through one means or another Game 3 of the New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs game last Monday night? Were you one of them?
What about the Wednesday night game, which is now being called “The Miracle at the Madison Square Garden”? Because of the interest Wednesday night’s game created, Saturday night’s game at the Frost Bank Center, in San Antionio drew 24 million of viewers. Were you one of the millions of people who watched those games?
Meanwhile, it is said that even though there are an estimated 380,000 Christian Churches in the United States, only 20 million people were in church last Sunday morning. That equals to 52 Christians per church. Most of you were you one of them.
Years ago, our Sunday morning attendance was 100 plus. It was so strong that we opened the doors to the Fellowship Hall during our morning worship service, in order to seated more people.
We were considering going to two services on Sunday mornings At one time, it was mentioned that we needed to build a much larger church building. I must admit, currently, our attendance is not near what it used to be “back when.”
But that doesn’t have anything to do with sports or heroes. In talking about sports and heroes, do you realize that many times Biblical writers, like the apostle Paul, used athletic events to get people’s attention and teach spiritual lessons? That’s what I am trying to do today.
In 1st Corinthians 9: 24 – 27, Paul used footraces and boxing matches in comparison to the challenges of the Christian life. The writer of Hebrews 12:1 compared the Christian life to a long-distance race that requires faithfulness, endurance, and the elimination of anything that might get into one’s way of their Christian walk.
I suspect there have been times when we could relate to some of the challenges we face in our life, to those Paul was referring to. But where do our heroes fit in, in this message?
I don’t know what you think a hero is, some people define a hero as one who nobly gives of themself to others and is admired for their faithfulness, courage and outstanding achievements.
With that in mind, when I asked you if you had any heroes, did you think of the apostle Paul? When you use our earlier definition, who do you think of? ARE YOU A HERO? Could you be a hero?
Is there anyone in the Bible who you would think of as being your hero? I encourage you to think that question over.

How about King David? King David gave of himself to others and was brave enough and strong enough to fight off lions and bears as he faithfully protected his family’s herd of sheep.
King David is the one who, while a shepherd boy, defended God’s honor by using a slingshot to defeat the Philistine giant, man of war, named Goliath. David is the one who spilled out his heart as he wrote much of the Book of Psalms.
Beloved, did you have a hero “back when” you were a kid? I don’t know, maybe some of us are still a kid at heart. Soo, do you currently have a hero?
“Back when” I was growing up and while going to Sunday school and church and hearing about different men of the Bible, the call of God started pulling at me, but “back then” I didn’t have a Biblical hero because I didn’t know the Word of God well enough. What about you?
While starting the progress of being born again, and getting to know the Word of God, I became challenged and fascinated by Biblical heroes like Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, King David, John the Baptist, Peter, and other great men of God. Has your heroes changed as you grew older and wiser? Did you get a chance to personally meet any of your heroes?
Beloved, “back when” I was 14, I had a chance to meet my latest and greatest Hero and He remains my Hero up to this very day. He spent roughly three years preaching and teaching God’s Word, God’s will, and God’s ways. Then in an act of compassion and love, He willingly suffered and died, in my place, in humanity’s place, for my sins and the sins of the world.
My Hero is and can be the Hero of the entire human race being as He gave up His life as humanity’s sin sacrifice. As I matured in my Christian walk, He became and is the Savior of my soul and the Lord of my life.
He would like to be the Lord of your life and the Saviour of your soul. His name is Jesus. He is the Christ, the one and only Begotten Son of God. Have you thought about making Him your Hero?
As you can tell from what we are told in 1st Kings 19:19 – 21, “Back When” Elisha was a young man he had the chance to meet and come to know his hero. The Bible tells us Elisha walked with a man who was a source of inspiration and guidance as well as the greatest hero of the Jewish people in his day.
That hero’s name was Elijah. As I have mentioned in many sermons, Elijah led the dramatic contest at Mount Carmel between himself and his God, the One and only true God and the 450 prophets who primarily worshipped a false god named Baal.
That was the day when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to prove whose God was the strongest by the strongest God sending down fire that would consume the sacrifices that were laid on the altars.
Beloved, I believe it is safe to say that to this day all of Israel remembers how God answered Elijah’s prayers that day “back when” God sent down fire and won that great contest .
The 18th chapter of 1st Kings tells us after the prophets of Baal prayed from morning to noon, but could not get Baal to burn up their sacrifices, Elijah turned to His God, our God and prayed for fire.
