Old vs. New

Matthew 9:16-17
Mark 2:21-22
Luke 5:36-39
Christians living in the past instead of the New.
Old car vs. new car
Old TV vs. new TV
Old wood stove vs. air condition and forced air heating
Old Hymn books vs. new PowerPoint

1. Old Covenant vs. New Covenant: – Hebrews 8:1-13
The Old Testament could not provide forgiveness of sin.
The Old Testament offered health, wealth and long life to those who obeyed all 613 Laws.
The New Testament doesn’t provide materially, but does give forgiveness of sin and eternal life with God in Heaven.

2. Old vs. New Communication: – I Peter 1:15b
Be holy – the message has not changed, but the method of communicating it has.
Computer, Internet, smart phones, tablets, etc.

3. New Year’s Resolution: – II Corinthians 5:17, I Peter 1:15c-16
Last year is past. Good happened, mistakes happened. It is past.
The New Year is a point in time to put the negatives behind you and “start over”. Revelation 21:5

What will you resolve:
Quit a bad habit – cursing, alcohol, drugs, temper, too much food or television, etc.
Start a new habit – devotions, Bible reading, “Getting To Know Jesus”, exercise routine, eating healthier, community involvement, etc.
Work on improving a relationship with spouse, family, friend, or coworker, employer, community.
Better money management, budgeting, giving, saving, helping those who are less fortunate.

Write Out YOUR Resolution:
Take a moment to ask God what you should resolve.
Write it on your notes NOW before you forget it.
Determine what you can and must do to make this resolve work.
Post it where you can see it and apply it to your life.


Tell a family member or a friend.

I will share my life-long resolution so you can hold me accountable! –
I Corinthians 2:2 - "I am resolved to know nothing while among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

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Christmas Wish List!

By Glen M. Copple

What do you want for Christmas this year? Did you ever (as a child or adult) go through the Christmas catalogue and put together a wish list of things you would like to get as Christmas presents? Do you still do that?

What is the most valuable person, place or thing that you have today? How much did you (or are you) paying to have this thing? How much would you give to get it, keep it or maintain it? What makes you more thankful to God than anything else in the world?

Jesus talks in Matthew 13:44-49 about how important our being forgiven of our sin should be to us. He compares it to a treasure hidden in a field. When a passerby sees the treasure and realizes its value, he gives up everything else in order to buy the field and possess the treasure.

You are of Great Value to God – Matthew 13:44
God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins and mine. Jesus is like a treasure hidden in a field. The good part is that He is not really hidden, but readily visible to anyone who passes through the field (of life).

The entire purpose of the Bible is to communicate to you that God loves you and wants to have a personal and intimate relationship with you. First, He tells us how we were created and how He brought us to the awareness of our sinfulness and our need for a Savior. Then He tells us about His plan for our salvation. The rest it the history of how others have responded to God’s gift of salvation in order to give us a perspective and motivation as to how we will respond to Him. The bottom line is that God wants to have a relationship with you!

So, you realize the extent to which God has made an effort to redeem you from your sins and establish a relationship with you. You have heard sermons preached, listened as people shared about what Jesus has done in their lives, read your Bible, etc. You know what God has done for you. The most important question you have to answer is how much do you value what God has done?

How Much do You Value God? – Matthew 13:44-46
Having your sins forgiven is like a pearl of great value. It is worth so much that you willingly sell everything you have in order to obtain it. There is nothing in this world that is equivalent to the value of owning that pearl! 

What are you willing to give up or do in order to be obedient to God’s will for your life? How hungry are you to know and follow Jesus? How much do you want to go to heaven? What “price” will you pay to gain the greatest treasure ever given? How much do you treasure what Jesus has done for you?

God’s Gift to You for Christmas! – Matthew 13:47-49
The good news is that God’s salvation through Jesus Christ is free. You don’t deserve it! You can’t earn it or pay for it! All you can do is accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You don’t have to buy the field to get it. You don’t have to sell everything you have to buy it. It is yours simply by declaring that Jesus is the Lord of your life and being obedient to His will. God’s grace will cover your mistakes as long as you are sincerely trying to follow Jesus.

It is important that you repent of any sinful behavior in your life. You MUST give up sin! It is sin that created the debt. Sin is what separated you and me from God in the first place. Sin will keep us from truly valuing the treasure of eternal life in the presence of God. Therefore, obeying Jesus will mean that you will say “no” to temptations that come into your life and will choose to do things the way Jesus would do them.

