Change Happens

Good Monday Morning to you. Happy Fourth of July! America’s birthday, officially known as Independence Day is traditionally known as the day of family cook outs, parades, and fireworks. This year marks year number two hundred thirty five of our breaking away from Great Britain. How do you plan to spend the day. My trucker son Kevin is home for a week and he loves to fire up the grill, so steaks will abound at our house. Three of my four kids will be here, but I wish Amanda and her family as well as my mom, brother, and his crew could come as well. Oh well, maybe one day…..

Last Wednesday Bess and I, along with Bill and Pat Wolfe and Brenda Conley got to go to Tampa to see the Cincinnati Reds play the Tampa Bay Rays. To round out the day, the Reds won. I was real impressed with the Ray’s Stadium, Tropicana Field. It was my first experience of seeing the Reds at some place other than Crosley Field, Riverfront Stadium, or Great American Ball Park, all homes of Cincinnati. I could not believe how many Reds fans were at Tropicana! Not only that experience, but Tropicana Field is a domed stadium. I’ve never watched a baseball game indoors. It was different, but I enjoyed it. I wish Great American Ball Park had a dome, although it is pretty cool to sit in the stands and see the traffic out on the Ohio River.

You will notice I named three Reds fields. Crosley Field gave way to Riverfront Stadium which in turn gave way to Great American Ball Park. There was nothing wrong with Crosley Field, but they changed. I’ve seen many good games at Riverfront, but they changed again. For good or bad, better or worse, change happens! My sermon yesterday talked about change. The title came from a sixties pop song titled, How Can I Be Sure? I first preached this message in February of 1995 at Calvary Baptist Church in Cincinnati. I updated it a bit, and preached it again. Updated. Is that a synonym for change? Did even it change? With all the changes in life, the song’s question is legitimate: How can I be sure; in a world that’s constantly changing? The 2011 version of the sermon notes are below. I hope you find them helpful.

How Can I Be Sure?
Malachi 3:6
(Read text at place marked)
By Victor Cooper
2/5/95 --7/2/11

Message goal: To help people see that the only true assurance is in Jesus Christ.

Intro: There was a pop song in the 60’s that said, “How can I be sure, in a world that’s constantly changing?”

There is an answer to that question!

I. When I was a child, there were no:
1. Micro Wave Ovens
2. Velcro fasteners
3. Fax machines
4. On star communicators
5. PC’s
6. CD’s
7. Ipods
8. Open heart surgeries
9. Heart stints
10. Surgical lazers

II. As some of these things made life easier and better, spiritually people got worse.
- In my childhood:
1. The number one problem in schools was gum chewing.
2. Street gangs were more obnoxious than dangerous.
3. You could understand the words to a song.
4. Vulgarity was not seen or heard on TV, radio, or movies.
5. Dancing didn’t look like an act of perversion.

III. Scripture teaches that there will be change.
A. 1 Cor. 13:8 says that:
1. Prophecies shall fail
2. Tongues shall cease
3. Knowledge shall vanish away.

i.e. change happens!

If change is inevitable, then ,
Q. “How can I be sure, in a world that’s constantly changing?”
A. *** text *** Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
Change should not cause us to fear because Christ is changeless! [This is the doctrine of immutability.]

Q. How can I be sure, in a world that’s constantly changing?”
A. 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We can be sure because our victory is in Christ Jesus, our LORD.

Q. How can I be sure, in a world that’s constantly changing?”
A. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Israel faced change, but was sure because of the Rock.

Q. How can I be sure, in a world that’s constantly changing?”
A. Luke 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Sing together: This Rock is Jesus, yes He’s the one.
This Rock is Jesus, the only One.
I’m very sure, I’m very sure,
My anchor holds, and grips the Solid Rock!

Conclusion: Hebrews 6:19-20 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast,… even Jesus, made an high priest for ever…

Have a safe Fourth of July, and a good week. Miss Bessie and I have a Bible Conference to attend later this week up in Orlando. I say up, because from our home, Orlando is north. I’ll let you know about it next week on Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!

Happy Birthday Miss Bessie!

Good Monday Morning To You.

Welcome to Monday Morning With Pastor Vic! I hope all is well with you and that this past week saw many blessings come your way. Yesterday was my wife, Miss Bessie’s, birthday. Last Thursday, the ladies of the church had their monthly luncheon. They had a surprise party for Bess. She really enjoyed it and it made her feel so special. To all you who made it so exceptional for her, Pastor Vic sends his “Thanks!” your way. After church yesterday, Brenda Conley took both of us out for Miss Bessie’s birthday dinner. We wanted to go to Outback, but they were closed. Instead we went to Olive Garden. My favorite ethnic food is Italian, so it was fine with me. After that, Bess, Brenda, and I went to the home of Bill and Patty Wolfe for a Red’s game, and later a hot dog supper --- perfect baseball food. There was only one thing that kept the Reds from winning; the Florida Marlins. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a Floridian who supports my Florida teams, but never at the expense of the Cincinnati Reds. I am a born and raised Cincinnati boy, and hometown loyalties will never change. I scratched my arm the other night and I noticed, I even bleed Cincinnati Red!

Yesterday was an awesome day at Friendship Harmony. The attendance was good and the service was tremendous! The congregational singing was incredible, absolutely anointed. You could tell that everyone was singing to the glory of God. This month I am preaching a series of messages called, The Heroes of Israel. In selecting people to talk about, I decided not to talk about obvious choices; people like Abraham, Moses, or David. After all, how do you boil down the lives of people like them into a twenty minute message? This week I chose, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, to look at King Hezekiah. Did you realize that the Bible says that of all the kings after him or before, there was no other like him? That includes David and Solomon. That Scripture reference is in the sermon notes listed below. The reason for this particular series at this time is that on Sunday May 15, Friendship Harmony will join with hundreds of other churches in a special service called Stand With Israel Day. I will be bringing a message that day called, Long Live Jerusalem. You will receive those notes with the 5/16/11 Monday Morning Edition. Here is the Hezekiah notes. The main points of the notes explain why he was a hero.

The Hero: Hezekiah
2 Chronicles: Selected
Sermon Series: Heroes of Israel 4/30/11
By Victor Cooper

I. He had a Godly reputation. 2 Chronicles 31:20 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God.
2 Kings 18:5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
A. Finest words spoken of a man: Hezekiah’s best quality was that he trusted in the Lord. He was the greatest of all the kings of the Southern Kingdom in this respect. Unlike some of the other kings he did not apostasize later in life but kept the Mosaic Covenant faithfully. As a result the Lord was with him and blessed him with success in all he undertook.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

II. He was dedicated to the service of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 29:10-14 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11 My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.
12 Then the Levites arose…

III. Hezekiah led by example. 2 Chronicles 29:20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.
A. He sent no one; he led. He personally went!
B. The message was clear. “The house of the LORD is important enough that even the King goes.

IV. Hezekiah prayed intercessory prayers.
2 Chronicles 30:18-19 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one 19 That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
A. It was not a “me” prayer. It was on behalf of his subjects as well as those from the Northern Kingdom.

V. God listened to Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 30:20 And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.
A. hearkened> sha-maw’> paid attention to

May 1, 2011, delivered to the Friendship Harmony Baptist Church.

Have a good upcoming week! I hope you want to model your life after that of Hezekiah. Look over the five main sermon points again, then conduct yourself accordingly. Pastor Vic certainly intends to. I’ll see you again next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.

ps. Congratulations to President Obama, the United States Military, the counter terrorism people, and all the American people on the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Now he must stand before Almighty God and explain himself. He must stand there without Jesus Christ as his advocate. How sad.