In answer to Elijah’s prayer, 1st Kings 18: verse 38 says, “Then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the altar stones, the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench that was dug around God’s altar.” But the altar of Baal’s was not touched.
Folks, can your hero do that? From then on Elijah was not only God’s prophet, he was the hero of the Jewish people. In 2nd Kings 2: verse 6 we can read about how in Elijah’s later years, young Elisha began walking with his hero, Elijah. In a study of 1st and 2nd Kings we can read about some of Elijah’s and Elisha’s time together.
In the 2nd chapter of 2nd Kings, we can read a story that has all the dramatic signs and wonders it would take for an outstanding mini-series on television.
The Bible says Elijah told Elisha he wanted him to stay behind because God has sent him, Elijah, on to the Jordan River. But Elisha would not stay behind and let his hero go on without him.
The Bible says a company of 50 prophets, from Jericho, followed these two men at a distance as they watched the slow deliberate steps of the aged Elijah.
2nd Kings 2:8 says when Elijah and Elisha got to the Jordan River, Elijah took off his mantel, rolled it up and struck the water and the water divided so that the two men walked across to the other side on dry ground. Did you remember hearing or studying that?
After walking with Elijah and then after seeing Elijah parting the Jordan as he did, no doubt Elisha had a thousand questions come to his mind. Don’t you think you would have a question or two?
Beloved, the one question that Elisha did ask Elijah was, “Will you put a double potion of your spirit on me.” Folks, think about that question. Is that a question you would ask?
What would you ask for, from someone who had been given the power Elijah had? Would you like to inherit a double portion of Elijah’s power? Be careful what you ask for, because there are responsibilities.
Elisha asked Elijah to leave him the blessings of his leadership and the power that allows for continued demonstration of the goodness and power of the one true God.
2nd Kings 2: verse11 basically says Elijah and Elisha walked some more, then the winds picked up and behold a chariot of fire and horses of fire came and parted the two of them and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Afterwards Elisha takes up the mantel of Elijah and in the sight of the 50 prophets who were still following him, Elisha strikes the waters of the Jordan river and goes on over to the other side on dry ground to his new role of leadership. Could Elisha be your hero?
Beloved, before I go any further, can you tell me how many times the Bible speaks about someone parting the water? (4) Can you tell me who the men were that parted water?
Exodus 14: 15 – 22 tells Moses parted water, Joshua 3: 5 – 4: 18, tells us Joshua parted water. 2nd Kings 2: 8 tells us Elijah parted water, and 2nd Kings 2: 14 tells us Elisha parted water.
What do you think about this story? What do you think about the part where Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his spirit? What do you think about Elisha picking up Elijah’s mantel? Would you have picked up Elijah’s mantel? What does that include
Beloved, for as interesting as this story has been thus far, 2nd Kings 2: verses 16 – 18 tells us another interesting part.
PAGE 12 BACK WHEN
By the way, are you now seeing how in one way or another, all of this story applies to us and the Lord’s churches of today. Who is our hero? I could stop here, but this last part which is about the fifty prophets from Jericho, is quite telling.
Would you believe that even after these prophets saw Elijah go up in that chariot of fire and Elisha pick up his mantel, these 50 prophets from Jericho insisted on sending out a search party to look for Elijah. Can you imagine?
Apparently for those 50 prophets, seeing wasn’t believing. They couldn’t believe their own eyes. They couldn’t believe that Elijah was really gone. Elisha insisted that their search would be fruitless, but that didn’t change their mind, so Elisha told them to go ahead and look for Elijah. They couldn’t accept the fact that, Elijah was gone and that chapter of their life was closed. Do you suppose they were guilty of believing that God’s great work belongs ONLY to that person, that day and time.
Do you suppose they couldn’t see that there was going to be even greater works of God in the future? Don’t those 50 prophets remind you of the people who can’t let go of yesterday? Don’t they remind you of the people who are still hanging out around Graceland watching and waiting as they insist that Elvis is not dead?
Just like the 50 prophets couldn’t believe that Elijah was actually gone, there are people who insist that Elvis is still alive. They can’t move past an era that has been here but is now gone. Those 50 prophets were unable to open their eyes and see what had happened and then move on to the happenings in the present world.
