Sometimes, actually often, God will allow us to go through times we would rather not have had to endure.  But when we get through those tough times we realize that it was the Lord teaching us some valuable lessons that we needed in order to do the task He has prepared for us.  Think back on your past life experiences that may be quite unpleasant, and then look at what God did so that you would be able to use what you have learned.  Life has a way of just upending our plans and taking us down roads that we never intended to travel, good and bad, but all valuable in the long run.  Let us spend time praising God, singing aloud to Him for it is He who brings all of this about, it is through God power and strength that He makes our life unfold as it does, and it is due to His unending love that we are who we are and have what we have and can do what we do, all for Him!  And we can know that God has always been our fortress, even in those times when it seemed we were alone, He was there, carrying us through those difficult days.  And when the days got really dark, it was God who gathered us up and was our refuge in those days of trouble.  Today, let us praise God for all He has done, is doing and will keep doing in our lives, leading us through with His great love and strength, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Life is a battle, a daily battle even for the unbeliever.  But for you and I, followers of Christ Jesus, we are in a Spiritual battle that rages on every single day and it gets more intense each passing day.  The Apostle Paul encourages believers to put on the full armor of God before you start your day, before you have to engage with the world, and for very good reason.  The world is full of evil, overflowing with wickedness, and the debauchery we see on display daily is beyond belief.  So, we can plainly see the need for protection, for full armor in this world, in this battle we are in, we must be prepared to be able to withstand the evil day.
       If we have done all that the word of God gives to us to be prepared, we will be able to withstand the evil day, we will be able to stand firm in the face of this severe Spiritual battle we are in.  Never allow yourself to become complacent and lazy in your preparation for this battle, it is serious and it is real, and the evil one is lurking around seeking one to destroy, do not let it be you.  Today, stand firm in the faith, put on the full armor of God and walk by faith knowing that the Lord has you firmly in His grasp, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Just knowing you are a child of God should make the difference in your life.  Let us wake up each day remembering that we are His prized possession, that God loves us so much He saved us from sure death and destruction.  He redeemed us through the blood of His precious Son, Jesus, and through that redemption we have been made New, a new creation, a new life in Christ, meaning that we are to carry ourselves in a manner worthy of our calling.  And as the Apostle Paul makes clear here in his letter to the Colossians, we are God's chosen ones!  Did you get that you are God's chosen one, holy and beloved, which in turn means we are to have compassionate hearts toward everyone, even those who hate us.  We are to be kind, if we are truly born again and are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, we will then demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, kindness, humility and meekness and patience.  So, if you are a person who is often sarcastic, and cutting, choose to say something kind and loving to others.  If you tend to be short and rude, make it a point to be soft and tender in your responses.  We all have our moments, but today, let us choose to clothe ourselves in Christ Jesus and live like our Savior, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Apostle John, per instructions from the Lord, writes to the seven churches, letters of concern.  In this portion of John's account he is writing to the church at Laodicea, a church that appeared to have it all together, but was truly lacking in a big way, they were neither Hot nor Cold, they were lukewarm according to Jesus.  They were busy, they were well off, from the outside it looked like this church was doing everything that God would ask...  But not so quick, they were truly lacking in the area of properly living the life of Christ, following in true devotion, and abiding in Christ daily.  This church was following at a distance, they were neither in nor out, and they had one foot in the world and one foot in the church, not committed to the Lord.
       Sadly, this is a picture of many churches today, they look good from a distance, they have large crowds (Mega Churches), but they are truly dead when it comes to abiding in Christ, loving Him first, and trusting and obeying Him and His commandments.  This is a dangerous place to be, your appearances might fool people on earth, but God is never fooled, and He cannot be mocked by your lukewarm failings, He knows your heart!   Outward appearances are what the Pharisees had in Jesus day, as he told them, you clean the outside of the cup but the inside is full of dead men's bones, you are religious and there is no relationship with the Lord.  Jesus says, I stand at the door and knock, if you will be open to me, I will come into your heart and reside for all eternity, I am looking for a relationship with you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Turn away from evil and do good...  Sounds simple enough and why would not everyone do this, it is the right way to live a free life in a free nation.  The problem is this, evil is everywhere, the Prince of this world is running rampant trying desperately to get all people to turn away from God and embrace evil.. You see this is what happened in the Garden of Eden, Satan came and tempted Eve to turn away from God and good, and embrace evil and do what is evil in the sight of God... And she did.  That is how evil was introduced into a perfect world, and the war of good and evil has raged ever since.  
       Today, as scripture foretold, we live in a time where evil is called good and good is called evil, sadly our world has been turned upside down by the evil one, when at the same time God has told us as followers of Jesus to turn this world upside down for Him.  But at the same time we are called to seek peace, and to pursue peace in this life we live.  And once again we are fighting the same battle with the same evil prince, causing strife and hate and unsettledness worldwide.  But we are not like the world, we have been called out of this world, to be different by the renewing of our minds and having a heart that seeks after God, good and peace.  So today, let us not just do good, but encourage others to do good.  And let us not just seek peace, but be peacemakers encouraging others to seek peace as well, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

       The Apostle Paul here in his letter to the church at Ephesus, reminds all believers of the amazing gift from God, our salvation in Christ Jesus.  In Him, that being Christ Jesus, who willingly laid down His life, shed His own blood to pay the price for your redemption.  It is an overwhelming thought to know that God sent His Son to die on our behalf, that He paid our sin debt, shed His blood for you and me.  This is something we should be thankful for each and every day, not focused on how sinful we are, but our minds stayed upon God's goodness and everlasting love.  Because the Lord shed His blood for the forgiveness of our trespsasses, it was because of His great love for mankind that He shed His grace upon us.  All because of the amazing riches of His grace, grace upon grace for an undeserving sinner whom God loves.  Just the thought of God loving me so much He would do all of this for me, for I am nothing more than a sinner saved by grace.
       Today, let us live a life celebrating the fact we are saved, redeemed in Christ, by Christ and let us walk in the freedom that He has given us through His sacrificial death on the cross.  Let us walk in victory this day, not feeling defeated, not feeling rejected, but filled with the Joy of God's love, grace and mercy.  And let us be ever so thankful for all that the Lord has done for us, Jesus Saves!  

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

   Are you able and willing to give thanks to the Lord, even when things are not going your way?  We see people within the Word of God who give thanks to God in some of the most trying circumstances, David as Saul is chasing him down to attempt to kill him, the Apostle Paul as he is persecuted for his faith in Christ, even after he has been beaten and thrown into jail, he praises God for His steadfast goodness and love.  As followers of Chrsit Jesus, we should desire to give Him all praise, glory and thanks every day for all the blessings He has poured out upon us, even when we don't deserve them, even when our life might be in turmoil and not in a place we desire.   When life is not as we would like, things seem to be just going wrong everyday, stuff is happening, thank God for what He is doing in your life, you woke up this morning, you have food to eat, water to drink.  If we stop and think about our lives, we do have far more to thank God for than we have to complain about.  We live our life in a fallen, sinful world, but our Hope in a future that is guaranteed by God, and as our verse says today, He is good and His steadfast love endures forever, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Here is the question: is the Lord present when one person is seeking Him?  If a large group of believers are gathered?  And if two or three are gathered together?  Of course, the answer is the Lord is always present no matter how many are gathered together.  So, we can understand that the number of people has a very specific meaning and purpose, and we must look deeper and further into the context of the message the Lord is delivering to understand what is truly being stated here.  Remember, context is king and we must understand it.  Jesus is telling His disciples how to handle church discipline, how to instruct a person who has transgressed and the process to go through to get the situation fixed.  First, if this person has sinned against you, go and tell him.  If he listens and the problem is fixed, great it is done.  But if he will not listen, then take another person or two who has evidence with you and try again, if he still refuses to listen, then you take him before the church.  And if he still refuses to listen he is to be treated like an unbeliever.  And here is where the Lord states, where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them, showing us that this is the proper manner of church discipline.  Context, context, context, know what is being said in its correct meaning, Jesus Saves

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

What are you doing?  Here we read a message from the Apostle Paul to his young portege Timothy, giving him some advice but also some great encouragement, fight the good fight, stay in the battle, do not give up.  We live in a society where giving up and giving in to evil is more than encouraged, where evil is in your face daily and if you push back you are the bad guy, do not give up, keep on fighting the good fight.  For we have been given eternal life upon rebirth in Christ Jesus, take hold of it for you were called to this new way of life.  Do you remember making that good confession of faith in Christ Jesus in front of many witnesses?  
       Have you truly made that confession of faith?  Have you committed your life to the Lord Jesus, are you all in?  These are questions and decisions that only you can answer, you know your heart as does the Lord your God.  You will not fight the good fight of faith if you have never surrendered your life to the only one who can save you.  If today you find yourself wondering if you have ever truly made the decision to go all in for Jesus, today would be a great day to stop and call upon the name of the Lord and commit your life to Him.  Then begin to fight the good fight of faith that you have confessed, grab hold of eternal life and strive for the prize, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Have you ever thought about God and His commands in a way that would help you better understand Him and why He says what He says?  Think about this for a moment, God is the creator of all that was ever created, He is far beyond an intelligent designer, He is perfection in its highest form, nothing better in any way.  So, when we read that God worked on His creation for seven days, saw that it was good and He rested, and made that day holy, He is telling us something, He is showing us something that is perfect, a way of life that fits into God's perfect plan for all of mankind.  If rest is good for God then it is good for man, and we must abide by this command to rest from our creator, after all He does know best.
       I know many of us often say, but I have so much to do, I don't have the time to rest...  In reality, we don't have time to not rest, exhaustion is deadly!  Today, as we ponder what God is telling us here about taking a rest on a regular basis, let us make it a habit to take the time to rest in the Lord as He has commanded us to do.  May we all rest in the Lord, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Let us remember, Context, Context, Context, this is not a wishlist verse, it is not a prosperity Gospel verse, it is not a genie in a bottle verse, it has everything to do with the miracle of salvation done by God alone.  Jesus has just had an interaction with a young man who is very wealthy, he asks the Lord, "What do I need to do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus responds that you must sell all you have, give it to the poor, then come follow me.  Very simple yet for this man, impossible, his heart was tied to his wealth, his money was his god, an obstacle to salvation.  Jesus then makes it clear that wealth keeps a man from God, being rich is often a barrier to coming to know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, and Jesus tells His disciples, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to be saved.  They then ask Jesus, "Then who can be saved?"
       And the Lord responds with this statement, "With man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible"  Only God can cause a heart to change and come to Him for rebirth, man is totally helpless when it comes to salvation, it is an act of God alone.  We all know people who are resistant to the Gospel message, push back against coming to faith in Christ Jesus, refuse to hear the Good News...  But God, God can draw them to Himself, God has a way of reaching people we see as impossible to reach, keep praying that God will touch their heart and bring them to Himself for salvation, Keep on Praying!  Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

God has always desired to see the least among us cared for, encouraged, helped, and lifted up by those who have the means.  God even mandated that the outer edges of a farmers field were to be left for the poor to glean from when the crops were ready for harvest.  And the Lord has always made it known that we are to care for the widows and the orphans in our society as they are in need of assistance.  And here, Solomon in his book of wisdom, explains that when we help those in need, we are lending to the Lord, our generosity toward others is truly giving them what the Lord has given to us, and God sees this and acknowledges this action.  Jesus makes this same point in the Gospels, that when we give a little one a drink of water, or help the homeless, the infirmed, the imprisoned, we are doing it for Him.  God sees our helping others who are in need as a direct reflection of Himself.  None of us has the ability or the resources to help everyone who is in need, but collectively we as the church do have the means to help our community, so let us work together to help our brothers and sisters in need, let us make a difference today, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Being a disciple, a true follower of Christ is the crux of your relationship with Him, you stop living for you, you step away from the world, you give up all for the Lord.  And as the Lord Jesus points out here, if you hang on to your life, demand to live life your way, refuse to let go of the world and all it does not have to offer, you will lose your life.  But if you give up your life for the sake of Christ, and live for Him daily, you will indeed save your life.  Jesus makes it clear that being a disciple of His is costly, you must deny yourself, your wants and your desires become secondary.  You must also take up your cross daily and walk that narrow path that leads to eternal life.  Is it easy, no, are some days extremely difficult, yes, is it worth it, absolutely.  It truly comes down to your heart's desire to live a life pleasing to God, are you committed to Christ Jesus, is the Lord your all in all?  It is easy to say "I'm a Christian", but living it out every day is a completely different way, it takes real dedication, true surrender, abandonment of the old life and fully embracing your New Life in Christ Jesus.   Are you all in for Jesus, is He the center of your life, have you given up your life to live for Him?  Jesus is the only way to the Father, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Freedom has different meanings and different levels.  Let me explain, when the pilgrims originally came to America they were escaping a tyrant of a King, they were oppressed by the King, overtaxed and over regulated, they wanted to be free from his rule, and they were controlled as to how they could worship God.  It cost many of them everything to become a free people, many died just trying to get across the sea, but then a massive war cost many others their lives, but freedom was finally had and they established the most free nation ever.  But today, a lot of that freedom has been taken away through government overreach and government abuse, taxes upon taxes.  But the apostle Paul is talking about a completely different kind of freedom in Christ Jesus, believers have a special kind of freedom in Christ, a Spiritual freedom that leads to eternal life.  And with that freedom that was birthed out of love we become like the one who bought us that freedom, we love as He loves us, unconditionally and freely.  And Paul warns us to not use our new found freedom as a way to live out our fleshly desires which is sin, but to use our freedom in Christ Jesus as a way to love and serve and help others.  We are free because of God's enormous love for us, and we love because God loved us first, God is love, so let us emulate God's love for us toward others, let each of us live this life with a sacrificial love as did Christ, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

At times we find ourselves at odds with others because they do not seek peace but strife, their sole desire is unrest, they intentionally create problems.  But we must still be at peace with them, we do not need to stir up trouble where there is no good reason.  When we encounter people who want to create havoc, we must avoid them if possible, if we know they are a problem, keep away from them, keep the peace wherever possible.  For Holiness is the answer, we are called to be holy because God is holy, and without holiness no one will see the Lord.  from the time we are Born Again, we are in the process of being sanctified through living a life of faith, trust and obedience in Christ Jesus, this lifelong process of sanctification cleanses our life over time, never perfect but better than we were before.  
       In this section of this epistle, the writer of Hebrews is talking about discipline, that we need discipline to teach us to live a better life, those mistakes that bring our punishment teach us there is a better way, a more holy way to live.  As well, we are taught to live at peace with other people, when we make a fuss with another and meet up with discipline due to our transgression, we learn from that mistake and strive toward a more peaceful solution in life.  Therefore, Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

 Life is unpredictable, it can change like the weather, one day is amazing and upbeat, the next is dark and grievous.  We deal with all kinds of situations and circumstances, both good and bad, pleasant and sad, but with the help of God we endure through it all pushing onward toward the prize that awaits us at the end of this race of life.  The Prophet Isaiah reminds us of an absolute truth,  that we must trust in the Lord forever, an idea that is spoken many times throughout the Word of God, trust in the Lord, trust God, trust in the Lord with all your heart, the Prophets say it, the Psalmist says it, and even the Lord Jesus said it.  Trust can be a hard thing to do if you have been betrayed by someone, especially when they are a person whom you were sure was upright and honest but they let you down.
      But God, God will never let you down, the world and the people in it, they will consistently let you down and disappoint you, but God will never betray you in any way.  And why can we trust in the Lord God?  Because He is an everlasting Rock, He is solid, He is immovable, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, unchanging.  And when we one who is like this, we have something quite special, for there is none like our God, He is perfect in every way imaginable, He is your Rock, always right there, and never moving or changing.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Our Hope is not based on things we see in our world today, no, it is based solely upon the unseen future in Christ Jesus. Hope is trusting the one true God of this universe, our creator to do what He has promised within His word.  It is trusting day by day in a Savior that has changed your life from dead in your tresspasses to alive and free in Him.  The apostle Paul tells us that we are to rejoice in Hope, our hearts should be filled with joy knowing and standing on the promises of God.  And that we must be patient in tribulation, having patience is one thing, and having tribulation is another, but to have patience in and during tribulation, that takes a strong faith in God alone.  Being able to wait on the Lord in times of trouble takes real, true, saving faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God and without faith you will not be trusting God to handle your situation.  
       But to top it all off, the one thing that makes it all happen beyond faith that brings about trust and obedience, is prayer.  When we are constant in prayer, in regular communication with the Lord, that builds trust, it grows patience, and we can endure whatever comes at us because our God is Bigger than our situation.  And all of this is what Christ promised to His followers, you will be filled with Joy, and you will have tribulation, but love will cover it all as you stand firm in prayer, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Most people when they hear these words, or read these words really struggle with the reality of What the Lord Jesus is saying to them.  Lord, you really want me to bless those people who curse me?  And you really want me to pray for those who abuse me?  WOW Lord, this is a hard thing to hear and an even harder thing to do!  Here is the deal, for a typical fallen, sinful man, an unredeemed man, this is impossible.  But for a man who has come into a relationship with the Savior, Christ Jesus, it becomes much easier as you grow closer to Him and go deeper in your relationship with Him.  The ideas that Christ presents in the Sermon on the Mount are difficult, they are not normal feelings that regular people have, but a Born Again Christian is not a regular people, he is different, a New Life in Christ, that old unloving creature has died and has been buried.  I would encourage each of us to go back and ponder and meditate upon the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter five, six and seven, and let the words of the Lord permeate your heart and soul, let His words change who you are in Him.  For we know that with man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.  We must be willing to let God change us, we must stop resisting and pushing back, we must let Him mold us and make us into what He desires for us to be, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Psalmist begins this thought with peace, the Hebrew word Shalom, meaning completeness, soundness, wholeness, peace, truly a much bigger meaning than simply peace, but a reality of complete being in God.  And when your Spirit is in this place you have the ability to both lie down and to sleep.  Have you ever gotten into bed and sleep just won't come, you toss and turn, your mind seems to be everywhere but ready to sleep?  When we put our complete faith and trust in the Lord, He will give us His peace, the ability to rest in His completeness, and worries and cares dissipate.  And why are we able to rest in His peace?  Because God alone will make me dwell in safety.  
       What is it in this life that keeps you from resting in the Lord, what is it that keeps you from having real peace?  As the hymn writer once wrote, "The only real peace that I have is in you Lord", and that is the thought process of this verse, real peace comes from God alone.  The Word of God reminds us continually that we must rely on God, lean on His understanding, and take peace in knowing that He is in complete and total control of our destiny, Be Still and Know that I Am God.  Today, whatever it is that is keeping you from having real peace, give it to God and know He has it covered for He is bigger than anything that you have going on, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Think about that statement for a moment, you are God's workmanship, He created you, He knew you before you were even born...  You know people get all worked up over meeting some famous person, whoever it might be, but God is by far of greater importance than any person on earth, for He created all of us, each and everyone of us on this earth we were created by God.  And God knows me, He created me, He called me, He chose me, and He leads and guides my every step, WOW!  And more than that, He created me in Christ Jesus for good works, for a purpose, a purpose that He already knew before I was created.  The picture of what God did for each one of us is an amazing scene of preeminence, omniscience, and omnipresence, and all knowing all loving God who cares for me, and He knows me by name.  
      If you have never pondered the thought that God knows you, today is going to be a great day, for He knows every single cell within your body, He knows everything there is to know about you, He created you with a specific purpose in mind, so therefore walk in Him and in step with Him.  And remember, God is Bigger than any circumstance in your life today, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Apostle Paul in his letter written to the church at Colossae reiterates something Jesus stated in His Sermon on the Mount, that we must be laying up treasures in Heaven.  Paul goes at it a bit differently though, giving us instruction to keep our minds stayed on Christ Jesus, and the things from above, Heavenly things.  As a redeemed Christian, a child of God, we have given up on the things of this world, for we are not of this world, we have died to the old carnal, worldly life, we are now different, we are a New Life in Christ.  And we must keep in mind this world is passing away, our world gets more feeble in its ways by the day, losing focus of all that is truly meaningful, many people are focused on self rather than God.
       For why would I stay focused on a place that is not my home, a place that is like a foreign country to me, my true home is in Heaven with my Lord and Savior, a place I long to be.  We must be willing to suffer through what this life has to offer, walking by faith not by sight, in step with the Spirit daily as we march toward eternity.  Let each of us die to self and take up our cross daily keeping our eyes upon the things of Heaven, looking up for our redemption is quite near, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Have you ever been truly brokenhearted?  The death of a loved one, the loss of a friend, maybe a bad diagnosis from the doctor, a broken heart can come from all directions.  And maybe in that moment you thought to yourself, you know this life just demands more than I can give, I'm not sure I can keep on going...  It is at that moment in time that the Lord steps in and He carries you to the other side of that deep dark valley you were sure you could not get through.  For we know, we have the assurance that God is near to the brokenhearted, He lifts them, carries them, encourages them, He gives them the will to keep on going, even though the way is rocky and hard, you know with God you will make it.  
       And then there are those times when your Spirit is absolutely crushed like a rock under pressure feeling like you could just explode from the pressures of life, you are weary and tears struggle to fall from your eyes.  It is at that moment the Lord will come beside you and take your hand and guide you back to a place of contentment in Him.   This is what a relationship in Christ is like, life is hard and unpredictable, and God is steady and firm, like a rock that never moves, and always there when you need Him.  Call upon the name of the Lord for He is near to the brokenhearted and He saves the crushed in Spirit, Jesus Saves!  

