Good morning,

This week we will be looking at Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica.  Chapter 5:11-28 was to counsel and comfort the church. Paul’s purpose in writing these verses was to encourage the Thessalonians to live holy lives. Today we are looking at verses 12 and 13.

Know and esteem (V 12-13)

¹² And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; ¹³ And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Paul wants the believers to know their Pastors. Those who daily teach, preach, encourage, admonish, and pray for them. In Paul’s day, as in ours, there are many false teachers among us. Paul wanted to make sure that the believers were not being led astray. This should be every believers concern.  The only way to know your Pastor is to know what he preaches. If he preaches messages contrary to God’s written word, the Bible, FLEE, for he is a false teacher. The standard is God’s word.

The man of God, who does preach God’s word, should be highly esteemed. We as believers should hold up, take care of, pray often for, and support these Godly men. Many church goers never have a kind word for their preacher. We need to thank them for standing for the truth. We should make sure they have a nice home, food on the table, clothes worthy of their calling, and a good atmosphere for their families.

What discourages a Pastor the most is the infighting within the body of believers. Paul tells the Thessalonians to be at peace among themselves. Love is the key. We are to love one another. So many passages in the Bible speak about love.

To conclude Paul counsel is to “…know them that labor among you…”, “…esteem them highly in love…” and “…be at peace among yourselves.”

This is good advice for us today.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica.  Chapter 5 and verses 11-28 was to counsel and comfort the church. Paul’s purpose in writing these verses was to encourage the Thessalonians to live holy lives.

Comfort and edify (V 11)

¹¹ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

God wants us to comfort one another. When a brother or sister in Christ is struggling, we need to provide comfort and caring attitude.

Edify means to instruct or build up. Believers should be trying to teach each other. We are to build each other to be stronger in the Lord.

The upcoming verses are going to show us how to do this.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

 I hope you have found this study on Jesus seven I AM statements helpful. Today’s word picture is the vine.

7.  True vine

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” John 15:1 

This metaphor emphasizes that He is the true vine, which contrasts Himself with the false vine or religion of Israel. The Jews were not worshiping Jehovah God, the false legalistic religion of the scribes and Pharisees. Theirs was a religion of works, of self-righteousness that God had no part. Jesus plainly condemned and exposed them as not knowing God. Jesus said, “And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.” (John 5:37) Note that He said they had not known the Father at any time. Further Jesus rebuked them saying, “. . . Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.” (John 8:19) Therefore, using the analogy of a husbandman or vineyard owner, Jesus made the distinction that God the Father is the owner or master of the vineyard and He is the master’s vine. (Bible-truth.org)

CONCLUSION

JESUS:

Sustains us

Guides us

Leads us

Takes care of us

Provides redemption for us

Shows us the way

Jesus is our I AM!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

The word pictures change today.  Instead of pictures of objects, bread, door, etc, we look at concepts of resurrection, life, way, truth, and life. Jesus proved that He had power over the natural world and the spiritual world.

5.  Resurrection and Life   

   “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” John 11:25

 Jesus’ statement is profound in that His deity could not be proclaimed in any greater way. He not only states He has the power over life and death, but that He was the resurrection and life. Only Almighty God has power of life and death as He is the giver and taker of both. In Him is true life and those that believe and receive Him in faith will have everlasting life. This is not simply referring to being alive. The unsaved dead are alive, but they reside in eternity in the everlasting state of death. Only those whom God gives life can be said to have true life and only those who believe receive life in heaven with the Savior. (Bible-truth.org)

6. Way, Truth, Life    

 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

The Lord repeats what He has been telling them throughout His ministry. He made it explicit, that only He was the way, the only truth, the only life, and no one could come to the Father, and have eternal life except through Him. Thomas and the disciples may not have understood earlier, but by saying salvation was only by Him they could not now misunderstand who He was or why He came into the world. (Bible-truth.org)

This answers several questions plaguing our culture today.

First, man and women are NOT in charge of life and death. Only God has that authority. We violate God’s authority when we commit murder, suicide, or the killing of innocent unborn babies.  A judgment day is coming.

Second, how does one get saved? Jesus made it clear that it was through Him. If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, then our world has spun completely out of control. There are no governments in today’s world that recognize Jesus as their leader. Further, the statutes and underpinnings of the nations are all worldly. As believers, our foundation must be God’s word, the Bible.  That was radical in Jesus time and it is radical today. The only thing that will change our world is repentance and complete turning to Jesus Christ.  Repent and trust Christ as personal Lord and Savior.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

 Jesus pictures Himself as a door and a good shepherd. The door allows access to the sheep. The good shepherd takes care of those sheep.

3. Door    

 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9

His explanation is straight forward and to the point. He states He is the door of the sheepfold meaning He was the legitimate owner of the sheep and thus He had the right to access to the sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus states all the false prophets, religious leaders, and messiahs were thieves and robbers. These false shepherds did not care for the sheep, but came to take advantage of them.  (Bible-truth.org)

4. Good Shepherd  

  “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

Jesus as the Good Shepherd came to give the sheep abundant life. He did not come to take advantage of the sheep, but to provide for them and give His life so that the sheep could be saved. Jesus uses the pronoun “I am” which is always emphatic, precluding there was any other. (Bible-truth.org)

Jesus is the legitimate owner of our souls. Why? He created man. He gave us life, a perfect environment, and a free will to obey and honor Him. However, man has denied access to Jesus. Many have determined they can do better than God. The results speak for themselves. Everyday more news of death, murder, suicide, wars, and riots, on the streets of America.

Even with all this wickedness taking place, God through His Son Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd offers salvation, full and free.  He provides for our every need if we just trust Him as our Savior and Lord.