Beloved, this is not yesterday, this is today and we have to be preparing for not only today but also tomorrow. What is tomorrow holding for not only us personally, but also for the Lord’s church.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ABOUT CHANGES OUR CHURCH NEEDS TO MAKE IN PREPARATION FOR TOMORROW?
I think we all are bothered by the fact that we have so very few people, especially young people coming to our church. Do any of you have any ideas as to what we can do to encourage more young people to start coming here to church?
I know of a lot of churches have built such things as indoor and outdoor basketball courts in an effort to get young people to come to their church. Sometimes the kids and others came, played basketball, tore the place up and left never to return. Should people come to church to be entertained or to worship the Lord?
The same goes for other worldly ways churches have tried to enhance young people to start coming to church. The interest that the things of the world draw, will not last and the people will fade away. WHAT’S YOUR THOUGHTS?
The harsh reality is, currently people aren’t as worried about their eternity as they are worried about today.
Yes, shortly after 9-11, un-church people started coming back to church, but as soon as things settled down, they stopped coming to church. However, God is still at work in our world today and God’s greatest work may still be ahead
Let’s get back to our heroes. Today my greatest Hero is Jesus Christ. He is the greatest Hero of all. He came into this world to live, set an example for all of humanity to follow and live by ,,, and then He suffered and died as our sin sacrifice.
He ascended to heaven where right now He is the Advocate of those who believe upon Him. My greatest Hero can also be your Hero. He is ever before me urging me on. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He is encouraging us even when the world is trying to beat us down.
Right now, the Lord might be encouraging us to pick up a mantle and do something important within God’s kingdom. Elisha chose to walk with his hero, what are you going to do?
Will you choose to walk with Jesus Christ who is truly the world’s greatest Hero? You might be the one He has chosen to start doing some of His greatest work through. What is your answer?

06/08/2026

WHY FOLLOW GOD
Text - Isaiah 7: 17
Beloved, has anyone ever asked you why you are following God? What was your answer? I pray your answer included you telling them about the peace and fulfilment God has brought into your life.
Last Sunday we studied about a great man and prophet of God named Isaiah. It seems that Isaiah’s primary calling was to witness in the name of the Lord to King Ahaz. What is your primary calling? Is it to support this church? Where would this church be without you?
Folks, you might not recognize it, but God has a calling for each one of us. He has a specific mission for each of us to do. Yes, you are right, not everybody is called to be a pastor, or pianist, but each Christian is called to a life of faith, love, and service to the Lord.
Isaiah’s calling to witness to King Ahaz, kept him plenty busy, but he was also called to witness to the Kingdom of Judah including the people in its capital of Jerusalem. Which he was faithful in doing.
Beloved, no matter if God’s message was good or bad, Isaiah faithfully delivered the Lord’s messages to King Ahaz, and to the everyday citizen of the kingdom of Judah. It seems Isaiah’s attitude was, “Here I am Lord, send me.” What is your attitude?
Beloved, we know from studying Isaiah’s writings that despite the bad news Isaiah was sometimes called to deliver, he was faithful in delivering the Lord’s messages to King Ahaz and others.
We also know from Isaiah’s writings that he tried his best to advise, direct, and guide the people and King Ahaz in particular, in the ways of the Lord, but for the most part, Isaiah’s words fell on deaf ears.
Beloved, I encourage you to not get discouraged if your witnessing seems to be falling on deaf ears. I hope you remember us discussing King Ahaz in last Sunday’s message and because of that message, I hope you took the time to study up on the confrontations between Isaiah and King Ahaz.

King Ahaz ruled for 16 years He was basically known for his intense wickedness and idolatry. Among other sinfully wicked things he did, King Ahaz offered up, he sacrificed, his own children to pagan gods. He was a terrible, self-serving, self-centered sinful person.
Beloved, the message you and I and the world can get from the 7th chapter of Isaiah is that it is best to follow the Lord’s directives. Folks, we can see in the 25 verses of the 7th chapter of Isaiah, what happens when one goes their own way, instead of following God’s ways. And it is not pretty. That’s why we need to be following God.
In fact, throughout the Bible, we are strongly encouraged to follow God’s directives, instead of putting our faith in humanity, money, possessions, politics, military strength, or even friends.
Beloved, God’s guidance to King Ahaz, through Isaiah, was firmly rooted in Isaiah’s faith in the Covenant that God had made with His people where God said He would be their God and they were to be His obedient people.

Folks we too can operate through our faith in God’s Covenant with us. The Covenant God now has with us is called the New Covenant. It is based on what Jesus Christ has already done for us through His sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary.
