Blog Archives

Palm Sunday

3/28/2021

  According to John 12:1 it’s six days before Passover.  This is significant because Jesus’ trial and crucifixion is on the day before Passover.  A lot is going to happen in less than a week.  This is the story of Jesus’ last days on this earth.
          First, he goes to visit Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary.  It’s probably a kind of celebration.  After all, Lazarus has been raised from the dead and Jesus sits down to a supper with them.  Later in the chapter it states that many of the Jews knew that Jesus was there and had come not only to see Jesus but to get a look at Lazarus raised from the dead.
          Mary takes out an expensive bottle of spikenard and uses it to anoint the feet of Jesus.  This upsets Judas Iscariot.  His outward indignance is that the spikenard could have been sold and given to the poor.  But inwardly, he’s a bit of a thief and would like to have had some of the proceeds from the sale of the essential oil. Jesus defends her and tells Judas to leave her alone about it.
          The next day many that were in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was coming and took palm branches and rushed to meet him.  Jesus entered the city on a young ass to the shouts of, “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”  The disciples were caught up in the events but didn’t fully understand its’ importance until later.
          The Pharisees had seen what was going on.  They went so far to say, “behold, the world is gone after him.”  The Pharisees conspired against Jesus and even thought of putting Lazarus to death also.
          The remaining days before his trial are spent going from Jerusalem to Bethany and back again, spending time in the temple, teaching his disciples, and praying.  He does a lot in a few short days.  His time is near and he feels the weight of it.
          On the day most of you get this paper will be the evening Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, Judas left to betray him, Jesus and the disciples went to Gethsemane, and Jesus was arrested.  On the next morning Jesus was delivered to Pilate and crucified that same day.  What a thought.  Jesus was crucified and on the third day he arises.
          This is a special week for all of Christianity.  Our savior, Jesus Christ, arose on the third day and we celebrate that resurrection Sunday.  Happy Easter to you!

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Be Not Ignorant of One Thing

3/21/2021

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  It’s been a long time coming but it’s going to come.  A line from an old Sam Cooke song.  In the song he says that he’s afraid to die because he doesn’t know what lies beyond the sky.  Such a sad thing to say when there are so many opportunities to find out what is beyond the sky.
          The answer is found in the Bible, II Peter 3:13.  “Nevertheless we, according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”  Verse 10 says that the day of the Lord will come.  When that happens, the new heavens and earth will be ushered in.  Jesus paid the price for sin and will come for his bride, the church.  John 3:16 says it all.
          In the meantime it is important to be ready for the coming of the Lord.  Early in the sermon Pastor Josh said to continue in the faith and not be ignorant.  He was speaking of the passage in II Peter 3:1-13 which was the sermon text.  Second Timothy 3:16 repeats the importance of remaining in the Word which is a response to verse 11 of II Peter 3, “…what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.”
          There are those who sincerely doubt that there is such a day coming.  They go so far as to take jabs at those who carry the messages of the Bible.  It isn’t a new story.  It also happened in Noah’s time.  Remember that one?  God told Noah to prepare an ark which he did.  It took 120 years to build it.  People were warned then, too, but only Noah and his family took it to heart.  Only when the water started rising did they realize that Noah was telling the truth.
          Why 120 years then and over 2,000 years now?  The Bible says in II Peter 3, verse 8 that one day is like a thousand years with God.  It is not speaking of a particular date or timeline in the future.  It’s talking about how man views time as opposed to how God views it.  We have calendars on the walls, our watches show the date.  We are always aware what day it is.  God isn’t concerned with how much time goes by.  He’s concerned that all the lost who choose to believe in his promises are saved.  He will wait until that has happened.
          The same thing could happen in this day and age.  We are told to be ready  because the end of this world will come like a thief in the night.  We don’t know when the last person will be saved. This time it will be a fervent heat that will do away with the old earth and heavens and the new one will come.  It’s important to stay in the faith and grow and be ready.

