Jehovah is a Man of War

"Jehovah is a man of war: Jehovah is his name." (Exodus 15:3; ASV)

1. See all of Him - Romans 11:22

2. Don't go to war with Him - Psalm 24:8

3. Allow Him to fight for you - Exodus 14:14

4. Be with Him - Revelation 17:14

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

On this Memorial Day weekend consider these words:

And God said moreover unto Moses, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." (Exodus 3:15; ASV)

Jason Cicero

Our Help

"Our help is in the name of Jehovah, Who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:8; ASV).

Israel existed because of Him. Israel was protected by Him. Israel overcame her enemies through Him.

Recognize Him as your Maker. Seek His protection. Overcome through Him!

Jason Cicero

Mercy

"Unto thee do I lift up mine eyes, O thou that sittest in the heavens" (Psalm 123:1; ASV).

Question: Why does the Psalmist lift his eyes up toward the One that sittest in the heavens?

Answer: For mercy.

Mercy - Hebrew - chanan - properly, to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore (Strong's).

Jason Cicero

I Was Glad

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of Jehovah" (Psalm 122:1; ASV).

Psalm 122 is a song the Israelites would sing as they made their way to Jerusalem. The Psalm speaks of physical Jerusalem. The "house" refers to the Temple where Jehovah dwelt. The people of GOD prayed for the peace of the city of GOD as they made their way to Jehovah's dwelling place.

There is a "New Jerusalem" where all of Jehovah's children will live forever and ever. In Christ, "we have no continuing city" (Hebrews 13:14). As we journey to the "New Jerusalem" we sing! "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

From Whence Comes My Help?

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come? My help cometh from Jehovah, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2; ASV).

Everyone needs help.

Where do you look for help?

Might I recommend Jehovah, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Jason Cicero

In My Distress

"In my distress I cried unto Jehovah, And he answered me" (Psalm 120:1; ASV).

When you find yourself in times of trouble what do you do?

Next time trouble finds you, cry out unto Jehovah and see what happens...

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" (Acts 8:36; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

Psalm 95:1-11; NKJV

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.

4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.

5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:

8 "Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

9 When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work.

10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, 'It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.'

11 So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'"

A Three Question Approach to Evangelism

Where do we begin to share Christ with someone? Try these three questions the next time an opportunity arises. Pray the Lord's increase!

1. Are you aware that you have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God?
2. What have you done about your sin?
3. Why did you do this?

Jason Cicero

Three Questions About Salvation

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12; NKJV)

Question#1 - What is "salvation?"

Answer: "Salvation" has to do with rescue or safety, deliverance.

Question #2 - Of what do I need to be delivered?

Answer: Sin.

Question #3 - Am I aware of my need to be delivered from sin?

Jason Cicero

I'm Missing Something

Question to GOD: What am I missing?

Answer from GOD: Me.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6; NKJV)

Jason Cicero

Talk to GOD Every Day

By definition prayer is simply talking to GOD. Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in Heaven. Christ is our mediator. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we talk to our Father.

Question: How does GOD long for us to talk to Him?

Answer: "Pour out your heart before Him..." (Psalm 62:8)

Jason Cicero

Listen to GOD Every Day

Our Father in Heaven speaks to us today through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Son sent the Holy Spirit to reveal all truth to the Apostles (John 16:7-13). When we read the holy Scriptures we hear the voice of GOD.

It is possible to be "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting" (Ephesians 4:14). We must listen to GOD every day to overcome the daily voices that vie for attention. If we are to avoid the lies of the Devil we must know well the voice of GOD.

Read GOD'S word today and listen to His voice: "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37).

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

Manners in GOD'S House

1. Be on time.

2. Sit quietly.

3. Let others listen.

4. Sing praises to God.

5. Talk to God.

6. Give money quietly.

7. Walk with care.

8. Take care of God's house.

Jason Cicero

The Man in the Mirror

The Times, a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom once asked G. K. Chesterton to write an essay on the theme “What’s Wrong with the World?” Chesterton’s reply took the form of a letter: “Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton. If positive change is to occur within the Vestavia church, I must be that change.

I have sinned. It is easy to see the flaws, faults, and failures of others. GOD calls me to see mine. The word of GOD is likened to a mirror in James 1:23-25. As I look into the Word, I see myself as I am in truth. I see my true self in GOD’S mirror. I have sinned in my heart. I have sinned with my tongue. I have participated in sinful behavior. The Word exposes me. I am naked and open before the Lord (Hebrews 4:12-13). With Peter I can honestly say, “I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8; NKJV). The heart and words of the Prodigal Son must be my own: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight” (Luke 15:18; NASBU). As I examine my flaws, faults, and failures, my heart overflows with thanksgiving for the forgiveness I have found in Christ Jesus, my Savior! Times of refreshing have flooded my heart because I repented. I converted. I changed. He will change your heart too: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19; NKJV).

I must start with the man in the mirror. I must be quick to deal with my own sins before I seek to correct another (Matthew 7:1-5). If I think myself to be something, when I am nothing, I deceive myself (Galatians 6:3). Before I ever look to another, I must honestly examine myself (Galatians 6:4). I must start with the man in the mirror. Like Peter, I must forget about my brother for now (John 21:21). Jesus will see to him (John 21:22). I must respond to the call of Christ: “You follow Me” (John 21:22). I must be honest about what I see (James 1:24). I must trust in GOD to mold me and make me into the image of Christ (Jeremiah 18:4; Romans 8:29).

I will be the change. Gandhi said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” As we work together in 2008 let each of us individually determine to be the change that will result in the glorification of GOD, the edification of the body, and the growth of the family of GOD. Together we can “excel still more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1; NASBU), if individually we proclaim, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13; NKJV). Be the change that you want to see in the Vestavia church!

