Monday, August 30, 2010

Lets talk about adversity.

Good Monday Morning to you. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and lets visit. It sure has been rainy here. The first part of the week I felt like the entire Gulf of Mexico came in on us. Things seem to be drying out now.

I thought my car trouble was past, but once again it is acting up. The intake manifold is indeed fixed, but now I’m told that with all the standing water that car has had to drive through, water has reached places its not supposed to reach. Its something to do with wires and converters and such. I’m a preacher, not a mechanic, so I’m past understanding it all. My mechanic, Carl Humphries, is a good mechanic, a good friend, and a decent and honorable man. If he tells you something about your car, you can believe him. I’d like to sell my car and buy a horse, but it would probably pull up lame.

My son Kevin was home this past week. We had not seen him since April. As you know, he is an over the road trucker, and he loves it. I hated it rained the whole time he was here, but it was a good visit. He came home to take a test for more endorsements which will allow him more varied kinds of loads. He now has all endorsements available except his “P” endorsement which stands for passengers. He does not transport people, so he really does not need that one anyway. He will be working his way up to Chicago to trade trucks, then out on the road again.. I went with him last year for a ride and hope to do it again. Contrary to what Bill Wolfe says, I climed up and down in and out of that cab like a monkey. The agility and dexterity I possessed amazed everyone!

The Sunday morning message was called, “Dealing With Adversity.”
We all deal with adverse situations, but thankfully the Lord has given us a way to deal with it in His word. We had super attendance on Sunday and I could really feel the freedom of the Spirit. It has been many months since I felt such freedom to preach. I’m sure it had much to do with the fact that everyone there was in one mind and one accord. The sermon notes are printed here for your personal Bible study.

Dealing With Adversity
By Victor Cooper
08/28/10

Intro: “Into every life some rain must fall” the old saying goes. A gentle spring shower is one thing, but a wicked thunderstorm is quite another. The Bible teaches us how to deal with the torrential downpours.

1 Samuel 24:7
So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul.

I. Step back.
A. Sometime a delay is better than an attack.
1. David could have killed Saul.
B. An attack was not the Lord’s will.
1. David respected Saul’s position as the anointed of God. (v6)
C. Stepping back allows one to see the entire picture.
D. Stepping back allowed Saul to acknowledge David was to be God’s next anointed. (v20)

Exodus 14:13
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day…


II. Slow down.
A. Wait! Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
1. Waiting: two definitions
A1. Serving
B2. Delaying movement
B. Jeremiah encouraged it. Lamentations 3:25,26
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
C. Moses demanded it. (from Exodus 14:13)
1. Do not be afraid;
then
2. stand still;
then
3. see God’s deliverance.

Matthew 16:24
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

III. Follow Jesus.
A. Deny yourself.
1. Jesus is Lord --- I’m not.
2. It’s all about Him, not me.
B. Take up your cross.
1. Crosses are no fun.
2. Who wants one?
3. More often than not thet are thrust upon us.
C. Follow me.
1. You cannot follow Christ without first denying self and taking up your cross --- in that order.

Conclusion: All of us deal with adverse situations from time to time. Remember: step back, slow down, and follow Jesus.

The notes did not transfer as cleanly as I would have liked, but I believe Michele has a plan to fix that. I think the plan is to post the notes in a separate secttion of the blog. We'll let you know more about that when the glitch is fixed.

I do hope you have a very good week. My thanks to the many of you who have written or called expressing your support during this troubling time my family and I are experiencing. The enemy is mighty, but God is almighty, so I plan to continue looking to Him. There is no adversity too strong to stand against my Lord. Please continue to pray for our family, and for all who were at the service yesterday. Next week’s message is entitled, “Together In The Boat.“ Stay safe and well and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.



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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Don't get too close. I want you to stay well.

Good Monday Morning to you!
It seems as if I I have come down with a nasty bug. Fever, chills, body aches, a horrible headache that I just can’t shake, stuffy head -- flu? I’m no doctor, but later today I plan to call mine. I’m one of these people that when I get the chills, I shake violently. One minute I’m burning up, the next minute I’m freezing. Oh well, this too shall pass.

I’ve told you about the car part that I’ve been trying to baby along. It is called an intake manifold and the auto makers used plastic to make it. After about ten years, they tend to crack. Coolant leaks and gets onto the spark plugs making for a rough ride. The other day mine finally split. I took it to Carl and he got it repaired as inexpensively as possible, but it was still $898. I wish I could have traded, but that is not possible. The car has 165,000 miles, and has been a very good car. I have no complaints and no regrets.

Karen Shidell of Wisconsin was the winner of the contest. As her prize she selected the Wal Mart card. Thank you Karen and thanks to each of you who helped by suggesting my site to others. Even though the contest is over, feel free to have your friends and family stop by and read the Monday Morning With Pastor Vic blog.

The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 1:3, “We are bound to thank God always for you … because your faith growth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you … abounded.” This is exactly how I feel about each of you who take the time to read this blog. You are my dear, loyal friends. Believe it or not, preachers have very few close friends. Thank you for being mine.

I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!