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This life we live here on earth is not only short, but it is filled with all kinds of trials and tribulations, suffering is inevitable, it happens to all of us in some way.  Jesus explained this to His disciples in John 16:33 "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  And we know from living for some years that troubles come and troubles go, but they always seem to find a way back into our life, but by clinging to our faith in Christ Jesus we will endure whatever comes our way, for as Jesus says, we are overcomers.  Here the apostle Paul makes it clear that even with all the suffering he went through, and it was a great deal, beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecked, stoned to death and a great deal of persecution, none of that compares to the glory that is to be revealed to us in the future.  We do have a choice, we can stay focused on our problems, our sufferings, or, we can keep our eyes firmly planted upon our Savior every day and see the bright and wonderful future He has for us in Him in eternity.  It comes down to a matter of perspective, what is going to control your thoughts, the bad of today, or the amazing of tomorrow?  We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we do know who holds tomorrow in His hand, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Prophet Amos ministered to the people of the Northern Tribes of Israel, the ten tribes that had revolted against Rehoboam after the death of King Solomon.  From the time they separated themselves from Judah they were idolaters, they worshipped hand made golden calves that Jeroboam had made to keep them from departing to Jerusalem to worship the one true God.  And it got worse, under Ahab who married Jezebel, they worshipped the Baals and forgot the one true God even existed.  And when it comes to justice and righteousness, it was non-existent, they lived life in a way that was evil in the sight of God.  
      For years the prophets tried to get them to listen and to change, all to no avail, they refused.  Amos tells them to let justice roll down like water, let there be justice for all people, the poor who were neglected, the orphans and the widows left to fend for themselves.  These were in violation of everything God had taught them, they lived in total rebellion to the one true God of Israel.  And let righteousness flow like an ever flowing stream...  The righteous were few and far between in the Northern kingdom, they followed the lead of the evil kings, and there were many of them who did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.  Let us remember that going through religious motions will not please God, He is looking for true worship and true righteousness, and real justice in His people, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

What is the Spiritual condition of your heart today?  What is it that drives you and motivates you in this life?  I pray the answer is God, that God is the driving force in your life, you wake up with Him, you walk with Him all day, and you go to bed in prayer with Him as well.  Here in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount He is explaining how easy it is to get off track and allow the world to take control of your life.  Jesus says that we should be seeking the Kingdom of God first in our life, that His Kingdom should be our number one priority as we head toward eternity.  The Lord tells it like it is, for if your treasure is in things of this world, money and material things, your focus is all wrong for all these things are fleeting and will fade away in time, and they will not go with you when you die.  Money is a root of all kinds of evil, money has a real tendency to separate a person from God and others.  Jesus tells us here in this section of His sermon that we should be focused rigthly upon the Kingdom and all our worries and cares will fade away, we will no longer be anxious for the things of this world, as a matter of fact they will be added to you.  Money cannot solve all of our problems, having a lot of material goods does not make us happy, but a relationship with Jesus does.  Jesus takes the worry away, and He fills our heart with His peace, His Joy, and His love so that we can walk by faith in step with the Spirit daily, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

When we think of our earthly father, each one of us probably has our own memories of who he is or was, how kind and gentle he might have been, or maybe he was just not a very nice person.  Maybe you never knew your earthly father, or you did not have a close relationship with him, however your perception of your father might be, we can know that God is the perfect father in Heaven.  Our father in Heaven is 100% absolute perfection, He is kind, gentle, merciful, filled with grace, and most importantly He is love, perfect love.  Sadly people often see God as this white bearded old man who is always angry, but that is not the case, God does get angry, His words tell us that in certain situations God gets quite fired up, but that is not who He is.  The Psalmist here tells us that just like a good earthly father shows compassion upon his children, so God shows compassion upon those who fear Him.   Because of who God is, the creator of the universe, the creator of all things that were ever made, the creator of you and me, God deserves to be feared, held in total awe, held in the highest of esteem.  
       Today, think about your relationship with God, is it what it should be, is it an intimate, loving relationship?  If we will take the time to get to know God, spend time with God, we will then understand just how amazing He is, far above anyone or anything you can imagine.  God is your awesome perfect father in Heaven and He loves you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Sinner?  It is when we come to the realization that we are a sinner, a fallen human being with a sinful nature who is in desperate need of a Savior, it is then that we can come to the Lord in full repentance for salvation.  And John the Apostle here gives us some very good news, if we confess our sins, willingly tell God we have fallen short, missed the mark, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.  Do you see the simplicity of this action?  We confess our sins, and God forgives us... No religious jirations to go through, no hoops to jump through, you confess, He forgives.  But God doesn't stop there, He is also more than ready to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, God takes it a step further, He forgives and then He cleanses us of all unrighteousness, wipes the slate clean, all is taken care of, we are washed white as snow even though our sins were crimson red.  
       If today, you know that you have sinned and messed up and you feel unworthy, know that God sees you, He knows your heart and He is ready to take you and hold you and forgive all your sins, all you need do is confess those sins to Him and He will forgive you.  Cry out to the Lord, ask Him to forgive you, repent of your unrighteous behavior and God will forgive and cleanse you.  Oh the Mercy and Grace of God, He loves you too much to leave you where you are, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

As the apostle Paul reveals the truth of freedom in Christ Jesus by showing the Corithian church how those who were with Moses in the wilderness remained captive in their own hearts through rebellion against God, we can see the true reality of our own freedom in the Lord.  People look at Christianity as restrictive and boring, that the Lord uses this relationship with Him to restrict us from living a life we might truly enjoy.  But that is absolutely not true, there is, as our verse today states, freedom in the Lord.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, freedom from sin, from death, from Hell for all of those are bondage which keeps us from living and knowing real life, real freedom in our Lord.  
       When I get up in the morning, I already know it will be a good day because I have the Lord walking through this life with me, for I know the Son is going to shine down on me.  Our freedom is not based on living the way I choose, but in living the way my Lord chooses to guide me, knowing He will never lead me to any place that is not of Him.  My freedom is measured in blessings from above, not by what the world sees as a good time.  When we surrender our lives to Christ Jesus, we are instantly granted full freedom from the bondage of this world as we are transformed by the renewing of our mind.  Today, have the mind of Christ, live in His freedom, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The apostle John, as he writes this, his first epistle to the church, he is very plainly telling those reading this letter that they need to be humble, honest, open, and real.  How can we say we are a Chrisitan, that meaning we have faith in Christ, we are walking with Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and yet we are not honest with others, we lie, we lack humility being afraid to be vulnerable, the door to our failures is closed to all, and all of this shows that we are not being real with ourselves, real with others, and sadly we are not being real with God.  John tells us right here, whoever says he abides in Him (Christ Jesus), ought to walk in the same way in which He walked, can you honestly say you are walking as Jesus did?
      Humility leads to honesty, how can anyone say, "I am a follower of Christ Jesus and lie to people's faces and think nothing of it?  Or how can a person live a life that is not pleasing to God and act like they are holier than thou?  When we put up a facade, thus hiding the real person, this is called hypocrisy, you have become two different people, one person when no one is around and another when you are with Christians...  Do you think God does not see the "REAL" you?  Do you think God does not hear the lies you tell?  Remember, God looks at the heart, not what appears on the outside, God desires humility and honesty, God desires to see the "REAL" you all the time, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

We are in the Gospel of John, chapter fifteen,  where Jesus explains through the analogy of the vine and the branches the relationship believers have with Him.  Without the vine the branch cannot live on its own and will therefore produce no fruit.  True life flows out of the vine into the branches.  And then the Lord says to His disciples "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you".  Now we know from knowing Christ, He loved perfectly, and of course He did, He is God, but how are we to love like He did then and still does today?   The simple answer is we cannot, we are mere human beings with very limited capacity to do what Jesus did, but if we live the life He has prescribed for us to live, following Him, and letting the Holy Spirit of God lead our lives we will let His love flow right through us.  And having been filled with the Spirit our life is changed. It more readily follows now that it has been transformed by the renewing of our mind to be like Jesus, to live like Jesus, to love like Jesus.  Our life in Christ Jesus should be evidenced by the way we love others, how we treat others.  If Jesus is in us, He will flow out of us, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

God is very clear about what He expects from His people, He has laid out His expectations from the beginning of time, love God and love others.  And here the Prophet Micah gives more detail in regard to how we are to love others and he begins with He has told you, O man, you already know this, this is nothing new by the time the prophet stated this.  This prophet spoke to Judah for some fifty years, those years were prosperous but the people were not living according to what God had laid out for them.  They knew the right thing to do and refused to do it, they did all the 'religious' practices, but their hearts were not in it.  And what they failed to do was to honor God with upright lives, justice was skewed, the least of the kingdom were overlooked, left behind and ignored.  The people were not kind to each other, they did as they pleased and were not loving others as God had prescribed, but loved themselves far more.  And humility was nowhere to be found, people were arrogant, prideful and self consumed, much like today in our nation, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and most people just do not care.  God demands justice, and it will be handed down in the end, God is kind even if the world is not, and God hates pride and will humble those who exalt themselves.  God will have the last word when all is said and done, where will you be standing?  Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

 Live for God.  As the apostle Peter writes here in his epistle, this portion deals with how we steward God's good grace, are we living a right life, or are we still living in the world and like the world.  When we are Born Again God calls out of a life of debauchery and constant sin and into a life of holiness and righteousness.  We have been transformed from the old self to the new self by the love, mercy and grace of God, we are therefore to be living for God.  We have been called to live a life that is sober minded and self controlled, leaving the old life behind, in the past, dead in its tracks, not to be taken up again.  And, if we are to live for God, we are to love like God, loving each other genuinely and earnestly, for when we do this we can know that love covers a multitude of sins.  When we love rightly as God loves us we will love others, help others, forgive others, have mercy on others and pour out grace upon others, that is living for God.
       God is love, and we love because God loved us first and we as Christians, followers of Christ Jesus are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and we are to love others as we love ourselves, these are commandments from the Lord.  Love is the center of who God is, and love should be the center of who we are in Christ Jesus, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The apostle Paul has just given those reading this letter real reason for Hope in Christ Jesus, even though there is suffering in this life, that means nothing in comparison to the future hope we have in the Lord.  Life is unpredictable, it has a tendency to throw things at us that can stop us in our tracks wondering what now, what's next?  But when we stand firm in our faith, and we walk by faith rather than by sight we know nothing even comes close to our God, He is awesome, He is powerful, and He is our Rock that cannot be moved or changed.  We can therefore say without hesitation, if God is for us, who can be against us, is there anyone or anything that can over power God and His promises?  Remember that the man who penned this letter to the believers in Rome suffered greatly at the hands of the Judaizers, they hated him, they stirred up all kinds of trouble for him, having him beaten, jailed, stoned to death, and more, and yet he nor His faith were phased by any of it, as a matter of fact, his faith grew stronger the more they persecuted him for Christs sake.  
       Today, no matter what you might be going through, if your faith is in Christ Jesus, you have a guaranteed future ahead of you, you can indeed stand upon the promises of God knowing you are a child of the most high God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Throughout the Word of God we read of people in all different situations, life threatening circumstances, and God is there to protect them.  As well, we read of the promises of God where He gives His assurance that things will turn out OK, God has them covered.  Even as the Hebrews were led out of slavery in Egypt, God protected them, led them through the parted Red Sea, and provided for them day and night as they walked through the wilderness for some forty years.  And when they came up against a mighty foe, God would win the battle for them.  Here the Prophet Isaiah gives two examples of how God will protect His people, when they are in deep water and drowning is a distinct possibility, God will keep them above water.  Or when the children of God are facing a fiery situation, He will protect them there as well, keeping them from the flames that would otherwise consume them.  
       This is what God does, He is faithful to always deliver His people from sure destruction.  Most of us can look back upon our own lives and see the hand of God keeping us from serious injury or even death as we were doing things that were not in our best interest.  The Lord is our deliverer, our protection, our strong tower in times of need, He is always with us, He will never leave us or forsake us, lean on God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

What is the greatest of all the commandments?  Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might", you shall love.  God is very intentional in how He teaches us to live the life He created for us, we were created out of love, to love and to be loved, love is central to the life of a human being.  The word of God talks a lot about love, Jesus talked about love, and here the apostle Paul has an indepth look at love and what love is and is not.  Let us remember love is not an emotion, emotions come and go, they fade, and they are fully dependent upon our circumstances. Love is truly a state of being which allows us to love like God loves, being patient in love, being patient with the ones we love, and being patient in how we treat others.  Love is kind, we choose to be kind, kindness is a fruit of the Spirit it is an attribute of who we are in Christ Jesus, the Lord shows us kindness everyday, therefore we are to be kind as well.  Love does not envy or boast, it is not prideful, self-centered, or selfish, love looks out for others first, thinking more of them rather than self.  And love is not arrogant, believing 'I' am better than others, we should not think more of ourselves than we ought, always humble thinking of others first.  We love because God loved us first, let us exhibit the love of God in every aspect of our lives, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Faith, living out your faith, it is an adventure for sure, and my faith requires that I seek the Lord's guidance, knowledge and wisdom daily to walk in the Spirit and to endure all this world has to throw at me. We will have trials, tribulations, temptations, these are all part of this world we live in. It is fallen, sinful, wicked and evil, afterall it is overseen by the Prince of this world, that being Satan himself. But, as James tells us, if you lack wisdom, ask God, Solomon did just that and was considered the most wise man of his time. God is more than willing to give all the wisdom you can absorb, all you can take in, you need only ask and it will be given. 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Waiting is one thing most people do not enjoy doing, you have to wait at the doctors office, in line at the store, in line to get cheap gasoline, maybe you are waiting for that dream job, or a spouse to come along, we all know waiting can be brutal. But when we wait upon the Lord, we can rest assured He will answer our prayers, He is faithful to hear and respond, and when we wait, it is well worth it. The Psalmist writes here to wait for the Lord, and while you are waiting be strong... Not always the easiest thing to do, oftentimes we are in tears while we wait, maybe even a little impatient. And the Psalmist continues, and let your heart take courage, courage comes in different forms depending upon the circumstance. John Wayne said courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. If we are leaning on God and His understanding, we need to trust that He is doing what is necessary to make your prayer come to be, sometimes it takes a while. And then again, in Godly fashion, the call to wait is repeated, when we see commands, ideas, requests repeated in Scripture it means it is important, we are to take notice and let our heart be still and know that God is working in our favor. So today, if you are waiting for God to answer your petition, keep waiting, be strong, and let your heart take courage, waiting is hard, but with God it is well worth the wait, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This is the eight of the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and it is one that most people in our nation have never truly experienced.  After the Ascension of the Lord back to Heaven, persecution of the Church began, James the brother of John was killed by Heron, Stepehn was stoned to death by the Religious Leaders, and it has continued for all these years.  today the worst persecution of Christians is in Muslim countries and in Africa, where people who place their faith in Christ are killed for that reason alone.  Jesus says that Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, those who stand up for Godly principles, those who protect the weak, the orphans and the widows, and believe in Him  Now let us not confuse persecution with consequences, persecution comes for doing the right thing, the Godly thing, the Christ centered thing.  Whereas consequences, they come from our own wrongdoing.  Our world is changing rapidly, protection of religious freedoms in our country are  starting to be chipped away, the intolerant of our nation demand we tolerate ungodly, down right wickedness or else.  we must stand our ground, even if it means we are persecuted, or even killed.  If our faith in Christ leads us to death, so be it, I would rather die with Jesus than deny him and go to Hell, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God. At first glance it might seem insignificant, but being a peacemaker is a very valued achievement, it brings people into reconciliation with each other and it is beautiful. When we are a party to helping others be reconciled, it takes courage, humility and a lot of prayer, but when it happens it is like Heaven. It is not enough to be a peacekeeper because that can be done through force and domination. Being a peacemaker requires mercy and grace and a lot of love, it requires Godliness on all parts involved. Years ago, I had two people in my life, a pastor and a young man who had lied to the pastor, and they were at odds with each other. They were no longer speaking or even seeing each other, it was ugly. Having known both of them as friends, I felt that it was my duty to bring them back together, there must be a reconciliation. it worked, it actually worked far better than I anticipated, God was in our midst helping along the way, they were brought back together. When we strive for peace in God's way it always works out for the best. Making peace is what the Lord is all about, being at peace is far better than strife, Jesus is our best example, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