By now you know, in Matthew 26: verses 27 & 28 we can read that while Jesus was instituting what we call “The Lord’s Supper,” Jesus took the cup, gave thanks, and as He offered it to His apostles as He said, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood for the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Beloved, under the Old Covenant, which we can read about in such places as the 20th through the 24th chapters of Exodus, people could only approach God through a priest and the sacrifice of a perfect, non-blemished animal.
Now, everyone can come directly to God because of Jesus’s sacrificial death and blood. Jesus opened the way for us.
In verse 7 of the 1st chapter of 1st John, we are told that, as a Christian, through Jesus’s blood our sins are blotted out of God’s sight and we have been made acceptable in God’s eyes.
In Hebrews 2: verses 17 & 18 the writer declares that Jesus Christ is our merciful and faithful High Priest. In Hebrews 4: verses 4-16 we are told Jesus was sinless yet is compassionate. And in Hebrews 7 verses 22- 28 we are told Jesus is our living and eternal High Priest and He makes intercessions unto the Lord for us.
The 8th and 9th chapters of Hebrews tell us Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant. Folks, in and through Jesus Christ, God has offered the availability to everyone of a New Covenant. Yes, God has done His part, now He expects us to do our part. That’s why we are encouraged to follow God.
Beloved, God has initiated a New Covenant relationship with those who are willing to faithfully follow Jesus Christ and obediently trust Jesus as the Lord of their life and the Savior of their soul.

This New Covenant IS inward, it is personal, and it is spiritual. It provides an inward-spiritual cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ that soothes the conscience, and gives peace to those who have received God’s forgiveness.
It offers a high moral standard to challenge the will of God’s children. And it offers a divine fellowship with God that can satisfy the deepest spiritual hunger. That’s why I follow God.
Through faith in God and in obedience to God’s New Covenant we can go through life with no fear of spiritual death. We can put our faith and confidence in the Lord and follow His directives.
Beloved, talking about fear, after listening to the news, how do you see the tomorrows of your life? Do you realize that you can face each day of your life with EITHER faith or fear?
You can put your faith and trust in the Lord, to work everything out to the good, and faithfully serve Him and wait upon Him, or you can put your faith and confidence in yourself and fear tomorrow.

As we were told in last week’s message, King Ahaz put his faith and trust in himself and the silver and gold he stole from the Lord’s temple, thus he was fearful of what his tomorrows might bring.
Like so many lost people in our world today, King Ahaz had no faith or confidence in the Lord. He thought he knew how to work things out for the best. So, he stole all the silver and gold out of the temple of the Lord’s and gave it to the Assyrian King thinking that sinful act would secure for him a better tomorrow.
Instead, Isaiah 7: verse 17 tells us about the judgment of God. Ahaz was told, “The Lord will bring on you, and on your people, and on the house of your father, a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah, God will bring the king of Assyria.”
Beloved, does this judgment cause you to think or wonder, how many times you would have been much better off, if only you had followed God’s guidance instead of striking out on your own? Doesn’t it tell you why it is much better to follow God?
Maybe you have thought you would be better off, if only you knew what was going to happen in the tomorrows of your life. Folks, instead of us worrying about “tomorrow”, let’s follow God. Let’s listen to God so we will know what He wants us to do and then followed His advice and guidance that we can find in His Word?
Proverbs 3: verses 5 & 6 tells us following God is the better course of action. Solomon says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding ,,,,,, in all your ways acknowledge God and God will make your path straight.
Beloved, Isaiah tells us as far as Syria’s and Israel’s armies were concern, they were nothing but smoking embers. The intensity and roar of their fire had died out long ago and their ability to fight was gone. King Ahaz didn’t know he had very little to fear from them. It is too bad he didn’t follow the Lord’s directives.
Verses 1 – 20 of the 16th chapter of 2nd Kings tells us a lot about the wickedness of King Ahaz.
These verses also tell us that before King Ahaz ever stole all that silver and gold, Isaiah advised him that his intended alliance with the Assyrian king would not last. But King Ahaz would not listen to the man of God. He thought he knew what was best. He trusted in himself instead of God.
Beloved, can you remember back to when you dreaded something, perhaps a conference with your boss or even worst with your spouse, only for it to end up being a pleasant experience?
