Tag Archives: perseverence

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on October 20, 2015
Tags: , , perseverence   

Enter Through the Narrow Gate — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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October 20, 2015

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:13-20

“…it is abundantly evident from Scripture, that those who are truly gracious are under the government of the meek and benevolent spirit of Jesus Christ, and that this disposition is essential to the nature of saving grace, and is the proper spirit of true Christianity. We may therefore conclude, without hesitation, that all truly Christian affections are attended by such a spirit; and that this is the natural tendency of the fear and the hope, the sorrow and the joy, the confidence and the zeal of every true Christian.” Jonathan Edwards. (1703 – 1758) A Treatise on Religious Affections, “For All The Saints”, volume II (p. 967-968)

“For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life…” One of the things I have been preaching on recently is how hard, how difficult the way of the cross is for the followers of Christ. Recently we read the scripture where Jesus gives one of his central teachings: “If you want to become one of my followers, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” I believe that the road to life has been accomplished for all who have accepted the challenge of following Jesus, in one manner or another. And in choosing to “remember” Jesus in our daily lives, we are not led down a road of pure gold, but onto one of the most difficult and challenging paths that we could imagine. Faith does not lead to a guarantee of a happy life with few problems. In fact, when we hear Jesus say that “The first will be last and servants of all”, we realize that the kingdom of G*d does not reward according to the world’s standards. In fact, when the disciples are overheard arguing among themselves who is the greatest, Jesus realizes he has a lot more to teach them about true greatness.

The gate is narrow and the road is hard….yes Jesus has done all that needs to be done, but there are plenty of narrow gates and hard roads for all of us. Don’t listen to the false prophets of our times who preach that true faith will lead to full pockets and full bellies for those who believe. There are plenty of believers who have empty pockets and hungry bellies – but they have a heaping amount of grace and blessings.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on September 11, 2015
Tags: , perseverence   

Cloudy Days — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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September 11, 2015

“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.” Nahum 1:3

“In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith. “The clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3). They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near us without clouds— He does not come in clear-shining brightness.” Do You See Jesus In Your Clouds? July 29, 2015 My Utmost For His Highest

“I can see clearly now the rain is gone….” so goes the song by Johnny Nash. The idea is true for seeing after the mist and the clouds of rain showers have left. The same should be true for our lives as the clouds of bad days, trials, tribulations and losses teach us how to see our lives and our relationship with G*d more clearly. As the saying goes, without trouble, there would be little faith. When all is good, when life is happy and without a care in the world, it is not that long before we delude ourselves to believe that we can handle this world on our own. What reason or reasons do we find a need for G*d if nothing ever goes wrong in our lives? But how ridiculous this sounds from the beginning, because none of us ever lives a life where nothing ever goes wrong. Just being alive means we will have bad days and good days and mediocre days.

Whether it is pouring down rain, or the clouds are just gathering, or the clouds are finally lifting, isn’t it comforting to think that the presence of clouds means that G*d is present? G*d cannot come near us without clouds — and that makes us thank G*d for cloudy days.

Pastor Dave