Time of Grace With Pastor Mike Novotny

Christ is the life-giving vine, and we are the branches that the Father has grafted into him. If we are connected to him, we bear fruit. If not, we are dead because our faith can't live without him. God tends and cares for each of us, and he wants us to produce fruit--take what we've recieved from him and radiate it to the world.

In this metaphor, Jesus tells us that he is the Light of the World. He is the only one who reveals the way through the darkness of sin to heaven. The Light shows us the truth and how to live joyful and meaningful lives. It gives us the identity of God's children. And as God's children we are reflectors of the Light to those around us so they too can learn of their Savior. The Light of the World makes us light to the world around us.

God created each and every one of us for a purpose. He sent his Son to die for us and through the Holy Spirit and Baptism created and sustains our faith. Knowing this about ourselves, our thankfulness and worship is shown as we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. We offer our lives to serve him and his will as we serve others around us who need us.

God tells us that because we are children of light—created, forgiven, given purpose and value in Christ—we have the ability to build others up. We put away our criticalness of others and of ourselves when we realize that we are loved and forgiven. We then share that same love by encouraging others.

This never-before-aired message was prepared by Pastor Jeske for his congregation in January 2014 in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In this bonus episode, Pastor Jeske shows us the importance of committing ourselves to understanding and learning from one another, not merely tolerating each other but being appreciative of our differences. The more you understand those around you, the better you are able to relate to them and share the Savior with them.

When we look at our lives and judge our successes and failures, we often have our own dreams and expectations in mind, which can cause bitterness when we fall short. But God tells us that he works good in all things—even the bad times. We can be optimistic because we know God is engaged in our lives and our salvation is already complete. We fight against the bitterness and accept ourselves because God has accepted us.

Anger is inside each of us because of our sinful nature. Cain allowed anger to get the best of him, and he murdered his own brother. God calls us to recognize our anger, repent of it, and claim the forgiveness we have in Christ. We can overcome our anger with God’s help and instead live lives of gentleness.

Already in the Garden of Eden, God had a plan for our salvation—to send Jesus to crush death’s head for us. As We must fight against the devil’s attempts to create doubt, to talk us out of believing what Christ has done for us. Through Jesus’ death, we are immortal and on our way to a grand reunion with our heavenly Father.

God provided food for the Israelites in the desert out of his grace and mercy. He promised to provide what they needed, and every day, without fail, he did just that. He wanted them to trust him and to know exactly where their food came from. God also provides for us each day. We too can trust that he will take care of us. We too can know that the cause of all the good things in our live is God. Out of his grace, he cares for us without fail.

This section of Revelation reveals to us why Jesus, the Lamb of God, is worthy of our unending worship and praise. He lived, died, and rose for us. He has the power, glory, and holiness that we cannot attain on our own. It is only through him that we are saved.