When I think of this Beatitude, it reminds me of the psalm David wrote after sinning with Bathsheba, and killing her husband, as he had been found out, confronted by the Prophet Nathan, and David was brought to his knees and he said I have sinned against God.  Then he wrote, create me a clean heart O' God, it is so beautiful to read those words, to pray those words when we know we have failed and need to clean up our hearts a bit, Lord, create in me a clean heart, make me pure again in your eyes.  If we are honest we do not see ourselves as pure, we know that we have sinned, we have a sinful fallen nature that drives us to do things that do not please God.  But God, God in His infinite mercy makes a way for us to come into right relationship with Him, where He will redeem us, forgive us, justify us, and save us from the wrath to come when we place our faith and trust in His Son Christ Jesus.  When we become a Born Again Christian, we have been cleansed in the blood of Christ, washed white as snow, our sins are gone, and when God looks upon us... He sees a child of God who is pure of heart.  Jesus isn't saying you have to be perfect, we cannot be perfect until we have wholly sanctified and we are in His presence in Heaven, until then, we are called to live a life that is pleasing to Him, trusting Him and obeying Him, walking in step with the Holy Spirit of God and chasing after His righteousness daily, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Every one of us has sinned, fallen short of the Glory of God in so many ways, we each deserve to be punished for our transgressions... But God, God has chosen mercy instead by sending His only son to come to live on earth among sinful men and to take our punishment and to die a criminal's death, the death that each one of us deserved to receive. Acts of wrongdoing have consequences, sometimes very severe consequences, and God looked upon mankind and saw that there was only one way for them to be redeemed and brought back into a right relationship with Him, that being the perfect sacrifice of His Son, this is mercy of the greatest magnitude. Jesus here relates this to us in His Sermon on the Mount, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This Beatitude truly envelopes how the Lord stresses that we should have a strong desire for righteousness, as strong as our desire for bread and water.  Jesus tells us that He is the bread of life, truly the sustenance that will keep us going strong, that He is the living water that will quench our thirst daily.  And here in this promise from the Lord He states that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied... Do you wake up each morning hungering for righteousness?  Do you have a strong desire to go deeper in your relationship with God?  Are you Thirsting after God like you do a drink of water on a hot day?  Are you like the deer in Psalm 42:1 "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God"?  Or can you relate to the Psalmist in the next verse, Psalm 42:2 "My soul thirsts for God, or the living God.  When shall I come and appear before God?  Do these verses describe the relationship you have with the living God, the creator of the universe?  The one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness seeks the face of God every day, and desires to do His will throughout their life.  The desires for righteousness are every bit as strong or stronger than  the need for food and water, Jesus Saves!        

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Beatitude number three, another opportunity to be blessed of God, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Meekness, although the world would describe being meek as a person who lacks the ability to stay strong, even considered weak, that is not what it means.  Meekness is often described as strength under pressure, but it is really more than that, it is a person who has the ability to stay composed in heated situations, one who can resist the urge to get angry or mad when most people would be enraged.  A meek person is not easily agitated, they are mild mannered yet firm and capable of handling most all circumstances they encounter.  Jesus is our best example of a meek person, even though He was pressed hard by certain people on a regular basis He did not react to their aggressiveness with His own aggressiveness, He reacted in a composed,  self controlled way.  
       We can learn a lot from studying how the Lord handled Himself in all of life's situations, He was tempted just like we are to do things that would be unbecoming of a man of God, and He resisted, He stayed true to who He is.  Let us always walk in faith, in step with the Holy Spirit, and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in how we walk through this life, it is a challenge but with the Spirit's help we can do it, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Another of the Beatitudes, Jesus speaking on a grassy knoll on the Sea of Galilee, and He is on fire teaching things that are not only hard to hear, but even harder to live by.  The Sermon on the Mount, the readings in Matthew chapters 5-7 is one of the most amazing messages for us to read, to learn and to live out.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted, again like the first one blessed are those who are poor in Spirit, this is not about mourning death or grieving the loss of a loved one.  This is about you and I mourning our own natural bent toward sinfulness, we grieve the fact we keep on doing things that are against what God has said is wrong.  But when we mourn our fallenness, it shows the Lord that we are repentant, that we feel bad for our wrongdoing.  Like when David was confronted by Nathan the Prophet, David was brought to a place where he realized his sin was a sin against God.  Our sins, when we hate other people, when we curse others with the same tongue we bless God with, when we are unkind, ungrateful, and so many other sins, they are all against God.  
       If you are a Born Again Christian, and you have allowed that sinful nature to come to the surface, and you find yourself in mourning over that sinfulness, know that not only are you forgiven, but God will comfort you, He knows your heart.  Jesus died on a cross to pay your sin debt, even the sin you committed today, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Again, here we are in the Sermon on the Mount, teaching from the Lord Himself, teaching that is antithetical to everything the world stands for.  Jesus' message is for the true believer, for the one who desires to have a deep, intimate relationship with Him.  Understanding this message and living it out as He prescribes requires surrender, commitment, and a great deal of humility.  Here in the Lord's statement, 'blessed are the poor in Spirit' is often thoroughly misunderstood.  This has nothing to do with poverty in the sense of finances, goods or material things, it has everything to do with knowing you are Spiritually bankrupt and have nothing to offer the Lord in any way.  It is a realization that you need the Lord in every aspect of your life, you are fully dependent upon Him.  This requires humility, for without humility you can not have a real relationship with the Lord, for humility puts you in the right mindset and heart posture to live a Christ centered life.  
       When we come to that place where we have been humbled, and we are broken hearted, have a contrite heart, knowing that everything we need is in Christ Jesus, it is then we are in the place He wants us to be, it is then that we are walking in the Kingdom of God.  Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, lean on Him and His understanding, and know that Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The psalmist laments his current condition, it seems as though the whole world is closing in on him and he has no place to go, life has gotten extremely difficult.  He can feel the darkness within himself, he even asks his inward being, why are you cast down, O my soul?  He is deeply disturbed by his circumstance, his soul is feeling deeply depressed, part of him has lost sight of hope, darkness seems to be closing in all about him.  And he continues to question, his heart is turmoil within him, this is a very difficult place to be, almost like you are in a deep pit with no way of escape...
       But then he has a moment of clarity that brings him back to reality, he knows that God will take care of him, he knows this is only a temporary situation, this too will pass, Hope in God.  How often do we allow our temporary sadness and distress to get us down to a point of almost going into a depression over things that are truly not all that important, they will pass on, things will get better, it is not the end of the world, Hope in God.  For I again shall praise Him, my salvation and my God, this life is like a vapor, speeding by and then it is gone, but our Hope in God is eternal, our future is in Him, not in this world.  This world is not my home, I'm just passing through, lean on the Lord and His understanding and know your Hope is in God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Apostle Paul had an amazing walk with the Lord, but it was not without trials and tribulations, he suffered greatly for his faith just as the Lord said he would.  Paul endured many things over his lifetime as a follower of Christ, but there was one physical issue that he was dealing with, we are not told what it was, but whatever it might have been it seemed to bother him immensely and he wanted it gone. He cried out to the Lord and Paul got a response, and I love how Scripture shows us plainly these were the exact words from Christ Jesus, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".  Now Paul does not complain any longer of his ailment, but he rests assured that the problem drives him closer to his Lord, and helps him to rely on Christ all the more in this weakness he was enduring.  
       What a great lesson for all of us, many of us have some kind of issue we would like to see gone, and it might present itself as a weakness to us, but God says, My grace is sufficient to you, let that weakness, that problem, that ailment make you all the more reliant upon me.  Jesus says to each of us today, your strength comes from me, lean on it, depend upon it, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

In the days of the Prophet Isaiah, the Kingdom was divided, he was a prophet in the Southern Kingdom of Judah and things were not good.  We read this verse as part of the opening chapter in the book of Isaiah showing us the poor social and economic condition of the nation.  They were going through the religious and ritualistic motions of the Jewish religious system, but none of it meant anything to them, and many of the people were serving worthless idols in the high places.  And in the meantime the people with the highest needs were being ignored, people were not doing good, justice was nowhere to be found, the lowest in society were being oppressed, it was not a pretty sight to see and God was not happy as the Prophet explains to the people of Judah.  The Lord saw the plight of the fatherless and the widows and through Isaiah the prophet spoke for them to the king, to the princes and to the people themselves.  
       He told them your religious antics mean nothing to me, your worship is dead, your offerings are of no good because your heart is far from me this day.  God is not looking for religious or ritualistic rites to please Him, no, He is seeking the heart of all people to love Him and to love others as themselves.  And Jesus said if you love me you will obey my commandments, He is looking for trust and obedience, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Gospel of John, Chapter fifteen, Jesus tells His listeners that He is the vine, the source of life for the believer, and that they are the branches of that vine, a place where fruit is produced.  And with all good plants pruning is required for proper growth and production of good fruit year after year.  Pruning is absolutely not an option; it is mandatory for an unpruned vine will eventually wither and die away due to the dead branches that block the sun and even bring disease to the vine.  Therefore, every branch that does not bear fruit will be taken away, cut off.  And as well, every branch that does produce good fruit is pruned to improve its ability to continue to produce better fruit.  
       Jesus' analogy is simple and readily understandable by most people, it is something most of us have done over the years if you have plants or trees that are growing in your yard.  But it also paints a picture of the life of people in Christ, true believers that produce fruit and those who profess to be believers but produce nothing, and the dead wood must go away.  Just as the Lord stated, you will know them by their fruit, Jesus Saves !

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The FEAR of the Lord, we read this phrase often, we hear it in sermons, but do we truly understand exactly what the fear of the Lord is?  It has nothing to do with being afraid, God does not desire that you are afraid of Him, just the opposite God wants to be in an intimate, loving relationship with you.  But we must hold God in the highest of reverence, we should be in Awe of Him, afterall He is the creator of all that was ever created, the Heavens, the earth, you and me and everything that is around us.  God holds this universe together with His hand, everything in perfect harmony so life can exist on this planet, that is God!
     Another way to look at this with the 'Oh' of God, when we cry out to Him, Oh God, we know He hears us and will respond in His way in His time, and always within His will.  When we have this relationship with God, it is then we begin to gain wisdom from God, and the deeper you go with God, the more wisdom we will gain in HIm.  And as your relationship grows, you learn from God's revelation out of His word, you grow in the knowledge of the Lord which brings true Godly insight as well.  Knowing God is truly life altering, it renews your mind, takes you out of the world and places right in the palm of the hand of God, a place where many desire to be but never get.  Know God, know wisdom, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Here the Apostle Paul, in writing to the church at Corinth, who had promised to give abundantly to the church in Jerusalem had gotten lax in their promise.  As we know, with mamy things in life it is easy to say we will do something, but quite another to actually do what we promised.  Paul is explaining that if we are generous, if we sow generously we will reap in the same way.  but if we are stingy and sow sparingly, the harvest will be minimal as well.  But as in all things let your heart be the guide, give out of the fullness of your heart, give because you have a desire to give, not because of compulsion or pressure, but because you have a desire to do this.
       Any time money is spoken of in the church it has a tendency to stir up emotions for there has been so much misuse of funds by corrupt people.  But God says give from your heart, give because of the love that you have for the cause, there need not be any external pressure that would drive you to do what you do not feel driven to do otherwise.  And let us always remember, God loves a cheerful giver, one who has the mind of Christ in all things, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

What is the mind of Christ you might be asking, and that is a good question, this verse standing alone could be interpreted in many ways.  What is the apostle Paul telling us, what exactly is the mind of Christ?  We are to be in one accord with the Lord, in how we love others, unconditionally and without limits.  Be willing to offer comfort to those around you who are in need of a shoulder, or just someone to listen to them.  One who is walking in step with the Spirit, being discerning, helping others, loving on others, having sympathy, empathy and concern for people in your sphere of influence.  
       Having the mind of Christ is being humble, not self centered, thinking more of others than you do yourself, willing to put other people first, stepping out of the way for others' sake.  Jesus life is the perfect example of this, how to live a life in the most  unselfish manner ever seen, willing to lay down His life for the world even though it meant severe suffering for Him, death in the most humiliating way filled with torture inflicted by ruthless men.  Let each of us who have placed our full faith and trust in Christ Jesus as Savior have the mind of Christ which is ours in Him, in His perfect example, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Oh the comfort of Psalm twenty-three, it brings us a calm in times of grief, peace in times of turmoil, and hope in times of unsettledness.  Knowing that the Lord is my shepherd is a truth we need to carry with us every day, God is with each believer leading and guiding, ready to comfort us as we need Him.  Sometimes we allow our minds to go into overdrive, digging up thoughts of dread putting us in a dark place that only God can deliver us from, it is that time when we need to relax and let God be God in our life, we must be still and know that He is God, He is our Good shepherd.  When we rest in the Lord, when we take that sabbath day as He has told us we should do, He will then restore our soul, as we take peace in Him.
      Restoration is needed after many hours, days, or even months of neglecting our need to rest in the Lord, both Spiritual and physical, take the time to be restored.  And as well, our Good Shepherd leads us in paths of Righteousness, for His name sake, ensuring that we are walking on the narrow path with Him, and keeping us off that broad road to destruction.  When we are in step with the Holy Spirit of God, He will indeed lead us down the path of Righteousness, thus refreshing our souls in the one who is Mighty to Save, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

On that day they gathered together, like minded believers to praise God for His faithfulness, and to pray that the Lord would continue to move in and through them.  And as they were in prayer together in complete trust and obedience to the Lord, the place where they had come together was shaken, God was on the move in these people and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  You see, they were faithful to remain fervent in prayer, bold in their faith, and courageous in their lives in Christ Jesus.  Is this not exactly what the Lord asks of us, that we would be bold in our faith every day, willing to step up and step out in faith representing Christ in our world with much boldness.  And as they were filled again with the Holy Spirit they continued to speak the Word of God with all boldness.  
       This is not an isolated incident, as these men and women were faithful to God, He was faithful to them.  Our lives today are no different, we too can experience the move of God in our lives if we will engage with the Lord, pray fervently, and step out in faith with boldness and speak the Word of God to the world around us.  Today, for the most part the church has become complacent and disengaged sitting back waiting for something to happen.  Jesus says we are to be all in, fully surrendered to Him and totally committed to His cause, trusting Him and obeying Him, knowing that Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

It has now been forty days since Jesus was raised from the dead after being crucified and buried in a borrowed tomb and He has spent quality time with His disciples since that time.  It is now time for Him to ascend back to Heaven and leave those disciples on earth to spread the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus to the whole world.  And the Lord, as He gets ready to depart, gives them some final words of instruction, very soon you will receive power, God given power as the Holy Spirit will come upon you.  The prophecy of Joel is going to come to pass, Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions"
       And when this happens you will be my witnesses to the Holy city of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth, you will spread the Gospel message to all who have ears to hear around the known world.  This is what all true believers in Christ Jesus are to be doing to this very day, telling people about the amazing saving grace of Christ Jesus the Messiah!  All believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit of God desire to go out and tell the world about Jesus, it is truly a Christian instinct, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The apostle Paul here in Romans chapters 9-11 is writing to Jewish people in Rome, speaking of their unbelief, their inability to understand the true Gospel.  And he explains it to them simply, even says early on that he himself would be willing to be accursed if only his kinsman would come to faith in Christ Jesus.  And in explaining salvation to them, he gives them the simplicity of the Gospel, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.  And now states simply how will they know to call upon Him whom they have not believed?  And how will they believe if they have not heard, and how will they hear if there is no one to preach the good news to them?
       For the world to hear the Good News of Christ Jesus and the salvation He purchased through the shedding of His own blood, there must be those willing to preach and teach this Good News.  Many people hear about the Lord Jesus from people other than a pastor, everyday people who have been saved and delight in telling others about the change He brought to them through faith.  We can all make a difference in our world if we will simply speak truth into the ears of those around us, telling them simply what Jesus has done in our lives, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

In today's society people are driven to look good, sound good, and have others like them, even adore them.  Our world has become a place of non-existent appearances, people you see in magazines and on television, they do not look like that in person, their appearance has been altered greatly with makeup, paint and computer skilled operators.  People want to be seen and liked because being rejected or dismissed is just unbearable.  Solomon tells us right here that the fear of man is a problem, a snare, for it drives people to do all kinds of things to be liked and accepted.  Obviously none of us likes being disliked, but when we are walking with the Lord and doing His will in our life every day, people are not only going to dislike us, they are going to hate us.  But in the end the only thing that matters is that we are abiding in Christ Jesus every moment of every day, He loves us, cares for us, and will lead us into eternity as we abide in Him.  People pleasers accommodate and compromise the truth to ensure that others approve of them.  They put up a facade so that the real them never shows, that is defined as a hypocrite, an actor, in reality... a phony.  
       Your relationship with the Lord is by far the most important relationship in your life for it is eternal, it is not temporary like everything else on this earth.  Remember, life is short, death is sure, sin is the problem and Christ is the cure, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The apostle Paul has just given the church at Galatia a lesson on the truth of what Christ did on the cross, that the law has been fulfilled and there is nothing more they can do other than believe in faith, no works are to be added in order to be saved.  And the real battle isn't with each other, but the real battle is with ourselves, the flesh that desires to be satisfied on a regular basis, and feeding the desires of the flesh is sin.  But there is a way to defeat the fleshly desires, it is by walking in the Spirit, listening to the Spirit of God speak to you and allowing the Holy Spirit of God to guide your life in all ways.  
       People today are really no different than the people in Galatia, they allowed false teachers to come in and sway or change what they had learned from Paul.  False teachers do this, they bend the truth a little, leave out the hard truth of the Gospel because sometimes the truth stings, it convicts and people get offended by the truth.  So, unsavory people are willing to lighten up what God says to make it more palatable for the worldly people in the church to swallow, and this leads to a carnal convenient group of people following Christ at a distance for they have allowed themselves to get bewitched by bad teaching.  Always, walk in the Holy Spirit of God, never allowing anything to get between you and your Savior, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