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Sunday, August 15, 2010

A visit from Pastor Vic

Good Monday Morning to you!! Pour yourself a cup of coffee or juice and lets visit for a spell. I trust your week has been good. It sure has been soggy here. We had a tropical weather system form over top of us and it brought about 5 inches of rain in just a few days. My yard was absolutely waterlogged. There was no where I could walk without stepping into water, some of which drenched my feet. I ended up taking off my socks, putting them in my pocket, and putting them on again when I got into the house, or wherever I was. My roads were bad, too. I had to go through one long stretch where the water was as high as the grill of my car. Ahh the price of living in paradise. Needless to say, I stayed in much of the time. I promised Bess that our next house would have real roads. We live on dirt roads.

The contest is over and I want to thank all who participated. I will announce the winner next week. I do need your help, though. If you subscribed as the result of someone telling you about this site, would you please E-mail me and verify who referred you. My address is www.preachercooper@hotmail.com. Also, if you referred anyone, please let me know who you referred so I can check their E-address against the subscribers list.

Yesterday in Church I preached the first of a two part message called “Seeking God.” The three main points were as follows:
I. Seek the Kingdom of God. Matthew 6:33
II. Seeking God means seeking the good of others. 1 Cor. 10:24
III. “Seeking” could be a one word summation of the mission of Jesus. Luke 19:10

From point #2, I challenged our Church to an experiment. Upon arrival, each person 18 and older was given a blank slip of paper and asked to write their name and phone number. The slips were collected after I preached my second point into two baskets; one for the women, and one for the men. At the conclusion of the service the ladies would draw a ladies name, and the men would draw a man’s name. We are all going to do 1 Corinthians 10:24 which says, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well being.” (NKJV) I challenged each of us to do something special for the person whose name you drew. It could be something as simple as stopping by for a cup of coffee and a visit, or taking care of some chore for them. Maybe a snack at Dairy Queen, or a couple of sandwiches shared at a local park would be in order. Whatever is done, both parties will be blessed. Also the double blessing is each one gets to experience both the giving AND the receiving. As you chose a name, someone else chose yours. If you were not with us, you too can enter into the spirit of our experiment by choosing someone you know and doing something special for them. The Lord will bless you immensely I’m sure! If you do choose to try it, write me back and let me know how it went. I sure enjoy good testimonies as to God’s faithfulness in response to our obedience.

I do hope you have a good week, and that you stay safe and healthy. Feel free to send me an E-mail and tell me how you’re doing. I pray for each who allow me these Monday Morning With Pastor Vic visits. I’ll see you again next time----



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Monday, August 9, 2010

Good Morning

Good Monday Morning to you! It seems like I just said goodbye to you from last time and here we are again. Did you have as busy a week as did I? I spent some time last week shopping for a new lap-top. My old one died about two months ago. My secretary’s daughter, who is a computer guru was able to revive it, but it was very slow. It also had a mind of its own and would start doing some weird things. Unknown to me, Brenda Conley, a dear friend and member of the church here, had gone to some people in the church and had taken donations for the “buy the preacher a new lap-top campaign.” The donors are anonymous to me, but I am very grateful to those who gave. If you are one of those who gave, let me again say, “Thank You!” After several days of shopping, I found a Toshiba that I really like. The more I use it, the better I like it. Fast? Richard Petty has never been this fast. It responds very well. As a matter of fact, this blog was typed and submitted using it. I had to give up my Windows Vista for Microsoft 7, but I’ll get used to it. One of my Bible Study programs will not work with it, but again, I can adapt. The updated programs are compatible, so I really haven’t lost anything. As a matter of fact, I have gained. Over the years, free updates have been provided including new study books. So far, I like what I’ve seen, and will be able to make good use of them.

Yesterday I preached a sermon called, “The Needy Beggar.” It came from Acts 3:1-10. For your personal Bible study, here are the notes.

Intro: I was praying, and I stopped and told the Lord that I must sound like a needy beggar to Him, constantly coming to Him for help with all kinds of matters. I admitted to Him that I indeed am a needy beggar. He said then preach that to the congregation.

I. Recognize you are needy.
A. v2 He was daily laid at the temple gate, no doubt at his request.
B. v2 He asked - ashamed or not, he asked.
1. V3 He asked Peter and John, but (v5) did not know who they were.

II. Recognize you cannot supply the need.
A. v2 He had to be laid at the gate; he could not do it himself.
B. He asked for what he thought was his need.
1. He asked for a gift.
2. What he needed was a job so he could provide for himself.
3. He could not work - he was severly crippled.
4. In his day it was beg or die.
5. He had a need he could not supply.
III. Recognize you need Jesus.
A. v6 Peter tells him of Jesus.
B. v7a He reached his hand to Peter in belief.
C. v7b he was made whole.
D. v8-10a He praises God!
1. He recognized God had healed him.
2. He recognized Jesus was God.

Conclusion: Whether you are saved or lost, sinner or saint, your greatest need is Jesus Christ. The sooner you recognize that, the sooner your needs can be met. Trust Him today!