How many times have you built up in your mind a possible negative response to an idea of yours only to find that everyone liked it? How many times have you thought someone had a negative feeling toward you, only to find out they liked you?
Beloved, my point is, of or through our own, we do not know what is best, God knows what is best that’s why we need to be following Him and that is why I return to the question I ask you in last Sunday’s Lord’s message, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Beloved, throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we are told what Jesus would do, and what He did in different situations that we can relate to, as well as what He expects of us.
The reason Jesus told us all of these things is because He loves us, He wants what is best for us, and He wants us to spend eternity in heaven with Him.
After telling you last Sunday that we are told in the 21st verse of the 13th chapter of Hebrews, that the Lord will provide His believers with everything we will need for doing His will.
I have been reminded that 2nd Peter, chapter 1, verse 3 says, “The Lord’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness,” AND THAT
2nd Corinthians 3: verses 5 & 6, tells us God has made us competent as ministers of His new covenant.
In Philippians 4: 13, Paul basically tells us, like him, we can do everything through the Lord, who gives us strength. And of course Paul also tells us in 2nd Timothy 1: 7, that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
Folks sometimes we make the mistake of thinking too little of ourself. Sometimes we forget that Jesus loves us so much that He suffered and died for us. Besides our spiritual blessings, as a Christian, we have many worldly blessings available to us.
So, you are special. You are important. You are valuable in God’s eyes. Many times, in our life, we make wrong decisions which end up drop kicking us down the road of life. Sometimes we are walked on, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way because of our wrong decision
Many times / we might even feel like we are worthless. But no matter what has happened to us, or what may happen to us in the tomorrows of our life, we have not lost our value in the eyes of God.
SO, don’t ever forget that the value of our life comes not in what we do or who we know, but by whose we are. As a Child of God’s, you are special to God, don’t forget it and don’t waste your special opportunities to serve and please God.
Let’s remember that among the last of the 49 commands Jesus gave us, is His command to us that can be found in Matthew 28: verses 18 through 20, which we studied in our Sunday School class last Sunday.
In Matthew 28: verses 18 through 20 Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth, has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Beloved, those words were among Jesus’ last Words to His followers.
With that being the case, we know those words were important. And they are just as important today as they were when Jesus originally uttered them. And as we prepare to close let’s never forget that we are told in John 14: verse 15, that Jesus said to His followers, “If you love me, you will obey me.”

05/31/2026

FOLLOWING JESUS’ EXAMPLE
TEXT - Matthew 5: 43 – 45
Beloved, last week, our Lord’s message centered around Jesus saying to us in 1st Corinthians 11:24 & 25, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Folks, that was a specific command. So, with that command in mind, Whose directions and example DO YOU FOLLOW?
In Matthew 14: verses 22 & 23 we are told about Jesus walking on water. In John 11: verses 1 – 44 we are told about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we can read about Jesus healing people who were lame and sick, chasing out demons and giving sight back to the blind.
Folks, for reasons of His own, Jesus performed at least 37 different miracles during His earthly ministry. The important point for us to understand is that nowhere in any of those miracles are we told to follow Jesus’ example and do those specific things that Jesus did.
Have you ever noticed that or though, about that?
Folks, another point is, there are certain things that Jesus expects us to do and there are certain things He does not expect us to do. In fact, there are at least 24 different verses in the New Testament where Jesusa told His followers to follow Him.
It is important we understand that we are not expected or ask to do things we are not called to do. We are told in Hebrews 13: 21 that the Lord will equip us with everything we need to carry out His will. Sometimes a problem comes up when a person wants to do something he or she is not called to do. Like me singing a special!
Years ago, someone started a saying about following Jesus’ example that by now, most of us have forgotten. Can you remember that saying? Let me give you a hint. We were encouraged, and still are, to think of this saying whenever life’s decisions confront us.
The saying was and is, “What would Jesus do?” Folks, has that saying ever made a Christian difference in any decision you made and or action you took?
I hope you are familiar enough with that saying to still be considering it when life’s decisions come up. Can you imagine the difference it would make in this world, IF, everyone would consider that question before they acted, and then acted according to how they honestly thought Jesus would act?
As an example, there are times when all of us face various kinds of decisions, due to worldly opposition. How do you respond to opposition? Do you make the mistake of thinking that those people who disagree with you are your enemies?
Are you someone who expects everyone to agree with you? And if they don’t, then shame on her or him. How do you treat those people who disagree with you? What would Jesus do?