By Grace, grace is God giving us what we absolutely do not deserve, but beyond that God gives us everything imaginable for no cost to us, God is beyond amazing.  So the apostle states here that by the grace of God you have been saved through faith, it is faith that comes in and brings you to a point of realization that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.  This is the place where we see the separation of the saved and the lost because many people refuse to admit they are sinful people, they demand that they are good people.  But truthfully, none are Good, we have all fallen short of the Glory of God and missed the mark, the standard of perfection set by Christ Himself.  And furthermore, there is nothing you can do to earn this salvation, you cannot buy it, cannot be good enough to obtain it, it has nothing to do with you, it is all Christ Jesus, He paid it all, sacrificed His life so that you might be saved.  Salvation is a gift of God, it was all God, God planned it long before the foundations of the earth, God made sure it happened just as it was planned, and then Christ Jesus, the Son of God lived it out unto death, even death on a brutal Roman cross, to pay your sin debt.  Let us always remember, salvation is of God alone, you and I did nothing to earn it, it is a gift of God, we played no part in it, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as Holy, and we do this by being Holy as He is holy, being loving, caring, and respectful in all our words and deeds.  But also we can honor Christ the Lord by always being ready to give a reason, or a defense to any and all who ask about the hope that lies within us.  The way we live our lives tells others a great deal about us, the way we speak to people with kind words, with compassion, truly caring about others, even strangers.  When someone notices us as being a follower of Christ Jesus and they ask about what they see in us, hope, joy, and peace, we must be ready to tell them, to give them a reason for our attitude in Christ.  It is at this moment you can give your testimony as to what Jesus has done for you, how the Lord has changed your life, how God has instilled hope within you because of the salvation He has given to you.  Your life tells people a story of who you are, your words speak volumes about the person Christ has created you to be, your actions present the love, care and compassion that the Lord has put in your heart.  Honor Christ with your life, be ready to give a response to others, and always do it with the utmost love, respect and kindness, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

For the believer, the true follower of Christ Jesus, one who is surrendered to the will of God, Jesus tells His disciples the Spirit of truth (The Holy Spirit of God), is coming and when He comes, He will guide you in all truth.  Truth is the one thing that God will always stand upon, nothing is relative with God, nothing is subjective, God is very black and white, truth is absolute.  And the Holy Spirit of God does not speak on His own authority, but is of God, the one true God.  God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they are one in thought and substance yet in three persons.  And the Holy Spirit of God will declare to you the things that are to come, He will lead you and guide you in your New Life in Christ Jesus.  
       Think about your relationship with God today, is it interactive, are you in constant communication with the Lord?  Are you fully leaning on His understanding as you navigate this life on earth?  Our relationship with God is dependent upon us trusting Him completely and understanding He will always guide through truth in love, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

 A verse that to the natural man seems absolutely absurd, when presented with this truth, many people will stand in disbelief, this makes no sense, why would God do that?  God, the creator of everything, from this earth to the moon, sun and stars, to you and me, loves us so much, that being never ending unconditional love, sacrificed His only Son so that you and I could have a way to Him for forgiveness of all our sins, to be led into eternal life...  It seems so hard to fathom that anyone could love a sinner like me, that He would go to such lengths to bring me into a relationship with him, even though I was in such a state of unGodliness.  But God, God is not like us humans, no God is perfect in every way, God is love, and He is unchanging in these attributes toward His creation, willing to do what it takes to draw us to Him, to redeem us from sure death and destruction.  
       Remember this, the love of God is like nothing you will ever experience in this life, no one on earth can love you like God does, no one can care for like God does, and there is not a soul on earth that can save you like God will.  If you have never surrendered your life to Christ Jesus, call upon His name and you will be saved, come into a loving relationship with your creator, He died and rose from the grave just for you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

 Here in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is telling His disciples of a time when persecution will be real, it will be hard, they will drag you into synagogues, before governors, and kings, all for your faith in Christ Jesus.  This has been happening all around the world for many years, but we are now seeing this happen in our nation, people arrested for praying, for reading the Word of God, and for standing up for Godly values.  But we need not worry about what to say, the Holy Spirit of God will speak through you, He will give you the words.  You may have already experienced this while telling non-believers about the Lord, or when you do not have words to pray, God knows and God will always give you the words to speak.
       Is it not comforting to know that God loves us that much, that He cares enough to ensure we have the right words to speak in a time of deep need.  The key to all of this is you and I must have an intimate relationship with the Lord, we must be in step with the Spirit walking with Him daily, for it is then that we can be filled with the Spirit of God.  A person walking at a distance, not in constant communication with the Lord, only seeking Him in time of need, they will not be filled with the Spirit, they will be lacking for they are not fully surrendered to the will of God.  God is looking for fully committed Christians to follow Him every moment of every day, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

 Behold!  Listen up my people, this is extremely important, I have very Good News for you this day.  God is my salvation, this is the best news, knowing that God is my salvation, He has saved me, adopted me into the family of God, I am one of His sheep in His pasture and He looks after me and shepherds me every moment of every day.  I will trust Him and I will not be afraid, this is a real key to our relationship with our Lord and Savior, we trust Him fully with every aspect of our life, for we know there is nothing to fear, not even death can separate me from my Lord.  He desires that we do two things in our relationship with Him, trust Him and obey Him, when these two are fully present and fully incorporated in how we follow Chrsit Jesus, our relationship thrives, it grows, it is amazing.  
       The Lord is my strength and my song, just like the old hymn states and we all know, I am weak but thou are strong.  We know that we have great weaknesses, we battle the flesh on a daily basis, it is a struggle, but if we are walking in the Spirit every day we can win.  And He is my song, a song that fills my heart with joy and peace as I walk and sing His song of love for me.  He has become my salvation, my all in all.  Today, if Jesus is not your salvation, cry out to Him to save you to draw you into a life changing relationship with Him, I promise the change you will experience will be earth shaking as it moves your heart from the temporal to the eternal, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Proverbs, the book of wisdom, penned by the one called the wisest man that ever lived.  Solomon asked for wisdom, he needed to be wise in how he was to lead the nation following the death of his father, King David.  There is not a single person that does not need more wisdom, we must be asking God to give us the ability to navigate this world, and it does require Godly wisdom.  As is stated in this proverb, if we walk with wise people it rubs off on us, we become wise through our relationships because as humans we emulate those we spend the most time with.  But sadly, the opposite is true as well, if we spend time with people who waste money, are lazy, do stupid things, have bad habits and the like, we too will start doing those things, we will create bad unwise habits as do our companions.
       Think about who you spend the most time with,  then ponder how your life has changed because of the time you have dedicated to be with them.  Have you become like those people?  Have you created some habits you know you need to break and get back to the person God desires you to be?  Our friends should be committed to self improvement, to better living, to healthier living, choose your friends wisely, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The way to salvation is quite simple, the Apostle Paul lays it out right here, confess with your mouth, a verbal profession of faith, and believe in your heart, true belief in Christ Jesus, and you will be saved.  Over the centuries since Jesus died on the cross to pay the sin debt of all the world, people have attempted to make salvation far more difficult than it is supposed to be, altar calls, sinners prayers, weeks of classes on how to be saved, and more, when the way to salvation is simple, just believe, have faith in Christ.  We as the church need to get back to basics and be followers of the Real Messiah who never made it difficult to be a Born Again believer, we do not need religion, rituals, traditions, or any other man created idea to bring people into the family of God, let us do it the Lord's way.  We can no longer just simply believe everything we hear from the pulpit, all people who are called by the name of the one true God must be good Berean's, we must be willing to question what is being preached and taught in our churches each week, make sure it is correct and biblical.  If it is not spelled out in the Word of God, then it is suspect as whether or not it is true at the very least.  Salvation is a gift from God, let us never interfere with how God made this available, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Great Commission from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus' instructions to His disciples, and if you are a Born Again believer, you are one of His disciples, we are to go out and tell the world, all of creation about the Good News of Christ Jesus.  And why wouldn't we?  Why would we keep this life saving, life changing news to ourselves?  The Lord brought the Good News of the Kingdom of God to earth, spread it all over the land of Israel, to His chosen people and then He tells all believers to go out and do the same.  
       The Good News of Christ is the telling of how God planned to save all the world from their sins, from sure death, and the wrath of God to come.  How Jesus, through the virgin Mary was born on earth as a man, lived a sinless life, and willingly allowed Himself to be taken, beaten, humiliated and then nailed to a cross to be the perfect sacrifice for God to pay the sin debt of all people.  But even though He died on that cross and was buried in a borrowed tomb, He rose from that tomb victorious, defeating sin, defeating death, and defeating Satan once for all, and He did it just for you and me, we are the recipients of this gift through His passion.  Everyone needs to hear this good news, everyone needs to know there is a better way to live this life, and Christ Jesus is the answer, Jesus Saves!  

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

You know, oftentimes we desire to go our own direction, we fail to ask God what His will is in the situation, and off we go...  And then the next thing we know our good idea turns into a nightmare and we regret having leaned on our own understanding rather than that of God almighty.  If we will stop, pray and wait on God, and listen to His instruction allowing Him to teach and guide our lives we will see something amazing happen, blessings will flow from Heaven.  God says to us, I will counsel you, keeping my eye upon you everyday.  The word of God is full of narratives about people who did seek the Lord's guidance and were successful in their endeavors, but we also see the opposite where people get in a hurry, look inwardly to their own strength and power and then go forward without even the slightest thought about God and His understanding and failure is at hand.  The Lord gives us these examples for very good reason, we need to see how it works, how it plays out walking in the will of God, and walking according to our own understanding, it is truly the difference between being led and blessed, and being allowed to go astray and get lost.  Be still and know that He is God, ask, seek, and knock, and it will be opened to you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Peace of God, as the Apostle wrote, it is a peace that is beyond all human understanding, a peace that comes over you in the darkest of circumstances and keeps you enveloped in the love of God.  Jesus here, speaks His peace over His disciples as He prepares them to go into the world and spread the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus with all who have ears to hear.  This group of men, all but one of them will die a martyrs death less one, they indeed needed that peace of God upon them as they walked in constant danger from non-believers who hated them.  Today, in many parts of the world this is still the case, Christians are hated for being Christians, the Lord said it would be way, and it is getting worse by the day.  Even in America, people have been arrested for preaching the Gospel, reading the Bible in public, and even praying in public, and it will get worse.  But the good news is this, the church always thrives and grows in times of deep persecution.  Today, live in and walk in the peace of God, knowing that He is always with you and will never leave you, Peace be with you this day, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

We are all called to go out and make disciples of all nations, but we are never called to save anyone, it is God alone who saves.  But, we are to go out and tell people about our amazing Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, to spread the Good News of Jesus with everyone we encounter.  In doing this we are planting seeds of hope within a life that is lost in sin, gravitating to the world, and living far from God.  And others we come in contact with, we might be watering seeds that have already been planted by another, reinforcing the message of the Gospel for them, but in either case, God brings the harvest, it is God who is Mighty to Save.  
     Let us never get so entangled in salvation that we believe we have the ability to save another human being from their sin, Christ died on a cross to pay their sin debt, He was humiliated for their transgressions, He suffered greatly to bring salvation to the world, Christ did all this, He paid it all, and only He can save.  But, keep on planting seeds of Hope in Christ, keep on watering seeds planted by others and see how He brings in the harvest, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Gospel is beyond simple, it is straight to the point, there are no special things you must do, no classes you need to go through, no hoops to jump through, no sinners prayer to recite (not in the Bible), no aisles to walk, no, all you need to do is call out to the Lord and you will be saved.  The apostle Paul tells us right here in his letter to the church at Rome, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  Sadly, religion has taken the simplicity of the Gospel message and made it a major operation, made it complicated, even scary for some.  Let us never attempt to take something God has made this easy and turn it into a man made obstacle course with multiple jirations to see people come to faith in Christ Jesus, the bible states it in the simplest of terms, let's leave it like that.
       Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, anyone, any background, even the most vile of sinners can cry out to the Lord and be saved.  If you have been afraid of considering calling upon the Lord for whatever reason it might be, do it today, it will be the best thing you will ever do in all your life, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This narrative of the miraculous happenings on the Day of Pentecost shows us the power of God in the life of true believers, how God uses the most unlikely people to do the most amazing things for the Kingdom.  Peter was well known for his ability to speak out of turn, put his foot in his mouth, and he spoke often without thinking.  And of course Peter is also well known for his denial of Christ on the night of His arrest and mock trial.  But the Lord restored Peter, brought him right back into the fold and encouraged him to feed the Good shepherds sheep.  When the Day of Pentecost comes, the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit of God and they are bold in their faith, even in light of the known danger of speaking openly about Jesus of Nazareth who had been raised from the dead fifty days earlier.  Peter is a great example of how you and I as disciples of Christ should be living our lives, bold in our faith, ready to give a defense for the hope and faith that lies within.  We live in times where many people desire to have all Christians silenced or cancelled, even in America, they call us intolerant when we stand firm on the Word of God against the sins of this world.  The Lord said it would be like this, troublesome times are here, be bold and let God do the rest, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

We read, we learn, we even sing about Christ Jesus being the light of the world, but do we live our life in the light of the world?  If we believe that Jesus is the light of the world, and that He tells us we too are the light of the world, then we should be shining our light everywhere we go.  We can do this through the Hope we have in Christ and hope is contagious.  By the calmed and confident way in which our life is ordered, and the fact we see a vision for the future that our blind world does not see.  Being the light of the world shows that you are different from those who are still walking around in blindness, in confusion, and without any hope at all in this life.  As a born again Christian we no longer walk in the darkness of this world, we can see it through open, clear, and Christ filled eyes, our perspective is completely different from those who are still living in blindness.  Therefore, we need to be the light by which they can see Jesus, let them see Him in you, in your life, in your words, and in your smile.  As our world continues to get darker day by day, stay focused on the light of the world, the darker it gets the brighter He shines, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

As Jesus spoke these words almost two thousand years ago, the harvest was more than plentiful then, and in our day today it is still true, there are so many people who need to hear the Good News of Christ Jesus, the truth of the Gospel.  We are told to go out and tell people about Jesus, we are also told to make disciples of all nations, but in no place in all of God's Word are we told to go out and save people, simply because we cannot save anyone, only God can save people.  But we can go out in our community and spread the Gospel message to all who have ears to hear, we can help people to better understand the simplicity of knowing Jesus in a life changing way, and we can spread the Lord's love, mercy and grace through our area of influence.
       Remember what Jesus told His disciples, "no one comes to faith unless the Father draws them", thus showing us that it is the work of God to draw a person into salvation, we simply need tell them, give them the information they need for the Holy Spirit to then move into action and draw them into the loving arms of a Savior.  Yes, the harvest is plentiful, but those willing to go out and spread the Good News are few, let us pray for more workers, let us pray that people will have ears to hear what the Lord has to say, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Oh the beauty of the Gospel message, it is a message of hope filled with love and compassion from God for all who will believe and be saved by the grace of God through faith.  I know that many of us find it so hard to believe that others hear the Good News and just cannot grasp the true reality of a relationship with Christ Jesus, it seems odd to them, even so foreign to them and they turn away and continue to live in the world in bondage to sin.  God is mighty to save, but at the same time He gives each of us the free will to decide if we desire to have a relationship with Him, if we want to have a life that is dramatically changed for the better and many people over the past almost two thousand years have said no to salvation.  But those who have been born again know the life saving difference it has made in their life, being saved from sure death and destruction, being delivered from the grasp of Satan and sin and embraced by the one true God who loves enough to die for you.  I am not ashamed of the Gospel, it is filled with sinner saving power, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This is one of those verses that just warms your heart, knowing that God, the Great Physician will go to such great lengths to bring you into a relationship with Him.  The Prophet Ezekiel writes a word from God, I will give you a new heart, the very core of your being, God is willing and able to make a drastic change in you, which leads to a drastic change in your life.  He will also give you a New Spirit, when you have been Born again, God does this, He gives you a heart that beats for Him, new and soft and supple and no longer a cold dark place of unbelief.  And you will be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, the old you is gone and the New Life in Christ is born.  This sounds amazing does it not, it is amazing, it is nothing short of a miracle of God.  But many people hear this and have it explained to them and walk away with no desire to have the most amazing life altering gift known to mankind, a New Life in Christ Jesus!  
       Lord, I pray that people will read this and understand the beauty in what the Prophet is telling us, this transformation caused by God, to come and be renewed in Him, to have a changed life and to have eternal life in the presence of our God.  Lord open their eyes, open their ears, and give them the understanding to know you, In Jesus most Powerful name, Amen ~ Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Are you living your life by the Spirit, surrendering to the will and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God?  If we say we are living by the Spirit, then that means we have surrendered our will to God, we have died to self and we are now a new creation, a New Life in Christ.  The apostle Paul tells us, therefore let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Keeping in step with the Spirit means that we live in cooperation with the Holy Spirit of God, in His rhythm, in agreement with all He leads us to do.  We cannot believe this means we become perfect like God, that is impossible, but we can walk with Him, listen to Him, spend good quality time with Him daily so that we are becoming more like Him every day.  This goes hand in hand with what Jesus tells us in John chapter fifteen, we are to abide in Him as He abides in us, this is keeping in step with the Lord, being in an intimate relationship with Him.  We cannot have a solid relationship with the Lord if we follow Him at a distance, if we are not in step with Him and His ways and His will.  If you love Him, you will obey Him and fully trust Him and you will walk in step with Him every moment of every day, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