What will you give to Jesus?
When someone is having a birthday, you usually give that person a present. Yet some of you have never thought about giving something to Jesus because you are celebrating His birthday. Giving yourself is merely accepting what He has given you – your salvation.

What is something else that you could give to Jesus this year? How about a gift of obedience by believing in Him and being immersed in His name? How about your time in serving others or having others over to your house for a meal and worshipping Jesus? How about a cash donation above your regular giving to your church or some other Christian organization? How about making something and taking it to a nursing home, homeless shelter or to underprivileged children? What will you give to Jesus for His birthday this year?

My mission is to help you experience a more dynamic, personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in order that you may live your life more like Him. It begins by declaring that you believe in Him as your Savior and giving your life to Him.

Your birthday gift to New Hope Gospel Ministries, in any amount, will be used to tell others about the Walking With Jesus line Bible Study Series. Go to https://www.gofundme.com/Walking-With-Jesus and partner with us in spreading the Gospel.  Help us fulfill the Great Commission by starting Walking With Jesus Bible Study groups in churches across the United States.

Your birthday gift to Jesus through New Hope Gospel Ministries, in any amount, will be used to tell others about the Walking With Jesus line Bible Study Series. Go to https://www.gofundme.com/Walking-With-Jesus and partner with us in spreading the Gospel.  Help us fulfill the Great Commission by starting Walking With Jesus Bible Study groups in churches across the United States.

God bless you and have a great week!

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WHAT WILL MATTER

See ME!

By Glen Copple

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Why is Facebook so popular? Why do people “Tweet”? My Space, LinkedIn, etc. Selfies, YouTube, etc.

We want to be seen, noticed, liked and remembered. Ever visit a cemetery? Do you know anyone there? We want to be more than a name on a tombstone, unknown to everyone outside our immediate family and friends.

Christmas is fast upon us and many are more concerned about what they are going to get for themselves or what they are going to give to someone for Christmas (that will be broken before it is paid for) or what they will wear to a party (Some define “party” as a place to drink and then wonder the next morning about what they did the night before.) than they are about why we celebrate CHRISTmas. So many have forgotten what Christmas is really about and why that is important to us. And we dare not say “MERRY CHRISTMAS” lest we offend someone. We often get caught up in worrying about what others think of us. Do they like me enough to get me something nice for Christmas? Does anyone care that I’m here?

1. WHAT WON’T MATTER
Vanity of vanities – Ecclesiastes 1:1-11. Why do you spend so much time on earthly things for yourself and so little caring for others? Because I want to be SEEN, noticed and liked for something.

Someday it will all come to an end. All the things you collected whether treasure or baubles will pass to someone else. There will be no more surprises, no minutes, hours or days. Wealth, fame temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will disappear.

Your hopes, plans, ambitions and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses (and trophies) that once seemed important will fade away. It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

2. SO WHAT WILL MATTER?
OBEY God and keep His commandments – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave. 
What will matter is not your success, but your significance; not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many people will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is the clarity and care at which you have loved others, and have been a positive influence in their lives.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstances but of choice.

JESUS SEES YOU! He loves you and wants to see you doing what show Him that you believe in and love Him.

3. WHAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU DO FOR JESUS.
Only One Life – Will Soon Be Past. Only What’s Done For Christ Will Last.

John 14:6, Acts 4:12 – Jesus is the only way to eternal life.
Philippians 2:3-11 – All will confess Jesus in the end.
What you do for Jesus will last long beyond this earth.
Matthew 16:24-27 – What in this world is more valuable than your soul?
Matthew 6:19-21 – Layup treasures in Heaven.
Philippians 3:7-14 – Keep doing it for Jesus.

WHAT WILL MATTER
What do you want the world to see when they “SEE ME”?

GOD SEES YOU and loves you with a greater love than the world can ever give. Regardless of what the world sees, God Sees YOU!

See ME showing you the way to JESUS!

(Pray this simple prayer)
God, I want to take a minute, not to ask for anything from You but to thank You for all I have. I pray that you will guide me to use all I have to bring glory and honor to you. In Jesus’ Name!

