Monday, April 21, 2014

Can You Expect Anything From God?

Good Monday Morning To You!
I hope your Easter was a good one. We had a great day at Friendship Harmony. Due to rain our Sunrise Service had to be held inside, but the LORD blessed and it was a good service. We recorded it for those who could not attend. If you’d like to see it go to www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. Remember, you do not need a facebook account to view the videos. The video should be ready by Tuesday morning, and I thank Jim and Gwen Cook for their tireless labor of love in getting these videos posted for all to see. It is a lengthy, time consuming project, and I am so grateful for their dedication to the Friendship Harmony Baptist Church video ministry.

I want to let you know what happened last week to the blog. I had been having trouble on my phone line, so I called our local phone provider, Century Link, to come and take a look. I was getting heavy static and cross talk. Cross talk is where I can hear other people who I did not call, and they can hear me. If you remember the days of the party line, it is similar to that. The phone man found corroded wires which he fixed. He then asked me who installed my internet DSL connection. I told him that Century Link had installed it, and he told me it had been installed incorrectly. He asked if I had been having trouble with the net and I told him that I could get on, but I couldn’t stay on. He said that he had fixed it when he repaired my phone line and that I should have no more problems. He was right, and I am glad to have dependable service again.

The Easter Morning message was called, “What Did You Expect?” Every year at both Christmas and Easter, preachers attempt to preach the familiar message in a fresh, and uplifting way. We ask ourselves, “How can I say something relevant and fresh, as if it had never been preached before?” Even though I have preached many Easter sermons in my forty two years of service, the Holy Spirit always steps in and gives me the right thing to say, and it’s always like brand new. I marvel at how He works with us preacher boys.

The notes are below, and I hope they are a blessing to you. I trust they are beneficial in your personal Bible study.

What Were You Expecting?? ©
Luke 24:1-9
Easter Sunday 4/20/14
By Victor Cooper

Intro: When you come to Jesus, do you come expecting? What you find might not be what you expected, but Christ always supplies what you need.

I. What they expected.
A. They came expecting to find a sealed tomb.
1. The stone was a large, cylindrical object sitting in a groove. The groove would have had a slight down hill pitch, making it difficult to move.
2. These ladies were on a mission for Jesus, and obstacles were not considered.
Adam Clarke Commentary -- …when persons have strong confidence in God, obstacles do not hinder them from undertaking whatever they have reason to believe he requires; and the removal of them they leave to him: and what is the consequence? They go on their way comfortably, and all difficulties vanish…
.
B. They came expecting a dead Jesus.
1. The angel would remind them of what He had said concerning His death.
2. The world going to His tomb today still expects to find a dead Jesus.
3. Sadly, many church goers feel the same way.
C. They expected to find someone to help move the stone away.
1. Remember, they were serving Jesus and they believed God would provide a way.
II. What they found.
A. The stone was rolled away.
1. Their questions would have been who? And why?
B. They found an empty tomb.
1. They were perplexed and confused.
2. They did not have a printed Bible as. we have. They were living it.
3. What would be your reaction to visiting the grave of a loved one and finding it open and the body gone?
4. Would resurrection be the first thought to come to your mind?
C. They found two angels.
1. In Scriptures, angelic appearance ALWAYS comes withy a message.
2. “Angel” means “messenger.”

III. What they needed.
A. They needed the message of the angels. Vv5-7
B. They needed hope.
C. They needed assurance.
D. They needed courage.

Conclusion: What they expected was not what they found nor was it what they needed. What you can expect from our LORD is that He will, “supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Phil. 4:19

As the women had to go to the tomb, you have to
“seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33


Barb and Wayne Ratcliffe want to thank you for your prayers for their son, Mark. His surgery was a success and he is now recovering at home. We are always happy for praise reports. Can we pray for you? Send your prayer request to fhbcsjc@gmail.com. We will post your request here on the blog so others can join with us in prayer.

May the LORD bless your upcoming week, and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

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Sunday, April 6, 2014

Can WE Pray For You??

Good Monday Morning To You!!!

Let me begin by giving you an update on a prayer request I made two weeks ago. I had asked you to pray for Brandy Ward, the daughter of Friendship Harmony members Claude and Ann Ogle. Brandy’s body has been recovered from the Washington mudslide of several weeks ago. Her husband, Tim, is now home from the hospital, and will be in a wheel chair for at least the next 6 months. Please continue to lift Tim up in your prayers. The doctors hope his time in the chair will be temporary, but at this point they do not know. Claude and Ann appreciate your prayers.

Another prayer request has been shared with us. Mark Radcliffe, son of our members, Barb and Wayne Radcliffe, will have heart surgery on April 15. The Radcliffes would appreciate your prayers for Mark, and have asked me to keep you updated concerning his progress. I am very happy to do so.

Do you have a prayer request? Feel free to share it here. This blog reaches all over thy planet, and believers everywhere stand ready to pray for you. Contact me at fhbcsjc@gmail.com. If you’d prefer to keep your request confidential between you and me, I’ll list it as an unspoken request. People cannot pray unless you write, so let me here from you.

Once again we had a wonderful service at Friendship Harmony. The Holy Spirit’s presence was real, and it was good to be in the House of the LORD. I do not have any notes to share with you as I did not use any, but you can see the abbreviated version at www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. Remember, you do not have to have a Facebook account to see the videos. Let me know what you think of our new, compact showing. I do hope you like it.

The message was about Stephen, so be sure to read his story in Acts chapters 6 and 7.

Next week, the LORD willing, I’m going to review three movies Miss Bessie and I saw in the last two weeks. One of them was, “God Isn’t Dead.” I urge you to see this picture. It is above awesome. I’ll cite my reasons why next week. Until then, stay safe, and remember as you are praying, please remember the Friendship Harmony Baptist Church. We would be honored if you would.

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

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