To Him, here Peter is speaking of Jesus the Messiah, to Him all the prophets bear witness.  The Old Testament speaks of the coming Messiah page after page, book after book with some speaking very pointedly toward the time that this suffering servant would come and die for the sins of the world.  Some of the most obvious examples are the life of Joseph is truly a picture or a type of Christ, Moses spoke of the prophet to come, David wrote of Him and the crucifixion in Psalm 22, Isaiah wrote of Him in Isaiah 53, Jeremiah gave details of the New Covenant in this coming Messiah.
       They bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name, Peter explained as he told of a relationship with the Lord for salvation.  This is a great concluding statement from Peter as he was telling a family of Gentiles about Jesus and about salvation, and the whole family was saved and baptized that day.  Let us always be bold in our faith and tell others about the amazing saving grace of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, the world needs to hear from us, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This verse is a constant reminder to all who are Born Again Christians that they are a Child Of God!  Remember who you are in Christ Jesus, you are loved, redeemed, justified, sanctified, chosen, adopted... You are His, a Child Of God.   You were drawn in by God the Father, you heard the Word which is Christ Jesus, and by the Grace of God through faith from God, you were saved.  Understand you are a rare breed, for many are called unto salvation, but few actually come to faith in Christ Jesus.  Knowing that you are His is great news, it is the best news and it is worth working and striving to keep, the apostle Paul tells us that we should persevere to the end, fight the good fight, run a good race, and we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  
       Never forget who you are, never let anyone or anything draw you away from your place in Christ Jesus, and ensure that you are nurturing your relationship with the Lord every day through daily time in the Word, daily devotional time, much prayer and alone time with the one who saved you, the one who died for you, the one who shed His blood to wash you clean from all your sins.  And you can tell everyone you see, I am a Child of God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Love, love is a major theme in the epistles written by the apostle John through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God.  John's letters to the church are really a deeper understanding of what he has stated in his Gospel, it was he who included the words of Jesus in the third chapter of his Gospel, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life"  He reiterates this truth, God is love and by His tremendous never ending love He sent His only son to live among men, the miracle of the incarnation, God walked among men on earth to show His love.  And through His love He died for us that we might live through Him.  When we think about the love God has for mankind, the love it took for Him to sacrifice His Son to save us from sure death and destruction, how could we not return that love toward others as He asks of us?  Jesus makes it clear if you are to be His disciple, you must love, love Him first and then love others as well.  The love of God should be a driving force as to how we love each other.  Strife among Christians must stop, we are called to love each other, and when we do not love like God demands, we are living in disobedience, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

You are the light of the world!  Jesus makes this statement early in His Sermon on the Mount, a message that is overflowing with perfection on how to live a life in Christ.  When we speak of the light that the Lord is referencing here, it is truly Spiritual illumination, this happens when you live a Christlike life, when you are walking with the Lord daily.  This light Jesus speaks of is as well truth, as truth often brings radiance into a situation, whereas lies bring darkness.  The Word of God gives us two amazing examples of this, first is Moses who had been up on Mount Sinai with God, Exodus 34:29 "Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God"  and again we see a reference to this in the New Testament, Acts 4:13 "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus"
       As we can see here in Scripture, being in an intimate relationship with God will light up your life, and others will see this Spiritual Illumination for you are the light of the world.  Let your light shine, let people see Jesus in you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Did you know that God knew you before He knitted you together in your mothers womb, He already knew exactly how your life would unfold...  David penned some extraordinary pieces of Scripture and Psalm 139 is among the best of them, it is a psalm you and I can meditate on every day because of its uplifting truths.  Think about just how unique you are, there is no other person just like, you look different, you think different, you act different, and God created you this way, fearfully and wonderfully made by God, all for His good pleasure.  God, wonderful are your works for they are perfect, without error, without fault, you do not make mistakes, each person is created with absolute intentionality!  Knowing this truth and standing upon this truth we can know, truly know the love of God.  
       Never doubt the love of God, you are special in His eyes, you are His creation, fearfully and wonderfully made.  God created you, He sustains you, and He loves you so much He desires that you spend all of eternity with Him in Heaven, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

As the apostle Paul's letter to the church at Rome unfolds line after line, he brings the reader to a firm realization that they are in a sinful condition that without God is hopeless.  All of us have sinned and all of us have fallen short of the Glory of God, a standard that is beyond everyone.  But there is good news, through faith we are justified, that means we are declared innocent of all charges, all by the grace of God as a free gift.  If you believe in the Lord Jesus, you have been saved by grace through faith, redeemed through the sacrificial death of the Son of God on a Roman cross.
       Think about this, you are a sinner living your life as you please, not even thinking about the consequences of your lifestyle, when all of a sudden God shakes you up and gives the ability to understand you are lost and destined for a dark eternity.  But there is hope for your lost soul, Salvation in Christ Jesus and all you need do is believe upon His name, redemption from your sinful life is yours for free.  You have been freed from your past, freed from bondage to sin, and the cost is free, free to be free from it all, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

If you are familiar with the amazing narrative of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus the Messiah, this in and of itself is enough to show the reconcilliatory work of God to bring mankind back into right relationship with Himself.  But there is something else that happened the day Chrsit died on the cross that brings to light the fact God desires a relationship with mankind rather than a ritualistic religious existence and it occured in Temple that day.  The veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn from top to bottom eliminating the need for religion and a priest to intercede on behalf of God's people.
       God did all of this, God made a plan and brought it to fruition to reconcile you and me back into a relationship with Him, a right relationship with Him, a loving relationship with Him.  So why did God go to such extremes to bridge this chasm that so deeply divided man from Himself?  Because He loves you so much that He was willing to send His son to come to earth to live as a man and to die for the sins of the world, the only perfect sacrifice died for you to be reconciled back to God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Prophet Zechariah not only tells of a future time, a prophecy, but it is a promise that God ensures will happen in a future time, a time that is still in the future for us today.  This is a promise that all believers stand upon today, that one day in the future, God Almighty will be King over all this earth.  Many of the Lords chosen prophets have spoken this promise, it is spoken into the New Testament, even the Apostle Paul wrote of this time in Philippians 2:10-11 "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"  there is coming a day when the Lord will be one and His name one, a day when every single person alive within His Kingdom will worship Him alone, there will be no idols, no other gods, nothing else that will distract people, every person will be focused on God alone as it should be.  Ponder this verse today, is God King of your life, is He your number one focus, your first thought in the morning, and your last thought before you close your eyes in slumber?  The Lord desires to be the most important part of your life, not a second thought, not an afterthought, but the One, the true reverence of your heart, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Think about what God did to save mankind from sure death and destruction...  God put a plan in place before the foundations of this world to make a way for all people to be saved from their sin and the wrath of God to come, simply through faith in His Son.  God sent His only Son to come and be born as an innocent little baby, grow into a man just like any other human being, to live a sinless life and then die a criminal's death on a brutal Roman cross to pay the sin debt of this fallen world.  And why would He do all of this?  Because of God's great love! You and me! He loves us so much that He sent His Son, God incarnate, to save, He came to save not condemn, to bring light into a dark world to help us see the reality of our unsaved destiny.  Jesus came to bring life to all people who were dead in their tresspasses, in bondage to sin, to lead them into eternal life through belief in Him.
       Today, if you have never thought about where you will go when you die, think about that today, and if you do not know, or maybe you do understand that without Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are lost to perdition, death, Hell, call upon the name of Jesus and you will be saved, it is truly that simple.  Life is short, death is sure, sin is the problem, and Christ is the cure, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Faith, by the grace of God we have been saved by faith.  It is by faith that we are brought into a reconciled relationship with God, it is our faith that keeps us close to Him every day, and it is that same faith that will lead us into eternity one day.  For as the apostle Paul has written here in the Gospel driven book of Romans that the righteousness of God was revealed to you through faith, saved through faith, which is the beginning of your New Life in Christ leading you through life unto eternal life in Christ.  Then the beautiful verse from the Prophet Habakkuk is quoted "The Righteous shall live by Faith", for indeed without faith it is impossible to please God, for the righteous become righteous through faith in the Lord Jesus.  By faith, you heard the word of God which drew you into a relationship with God, therefore being reconciled back to God through faith.  
       It is not by works or deeds that you are saved, there is nothing you can do to earn salvation, it is simply by faith, believing that God is who He says He is, living day by day through faith.  And the most amazing thing about faith is that it is placed in the unseen, we have faith in what is unseen and eternal, not in what can be seen and is temporal.  Faith is from God, in God, and for God... And that is how we are to live our life, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

If you are to be a disciple of Christ, as He states here, you must take up your cross and follow Him.  Now this does not mean you are to take up His cross, to be a martyr for Christ, to endure the same cup of wrath He suffered or to physically be crucified as He was.  No, you are to take up your own cross, meaning you are to die to self, die to sin, die to your past life, and thus become a New Life in Christ. This is an integral part of being a Born Again Believer, you confess Jesus as Lord, you believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you repent of your sinfulness, and you take up your cross daily.  Taking up your cross brings you to a place where you deal with all your fleshly desires, all of your sinful thoughts, all of your sinful actions, your dwelling on your past, and you bring them to a place of death and leave them there.  
       The key to what the Lord is saying here is that we must deal with those things in our life that cause us to be distant from God, those things that He sees as sin and disobedience, we must crucify them and take them to a place where they are not alive in you any longer.  Crucifixion was permanent for people, when they went to that cross they didn't come back, other than Christ who was resurrected from the dead, everyone else died and went into the grave.  Take up your cross daily and live a Christ filled life, a New Life in Christ, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

We are called by God to live a victorious life in Christ Jesus, as Jesus states "I have overcome this world and you can too"  If we are to be overcomers with Christ, we cannot be paralyzed by fear, for God says to us repeatedly, fear not.  Fear is a very strong emotion that was placed in us by our creator for good reason, fear causes our bodies to react to danger, it is a natural response mechanism.  But being fearful of things we cannot fix or change in this world is not part of what God desires.   Take a look at the Apostle Paul, after he was saved, his life became very tumultuous, he was mistreated everywhere he went, yet fear never stopped him from following his calling to tell the Gentile world about Jesus.  Paul could have had justifiable reason to be filled with fear, he never knew from one town to the next what they might do to him.  But God, God filled him with the Holy Spirit of God and that in turn gave power to endure, self control to keep on course and love to show the world how different God is than the ways they live.  
       A true believer has the filling of the Holy Spirit and it is that Spirit that guides him day by day, through the good and the bad, through the deep water and the fire, all the while being protected by the hand of God.  We are called to be bold in our faith, and that means we stand firm in our faith, not in fear or timidity, we are soldiers for Christ, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The fifty-fifth chapter in the book of Isaiah is beautiful, it is comforting, and it is a very enlightening piece of Scripture as the prophet relays to the people this amazing word from God.  The Lord continues to call the people to come to Him, to return to Him for they have broken faith with their God and gone their own way for far too long.  He says seek the Lord while He may be found, this is as true today as it was when Isaiah spoke these words, for time is short, and people must turn to God, repent of their sins and be saved.  Call upon Him while He is near, a day is coming in the not so distant future when the Lord will not be near and it might be too late for many people, salvation will no longer be at hand.  
      Think about all God has tolerated from the people of this earth over the last almost two thousand years since He sent His son to die on that cross on Calvary?  People continue to kill, rape, murder, steal, start wars, and live and party like there is no tomorrow...  And God has been oh so patient with the people of this earth, but a time is coming soon when God will stop being patient and kind, and God will pour out His wrath upon this earth the severity of which man has never known.  Call upon the name of the Lord while He is still near, cry out to the only one who can save you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

If there was ever a man who could speak to this very subject, it is the apostle Peter, he lived through this very thing.  At times we think we are stronger than we really are, I can handle anything that comes my way, but in the Spiritual realm the battle is much different, you do not see it coming.  Peter told Jesus "I will stand right here with you, I will die with you if need be", but when the time came, Peter folded up like a chair, "I do not know the man!"  You see the devil works against us at every turn, he wants us to fail, his greatest desire is to see you, like Peter, deny your Lord when things get rough.  So Peter tells us to be sober-minded, prepared for most anything to come at you, be watchful, on guard, be in the Word of God.  Because your adversary, the Devil is prowling all about just looking for a complacent Christian to devour, to take down, to destroy.  
       Therefore, let us keep up our guard, keep your sword (The Word of God), with you at all times, Put on the full armor of God everyday, do not go out unprotected for the evil one is out here.  Stand firm in the faith, always looking to Jesus the perfecter of your faith, and whatever you do, Keep your eyes on Jesus, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

For a moment, think about how grateful you are when someone does something very special for you that you did not expect or even deserve, how did that make you feel?  Well this verse tells of someone who did something more than special for you and me, Christ Jesus, the Son of God, for your sake, God made Him to be sin.  So Christ became sin, bore the world's sin, one who did not know sin, had never sinned, He was perfect in every way, He was enveloped in sin for you.  And why did He do this?  So that through this amazing act of sacrificial love, you might become the righteousness of God.  Jesus takes all of the world's sin upon Himself, all of that dark and ugly, truly repulsive sin becomes His, so that the world might become pure and white as the driven snow, righteous.  
       And remember this, God is in need of absolutely nothing from us, He is perfect and is absolutely self sufficient and sovereign.  There is nothing you and I can add to God or do to help God, He is in need of nothing.  But God, God created us, and God loves us so much He desires to have a relationship with us.  and it is that deep love for you and me that drove Him to send His only son to die for our sins to reconcile us back into right relationship with Himself.  And all you have to do is say Yes Lord and repent and become a child of God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Isaiah chapter fifty-three is the most poignant piece of Scripture that points to the coming Messiah and how He will suffer to bring salvation to mankind.  Isaiah describes in detail how and why Christ will suffer and die when He comes to His people, and Jesus fulfilled each of these horrible details in His person, He suffered greatly at the hands of wicked, lawless men to save you and me.  For as we read people are all like sheep, and sheep have a real tendency to go their own way and get into trouble, and we as humans do the same thing, we turn our own way fulfilling our fleshly desires.  This is why the Good Shepherd came, to lead and guide us in His ways, to help us realize we need to repent from our sinfulness and follow the Shepherd that leads us into eternal life.
       Therefore, this is the reason God laid all of iniquities upon Jesus, every sin of every person was placed upon the shoulders of the Lord Jesus as He died on that cross to pay the sin debt of each and to take the wrath of God from us and endured it Himself.  Just think about your sins from the moment you were born until now, how would you like to deal with all them right now in this moment, to give account for each of them...  That would be quite a burden, but Jesus did that for all people, the whole world as He went to that cross, Jesus Paid it all, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This is not just another verse in the word of God, it is not just a nice saying or religious presentation, no, these are the very words spoken by Our Lord and Savior to a Pharisee who needed to be born again.  Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus as this man inquired of the Lord, knowing that He was from God, and Jesus did not hesitate to tell this religious man, "you must be born again".  A message the world that God loves so much needs to hear to this very day.  This statement is not some cliche', it is God speaking to the world, it is God crying out to this world to come to Him for salvation, it is God's stark warning to come to Him to be saved from the wrath to come!
       God, the creator of the universe, the one who created you, loves you so much He sent His only son to come and live on earth as a man, a sinless life and then die a criminal's death to pay your sin debt, if that isn't love, I don't know what is.  And all you need do is believe that this is true, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved.  Is God calling you to come to Him for salvation today?  Answer that call, it will be the best decision you will ever make, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

As part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, He tells His disciples they are to be Salt and Light, because they have been set apart for the Lord, they are expected to be different.  And in that difference they are to be a bright spot in a dark world, a beacon of Hope in a world that has no Hope.  These words were spoken many years ago to a group of twelve men, but today they are still just as important for the reader of God's word. We too, as Children of God are Holy unto the Lord, we too are set apart, and we too are expected to be different.  The world we live in is quite different in so many ways than the world that the twelve disciples lived in, but the people, they truly are no different.  
       So, we are called to be that shiny place that people can see and can come to in times of trouble, obviously the Lord is the first person people are to turn to, but as Christians living in this world, we are to be a physical presence of light.  Jesus says by our good works, that being the fruit that is produced from a heart beating for God, nothing of self interest, people will see this and will then give glory to God.  Remember one single candle illuminates a thousand, a life lived for Christ shines bright for many, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The implications here are great and deep, your body is the Temple of God, your body is where God the Holy Spirit dwells!  Now, for the true believer, this is not a new revelation, it must be something we think about and are reminded of every day as the Holy Spirit prompts us and moves us and guides us through life.  But for the non-believer this might seem foreign to them, they may question how can God reside within my body?  Yes, it is a very new concept for people, it was a very new concept when the Holy Spirit came to the believers who were praying in Jerusalem some ten days after Jesus ascended back to Heaven, that day of Pentecost, it was a moving day for sure.  That was the day the Spirit of God came to dwell within God's children, that was the day the New Covenant was completely implemented if you will.  Your body is the Temple of God, there is no need for a garden, a Tabernacle, or a Temple building, you are God's Temple, He lives in you.  And in the simplest terms, Keep it Clean!  Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Lord is near, the Lord our God is omniscience, He is omnipresent, He is everywhere all the time, He is all knowing.  As well, the Word of God tells us that God is near to the brokenhearted.  The Lord desires that you and I talk to Him, that we communicate with Him on a regular basis, speaking to HIm like you would speak to your father.  Here the psalmist writes that the Lord is near to all who call on Him, to those who are in an intimate relationship with Him, to those who abide in Him.  In order for us to be in true communion with the Lord, we must be in the correct posture, living and experiencing the 'Deeper Life' in Christ, meaning we are fully surrendered, fully committed to Him, ready to hear all He tells us in His word, and ready to respond in truthful obedience.  For the Lord is near to those who call on Him in truth, being open, honest, and real...  For you cannot pretend with God, He knows your heart, your mind, and your soul, God knows.  Today is the day you get real with God, approach Him with a broken and a contrite heart, cry out to the Lord in truth, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

