Bringing Scripture to Life

Jesus tells us, "Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). What better way to "let our lights shine" than being prepared to be a blessing. I was watching this video earlier today and couldn't help think of how God could use a person who proactively looks for ways to be a blessing to others. from Tony Steward on Vimeo . The Bible tells us in Hebrews 6:10, "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister." I hope that you will take the time to consider how you could be better prepared to bless others each day. I know I am going to look for ways. This is how we can be living for eternity today!

I was reading a story the other day about a type of Pirate (one who would sink and plunder ships) and I had never heard of this type of piracy before. They were called “wreckers”. Wreckers were men who would try to lure Ships at sea into the rocks off the coast causing the ship to wreck. In fact, there are legends that hundreds of years ago on the coast of Cornwall, there were wreckers that would tie lanterns onto the heads of Donkey’s and move the animals along the high cliffs that border the shore. The purpose of doing that was to cause the mariners to think that the light was from another ship, which in turn would be a signal that it was safe to travel towards the light. But when ships at sea would see these false lights and believe them to be guides into the safe and open water, they would then proceed towards them, crash into the rocks, and be dashed into pieces. Then the wreckers would come down to the shore, and take all that they could from the wrecked ship, even killing...

   It has been said that, “The Smallest Deed is better than the greatest intention!” How can we begin looking for ways to love one another practically, even with just the smallest of deeds? I think the best way to do so is by looking at what Jesus tells us He is looking for from us while He is away, in Matthew 25:31-46. In this passage of Scripture from Matthew 25, Jesus says that what separates God’s kids from the rest of the rat race (or Goat Race) is how we love other people. If you read through that section of Scripture it is easy to see that both groups of people, God's sheep, and the rest of the Goat Race are truly only separated by one glaring fact - what they did and did not do for other people. Jesus tells us in this passage of Scripture in Matthew 25:31-36: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as...

1 John 3:18-24 Conquering Condemnation Pastor Jason Stewart I.       Introduction:    A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma's back yard, he noticed her pet duck, and like a sniper quietly approached the duck, not really believing he would hit the duck of course, as he hadn’t hit anything he was aiming at all day. However, as this young sniper approached this poor unsuspecting duck, he took aim and let his rock fly. Wouldn’t you know it, the rock ended up hitting the duck right on the head, and as the duck fell dead, the little sniper panicked. He then desperately began trying to hide the dead duck before Grandma found out, and so he buried it in a nearby woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day, Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said...

1 John 3:11-17 The Story Always Remains the Same Pastor Jason Stewart I.       Introduction:    In the last decade we have been living in a generation that has witnessed worldwide catastrophes and tragic events that are unparalleled to any other time in world history.    On September 11, 2001 we watched in horror as terrorists hijacked the airplanes and turned them into guided missiles flying them into the Twin Towers, which changed the face of America forever. In the aftermath of that horrific event, the Body of Christ from all over the world descended upon New York in order to practically love the people by serving them in their time of need.    On December 26 th of 2004, an estimated 230,000 people died because of the giant Tsunami that hit Southern Asia, because of an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale. In the aftermath of that horrific event, the Body of Christ from all over the world descended upon Sri Lank...

1 John 3:2-10 P.S. I Love You (Practically Showing God) Pastor Jason Stewart I.       Introduction:    As we continue on this morning in a series entitled, P.S. I love You, which I explained in detail last week, means “Practically Showing” I Love You. We discussed last week how God has Practically Shown us His Love, and this week we will be looking at how we can Practically Show God that we love Him.    Thinking about this concept of practically showing love I was thinking about for our own lives there are certain ways that are more effective in making each of us feel loved. And it is different from one person to the next. In fact, in the book entitled, The 5 Love Languages the author does an excellent job in helping married couples show each other practical love on a more effective level.    The premise of the book is simple. We all have what Gary Chapman refers to as a "Love Tank." Somewhat like an emotional gas tank, the ...

1  John 3:1 P.S. I Love You (God Practically Showing Us) Pastor Jason Stewart I.       Introduction: Every inch of Scripture is motivated by the fact that God is trying to tell us, “P.S. I Love You”, and “I have a wonderful plan for your life.” See Need a New Plan in Life? illustration to further illustrate the heart behind this message. II.      Revelation: P.S. I Love You (A Personal Savior) a. “Behold” God’s Love for us   God showed His love for us practically by sending us a Personal Savior (2:28-29). The word that John uses to get us to stop and reflect upon our relationship with God, is “behold.” In the Greek this word means, “to see, pay attention to, understand, and experience” something. John calls his readers to stop and spend time reflecting upon their relationship with God, and just how very special they are to Him.    This word is used in other parts of the Bible to describe: WITNESSING SOMETHING: Acts 1...

   Do you need a new plan in life? Are things broken for you right now, and seem impossible to fix? If so you may be able to relate to a movie that my wife and I watched the other day.  The other day my wife Lyndsey and I were having a date-night at home, and one of the things that we love to do together is watch “chick-flicks”. Now I know this is not very manly of me to admit, but it is a way that I can esteem my wife better than myself, and so I do this. And even though in the beginning of our relationship chick-flicks were not on the top of my movie watching lists, due to the fact that I was the kind of guy that liked Rambo, Die Hard, and any other testosterone pumping movies that were made, I have since been converted by my wife. Guys may want to tar and feather me for saying this, but I don’t care because I know that it blesses my wife! And a happy wife leads to a happy life! Amen?      The movie we were watching on our Date Night was P.S. I Love You! ...

I.       Introduction:    This past Monday, we celebrated Valentines Day, and Lyndsey and I had the very best Valentines day ever. There were a lot of things that made this day special for us, all of it was G-Rated. We ended up eating at an affordable, but nice restaurant in Del Mar, and then went for a walk on the beach afterwards. We were both so blessed, because of our love for one another. And it made me think about how love can be so inspiring for us as people.    Have you ever been in love before, to the point where it has inspired you to do something out of the ordinary? Have you ever been so in love before that you wanted to do something extremely special for the one you loved? Because when you truly love someone there is absolutely nothing you would not do for that person. M aybe you were inspired to drive for over two hours just to see the one you love for 30 minutes, only to drive back home.   I have a friend who has been marr...