This week we continue our way through our series Aching Hearts by looking at “A Courageous Heart”.

“And Yahweh said to Abram,

“Go forth from your land,And from your kinAnd from your father’s house,To the land which I will show you;And I will make you a great nation,And I will bless you,And make your name great;And so you shall be a blessing;And I will bless those who bless you,And the one who curses you I will curse.And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

So Abram went forth as Yahweh had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”

- Genesis 12:1-4a (LSB)

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God! For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not counted according to grace, but according to what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,”

- Romans 4:1-5 (LSB)

“For the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith has been made empty and the promise has been abolished; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no trespass.

For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be according to grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the seed, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all— as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”—in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.”

- Romans 4:13-17

Then Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may surely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” - Genesis 2:15 (LSB)

This week we started a new series “Aching Hearts”. Lent is a sacred season of reflection—a time to examine our hearts and take an honest look at how we are living our lives before God.

And six days later Jesus brought with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three booths here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.

And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” - Matthew 17: 1-9 (LSB).

This week we wrap up our series “Who Do You Say That I Am?” with the title for Jesus, “The King”.

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a [a]hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a [b]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not [c]the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [d]others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:13-20 (LSB)

This week we continue in our series “Who Do You Say I Am?” with the title of “The Prophet”.

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the [a]mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “[b]Blessed are the [c]poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.5 Blessed are the [d]lowly, for they shall inherit the earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a [e]hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a [f]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

- Matthew 5:1-16 (LSB)

This week we continue through our series “Who Do You Say That I Am?”.

29 On the next day, he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who has been [a]ahead of me, for He existed before me.’ 31 I did not know [b]Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John bore witness saying, “I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abided on Him. 33 And I did not know [c]Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The One upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, this is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

35 On the next day, John again was standing [d]with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 And the two disciples heard him speak and followed Jesus. 38 And when Jesus turned and noticed them following, He *said to them, “What do you seek?”They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39 He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day. It was about the [e]tenth hour. - John 1:29-39 (LSB)

Sorry for the late post. Here is the second sermon from our current series “Who Do You Say That I Am?”. This week we focus on the title “The Lamb of God”.

Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. And after being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him, and behold, there was a voice out of the heavens saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” - Matthew 3:13-17This week we explore the baptism of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

Psalm 72

O God, give the king Your judgments,And Your righteousness to the king’s son.2 [a]May [b]he render judgment to Your people with righteousnessAnd Your [c]afflicted with justice.3 Let the mountains lift up [d]peace to the people,And the hills, in righteousness.4 [e]May he give justice to the [f]afflicted of the people,Save the children of the needy,And crush the oppressor.

5 [g]Let them fear You while the sun endures,And [h]as long as the moon, from generation to all generations.6 [i]May he come down like rain upon the mown grass,Like showers that water the earth.7 [j]May the righteous flourish in his days,And abundance of peace until the moon is no more.

8 May he also have dominion from sea to seaAnd from the River to the ends of the earth.9 [k]Let the desert creatures kneel before him,And his enemies lick the dust.10 [l]Let the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands bring a present;The kings of Sheba and Seba offer tribute.11 [m]And let all kings bow down to him,All nations serve him.

This last Sunday was Epiphany Sunday and the first sermon from our new pastor Tylar Lee. Here is the sermon portion of the worship service from that service, enjoy!

And when they had come to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. But I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. - Acts 20:18-24

This is Pastor Jeffrey’s last sermon at Nowata Methodist Church. He wrapped up our study of the Book of Acts with chapter 20.

Pray for the Rickman family as they make their move to Yazoo City Mississippi and join the congregation at First Methodist of Yazoo City!d

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they also had John as their helper. And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. - Acts 13:4-12

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. This week we covered the end of chapter 12 and the first half of chapter 13.