A truth that is well known by true believers, although polls show that a high percentage of Christians from all denominations believe there is more than one way to Heaven.  We know from the Bible that there is one God, God almighty, the creator of the universe, and there is only one Son of God by which you must come into a relationship with God, Christ is the door to salvation.  The evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is overwhelming, there is no doubt who He is, and He lives this day seated at the right hand of God Almighty.  Jesus made it clear in all of His teaching while on earth, I am the Way, The Truth, and The Life, no one comes to the Father except through me, He is the only way.
      And for those who believe there is more than one way to Heaven, is there another God you believe in?  Is there another Heaven you believe in?  And who is the living breathing Savior who is going to take you there?  And did He die to pay your sin debt?  Thoughts like this are proposed by the false teachers who want to placate and pacify those who attend their place of so-called worship. They say things like God loves you, keep sinning, there are many ways to Heaven believe what you will, Hell is not real, everyone goes to Heaven, and the lies and deception go on and on.  One day all of the lies will be exposed, but sadly it will be too late for many so-called Chrisitans, they will have been led astray by one who will join them in Hell!  Jesus is the only way to Heaven, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The apostle Paul, right here in the middle of his message to his Jewish brethren, gives them the Good News of Christ and explains how incredibly simple it is to come to faith in Christ, by hearing the word of Christ.  All of us at some time in our life heard the message of salvation, from a friend, a parent, a sibling, a Sunday School teacher, maybe even in prison, but we all heard this message from someone.  The real key is for each person who hears, they must have ears to hear, they must have been drawn to hear the message by God the Father who draws them into a relationship with His Son Jesus.  Hearing is the first step, but then as your heart and mind process the message something happens, that old cold heart starts to soften to the call to salvation, it beats a little differently, you feel a lot different, and the change is happening.  You are now to a point of conviction and you repent of your sins, you change directions, you follow Christ and you begin a New Life in Christ Jesus, this is the beginning of your rebirth.  It is an amazing transformation, but it requires commitment, it demands surrender, it is not for the half hearted or the non-committal, you must be all in for Christ.  Your new song must be "Where He leads me I will follow", Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Here in this portion of Scripture in the Gospel of John, Jesus is revealing to those with ears to hear that He and the Father are one, they are equal, they work together, and all that the Son does is from the Father.  Jesus is making it clear to everyone He is God, even the Religious leaders hear His words, Hear His claim, but fully reject every word.  And in the future these same Religious leaders will ask Him, tell us, are you the Messiah?  He has shown them plainly, told them without mincing words and they refuse to believe, they have hardened hearts toward God, they are self-centered and prideful men who refuse to know God.  If you hear the word of God, if the Lord has revealed Himself to you and you refuse to listen, pushing back against His call upon your heart  to come to Him in repentance, you have a hardened heart as well, you are in a very bad place.  
       Salvation requires repentance, we must turn away from our sinfulness and turn our life over to the Lord in full surrender.  As Jesus states right here in this verse, if you hear His words, and you believe, you have eternal life and have passed from judgment unto life.  We are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus through the hearing of the word of Christ, we have been given ears to hear.  If you hear the call of God, respond in faith and be saved, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Great Commission, the Lords last instructions given to the Apostles just before Jesus ascended back to Heaven.  Go therefore, go out and tell everyone you see about what you have heard and witnessed during my ministry, let people know that God has come to save them, God has come down, salvation is at hand, tell them.  But truly the Lord is saying much more than that, He says that we are to make disciples of all nations, this means a lot more than just telling people about Jesus, we are to help them grow in their faith after they have heard the Good News and have been called by God the Father in Heaven to come and be redeemed.  And we are to Baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, showing the world they belong to Christ Jesus, they are His, they have become Children of God.  Telling people we meet about our Lord and Savior should be a natural part of our conversation, it should just come up, do you know Jesus, do you know where you are going when you die?  There are a great number of people who do not know the Lord, but few will come to faith, so let's go out and find the few, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Lord has been arrested, put on trial by the religious leaders, then as a final act of desperation they deliver Him over to the Roman government to be killed, as they cannot legally take the life of anyone.  Pilate finds Christ not guilty, “I find no fault in this man”, but the religious leaders have only death on their minds and they will not relent, besides, this is exactly how God planned this to happen, remember God is in total control of this perfect sacrifice.  The crucifixion is complete, the cross has had its way, death has been delivered as it always is by that brutal death instrument.  The body is taken down and prepared, placed in a borrowed tomb, sealed, it is finished!  But come Sunday morning all has changed, the tomb is empty, the body is gone, and as the angels attending the grave state, “HE IS RISEN”, He is not here, just as He said.  God’s plan, God’s miracle, now it is time to spread the Good News to all nations, Jesus lives, Do You Believe?  Through His life, death, and Resurrection all people can be saved from the wrath of God to come, believe, repent, and live for God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Love, the Apostle John, also known as the apostle of love, writes in his first epistle about love, what love looks like , what love lives like, the gravity of real love.  Real, genuine love is far more than an emotional feeling, it is a reality, a state of being when your heart and your mind come together in unity of Spirit and surrender to God's way, no matter where it might lead, even death.  For the Son of man did not recoil from His call to come unto death, but went right at it with Joy in His heart knowing how much it would mean to the world He came to save.  Christ willingly laid down His life for all of humanity, even though He knew that most would still reject His sacrifice to stay in the world, but He did it for those few who would walk the narrow path of salvation embracing His love, mercy, and grace.  And those of us who are true believers should be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters just like Christ did for us, that is the love of God in real action.  God is love, and He showed His love by sending His only Son to die on a brutal Roman cross for us, may we show our love for Him by loving one another as He has told us to do, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The day the Son of God took all the world's sins upon Himself to satisfy the wrath of God toward mankind, there had to be a perfect sacrifice to pay the debt.  Here the prophet Isaiah tells of the coming Messiah and how He will be pierced for our transgressions as nails are driven into His wrists on a brutal Roman cross.  And how He will be crushed for our iniquities, beaten mercilessly by Romans soldiers, a place you and I should have been because of our fallen nature.  Upon Him was placed all the sins of the world, how great a burden that would have been, the punishment for sins He never committed to bring us peace with God.  And the Lord Jesus did all of this to bring healing to us through His wounds, His sufferings, and His death on a cross.
       This was the day that changed the world forever, the day God made a way for all of mankind to be reconciled back to God through the death of His only Son.  The day when God opened up the Temple for all to see and come to Him in a personal relationship, all barriers to God were removed.  That way was Christ Jesus, John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me"  Jesus made a way, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Lord has taught these men a great deal, His twelve disciples, and now the hour has come, the moment the world would change forever, the event that changed our world for the better, the Son of God will die for the sins of the world.  And Jesus says to them, I have told you all of these things for your good, and in the end you will have peace, my peace, peace beyond human understanding.  But in this life you will have tribulation, as Job stated this, Job 14:1 "Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble"  But there is good news, the Lord always gives us the Good News, Take heart, I have overcome the world.
     Take heart I have overcome the world, if Jesus, 100% man could endure this world so can we, His life was filled with hurt and pain every day, mistreated, misunderstood, challenged daily by the very people who should have embraced Him.  But that did not deter Him, He pressed onward to the cross to finish the course He was sent from Heaven to complete.  In Christ, you and I are overcomers, no matter what the world throws at us, if we look to our Lord, we will endure until the end, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

There is so much in this one verse, several very important thoughts that we must keep in mind always as we walk the walk of faith.  Obviously the first point is to keep your eyes focused on the Lord Jesus, if we are to walk in step with him, we must keep our eyes focused on Him.  Jesus needs to be the center of your attention, for it is He who is the founder, the creator of your faith, and the one who perfects it day by day.  And showing just how much He loves us, His heart was filled with Joy as He endured the pain, the shame, and brutality of the cross...  Did you get that, Jesus had joy in His heart as He died for your sins, Oh the love of Christ Jesus!  And He is now seated at the right hand of God, on the throne of God, having completed the task He was sent to do.  Yes, the first part is finished, but He is coming again, and His second coming will be much different than His first, for He will come back as a conqueror, a Mighty warrior to take care of the wickedness of man on earth.  
       Keep your eyes on Jesus, stay focused on Him always, never allowing anything to get between you and Him.  For Jesus willingly, with Joy in His heart went to the cross to die for you and me.  Even though the Crucifixion was filled with shame, pain, and the utmost cruelty, Jesus was filled with Joy to set the captives free from their sin, once for all.  And now, Christ is on His throne in Heaven, having lived on earth, died on earth, was resurrected from the dead on earth, He is now back Home in Heaven, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, God incarnate, born of woman among sinful men, raised in a poor rural family, never had a home of His own, and here He states "the Son of man came not to be served but to serve others"  Everything Jesus did and said was contrary to what the world would do, say and believe, He truly turned the world upside down!  Most people like to be served, to be pampered, taken care of, but not the Lord, He has compassion upon others, even people who were considered undesirables not even worthy of being spoken to.  But then, after living in this humble manner day in and day out, serving, healing, helping, and delivering many, He then, as planned, laid down His life for the sins of the world, paid the ultimate price (our ransom), so that you and I could have life, eternal and abundant.  The life of Christ is shown to us in the word of God as an example of how we are to live this life we have so graciously been given by God, loving, pouring out grace, having mercy, filled with humility, and even willing to lay down our life for another.  Spend some time today pondering the gravity of the life of Christ, and then look at your own life, how are you doing in living out all that the Lord Jesus teaches?  Ask the Lord to live His life through you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

It is of greatest importance that we understand this statement as well as what was happening with the coming of the Messiah.  It wasn't just the fact that the promised one of Israel had come on the scene, but that along with His arrival, He brought with Him a  New Covenant!  Jeremiah told of this New covenant, that things were going to change, God was going to do a new thing and this is Big!  What Jesus introduced was a dramatic change to how people approached God, how people could come into an intimate relationship with God, and most importantly, the event that would change everything. This Messiah came to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.  Yes, the lamb of God had come to take away the sins of the world, not in the way the Jewish people were used to seeing and experiencing, but in a way that would bring all other sacrifices to an end, Jesus would be that sacrifice, He would lay down His life for the sins of the world, once and for all.  
       Isaiah 43:19 "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert"  God was absolutely doing a new thing, and many people missed it as it occurred, but those who saw it and perceived it, they took that faith and ran with it and it spread to the whole world.  Christ Jesus, the lamb of God died for your sins, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

It is Palm Sunday also known as the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the City of Jerusalem just days before He is crucified for the sins of these people who are crying out to Him, save us now!  Jesus did not come to conquer the Roman Empire, that was never even remotely within His plan, He came to draw people back into a right relationship with God, and within that plan was His perfect sacrifice of His own life to pay the sin debt of mankind.  The picture of this day is beyond beautiful, but at the same time it is earth shaking in the true meaning of why the Lord did what He did.  As the King entered the city it was not to receive accolades from the crowd, it was to allow the people to inspect the paschal lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world, to look over this perfect lamb as He came to be sacrificed on the altar of God.  Though on this day, they would cry Hosanna in the highest, just days from now, this same group of people will be crying out like a crazed mob, Crucify Him, Crucify Him!   Let us always remember, everything that happened during the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, was planned before the foundations of the world, this was all God's plan, every moment of it, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Have you ever been down, like the blues have set in, you might feel like you don't have a friend in the whole world, and then you open the word of God and before long you are smiling, God has changed your frown into a smile, that Scripture has changed your whole demeanor in an instant.  That is what God does, He knows your heart, and He knows what you need when you need it.  As the psalmist writes here, God you are a shield about be, my protector, the one I turn to in times of trouble, when it feels like my world is closing in upon me, I know that I can always depend upon you O Lord.  And Lord, I am so thankful that I have you, that I can walk hand in hand with you, that I can lean on your understanding and not my own, and that I can rely on your wisdom in times of decision, thank you Lord.  
       And you are the lifter of my head, the one who is there to give me that nudge of encouragement when I have no one else, the one who always knows exactly what I need to hear, your word leads my way, shows me the way, and comforts me along the way.  O Lord you are my all in all, my shield, my comforter, and my encouragement, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Here near the end of his letter to the church at Rome, the Apostle Paul reiterates what the life of Christ looks like when demonstrated day after day.  That we are to live in harmony with each other, to love others, and to encourage others through our words and actions.  That we are to live in one accord, in Christ Jesus as the first century church did, focused on Christ and His word.  We are never going to agree on everything, it is simply not possible, but we can still get along with each other, opinions are just that, they should not divide.  Today, our world has taken the act of disagreement to a level of deadly hatred, if we agree I'll cancel you and burn you out, and declare all you say as a lie for you and I do not agree.  In the past we were able to agree to disagree, that is no longer on the table, today's disagreements cause wars.  Let us all strive to live a Christ filled life, able to love others even if we do not agree, let the Holy Spirit of God lead and guide you as He transforms your mind to live for God and bring glory to the one who gave you life, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

God is asking for you to come to Him, not with reservations, not holding on to parts of your life that you feel you cannot bring to Him, but all of you, every single molecule of your existence, bring it to God.  And when you are willing to come to God with all your hurts, your pains, your brokenness, your sinfulness, all of it and then seek Him with all your heart, you will find a loving Father waiting with arms wide open ready to receive every bit of you.  And as you seek the Lord, ask Him to search you, to know you and to find if any part is grievous or lacking...
       This is when the relationship moves from OK, to WOW, when you decide to seek to know God like you have never known Him before, when you are willing to be vulnerable, open, and honest.  For a relationship that is timid and delusive is not a real relationship at all.  Time is short, and now is the time to step into that relationship with God with both feet, fully surrendered, holding nothing back, truly thirsting after God like a man in a parched land.  It is time to get serious about God, He is all in. How about you?  Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Jesus makes this point to the woman in Samaria who He meets at the well as she draws water. It is an unusual meeting to say the least, but it ends with the Lord revealing to her as He does rarely, that He is indeed the promised one of Israel, the Messiah.  This revelation comes about when Jesus explains to her that she needs the living water that she can have through faith in Him.  Here in John chapter seven, Jesus is attending the feast of booths in Jerusalem, a feast where water is poured out upon the altar in remembrance of the water God supplied the Hebrews as they wandered in the wilderness.  And Jesus stands up tells this crowd the one who believes in me, out of him will flow rivers of living water, as it is through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God that we all, as Born Again Christians are filled with the Spirit and from us flows this living water as we abide in Christ and obey Him and spread the Good news of Christ to our world.  You too can have this living water, water that will quench your thirst and from which you will be filled to overflowing, and from you will flow rivers of living water.  It is a beautiful picture of  salvation and how God works through those who believe, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

How many times have you heard someone say 'God never answers my prayers', yet in reality the truth be known that person is either not asking at all, or, they are asking wrongly.  People are fickle creatures who want what they want when they want it, and when God does not deliver upon their request in their time, it was never answered.  First of all, we need to be in a right relationship with the Lord, then our petitions must be within God's will. We need to be a child after God's own heart in our asking.  Are we truly seeking God with all our heart and soul?  Or, are we following at a distance, maybe getting into His word once in a while, and prayer is an afterthought, that is not seeking God, that is not an intimate relationship with the Lord.  Jeremiah 29:13 tells us "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart"  And finally knock and it will be opened to you, asking, seeking and then we knock upon God's door, and the Lord says it will be opened to you, but only if He knows you and you know Him.  Believing you are right with God although you never truly seek Him, you rarely speak with Him, and then you expect Him to open the door to a stranger in absolute foolishness.  We must be nurturing our relationship with the Lord every moment of every day, asking by simply talking with Him.  Seeking, thirsting after Him daily.  And knocking, inquiring of Him, to be in His presence always, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This verse from the Psalmist speaks of a man who had the greatest desire to spend time with God, it is not faint hearted, it is not fickle, but it is a true longing, a deep need to spend personal, intimate time with God, he thirsts after God.  This example of a right relationship with God should be a stark warning for those who do not feel this way about God, for it means you probably do not know God.  When the soul knows God intimately it will thirst after Him, it is a deep longing to know Him more, draw closer to Him every day, for our relationship with the Lord must be just as deep as our thirst, our need for water.  Psalm 63:1 "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water"  This is a picture of what it looks like to be a true follower of Christ, a deep longing to be with Him, to grow closer to Him, always desiring more of Him.  
       The best way to get to this place of thirsting after God is to make your time with Him a habit, a requirement in your life, not a sometimes thing, but an always thing, God must come first in your life, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Here in Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle is explaining about a real heart change in a person when they come to the point of experiencing godly grief rather than worldly grief.  Worldly grief speaks to the person and condemns them, destroys their self worth to a point of destruction and death.  Whereas godly grief draws one to repentance in the Lord that leads to salvation, where there is no condemnation and regret does not hover over you like a black cloud.  Worldly grief is like a heavy weight that pulls a person down into the muck and mire of regret and sorrow and death.  When a person is drawn to the Lord for salvation, to be Born Again into a New Life in Christ Jesus, failures produce godly grief that in turn makes one withdraw from their sinfulness, their fallenness and look to God in His infinite mercy and grace for forgiveness.  
      This is a change that only God can bring about, this is a place where a life is transformed from that of living for the world and heading for death and destruction, to a life filled with light in Christ knowing true forgiveness and love, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Fear can be brought on by so many reasons, some of them real and dangerous, but others brought on by worry and anxiety created in our own minds.  But no matter the cause or the origin of that fear, we serve a God who is Bigger than any fear we have, for our God did not give us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love and self discipline.  We have been given the ability to overcome any fear that comes our way through the Holy Spirit of God, and God says fear not.  Fear is a very powerful emotion, and God gave us this emotion for our own protection, in times of real danger we have the power to fight or flight whichever is the best decision for us.  But at the same time God says we should not be fearful of the unknown or the unsettled thoughts that our mind creates, situations that do not really exist.  But when those times come, and they will, when you feel overwhelmed by fear, look to God, put your full trust in the Lord who is your refuge and your protection in every circumstance.  The Lord says fear not for I am with you always, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

