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Below is a sermon I wrote back in 2004 about Looking on the Bright Side.
Looking At The Bright Side
Please turn to John Chapter 6, verse 35 and when you have found it please stand as we read the word of God.
John Chapter 6, verse 35 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.
Let us all bow our heads and pray.
“Heavenly Father, please bless these souls who have come to this church to show their love for you. Please fill their hearts with love and joy from Heaven as they go about their business during the week. Each and everyone of them has taken time away from their lives to be here with you, each has sacrificed something to be here in your honour. Please reward them for their efforts to get to know you better, by guiding them through their week towards happiness as your children. Father please help me inspire these good people with the bright side of the Bible. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.”
You may have heard the famous sentence “Jesus loves you”.
Well I have good news for you Jesus does love you, everyone of you. Nobody is exempt from this love, nobody. Those that go to Jesus will have all their basic needs met which ensures their survival. We are going to look through the Bible to find some verses that were written to inspire us to greater things as children of God. God has some very special things set aside for those of the world who choose to believe in Him. The Bible is a book that shows us in its written text that all we need to do is to follow Gods rules and then we can receive a better life than we had before. These rules as well as being Holy are pure common sense. God gave mankind those rules because people were struggling with their existence here on Earth. Gods suggested rules are a gift to help us enjoy a better life full of love and happiness.
In John Chapter 6, verse 35 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.
Life can be hard at times and the struggle to get through each day can sometimes feel beyond our capabilities. But God didn’t put us here on this planet without the tools to get through those struggles and rise above them with success.
In 2 Timothy Chapter 1, verse 7 states – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Each and everyone of us has the capability to see the bright side of life, even when life is at its hardest for us. We also, if we look hard enough, can see the bright side of the Bible and of Gods love for us. First we need to recognise God for who He is and then understand why Jesus was here and what He was trying to tell the human race.
Philippians Chapter 4, verse 13 states – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
What a powerful verse. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Those words should be on our walls at home or in a card in our pocket so that we can read it wherever we go. You would do well to remember these Holy words and keep them with you as you go through your day for they will help keep your strength up during the hard times. What a positive, faithful and loving man Jesus was. His lot on Earth was hard and yet he went to great lengths and sacrifice to lead us to a better life and happiness. In fact every spoken word of Jesus Christ is worth remembering.
Please turn to Mark Chapter 9, verse 23 – Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
What an encouraging statement – All things are possible to him that believeth. Think about what Jesus is promising here. Jesus is telling us to believe, and if we do believe with all our heart then all things are possible to us that do believe.
The Bible is a book that can inspire people. It is a book that was written with love. God would never have given us this book unless He believed in us, and He does believe in us as any good Father would believe in His beloved children. Let Gods Holy book be an inspiration in your life. Let it also be a guide to being a good honest Christian that God can be proud of. I am proud of being a Christian and I am hopeful that I can be of use to God throughout the rest of my life.
Please turn to Mark chapter 11, verse 24 – Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
That is a remarkable promise and worthy of remembering, it is about those who followed the teachings of Jesus to become new, yu will only ask for good things because you truly understand life and what you want will be good and in some fashion God will give them to you.
Matthew chapter 7, verse 7 – Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
If you read the Bible as a whole book you can see that God was intending that we follow the Ten Commandments. Read them and live by them. And lead a good Holy life as best as you can. Follow the guidelines that God and Jesus have set for you in the Bible and then you will have the power to ask through prayer to God for whatsoever you want. For as any good Father would do He will reward you for being good children and He will lead you to His chosen path for you which will in turn will give you a happier life. To get the life that God has planned for you may take time as you work at being a better person, this cannot be done overnight because we need to remove our bad habits from our old life. So be prepared to work at it, but as Jesus showed us – it can be done!
Jesus didn’t come to us suggesting that we follow Gods rules for no reason. He knew that it is possible to do this as He showed us during His own life.
1 Peter Chapter 2, verse 21: For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1 Peter 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
1 Peter 2:23 Who, when he was reviled (abused), reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
With a good positive belief that you can acquire this lifestyle of wholesome good living, you can live by the rules that God has set before you in His Holy book the Bible. Take up the challenge and live by those rules, they were given to you because God loves you and wants only the best for you. God knows when you are trying and He knows if you are faking, He sees all. There is not a single moment during your lifetime that God does not have the ability to hear your thoughts. Do your best to love all those around you and God will see this within you, His love will grow for you even more as you grow into a good loving, humble Christian. The choice is yours.
1 Peter Chapter 2, verse 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Why fear God? Because God is against those who live the life of sin. And those who sin are against God by not keeping to the Commandments. And always remember sin separates us from God.
Throughout my life I have met many Christians who Talk The Christian Talk, but don’t Walk The Christian Walk the way Jesus did. Try never to be a finger pointing Christian. Try to have the same Grace that God has for you and forgive all of Gods children’s for their sins. Remember all people are Gods children, not just Christians. You and I have no idea what brought people to choosing the life that they now live, lets be Graceful and with Gods love in our hearts lead these misfortunate people to God in the same loving way that Jesus Christ chose to lead us when we were misfortunate and lost children of the world.
Forgive those as Jesus did, with His love and honest belief that if a person is given the right chance they will repent and change their ways.
Try to have the same love as Jesus has for all the people and spread the word of God in a helpful positive manner designed to lead people to a better Holy life accepting Gods love in its perfect fullness. In doing this you will be seen in Gods eyes as a true loving Christian who follows the faith in its perfectness and Holiness. Lead with your heart and soul, not your head and self righteousness. Whether they be good or bad, love all of Gods people as God does – for God knows that you will never turn them to His ways if you throw at them anger or hatred, they will only come to God with love through the treasured words of Jesus Christ and with you as the humble messenger.
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matthew 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
And always remember – there is only one way to look when you are a good Christian and that’s upwards!
7:26 minutes.
11.04 minutes.
All the best from
James M Sandbrook.
Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 11:08:58 pm.
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