Beloved, do you remember how, while hanging from the cross, Jesus prayed asking God to forgive those who were crucifying Him? Jesus said they didn’t know what they were doing? Folks, do you ask God to forgive those who are giving you a hard way to go?
I pray you are big enough, mature enough, and open minded enough to allow other to disagree with you, without you considering them to be your enemy. After all, don’t those who disagree with us have the right to be wrong.
I am sorry to say there are many people who fully ignore, or at least, misread the intent Jesus had when He said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.”
Folks we must not ignore that directive. It is the duty of Christians to love everyone including their enemies, but we don’t have to love their sinful ways or the misleading things they say.
Beloved, Jesus tells us in John 8: verses 31 & 32 that we must know the truth ourself and be ready to share the Lord’s truth with those who don’t know it. We must not let them lead us astray with their wrong thoughts. If we love them, then we will want to be sharing the Lord’s directions with them.
By loving and praying for our enemies, there is the possibility we can make a friend by overcoming evil with good, as we share the truth of the Gospel with them.
Beloved, let me again stress, we must not agree with or join in with anyone who is sinfully, wicked, or profane. We must not put our confidence in, or follow the example of, anyone who is sinfully deceitful, but we are commanded to love others because they are a created child of God’s.
Paul tells us in Romans 12: verses 20 & 21 to pray for and appropriately help our enemies and not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. But folks, we are not expected to whimper down and give in to their misleading, sinful ways.
What do you think? Sometimes with the right words, you can turn an enemy into your friend, without compromising your faith. Let’s remember to ask our self, “What Would Jesus Do?”
Beloved, let’s not overlook the fact that the Bible points out several times, such as in Matthew 21:12 & 13, and Matthew 23:27 when Jesus stuck to His faith and values and had distinct debates and interactions with people who were disagreeing with Him.
We covered another one of those times last week in our Sunday School class. In Mark 2: 23 - 28, we studied about how Jesus was challenged by some Pharisees, because His disciples were working on the Sabbath by picking grain from stocks of grain and eating it.
Jesus knew the Law well enough to be able to tell them the Sabbath was made for man. Man, was not made for the Sabbath. Folks, a lot of these interactions were stirred up by the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees because of their misunderstanding of the Law of Moses, and Jesus had to correct their wrong way of thinking.
Jesus did not let them compromise His faith. Instead, during His earthly ministry, Jesus corrected and guided countless individuals in the ways of the Lord.
Before we can turn our enemy into our friend, we must first be a friend of Jesus’ and know His ways and will, and then through our love for Jesus, put our faith and trust in Jesus as we try to win others to His ways in life. Like the partaking of the Communion
Jesus set the right example for us and we must know His ways and will well enough for us to set the right example for others to follow. Jesus can help us appropriately deal with those who hate us and despitefully use us if we will follow His example.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6: verse 12, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.”
Beloved, when we become a Christian, all evil beings will become our enemies and they will use everything and everyone at their disposal as they try their best to turn us away from the Lord and back to the sinful darkness we once lived in.
Although the Lord’s Word assures us of God’s final victory over Satan and his agents, we must daily engage in the struggle against evil until Jesus Christ comes back as Judge Jesus, because Satan is constantly battling against us.
Over and over again Christians are encouraged to be prepared to stand up against the devil. We are not expected to whimper down and shut up. Let’s remember what Jesus’ brother James tells us in James 4:7.
Leading up to James 4:7, James says, “Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So, whoever wants to be the friend of the world, becomes the enemy of God.” Then in verse 7, James says, “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Beloved, as you keep up with the Lord’s message to us this morning, are you thinking about situations where you are battling against Satan right now as he tries to destroy your Christianity?
In Matthew 26: verse 41 Jesus tells us, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Folks, that’s a down to earth, acknowledgement, isn’t it? In that statement, Jesus is letting us know how powerful prayer is.
Beloved, are you wondering, how are we to fight against the devil’s evil influence and still obey what Jesus told us about loving our enemies? Wouldn’t it be better for us to just stay away from the evil influences of the people Satan has led astray?
In other words, wouldn’t it be safer for us to not have any contact with sinful people? Folks, think about it, common sense says if we start staying away from sinful people, then somehow, we would have to stay away from everyone including our self.
Beloved that’s not going to happen / so what’s the answer? Isaiah 7: 9 says “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”
Folks our Christian faith must be strong enough to keep us true and faithful to the Lord’s directions and will / and, keep us from being led astray by any of the devil’s agents.