People of faith live in God's rest.  The writer of Hebrews shows us that the Hebrews coming out of bondge in Egypt did not live in faith, they walked in unbelief and therefore found no rest in the Lord.  God wants us who believe to walk by faith and live the life He has prescribed for each of us, and part of that life includes a prescribed time of rest in Him, a Sabbath day.  This was something that people did on a regular basis, there was one day set aside when normal work was not performed, here in America it was Sunday, everything was closed other than churches, it was truly a day of rest.  But sadly we moved away from that practice, because there is money to be made on Sunday, why rest?  God says we need to rest, to rest physically and Spiritually, we need to rest our weary souls in Christ on a regular basis, it is His gift to mankind and we need to spend this time resting in the Lord.  
       Today, do not harden your hearts, do not resist His love and mercy, His everlasting kindness, and take that day of rest in Him, with Him.  "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his"  Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Psalm twenty-three is such a comfort to read and contemplate, it brings to light a loving shepherd who cares deeply for His sheep, and will protect and nurture them without fail.  He leads them and guides them, feeds them and gives them rest in a peaceful place, and He teaches them through guidance with a rod and a staff.  And the joy that is felt under this shepherd is beyond anything that could be experienced in life, love and mercy flow continuously from the loving guiding shepherd.  And the last verse of this psalm wraps it all up in the goodness and mercy that follow along in this shepherd's flock, they follow all the days of life in His care
       Obviously the shepherd in this psalm is the Lord, our salvation, our protector, the one who loves us without end.  And this psalm closes with the promise from God, the future we hold dear within our hearts, knowing that one day we will be with Him for all eternity, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Oh, what a comforting verse for this day as it reinforces what the Lord Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33 "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  We live in a world full of strife and much unsettledness, and there is a battle raging all around you and me, a battle for your heart, a real battle for your soul!  When we look around us and see and hear the wickedness that is happening, we should be able to understand this is the work of Satan and the Spirit realm at work behind these evil people.  But let us always remember who wins this battle, and the fact that you have that winner living within you, the Holy Spirit of God who is far greater than the one who is in this world.  Satan, the prince of this world knows his time is short, and he knows he cannot win, but he is not one to give up, he is going to fight God until that final war, then he will be done for all eternity.  But in the meantime, we must be vigilant, we must know that he is out there, like a roaring lion looking for anyone to devour and take to Hell with him.  Jesus lived in this sin filled world, and Jesus overcame this sin filled world, and since we have the Holy Spirit of God within each of us as believers, we too are overcomers, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Proverbs, the book of wisdom, written by Solomon, a man considered to have been one of the wisest men who ever lived, a man who received wisdom from God.  These two verses are quite familiar to all of us, they are quoted often, and for very good reason.  We as humans have a real tendency to desire to do things our way, because we just do not trust God enough to lean on Him.  Some of you reading this are in that position right now, you depend fully upon yourself and your own reasoning rather than leaning on God's perfect wisdom because you just do not trust Him, you know better.  But stop and think about the reality of the situation, how often are you at odds with others because you are not living in God's will for your life and you are walking to the beat of your own drum?  As followers of Christ, if we are truly surrendered to His will and not ours, we will lean on His understanding always, and when we do, He will make the path much more navigable than when we make the decisions.  Today, decide in your heart, I am going to lean on God, I am going listen to the Holy Spirit's promptings, and I am going to live a life pleasing to God in every area of my existence, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Anytime and everytime we go to the Lord in prayer our posture should be in thanksgiving, in praise and in worship of our Great God who is Mighty to Save!  Our psalm tells us to give thanks to the Lord, for God has given us all we have, life, food, water, air to breathe, and so much more...  Think about the joy within your heart, the peace of God that is beyond all understanding, and the love He pours out upon you constantly, and lets not forget the Hope we have in Him.  Call upon His name for He is the God of our salvation full of love, mercy and grace for all who do indeed call upon His name.  
       We are to make known His deeds among all peoples, let us go and tell the world of the amazing God we serve, let them know of His power in every aspect of their life, if they will call upon His name.  What a Mighty God we serve, let's not keep that good news to ourselves, but let us shout it from the mountain tops for all the world to hear.  Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good His love endures forever, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The amazing epistle from James is full of wisdom, common sense and some great advice for the Christian life.  Here James states the obvious, but we can often allow life's circumstances to get the better of us and we miss opportunities to do the things that God has prescribed for the good life.  Is anyone among you suffering?  That is a great question that sadly many are unaware of the answer, this is why we are called to be in corporate gatherings, to come together to learn God's word and to pray together. The church is the family of God, we should be aware of what others are going through, and we should therefore be praying for them.  And likewise, is anyone among you cheerful?  Let us sing praise to God for all He is doing in the lives of those around us.  Not only should we be praying for others, but we should as well be celebrating the great things God is doing in their lives.
       Let us never neglect to pray for those in need, but also, let us never miss an opportunity to lift up our praise to God in times of cheerfulness, in the good times.  Because God is good all the time and He deserves our praise and worship all the time, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Have you ever wondered, why, and why am I in the middle of all this chaos, why am I dealing with these issues?  Maybe, just maybe you were put here for such a time as this...  In looking back at the situation this young woman Esther found herself in she might have been asking that same question, why me, why now?  God has a bigger plan, a plan that we often cannot see until we look back and you can see God's fingerprints all over the situation.  Esther had a huge decision to make, sit back and do nothing and many people, her own people would die, or stand up and be bold and confront the situation at hand, head on.  Rarely do we find ourselves in a situation that is as dire as this one, but God still calls us to be bold in our faith and to step out in that boldness and do something.  Much like the  contemporary Christian song states, "God, why don't you do something?  "I did, I created you"  Let us not cower in fear, for we were not created with a Spirit of fear, but let us be bold and courageous and take a stand for Christ in our world, for maybe you were created for such a time as this... Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

In the beginning God, always has been, will always will be.  Yes, there are many unanswered questions about God, but all of those questions truly point to this eternal being who created everything that was ever created, God.  John tells us that in the beginning the word, that being Jesus, who is God, created everything that was ever created, including you.  God is the giver of life, all life, and the sustainer of that life in a perfect situation that exists no other place in this universe, only here on God's earth.  Non-believers say all of this is impossible, there is no way this God could do this, create something out of nothing?  Yes, God simply spoke this world into existence, He created the Heavens and earth and everything within them.  This is the beginning of His story, written for you and I to read and to use as a guide to live by, God revealing who He is to anyone who will read and believe.  
       From here, in the beginning, to Amen, every word is absolute truth, with narratives of man and how his life unfolds, the good, the bad, and the ugly are all laid out for anyone to read.  The beauty of the Bible is it is real in every sense of the word, and it is there for us to meditate upon.  God's story, written for you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This is one of many verses that just make peace like a river flow over the believer knowing that God knows them, loves them and has filled them with His peace because of Christ Jesus our intercessor, Lord, and Savior.  Prior to coming to faith in Christ, we were enemies of God, living life our way, never concerned about the Lord or how we lived, hurt Him.  But by the grace of God we have been saved through faith, not by anything we have done by everything He has done.  And through that faith, having been justified by that faith in Christ Jesus, we now are at peace with God, we now have the peace of God that is beyond all understanding.  All because of the selfless life of Christ on earth, living a sinless life, a life meant to bring people to God, a sacrificial death on a brutal Roman cross, a death He willingly took upon Himself, to die for sinners like you and me because we had no other way to get to Heaven. He, through this horrible death was the only way it could happen.
       Ponder this for a time, think about what Christ did, and the implications of His death and resurrection on your current life...  Where would you be without a relationship with Jesus?  Like the words penned by Homer Cox;
So I prayed to God in earnest, and not caring what folks said;
I was hungry for the blessing; my poor soul, it must be fed;
Then at last by faith I touched Him, and, like sparks from smitten steel,
Just so quick salvation reached me, oh, bless God, I know it’s real!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Lord Jesus made seven "I AM" statements in the New Testament Gospel accounts, in each of them Jesus was making known to His listeners that I AM God!  The same statement He made from the burning bush when He spoke to Moses, I AM who I AM.  And in making these statements, Jesus made it clear He is the Messiah, the promised one of Israel, and He has come with a purpose, here in this statement, Jessus says, I am the Good Shepherd and a Good shepherd protects His sheep and He is willing to lay down His life for them.  Let us remember that every word Jesus spoke, every action Jesus took, and every miracle Jesus brought about was done with absolute intentionality, they all had a very distinct purpose, nothing was happenstance.  
       Many times the Lord made it clear who He is, He spoke it, He showed it, and He proved it, I AM God, your Good Shepherd, the one who is mighty to save, the one who has come to bring life and life more abundantly, He is the Savior of the world!  There is only one God, one Savior and Christ Jesus is He, put your faith and trust in Him alone, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

You have probably heard the old saying, 'Beauty is only skin deep'. Our proverb for today makes that point very clear, charm and beauty are fleeting, they are temporary, but the fear of the Lord is truly what makes a person beyond beautiful.  In today's world beauty has become of the greatest importance, even to the point of destroying a person's true real appearance to make them appear the way someone believes they will look best.  The outward appearance does nothing to tell you of the person's inward beauty, for it is what comes from the heart that shows a person's real beauty. This proverbs thirty-one woman has it all together, she has talent, many abilities to do so much, she is a great wife, mother, and provider for her family, but her greatest asset is her love for God.   When we have a true relationship with the Lord, when we have a true fear of God, it will be more than evident in how we live our lives, people will take notice.  When we hold God in the highest of reverence in our life, allowing nothing to get in between Him and us, then our real beauty will shine bright, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

In context, this verse is connected to direction about being a good, humble servant leader, how to properly care for the flock that has been entrusted to you.  Sometimes we can get ourselves into a place where we feel the need to know and control too much, which may very well lead to a pride problem, Peter writes let it go, it is not that important, do not allow those burdens of everyday tasks bind you up, cast them upon the Lord, He will carry them for you.  At times, life gets a little crazy, busyness seems to be the way of life, there is always a lot more to do than we have time to finish, and we get anxious about running out of time.  This is when you must decide what is truly important, and what can wait, and then hand off the anxiety and worry to the Lord and humble yourself before the Lord, realizing you cannot do it all.  Yes, it can be a hard lesson to learn, but most of us have been there, let go and let God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Proverbs thirty-One woman, in reading this proverb it seems like she is a woman of perfection and has no faults, but in reality she is a woman who loves and fears God and that is what makes her the amazing woman she is.  She stands in strength and dignity, she has energy when others have been long gone to bed, she is filled with the Lord's power to endure and persevere.  She is dignified in how she carries herself, always a woman with proper etiquette and a beautiful attitude.  She is always ready for whatever comes at her, not concerned about what the future holds.  She is full of Godly wisdom from above, her fear of the Lord has blessed this woman with much wisdom.  This woman is kind and her kindness shows in all aspects of her life, her words, her guidance, and her actions.
       These attributes are not just for women, everyone of us should be living a life that is pleasing to God, seeking God's wisdom daily, living a life holding God in the highest of reverence. Being dignified in how we live out our faith, always showing kindness toward others, and living in the promises of God, that He holds our future, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

God never changes, He never moves, He is the one constant that we have in our lives, always there, always faithful.  When people say God is not present in my life any longer, or God feels distant, remember God did not move, you did.  The Lord is always faithful in every moment of every day, God is right there with you, He never shifts nor falters in His love for you.  God is our protector, our shield, our fortress, He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.  Is that not comforting to know that God is in your corner, even when things seem to be falling apart all around you, God is there in your midst.  I love what we read in Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you"

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

A big reason people worry and fret and get anxious is they spend all of their time focused on the here and now, all the things they can see and hear and experience.  When we are told we should have our focus on what we cannot see, those things that are eternal and unseen in our lives today, the things of God.  Think about what is beyond the sunset, behind the morning sunrise, and the unknown realms of God in every part of your life each new day.  Everything we see in this life currently is temporary, transient, it is fleeting and will go away, it, like us, has a life expectancy.  The most important things are the unseen things of this life, all that you know is there but you cannot see, all of the workings of God.  One day, you and I will move from this mortal temporary existence to  the immortal eternal existence with God in Heaven.  We will change from the here and now to the permanent, eternal and Godly where everything will be new and perfect, no sin, no death, and no tears to stain our perfect existence.  So, today focus on the things of God, on the eternal, on the better things, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

God loves a cheerful giver!  Here is the bottom line, the Lord says we are to give from the heart, an act of kindness that is not compulsory or demanded, but of love and compassion for the cause.  We give willingly because our heart desires to be generous, not for any other reason.  Here, in His sermon on the mount, Jesus speaks of the motives behind your giving.  When you give, with right motives, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, straight to the point nobody needs to know what you're doing nor why.  Far too many people want to be recognized for their good deeds, 'look at me, look what I did', the Lord says that is wrong in every way and your heart's motive is all wrong.  And another important thing you need to know and remember, when you make it a point to tell everyone of your generosity, you have received your reward, there will be no reward for this deed in Heaven, you have earned all you will get, the praise of men.
     Give out of the abundance of your heart, out of the goodness of your heart, not for personal accolades or applause of man, but because you love like Jesus and you are having compassion on others like Jesus, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

I would hope that each of who are reading this today is longing to hear from God with a renewed thirst every morning.  Lord, my desire is to hear from you, of your steadfast love each new day as I awake to witness all you have in store for me this morning.  For Lord my complete and full trust is in you, for indeed I have other places to go, where could I go?  Lord I pray that you would have your way with me, that you would use me as you will, my life is in your hands.  Lord, lead me in your way everlasting, lead every aspect of this life of mine to follow you, to embrace you, show me the way I should go.  Lord as I spend the first moments of my day with you, reading your word, hearing your voice speak to my heart, I pray you will lift up my soul, prompt me to live a life that is always pleasing to you in every way.  
      The psalmist has opened his life and his heart to know God in a more intimate manner, to become closer in his relationship with God each morning.  And as God renews His light upon this world each morning, that God you would renew your bright shining light within me each new day that I live to glorify you with my life, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Moses has died, and Joshua is now in his place leading this people group into the Promised land, into the land of milk and honey.  It has been a very long journey, a great deal has happened, many people have died along the way for various reasons. As a matter of fact Joshua and Caleb are the only original two who came out of Egypt in the Exodus still alive.  And God speaks to Joshua, just as He speaks to you and I, Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous, lean on me, depend upon me, know that I will be with you wherever you go and whatever you do.  God will never send you on a journey that He will not go right along with you.  The Lord tells Joshua, do not be frightened or dismayed by what you see or encounter, for I am with you, I will defend you, I will protect you, and I will be with you wherever you go.  Today, as you navigate this crazy world, that seems to be more wicked and evil by the day, know this, God is with you, He is your Rock, your fortress, and your defender, lean on Him for all you need, lean on His understanding, and let Him lead you into His ways.  No matter what you might be going through, know that God is with you, He loves you, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Lord Jesus stands for everything good in this life. We are  called to emulate Him and His life as we walk through this short journey here on earth. Never looking for revenge, retaliation or retribution, but always returning good for evil.  Yes, this is absolutely counter cultural, but it is the way of life the Lord desires for each of us to live.  As part of this returning good for evil, prayer can and should be a very big part of that, pray for those who hate you and persecute you, ask God to touch their lives and draw them into a life saving relationship with Him.  We live in a world that is in a very big spiritual battle, probably the biggest Spiritual battle of all time, Good versus Evil, that is why we are witnessing such blatant acts of wickedness every day.  We therefore must be on guard, putting on the full armor of God each morning before we ever leave our house, do not go into this evil world unprotected.   Knowing this, the evil one is lurking just around the corner looking for someone to steal, kill and destroy, these are not mere words but a real warning of the severity of the evil that has permeated our world,  always return good for evil! Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

God is never early, never late, but always right on time.  God is God, who are we to judge His perfect timing in any situation?  Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here my brother would not have died", yes, but that was not God's plan, raising Lazarus from the dead was God's plan all along.  Over the centuries since Jesus' death and resurrection many people have questioned whether or not the Lord is even coming back since it has been so long.  But the Lord has not returned for in His good pleasure, to see all those who have come to faith in Christ and live.  God is not slow, God lives in His own time domain, as Jeremiah stated a word from God, my ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts, and in addition, my timing is my timing.  But God being the compassionate and loving God that He is, wants to see all people come to faith and live for all eternity, that none should perish, but all should live.  Let us not question God, but let us live in complete and total obedience to His call, and know that Christ will return one day, on that we can stand firm and state emphatically, Jesus is coming soon, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

What a friend we have in Jesus.  Often we find that those who we thought were our friends are not really any more than acquaintances, for when we need them the most, they are nowhere to be found.  A true friend is one who is there when you need them, they will go through thick and thin with you, even when it gets hard.  But as a believer we have a friend who is always there no matter what, no excuses, no voicemail to leave, just reach out in prayer you will find Him, the Lord Jesus.  The one who was willing to lay down His life for you, to take your punishment, pay your sin debt, and then offer you salvation free of charge, now that is a real friend.  Don't fret yourself when your earthly friends desert you, for you always have one you can run to in time of need, any time day or night, for He promised that He would never leave nor forsake you, ever, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Be imitators of God.  You might ask how in the world can I imitate God?  God is perfect and I am not, that seems like an impossible task.  What the apostle is saying is this; live with God and learn from God as you navigate through His word and the example of Christ Jesus which laid out for you in the Scriptures.  We often learn from others around us, our parents, siblings, friends, and even celebrities have an influence upon how we live our lives, good, bad, or indifferent.  If we are going to live a life that is pleasing to God, it must be a life that emulates His Son, overflowing with love for God, for others and then a life filled with the fruit of Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  If we are going to be imitators of God, then we must spend good quality time with God, let Him influence you to be the person He created you to be.  Live well, love well, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

How do we delight ourselves in the Lord?  First off you must be Born Again, you are a believer, saved by Grace through Faith, and therefore be in an intimate relationship with the Lord.  I believe when you believe and have faith, you are already delighting in the Lord, but over time it grows and grows, like the Old song Bill Gaither penned, 'the Longer I serve Him the Sweeter He grows'.  as we grow closer to the Lord, as we get to know Him and love Him all the more, we come to know that He will supply every need, soothe every wound, and be near to the broken hearted.  And in doing so, the delight of the heart, the abundance of the heart changes from the old person to the New Life in Christ Jesus, what fills our heart is from the Lord.  For then out of the abundance of the heart we delight in the Lord.  So when the desires of the heart are Christ-centered and our heart is beating for the will of God, He will give us our hearts desires, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

We can know that even in the darkest of times, God in the midst of that darkness, that God has a good plan for whatever it might be you are dealing with.  I recently had a very trying experience that had me questioning what I was doing, it was frustrating and sad.  But God, God used that very difficult time to show me some amazing things for me to do in His work and help another as we walked through this time together.  If we will look to God in those times that have us down, discouraged or even despondent, God will make it known to you and it will work out for good, it always does.  In context Israel was in turmoil, it was not a good season for them and eventually due to not listening to God, they would be taken into exile to a foreign country.  Never look at the bumps in the road and say why me, look at those times and say what now God?  Because God has done wonderful things, His plans are certain, and He deserves all the praise and Glory, He is faithful even when we are not for He is our God, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Though this parable is very short, it is concise and very pointed in its deep and profound meaning.  In the days that Jesus spoke this parable men were always searching for that elusive buried treasure, for some had been highly blessed to find some treasure hidden in haste to never be found by the one who had buried it.  But his treasure found in this piece of land is extremely special, it is invaluable, and it is worthy of giving up all your earthly goods to have this treasure, the Kingdom of God.  For indeed coming to know the Lord and entering into the kingdom is the treasure of your lifetime.  If you have been blessed enough to have entered into the Kingdom of God then you are well aware of its life changing, life altering value it has on you. A treasure worth giving up all your worldly goods to possess, the Kingdom of God is far more valuable than all the gold on earth, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