I hope these notes are useful to you. You are free to use them for your personal Bible study. You preachers may use them or adapt them to meet your needs. The same goes for you Sunday School teachers. They are copyrighted, so if you are writing anything and include any part of them, just be sure proper credit is given as is properly called when citing the work of others. Enough of this legal mumbo jumbo. I’m proud you’d even consider looking at them.

The contest continues for one more week and it is close. It’s also not too late to enter to win one of the four prizes. Just simply contact those in your address book and direct them to this site. They subscribe and you get the credit for your help. The person who enrolls the most new subscribers is the first place winner. So far, Karen Shidell of Wisconsin has a slim lead. There can be four winners, so everybody really pour it on this final week. I really appreciate your help, and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!






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Monday, August 2, 2010

Amblings and Ramblings with Pastor Vic

Good Monday Morning to you ---
As I write this late on Sunday night, it is raining here cats and dogs. When was the last time you heard that old expression used? Not only is it raining cats and dogs, but it is lightning and thundering to beat the band. There’s you another expression from yesteryear. Any way, I do hope you had a terrific week last week. Mine was O K --- not much to brag about, but a few praise reports to share. First, Miss Bessie took an awful spill last Monday, but other than being real sore, it looks like no permanent damage was done. The praise report is that she is alright. She got out of the car to mail a few letters, and did not know there was a drop off of about three inches. It was just enough to make her lose her balance and go down. Like I said, she’s pretty sore and quite bruised, so I know she would appreciate your prayers. Our second praise report is that our car is still running, but getting worse with each turn of the wheel. We still have the problem with the cracked intake manifold. To fix it would cost about nine hundred dollars. That’s pretty steep when you consider the car has about one hundred sixty five thousand miles on it. It has been a real good car, but I fear it has seen its better days. With a poor economy, a trade would be impossible at this time, so Pastor Vic and Bess would appreciate your prayers in this matter. We do not know what else to do except leave it in the hands of the Lord. In the mean while, does anybody have a one eyed, three legged, pigeon toed, flopped eared mule for sale??? Beggars can’t be choosers, you know. (Another of those old expressions I seem to be filled with this week.)

Yesterday morning I preached from Matthew chapter 7, the first five verses. This was the second in a two part series on judging others. Jesus said in verse one, “Don’t judge.” However, last week, Paul said it was OK to judge. So who do we listen to, Paul or Jesus? Some would answer, “Obey Jesus over Paul.” Although in man’s logic, that sounds correct, remember what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 2:11-16 was inspired by the Holy Spirit, so it cannot be ignored. You can relax though. Paul and Jesus are not contradicting each other. There are no contradictions in God’s word. Quite simply, they were speaking to two different audiences: Paul to believers, and Jesus to scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites. Jesus reminded them to be careful about how they judged because the same overtly high standards they used would be used on them. For those of you who might want it for your personal Bible study, Here is the outline I used to preach the message.

Intro: Last week we learned that sometime we must make judgments concerning both things and people. We learned that to be a spiritual judge, certain criteria must be met. Today we hear Jesus addressing those who had not met the criteria and had no right to judge.

I. v. 1 Jesus’ command --- Don’t judge!
A. Plain and simple -- do not do it.
1. Dilemma: Jesus said do not judge. Paul said to judge. Who do we listen to?
B. Biblical Hermeneutics --- The science of Biblical interpretation.
1. Who was Paul speaking to? Believers
2. Who was Jesus speaking to? Scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, etc…

II. v 2 What goes around, comes around!
A. The above statement is the end result of the Golden Rule. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them…”
Matthew 7:12a
B. You set the standard --- how do you want to be judged?
C. The better question is: How do you judge? What standards do you measure by?

III. vv 3,4 Can a blind surgeon operate?
A. Matthew 7:3-4 (GW) So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer's eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye? [4] How can you say to another believer, 'Let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,' when you have a beam in your own eye?
B. You can’t remove something small from another’s eye when your own vision is obstructed.
C. Jesus is saying several things:
1. You’re like a blind surgeon trying to operate.
2. You’ve got your own problems, deal with them.
3. You are judging others by a standard higher than by which you wish to be judged.
4. You consider your self flawless and your neighbor flawed.

IV. v 5 Hypocrite! Fake!! Phony!!!
A. Hypocrite> an actor playing a part.
1. In Shakespeare’s day an actor was known as a hypocrite.
B. What role is this actor playing? One of two;
either:
1. that of one who is righteous,
or
2. that of a spiritual judge.
C. Which ever, Jesus sees right through it.

Conclusion: Remember, to be a spiritual judge, one must be saved, be walking with God, be Spirit led, and be a prayer warrior. Anything short of that leads to disqualification and includes many sitting in churches today all across the world. This is the crowd Jesus was talking to in Matthew 7:1-5. Was He speaking to you? At this point in the message, the Holy Spirit has already answered that question for you.

Right below this blog is a place for comments. I write this for you. Will you click on and let me know if you think the sermon notes are helpful? I’d appreciate any other suggestions you might have as well. Also, the contest has just a few weeks to go and we are way behind in our goal of new subscribers. Please help. Invite all in your address book to subscribe. Be sure they tell me they were recommended by you. Thanks, and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.





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