Jason Cicero

Greatly Beloved

Daniel was "greatly beloved" by the true and living GOD (Daniel 9:23; 10:11, 19).

Every Christian has been "accepted in the Beloved" who is Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:5-6).

Hear the conclusion: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11).

Jason Cicero

The Way

"And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way" (Acts 19:23).

Those who followed "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6) came to be known as "the way" (Acts 9:2; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

"The Way" leads home: "...which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus..." (Hebrews 6:19-20).

Jason Cicero

Fruits Worthy of Repentance

The first word of the gospel is "repent." Jesus picked up where John the Baptist began, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:3; 4:17). John spoke of bringing forth "fruits worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8).

In Acts 19:11-20 we read of some who brought forth fruits worthy of repentance: "And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver."

Notice what happened next: "So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed" (Acts 19:20).

Jason Cicero

Belief, Baptism, and Receiving the Holy Spirit

Question: "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

Answer: "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."

Question: "Into what then were you baptized?"

Answer: "Into John's baptism."

Question: Why all these questions about receiving the Holy Spirit and belief and baptism?

Answer: Those who believe are baptized into Christ and receive the Holy Spirit (see Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:36-39; Galatians 3:2, 27).

Conclusion: "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:5).

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." (John 12:46; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

If the Lord wills, tomorrow at Vestavia, we will consider these lessons...

AM (10:00) - From Childhood (A Mother's Day Sermon)

See Acts 16:1-5 & 2 Timothy 3:14-17

PM (5:00) - The Transfiguration (Our Spiritual Heritage)

See Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9 & Luke 9:28-36

“This glory was not the light of heaven falling upon Him from above…That was the glory of His own face, of His own Person, shining through the veil that had hidden it, until the very raiment of His humanity sparkled and glistened and flashed with the splendor of light and snow and lightning. The transfiguration was effected, not by glory falling on Him, but by inherent glory flashing forth” (G. Campbell Morgan, The Crises of the Christ, p. 227-28).

Jason Cicero

He was Transfigured Before Them

"...and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light" (Matthew 17:2; NKJV)

To transform (literally or figuratively): KJV - change, transfigure, transform (Strong’s)

To change into another form, to transfigure, transform: Of Christ, his appearance was changed (A.V., he was transfigured), i.e., was resplendent with a divine brightness, MATT 17:2; MK 9:2; LK 9:29. Used of Christians: we are transformed into the same image (of consummate excellence that shines in Christ), reproduce the same image, 2 COR 3:18 (Thayer’s)

“To change into another form" (meta, implying change, and morphe, "form” Is used in the passive voice (a) of Christ's "transfiguration," MATT 17:2; MK 9:2 Luke (in 9:29) avoids this term, which might have suggested to Gentile readers the metamorphoses of heathen gods, and uses the phrase egeneto heteron, "was altered", lit., "became (ginomai) different (heteros)“ (Vine’s).

“This glory was not the light of heaven falling upon Him from above…That was the glory of His own face, of His own Person, shining through the veil that had hidden it, until the very raiment of His humanity sparkled and glistened and flashed with the splendor of light and snow and lightning. The transfiguration was effected, not by glory falling on Him, but by inherent glory flashing forth" (G. Campbell Morgan, The Crises of the Christ, p. 227-28).

Jason Cicero

The Setting of the Transfiguration

The transfiguration takes place a few days after Peter's dramatic confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). This confession gave way to confusion (Matthew 16:21-23), and to a discussion of the the costly reality of discipleship (Matthew 16:24-27). There was no question in the minds of the Disciples that Jesus is the long anticipated King. There is no question in their minds about the nature and the character of His kingdom. They expect Him to usher in political and military dominion. Jesus promised death for Himself and suffering for His followers (Matthew 16:21, 25). Consequently, the disciples may have needed a sign of reassurance that the one for whom they had left everything was indeed the King of Israel. The transfiguration served such a purpose.

Jason Cicero

A Sense of Awe and the Transfiguration

It is with this sense of awe that we must approach the transfiguration of Jesus...

“The transfiguration is one of those passages in the Saviour’s earthly history which an expositor would rather pass over in reverent silence…It is too high for us, this August spectacle, we cannot obtain unto it; its grandeur oppresses and stupefies; its mystery surpasses our comprehension; its glory if ineffable” (A.B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve, p. 190).

Read Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9 and Luke 9:28-36 and approach the accounts of His transfiguration with awe.

Jason Cicero

I Have Many People in This City

Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city" (Acts 18:9-10). In response to the Lord's reassurance Paul continued in the city of Corinth for eighteen months "teaching the word of God among them" (Acts 18:11).

When it comes to evangelism in the city of Birmingham we can do the following:

1. We can believe that Christ has "many people in this city."

2. We can teach "the word of God" among those of our city.

Jason Cicero

The Rare Jewel of Contentment

Lawrence Kelly preached for us last Wednesday night. His lesson was called "The Rare Jewel of Contentment." Here are some lessons I learned.

1. Contentment has to do with being satisfied.

2. We should learn to savor what is instead of longing for what might be.

3. Life is never "full enough."

4. Paul's contentment was not rooted in what he had.

5. Paul's contentment was not found in himself.

6. Paul's contentment was located in Who he knew (see Philippians 4:13).

7. Christ's grace is sufficient (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

8. Christ's justice is flawless (Paul was in prison under false charges).

9. Christ's love is enough.

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and sea obey Him?" (Matthew 8:27; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

If the Lord wills, tomorrow at Vestavia, we will consider these lessons...

AM (10:00) - I Have Many People in This City (Evangelism)

PM (5:00) - Where Do Elders Come From? (Leadership)