Three Thieves of Joy

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Three Thieves of Joy

Sermon

September 25, 2022 • Dr Charles Kyker • Genesis 1, Ephesians 1

Paul was chosen by the will of God to be an apostle (Ephesians 1:1). For Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) a personal experience with the Risen Christ made all the difference. Paul’s living into the Lord’s direction was not merely a ‘good idea’ but a mandate, an appointment that came straight from the portals of heaven. It was a supernatural work of God that transformed this former persecutor of the church into a Holy Spirit-filled apostle of Christ. Paul said, “God gave me the special responsibility of extending God’s grace to you Gentiles. As I briefly wrote earlier God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me...”

Overcoming Fear

October 23, 2022 • Dr Charles Kyker • 2 Timothy 1

In life, sometimes fear can paralyze us. Think of a time you were given a thumbs up – your turn to go – and fear simply immobilized you from the next step. Fear comes in many different ways. There is fear of being rejected, not fitting it or being accepted. There is fear of being hurt, not measuring up, or being mocked. To be sure, there is one fear that is not bad. The Bible says: “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom (Psalm 111:10a), because there are times the Lord keeps us from certain things. Yet, the Lord does not want us to live in fear of fear. We are to live in wisdom, faith and love. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). God wants you, His child, to take a step of faith into the adventure, the purpose and call He has for you.

Navigating Past a Shipwrecked Life

October 16, 2022 • Dr Charles Kyker • 1 Timothy 1, Jonah 1

Many shipwrecks that have happened throughout history are because captains and even crewmen ignored the warnings. We think of the Titanic going down on April 14, 1912 hitting an iceberg in the north Atlantic; there was a time in Scripture when the apostle Paul (as a prisoner) was being transported to Rome to stand trial. He spoke to the officers of the ship: “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well” (Acts 27:10). But Paul’s words were ignored, and the ship did, in fact, finally wreck on the island of Malta (Acts 28:1). Rewind further in the Bible, and we read the account of Jonah attempting to run away from the Lord, and the near-disaster brought upon the ship he was on – headed for Tarshish instead of Nineveh, where God asked him to go.

When God-Pleasers Walk the Earth

October 9, 2022 • Dr Charles Kyker • 1 Thessalonians 2

Think about the different creatures that have walked planet earth – dinosaurs, Behemoth (Job 40:15-24), Leviathan (Job 41:1,31). The Bible speaks of some of these creatures. Perhaps there are sea creatures living in the great depths of the ocean that the human eye has yet to see. Think about remarkable human beings who have walked the earth. We read about when giant Nephilim lived on earth (Genesis 6:4) and men of supernatural strength like Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth—“Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial (see Genesis 10:8-12). What about ordinary men, like Noah, who walked the earth? In his natural ordinary life, God asked him to build an ark, something no one had ever seen. Rain had not been seen yet. Yet, Noah was faithful and the Bible speaks of Noah favorably because he obeyed the Lord (Genesis 6:8-9). God-pleasers are all through the Scriptures.