Repent of your sin and ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

When Jesus taught his disciples and the general population, he used parables and word pictures. Jesus described Himself in seven different ways in the book of John. Today we look at two of these.

1. Bread 

 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

In verse 35, He adds that “he who comes to Me”—meaning the one who believes in Christ, coming with nothing but sin and needing everything—will in no way become spiritually hungry or thirsty. In other words, he truly will be fed, unlike those in the wilderness who became hungry. Those who come to Him will be given complete and enduring spiritual satisfaction. (Bibletools.org)

2. Light      

 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

In the introduction of this Gospel, John proclaimed that Jesus was the Light of men and the world. (John 1:4-5, 9:5) Light means to “shine or make manifest” and the scope of His light was to all men and the whole world. Light is a used as a symbol of the absence of darkness. Where the light shines darkness is expelled and cannot exist. Jesus plainly stated that He and He alone was the light of the world. Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) (Bible-truth.org)

God uses pictures to convey the person and mission of Jesus. We all need spiritual nourishment and divine light to see plainly where we are going in this life.

The question becomes do we know Jesus? Have we surrendered our lives completely to Him? Are we allowing Him to sustain us with His Word? Do we see clearly where we are going in this life?

Without affirmative answers to these questions, we will be starved and loose our way in this world. Is that really what we want?

God doesn’t!

Tomorrow we will look at two more “I AMs” of Jesus.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at the seven I AM statements Jesus made in the book of John. However, today we will look at Moses encounter with God at Mount Sinai. God has called Moses to go and lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Moses makes numerous excuses why he is not qualified for the job. Exodus 3:13-15 is God’s response to one of his excuses.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? ¹⁴ And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. ¹⁵ And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (Exodus 3: 13-15)

“This distinctive name of God identifies Him as the one who is eternally self-existent. All created entities had a beginning, including even time itself (Genesis 1:1). As creatures, we must reckon in terms of the past and future, but to the Creator of time, all is present. He is transcendent to time as well as space. The centuries that had passed since the promises had been made to “the fathers” had not caused God to forget them, for they were still as new as ever to Him.” (New Defender’s Study Bible Notes)

Between chapter 3 and chapter 12 many things happen. Moses finally goes. He reveals who sent him. God commands him to do miraculous signs. The children of Israel leave Egypt headed for the Promised Land. All along the way they are led by God, the great I AM.

Tomorrow we will begin our journey through the seven I AM declarations of Jesus.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

This week we are looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. So I thought it might be fitting to see what the Bible says about memorials.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

Each day this week we will look a memorial or something God has told us to remember. Today is Purim.

The feast of Purim 

The fifth memorial can be found in Esther 9:28.

“And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.”  (Esther 9:28)

In the book of Esther you may remember that Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, who was the king’s favorite. As a result, Haman made plans to massacre the Jews on a fixed date. Mordecai went to Queen Esther and persuaded her to intercede with the king. Queen Esther invited the king and Haman to a banquet. At the banquet Queen Esther reveals Haman’s plans to massacre the Jews, and Haman is hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Since the edict for the massacre cannot be revoked, the king sends a edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves. The Jews take advantage of this to kill their enemies. The deliverance is commemorated at the feast of Purim.

The special feast continues to be celebrated by Jews to this day to celebrate their deliverance from Haman’s destruction through Queen Esther’s actions.

CONCLUSION:

Memorials are for:

Remembrance

Worship

Learning

Teaching

 

Good morning,

This week we are looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. So I thought it might be fitting to see what the Bible says about memorials.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

Each day this week we will look at a memorial or something God has told us to remember. Today is Feast of Tabernacles.

Feast of the Tabernacles

The fourth memorial is found in found in Leviticus 23:39-43.

“Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.⁴⁰ And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.⁴¹ And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.⁴² Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: ⁴³ That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”  (Leviticus 23:39-43)

This is talking about the Feast of the Tabernacles. It fell in the autumn when the full harvest of corn, wine and oil had been gathered in. It was the last great feast of the year. It was a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving when Israel showed their gratitude to God and remembered that He had delivered them from Egyptian bondage and brought them into a land which produced so many good things.

As Israel was to remember the Feast of Tabernacles for God’s abundance, we should praise God daily for all the great things He has done for us. All of us have been abundantly blessed by God. At the top of that list should be the very fact that God saw fit to save sinners like us. We were undeserving, wayward, wicked, following the ways of this world. God through His mercy and grace extended a hand and allowed us to say “Yes” to Him.

Tomorrow we will look at Purim.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

This week we are looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. So I thought it might be fitting to see what the Bible says about memorials.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

Each day this week we will look a memorial or something God has told us to remember. Today is Passover.

The Passover

The third memorial is found in Exodus 12:11-14. In the verse leading up to these verses the Israelites are told to take an unblemished lamb and kill it. They shall take the blood from it and place it on the side and tops of the door frames of the houses where they should eat the lamb.

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.¹³ And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.¹⁴ And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”

So the Passover was important as a memorial to the Israelites as it reminded them:

1. God’s separation of His people from the Gentiles.
2. God’s protection of His people.
3. God’s deliverance of His people.
4. God’s requirements of His people, that is, dedication to Him.
5. God’s commandment to them to keep the feast annually to remind them of all God had done for them.

God sent Jesus to shed His blood as a once for all sacrifice for our sins. We should separate ourselves from the world and to God. We should dedicate our lives to Him. At the cross Jesus delivered us from our sin debt. He protects us from the temptations of this world.

Think about how the blood changed your life.

Tomorrow Feast of Tabernacles.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001