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One Thing Befalleth Them

3/14/2021

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  What makes us different from animals?  In Ecclesiastes 3:19 it says, “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.”  It is true, man and beast will both die and stop breathing.  That is one thing all of us can be sure of.
          God has put a time limit on man and beast.  Our days are numbered.  One step further and the question in Ecclesiastes 3:21 is basically; who knows whether the spirit of man goes up and whether the spirit of beasts go down under the earth?  Does anyone really know for sure?
          It’s a question that has been studied, discussed, and argued over for centuries.  Man knows the similarities but what are the differences?  Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:7 that the spirit will return to God who gave it.  Genesis 2:7 tells us that man became a living soul because He breathes into his nostrils.  A good conclusion to come to would be that; God has made man more than a physical being, man is a living soul.  Yes, he lives a physical life and dies a physical death but God’s breath resides in man’s body and does not die.
          Once man knows who he is and that the day will come that he returns to God, he needs to get serious about what he’s doing here.  Who, in their right mind, would want to return to God and have nothing to show for the life that he was given?
          Pastor Josh gave an example of a lady in the MacDonald’s drive-thru lane.  She placed her order, waited her turn and then drove up to get her order.  She found that her wallet wasn’t with her.  God said, “You should have been ready.  You knew your turn would come.”  Pastor Josh continued, “Things are going to happen and we ought to be ready for them.  One thing happens to everyone.  Today a grave is open and it will be closed.  Tomorrow it may open again.”
          Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” The judgment comes after we die.  It is after the spirit returns to God.  Death is not the end.  I Corinthians 15:52 says that the dead shall be raised. The days spent here on earth determine our destination in the eternal world.
          “Prepare for judgment, prepare to meet God.  Be packed up, prayed up and ready to go up.” said Pastor Josh.  “I think there are other preparations to be made.  The people who built this church.  We’re standing on the foundation they laid.  For generations, the church has gone on because there were people who kept it going.  It’s our turn to take their place and keep it going.”
          “Don’t sit on the seat of do little or do nothing.  Don’t sit on the seat of complacency.  Don’t sit on the seat of the scornful.  Don’t sit on the seat of the gossipers and naysayers.  Don’t sit on the seat of the complainer only and say ‘Well, woe is me’ and say ‘The world is in awful shape.’  Be like the fellar that gets up and does something about it.  Stand in the gap and let the Lord use you.” concluded Pastor Josh..
          Sooner or later we’re all headed for that hole in the ground.  Do it now.  There is a day coming that we can’t do the Lord’s work.

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One Thing is Needful

3/7/2021

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   “Sometimes we get around God, we get around the Bible, we get around the songs of Zion, we get around the church, we get around the preacher, we get around prayer, we get around Bible study, we get around Jesus, but we don’t really listen to what he says.” said Pastor Josh about half-a-dozen sentences into the sermon.  The point was that there are plenty of folks who get so immersed in the activity of being a Christian, they forget what is ‘needful’.  And Jesus spelled it out for Martha when he went to visit her home.
          The text of the sermon is from Luke 10:38-42.  Jesus and the disciples are traveling and enter a village.  They are invited into Martha’s house.  Martha extends her hospitality to them and gets busy doing the things one needs to do to make thirteen guests comfortable.
          Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. (John 11:5) Martha is trying to get everything done when she sees her lazy sister sitting at the feet of Jesus.  She gets hot under the collar and complains to Jesus.  She says something like “Don’t you care?  My lazy sister has left me to do everything.  Tell her to get up and help me.”
          The response is not what Martha expected.  Jesus stops her cold.  His response is something like, “Martha, Martha, you are so anxious and distracted about all these things.  Only one thing is needful.  Mary is listening to me, this will not be taken away from her.”
          Martha is like so many of us.  We get so distracted by everything else that we don’t take the time to just stop and listen to God.  He has so many ways that he speaks to us and, unfortunately, we are too easily distracted.
          Pastor Josh told a story about finding his mailbox in the ditch.  In order to get the mail, he needed to fix the mailbox.  He doubted seriously that the mailman would stop and fix the mailbox to put his (Josh’s) mail in it.  He would just not deliver it until it was repaired.
          Getting the word of God can be like that mailbox.  The mailbox is supposed to be up and ready to receive the mail.  We need to be attentive and ready to listen to God.  Pastor Josh concluded, “I’d rather be worn out in the service for the Lord than to grow rust and dust.  World care will do you no heavenly good.”

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Linda Johnson

Linda Johnson moved to Douglas County with her husband Tom 12 years ago after retiring from teaching. Following Tom's death in 2016, Linda began facilitating a grief support group called GriefShare through Sweden Church. She serves as the Sunday School teacher for our High School class. Her "Layman's Pen" articles are also published in the local paper, The Douglas County Herald.

Andrea Strong

Andrea is Pastor Joshua Strong's wife. She also serves Sweden Church as Church Secretary, website administrator, and Sunday School teacher to the Intermediate Class.