The Living Word

In the old testament, under the Levitical priesthood, lambs were a common animal to sacrifice for the atonement of sin. But a young lamb could only atone for sin for so long. Animals had to be sacrificed every day for the sins that were committed against God. And in today’s message, Pastor Danny will remind you that Jesus is the perfect lamb. Once the spotless lamb of God was slain for all of humanity's sin. Nothing more could ever top that sacrifice he made and through him, you could be forgiven.

For some of you, you can look back on that trial or painful experience and know that God had a plan all the way through it. His plan was for good and not for evil. But for others, you’re about to enter one of those trials. And in today’s message, Pastor Danny is going to encourage you to never lose sight of your Lord. One of the greatest things to do through any storm in life is to pray and you can pray for anything: strength, patience, wisdom, or even a miracle! And with that, you can know that God is working all things for your good.

Pastor Danny continues sharing the stories of the members of the Hall of Faith. The passage in Hebrews that celebrates the trust placed in God when the world didn't make any sense.

The faith of Rahab was a faith that persevered. Pastor Danny tells us that she was unrecognizable as the same woman who first met the spies as a prostitute. She engaged in the difficult process of sanctification and then she persevered until the end. She truly is a hero of the faith, because her faith not only saved the spies and her family it also remained constant to the end. She was an overcomer that never faltered. When you engage in the process of sanctification may you be just like the persistent prostitute of faith.

The faith of Rahab was a faith that persevered. Pastor Danny tells us that she was unrecognizable as the same woman who first met the spies as a prostitute. She engaged the difficult process of sanctification and then she persevered until the end. She truly is a hero of the faith, because her faith not only saved the lives of the spies and her family it also remained constant till the end. She was an overcomer that never faltered. When you engage in the process of sanctification may you be just like the persistent prostitute of faith.

Pastor Danny is going to take a good look at the faith of the prostitute Rahab today and what he finds is that it is a faith that saved her and her family. Her act of faith kept anyone in her house from destruction. It's also a surprising faith. God delights in using unexpected people to do His work and in this case He found a prostitute with faith. Keep your eyes open as you move through the world, you'll find faith in surprising places and when you see it you'll never look at the world the same way again.

Take a moment and look at your life. What things has God given you from the world? The question is are you willing to use it for His work? Maybe you've got an extra seat around the table. An extra bedroom. Is He asking you to maybe adopt or foster a child? Maybe like the Israelites, what you have been given is wealth. Pastor Danny shows us that God isn't forcing anyone, but He is asking you if you are willing to use what He has given you for His work. What can you do today with the things God has given you?

Pastor Danny brings an interesting perspective to communion today. When the Israelites celebrated Passover, they were reminded of the sacrifice necessary the night that they left Egypt and it brought into sharp relief anything of Egypt's practices or attitudes that crept back into their lives. Next time you celebrate communion remember the sacrifice Jesus made for your freedom, but also take the time to evaluate what practices of the world you've allowed to creep back into your life.

Pastor Danny brings a heavy word today and a serious warning that we all need to hear. When Moses acted out of anger instead of faith, even after a lifetime of following God and learning to be a man of faith, that one act brought consequences. Moses wasn't allowed to bring the people into the land, he'd given his life for these people to bring them out of slavery and into the promise land but their failure left them in the wilderness for 40 years and his failure left him out of the promise land.

Moses came to a point of decision in his journey. On the one hand he can forget to choose the calling of God, rejoin Pharaohs household and enjoy a life of luxury. Or he could follow God, rejecting that easy life but instead becoming a leader in the family of faith. Have you come to that place of decision? Will you decide to pursue worldly wealth with the family of this world? Or have you given up the world for the family and kingdom of God? Your decisions have big implications.