Isaiah demonstrated this great truth in a dramatic confrontation with Ahaz, the king of Judah. Let me give you some background from the 7th chapter of Isaiah.
Facing an invasion from Israel and Syria, King Ahaz refused to follow God’s advice and join in with them because he concluded that he could buy off the powerful and growing Assyrian army, and they would save him.
The problem was, King Ahaz had refused to follow God’s directions and God’s offer of help and instead King Ahaz wanted to do things his way which was to buy off the king of Assyria with silver and gold that he had plundered, stolen, from the Lord’s temple.
Isaiah found out about King Ahaz’s plan to go against God’s will and deplored it.
Following God’s directions, Isaiah confronted Ahaz late one evening while Ahaz was inspecting the city’s water supply as he was getting ready for war. Folks, Isaiah stood his ground as he told King Ahaz he was wrong in what he had done and was planned to do.
This was a confrontation between, Isaiah, a fearless man of God, and an unbelieving coward who was obeying the devil because he didn’t like Isaiah and he didn’t like or want to obey God. Ahaz didn’t like God, because God didn’t do what he wanted God to do.
Folks there are still a lot of people who don’t like God because God won’t join in with them and help them in their wrong doing. And they don’t like us because we remind them of their lostness.
Without a doubt, the devil is trying to use different enemies against us. However, maybe our greatest enemy is not an other human being / maybe it is something inside of us called our pride. Maybe our greatest enemy is our attitude, or our unbelief, or our doubt, or our desire to obtain more and more materialistic things.
Maybe because of your desire for recognition and accolades, you have aligned yourself with people who pat you on the back and give you bad advice as they follow the devil and the ways of the world instead of God.
Beloved, the bottom line is, what can we do when we face the devil’s army of people who try to lead us astray? Maybe we don’t need to fear the Assyrians, but there are other agents of the devil’s that are out there ready to lead us astray and destroy us.
Folks, what’s our answer. Can we face off our foes with the same weapon Isaiah used as he confronted Ahaz? Isaiah’s weapon was his strong faith and his knowledge of God’s Word and his belief in the power and faithfulness of God.
How strong is your faith and confidence in God? Are you following Jesus’ example or the devil’s? As we prepare to close, let me encourage you to prayerfully ask the Lord to help you follow Jesus’ example as close as you can.

Beloved, Isaiah’s challenge to Ahaz was firmly rooted in Isaiah’s faith in the Covenant that God had made with His people where God said He would be their God and they were to be His obedient people.
Folks we too can operate through our faith in God’s Covenant with us. The Covenant God now has with us is called the New Covenant. It is based on what Jesus Christ has already done for us.
In Matthew 26: verses 27 & 28 we can read that while Jesus was instituting what we call The Lord’s Supper, He took the cup, gave thanks, and offered it to His apostles as He said, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood for the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Under the Old Covenant people could only approach God through a priest and a animal sacrifice. Now everyone can come directly to God because of Jesus’s sacrificial death and blood. Through Jesus’s blood our sins are blotted out of God’s sight and we have been made acceptable in God’s eyes.
In Hebrews 2: verses 17 & 18 the writer declares that Jesus Christ is our merciful and faithful High Priest. In Hebrews 4: verses 4-16 we are told Jesus was sinless yet compassionate. And in Hebrews 7: verses 22- 28 we are told Jesus is our living and eternal High Priest who makes intercessions unto the Lord for us.
The 8th and 9th chapters of Hebrews tell us Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant. Folks, in and through Jesus Christ, God has offered the availability to everyone of a New Covenant.
God has initiated a New Covenant relationship with those who are willing to faithfully follow Jesus Christ and obediently trust Jesus as the Lord of their life and the Savior of their soul.
Beloved, this New Covenant IS inward, personal, and spiritual. It provides an inward-spiritual cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ that soothes the conscience.
It offers a high moral standard to challenge the will of God’s children. And it offers a divine fellowship with God that can satisfy the deepest spiritual hunger.
Through faith in the Lord and obedience to the Lord’s New Covenant we can go through life with no fear. We can put our faith and confidence in the Lord and follow His example.
Beloved, as we prepare to close, let me ask you, Where is your faith?

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P. O. Box 997, 199 7th Street N. W
Moore Haven, FL
33471

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Christian Church of Moore Haven Florida