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They say we can't speak about our religious beliefs and faith in God because we might offend someone. JESUS SAYS - "If you confess Me before men, I will confess you before My Father who is in Heaven, but if you deny Me before men, I will deny you before My Father". (Matthew 10:32-33)

They say a man can be "born" to "love" a man and a woman can be "born" to love a woman and they can get married to pretend that the what they are doing is "normal". GOD SAYS - "The man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife (of the opposite sex), and the two shall become one." (Genesis 2:24) By the way, God does not make mistakes but man makes them often. Paul wrote: "Men exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones." (paraphrased from Romans 1:26-27)

They say we can have sex with anyone. The BIBLE SAYS that any kind of sex outside of marriage is sin. (I Corinthians 5:9-13; 6:10, 15-20) Married couples do not have to try to justify their sexual love. Non-married people end up with all kinds of problems because of their sexual immorality (unwanted pregnancies, rape, prostitution, pornography, sexually transmitted diseases - including AIDS, etc.)

They say they can abort their babies because they don't want people to know they have been having sex outside of marriage. GOD SAYS - "When you were in your mother's womb, I knew you." (Psalm 139:13-16)

They say that they can lie, cheat or steal as long as the end justifies what they want to believe or do. GOD SAYS - that liars, thieves and evil-doers will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 5:11; 6:9-10)

Revelation 2:4 calls CHRISTIANS to Repent, Return to Jesus and Restore Jesus Christ as our LORD, Savior and role model. Christians need to be the role model of Jesus to the rest of the world, starting with the community in which you live.

Walking With Jesus Bible Study Series - www.wwj.bible - Build YOUR relationship with Jesus and become more like Him.

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Irrefutable

By Glen Copple

S.R. Acts 5:29-39

Recently, it occurred to me to ponder and present some things about life and this world that are absolutely irrefutable. There is no real way these things can be denied without disregarding the tremendous amount of evidence supporting this claim. These things will stand the test in any court of law that honestly considers the evidence before them.

I had to limit my list as I can see so many things for which the world has no explanation outside of someone’s conjured up imagination. For time sake, I have limited myself to eight things for which there is no other explanation than God.

1. CREATION – First Cause – Genesis 1 & 2
All of this came from somewhere. Here is a look at how small and large God’s creation is.
Before this earth came to be there was nothing. Evolution cannot explain this away.
Out of nothing, GOD created the Heavens and the Earth.

2. FLOOD – Genesis 6:11-22
Archeological discoveries in many locations confirm a time when the entire earth was under water.

3. EGYPTIAN army destroyed in the Red Sea – Exodus 14:21-31
They have now found pieces of chariots and human bones in the Red Sea at an area where there is a “land bridge” where the sea isn’t as deep as in the other parts.

4. Fire from HEAVEN – Genesis 19:23-25
Destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah
Burned rocks in that region of the Dead Sea

5. Birth and existence of JESUS and His impact on the world – Luke 2:1-7
Our Gregorian calendar system acknowledges the birth, life (and even death) of Jesus Christ.
BC = “Before Christ”
AD = “Anno Dominio” – Latin = “the year of our Lord”
Early (non-Christian) historians, Josephus, Trajan, Pliny and Tacitus to mention a few, mention Jesus’ existence.

6. DEATH of Jesus – All four Gospels
Romans were experts at crucifying people. History establishes the fact of crucifixion by Romans. Many historians establish Jesus in that time period.
Eye witnesses testify in Scripture and other sources to the death of Jesus.

7. RESURRECTION of Jesus – All four Gospels 
The Jews wanted to prove the resurrection false. They couldn’t.
Over 500 people saw Jesus, after He had risen from the dead.
This evidence would be irrefutable in any court of law.

8. The POWER and SIZE of the Kingdom of Christ – the Church!
The Power of the Church – Matthew 16:18; Acts 5:29-39; 24:22, 26:1-3
The existence of the church, and it’s thriving, even in the face of severe persecution and attempted genocide proves that JESUS is more powerful than anyone who seeks to oppose Him.

Irrefutable – the Church of Jesus Christ is the oldest, biggest and most powerful Kingdom on earth. It surpasses ALL other governments put together and will not be stopped.
What are you going to do about Jesus?
Is He YOUR LORD, Savior and role model?
Is your faith, allegiance and obedience to Him irrefutable?

Learn how Jesus can change your life - www.wwj.bible.

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