If you were asked, and be honest, what is the one part of your life that you could not live without.  Some four thousand years ago, there was a king, his name was Solomon, he was the wealthiest man on earth, he had everything a man in that era could desire.  And over the years of his life, he contemplated everything he had and everything he did.  In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon does and acquires everything under the sun, and in the end his conclusion is that it is all vanity, meaningless, none of it brought me what I desired.  And Solomon makes a very wise observation, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”.  He had wine, woman and songs, and all that goes with it, yet he was not satisfied, he realized that God is all he needs to live a wonderful life.  Without God, life has no meaning, no purpose and all is vanity, choose God, love God, fear God, and obey God, and your life will be full and abundant, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

If we are to be able to do as David did prior to writing this Psalm, we must have a heart like David’s, we must be a man after God’s own heart, one who loves the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, being fully surrendered and fully trusting in Him.  When we do each of these, seeking the Lord will come naturally, it becomes part of our nature, a habit of consistent daily interaction with our God.  David looked to God for victory, for consolation, for protection, and for solace, God was Daivd’s go to in every situation, God was his all in all.  For you and I to have the strong faith that David had, our mind must be stayed on the Lord, our heart must be fully surrendered to the Lord, and our life must be fully dedicated to the Lord.  Do as Jesus commanded, ask, seek, and knock, and it will all be opened to you and given to you as God wills, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

In one of Jesus’s seven I AM statements in the Gospel of John the Lord tells His disciples that He is God, the Great I AM!  He tells them in response Thomas’ question, I AM The Way, the path to life, the only path to eternal life, that through Him, through His sacrificial death and resurrection anyone can come to be delivered from the wrath to come.  Jesus tells them I AM the Truth, in Him, in His Word we have absolute truth, people are searching for the truth every day, Jesus is The Way to the Truth.  And the Lord says to them and to us, I AM the Life, Jesus the giver of life, all life, the creator of life restores life to the lost and dying, for there is no other name under Heaven in which you can be saved, He is the only way to the Father, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Looking at the life of the Apostle Paul, it is amazing how Christ transformed this man from brutally hostile to ‘The Way’ and filled with hate a rage for Jesus of Nazareth, to a man so on fire for the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  Even though Paul was told how much he would suffer for the name of Christ, he was also commissioned to go to the Gentiles, to kings and to rulers to testify about the amazing grace that was offered and afforded to him.  Paul states empathically, my life is worth nothing to me, but it is dedicated to spreading the Good News of God’s Grace.  And the most important aspect of his life, was finishing the race well and the ministry of God’s Grace.  We will all give an account of what we did with Jesus while on earth in this life, what is your life worth, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Stay strong in the faith, do not grow weary.  The writer of Hebrews makes the point much like the Apostle Paul in regard to staying strong in the faith.  Here we are told to understand that discipline is for our own good, yes it is unpleasant in the moment, but in the long run it is beneficial, it is helpful, it will make us a stronger person.  In much the same way an athlete trains and trains, it is hard work, but in time it will bring results, strength will increase, stamina will grow.  These things are just as important for our faith, it must be stretched in order to grow and mature into the Christ-centered faith the Lord desires each of us to possess. When our faith is tested and we are driven to our knees in prayer, we are brought to a place of true spiritual growth and this is how we endure and persevere until the end of the race.  Because this training brings about or yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.  Those dark and challenging times we experience, they are the training mat upon which we grow in spiritual strength day by day.  Embrace all that God has for you, run the race with all endurance knowing that there is a prize when you reach the end of this earthly race, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The apostle Paul was not only an amazing evangelist, he was a man who strived to encourage others to stay firm in the faith, to endure until the end, to stay in the race and finish well, all in following Christ Jesus.  Here is what is believed to be the last letter that Paul wrote to his young protege Timothy, Paul makes it clear he has reached the end of his race, he knows that he will probably die soon and go to be with the Lord.  He is not distraught, but he is confident that he has run the race put in front of him with all endurance and stayed true to his calling.  Each of us has been called by the Lord to come and follow Him. to live a life that is pleasing to God, to not allow ourselves to be sidetracked and led astray, but to keep our eyes on Jesus and abide in Him, walking with Him through the deep waters, and through the fiery flames of life.  
     I would encourage each one of us to take an inventory of our walk with the Lord, are we in step with God, are we in a solid intimate relationship with Christ, can we truly say we are walking the walk and talking the talk, and will you hear, well done good and faithful servant when that time comes?  May we all fight the good fight until the end of the race, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

If we understand this verse in context it shows us that in the end of days, when the whole world will see and experience the Glory of the Lord in all His splendor and might, everyone will know who He is.  As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:10-11 "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"  Just as the empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greek, and Romans) of the ancient world were known worldwide, So also will the Glory of our Lord all will know and see that He is Lord and He is mighty to save, and there is no other God.  What this does not mean is that all the world will be saved and every person on earth will go to Heaven.  The Bible is clear that is not the case, the road is narrow and few will find it.  As much as we all would love for everyone to come to know Christ as Lord and Savior, most will not. It is sad, but it is true.  But we shall still go out into the world and preach the good news to all who will hear and spread hope in this lost world, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The apostle John does a very good job of reiterating and reinforcing the words of the Lord Jesus throughout his epistles.  John is considered the Apostle of 'love', he writes about love a great deal in his letters, and speaks of living in obedience to the commandments of Christ.  Jesus said "if you love me you will obey my commandments"  and one of those commandments is found in John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”.   We are called to love others unconditionally just as Jesus did, that we walk in love, live in love, and be Christlike in how we love others.  John tells us that we are to live by the example of Jesus' love and His command to love one another, this is love therefore walk in it.  
       We must remember that the love of God is much different from the love of this world, God's love is real, it is abiding, it is living love, not fickle free thinking love.  Love one another as Jesus loves you, let the world see that you have been with Jesus, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Our Heavenly Father is filled with joy to see those who love Him, obey Him and follow all he has prescribed for their good.  This is a theme from the very beginning of God's Word, that He rejoices over His children when they walk with him in faith and trust.  And as such, human fathers too rejoice when their children grow up in the Lord and are faithful into adulthood.  There might not be anything that brings a parent more joy than to see their child embracing the Lord, and walking with Him as they grow up, willing to go to church and being involved in Spiritual activities.  It is much like what we see in the life of Jesus when His Father in Heaven spoke from the throne, "This is my son in whom I am well pleased", because He lived a life that was pleasing to His father in Heaven.  We too should strive to hear those words from our father in Heaven, one when we arrive and stand before him after living a full life here on earth, "Well done good and faithful servant"  Think about the influence you have on children around you, your own children and others as you walk in step with God and His plans daily, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The marks of a true Christian, Jesus said that by this one thing, love, they will know you are my disciples.  Are we loving well, are we loving other believers as Christ has instructed us to do?  The Apostle Paul spent some time here in his epistle to the church at Rome talking about the person who is Born Again, a New Life in Christ, beginning with the fact we have been transformed by the renewing of our minds, we think differently.  Let your love for others be genuine, not just lip service, not just something we say as followers of Christ, but something we do because we have the love of Christ in us.  Love one another with true brotherly affection, and outdo each other the way you love each other and show honor to each other.  In loving others, we should be patient in all situations, kind beyond belief, fervent in the Lord, continually in prayer, and always rejoicing in hope for others.  And may we always live in harmony with others, overlooking their faults and embracing them as they are.
Let there be love shared among us, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Truly it is not a matter of if you will suffer but when.  Becoming a follower of Christ does not in any way eliminate suffering from your life, in fact most all of us suffer at some time in our Christian walk for the name of Jesus, the Lord said it would happen.  Many people over the past two thousand years have died for the name of Christ Jesus, it continues to this very day.  But when it comes and it will, do not allow the evil one to lead you into a place of shame and disgrace, stand firm in your faith and let the Lord lead you through that suffering.  Christ suffered a great deal to come and live a sinless life on earth and die a criminal's death on a brutal Romans cross to pay your sin debt, it was suffering beyond anything you and I will ever experience in this life.  So let us embrace those times of suffering that we go through, knowing that it will all make us stronger in our faith, and help us endure until the end.  And may we always Glorify the name of Christ Jesus as we walk in step with Him day by day living a Christ filled life.  Job said best, Job 14:1 "Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble"  Live for Jesus, love for Jesus, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, what exactly does the apostle Paul mean by this statement?  Is he saying that you can do anything imaginable through the strength that comes from the Lord Jesus?  If we go back to this section of the letter Paul wrote to the church in Philippi we see that he was talking about something quite specific, the Apostle is speaking of his circumstances that he has lived through while doing the ministry of evangelism for Christ.  Paul says I am content no matter whether I have much or I have little or nothing, even sitting in prison for the name of the Lord, I am content.  He states I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  Paul is not speaking of Christ's strength as a magic ability to do anything in the world, not at all, he is speaking of doing the ministry of the Lord, even in the most difficult situation, in dire need, in prison, even when things are going great, I get my strength from Christ Jesus.  Know this, if you are doing the will of God, if you are living out the will of God in your life, fulfilling the calling He has made upon your life, He will give you the strength to complete the task He has called you to do.  May the Lord Bless you and keep you as you walk with Him daily, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

In order to take this verse in its correct context, we must read what the Apostle stated prior to this, this section of his letter is titled Cheerful Giver, Paul is talking about giving with a generous and open heart, not begrudgingly.  Tithing in church can be a very touchy subject for so many because they hear those people on television begging for millions of dollars to pay for their brand new Gulfstream Jets and more.  That is criminal to say the least, true giving from the heart to support the work of God within your local church is being a blessing.  Remember, God is the one who provided everything you have, it is all His and He only asks for a small portion, you get to keep most of it.  And Paul says that God will supply every need you could possibly have, God will make all grace abound to you, promising that provision.  Giving back to God is a blessing, it is something we do as part of our relationship with Him, and in return God pours out blessing upon blessing.  This has absolutely nothing to do with the false teaching of prosperity, that is not what God is saying, He says simply that He will provide your every need, God loves a Cheerful Giver, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Apostle Paul begins this portion of his letter to the church at Rome with this statement and it says it all, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"  By grace we have been saved, justified by faith, and we have peace with God.  But if that isn't enough, we have been given a Spirit of endurance to go through times of suffering, difficulty with a heart filled with joy that comes directly from the Lord.  We do this by the grace of God because we know that this suffering helps us to keep on enduring through whatever comes our way, and that ability to endure produces Godly character in us, making us more like Jesus day by day.  And that Godly character produces hope within us, a hope for a future that is promised to us by God.
     Let us all look at those times of suffering through a different lens, through the lens of hope in Christ Jesus.  He endured much suffering and pain to save you and me, and He did it willingly.  This life is filled with pain and suffering and it is not a matter of if it will happen but when.  When it happens, look to Jesus the finisher and the perfecter of your faith and endure until the end, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

David, the writer of this psalm lived some 2900 years ago and he writes of the cares of his heart in the time he lived.  Not that he did not have many cares, as a shepherd boy he was caregiver of sheep, they were his responsibility, he became a mighty warrior, had to deal with a crazy King who became his father in law, who tried to kill him, and then he became king over all of Israel.  David did indeed have his share of cares.  Now you and I do not deal with many of the issues David dealt with, but we have many other cares living in this ultra modern world.  We use automobiles that breakdown, many gadgets in our home and at work that stop working at the most inopportune time, technology that makes us crazy, and of course life.  You and I have many cares of the heart that can and will cause us problems if we do not allow the Lord to take them from us, let Him carry the burden.  David says that when the cares of his heart are many, you Lord, and your consolations cheer my soul.  When the cares of your heart are many, where do you go, to whom do you call on?  Is prayer and Scripture your first place to turn?  Do you allow the Lord's care and compassion, His consolations to bring you comfort?  When you are feeling overburdened by the cares of this world, go to God, let His consolations bring you comfort, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

You just have to love the heart of James, the half brother of the Lord Jesus, his epistle is amazing and one of the most quoted in the New Testament.  I know a great many people struggle with the idea of having a heart filled with joy while going through trials and difficult times.  But, if you have a relationship with the Lord, you have a different outlook on life, you come at it from a much different perspective, and you can have joy in trials.  For a non-believer, this is completely foreign, they cannot see or understand the possibility of having any kind of joy while dealing with trials in this life.  The non-believer looks for happiness and happiness is a fleeting emotion that is beyond fickle.  Joy is a true condition of the heart that is devoted to God, a new heart that has been changed from the old person to the new life in Christ.  And we can note that James says that when we meet trials of various kinds and not if, because they come and sometimes in waves.  But we can endure them with a heart that is filled with the Lord's joy, walking right on through that valley.  May your day be filled with joy as you walk with the Lord, and may your heart be filled with His peace, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Prayerfully we all do our best to stay in good physical health and shape for it does truly help us feel better and look better. But even more important than that is our Spiritual well being or as the Apostle Paul refers to it Godliness. From the moment we surrender our life to the Lord Jesus, repent of our sinfulness and turn to God, we begin a new life in Christ, and as we grow closer to Him, we grow in godliness and we mature in our faith. This godliness has great value for our current life but even more important is it has great value in our promised future in Heaven. Through the process of sanctification, growing closer to the Lord and becoming more like Him in every aspect of our lives, we also grow closer to eternity, not in a matter of time, but in a matter of Spiritual well being. 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The writer of Hebrews gives some very sound encouragement, as he lays the firm foundation of our faith out right before our eyes, that being Christ Jesus. He establishes a basis for his statement, that there have been many that have traveled this road before us, that great cloud of witnesses, they struggled with the same problems all of us have. Remember, as Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun, these human issues we experience, they have plagued mankind for thousands of years. But we are told to lay them aside, each and every one of those weighty sins, things that tend to draw you away from the faithful walk you trod every day. We are running a race, a race that will lead us into eternity, and the image used here is that of a runner in a race, and in those days they ran races such as the olympics naked in order to remove every weight that might hold them back. We too are running a race, and it can be far too easy to get tangled up in sin that will hold us back, that can stop us in our tracks. Today, if you know there is a weight, a sin, or anything that is hindering your walk with the Lord, shake it off, get rid of it, and then run with great endurance the race that the Lord has set before you, run the race, finish the race, endure until the end, Jesus Saves! 

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Where is your focus, being anxious about things you cannot change, worrying about events that are far out of your control?  Or are you focused on the Goodness of God?  Ponder these lyrics from the CeCe Winans song, "I love You, Lord, For Your mercy never fails me, All my days I've been held in Your hands, From the moment that I wake up, Until I lay my head, Oh, I will sing of the Goodness of God"  We can allow our minds to drive us to the negative, worrying about world events, social unrest, violence in the streets, politics, the list goes on and on.  Or we can keep our heart stayed on the Goodness of God, all His many blessings, being thankful for all He does for us each day.  Replace your worries and cares with Words of Life from Scripture, do not allow the evil one to take away your joy and get in that mindset that all is bad and that darkness is going to win the day, NO!  Take hold of God's promises and walk by faith, head up filled with the joy of the Lord and the Peace that is beyond all understanding.  Today, I choose Joy, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The Golden Rule, it seems that this would be simple common sense, if I desire that you treat me well, I will treat you well, right?  Well, if it was that easy Jesus would not have placed an emphasis on this important aspect of life.  Think about how different people are, upbringing, experiences, life events, traumatic circumstances, and more, we are all quite different.  But, that does not give us unbridled freedom to treat people badly because of the things we have gone through.  I have no responsibility for your past and your hurt because I have my own issues to deal with, we all must consider how we treat other people, are we kind, or are we rude and nasty?  
       I know there are people who lean on their past to justify their actions, I know there is hurt there, but the people who are receiving the repercussions of your hurt do not deserve it, they are completely and totally innocent in your life's circumstances.  None of us is perfect, we all have our flaws, we make mistakes, we lash out in moments of weakness and agitation, and we make assumptions about others that are absolutely wrong.  Let's make an effort to be kind to everyone, even if they do not deserve it, let each of us pour out grace upon grace on others just as the Lord has for us, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

Psalm twenty-three, a psalm of comfort, assurance, and protection.  It is believed that David wrote this psalm most likely when he was still a shepherd boy outside of Bethlehem, as he met with many dangers that went along with keeping sheep in the fields.  As we read through this short psalm, we can see and know the heart of the person who wrote it, the psalm is filled with a heart of trust, knowing that God will always be there to provide, to protect, to lead and guide, knowing that through his relationship with the Lord, his shepherd, he was covered.  
       As followers of Christ, we should have no fear because we know He is always walking right alongside us, that even in the darkest of days, even as death closes in upon this fragile life of ours, we have nothing to fear for our shepherd has us by the hand to lead us into eternity.  His rod and His staff they bring us comfort as they guide us along, just like with sheep keeping them from going astray and wandering off.  The Word of God is our rod and staff that keep us on the narrow path that leads to paradise in Heaven with our Good shepherd.  Today, as we ponder this verse, let it bring you comfort, peace and fill your heart with the Lord's joy, knowing Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

This is an interesting piece of Scripture, the apostle Paul tells of a time, some fourteen years prior when he was caught up into Heaven, though it is hard for him to understand exactly how it happened.  I believe this was when he was stoned to death in Lystra, I believe he died that day and God sent him back to keep on doing the work he had planned for him on earth.  Paul endured a great deal of suffering for the sake of the name of Christ Jesus, and Paul says here that he could boast of many things, but he will not, and he had been given a thorn in the flesh to keep him from being puffed up, a reminder to stay humble.  And here Paul says he asked of Jesus to take this thorn away from him, three times he asked, but the Lord responded to him with a simple but very true statement, my grace is sufficient for you, for it is in your weakness you are made strong.  
       Then Paul reiterates this promise from the Lord, no matter what comes my way, weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions or calamaties, for when I am weak, then I am strong.  No matter your circumstance, the Lord is your strength, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145

The interaction between Mary and the Angel who brought her the news of her coming pregnancy, her conversation with Joseph the one she was engaged to, and her expressing the news to her cousin Elizabeth... They all show just how much Mary trusted in God, believed in God and was willing to let God lead and guide her life.  None of this would have been easy for her to deal with, this truly turned her world upside down, and this was just the beginning of how her life would change.  But Mary wrote a song that magnifies the Lord for who He is, her spirit was filled with excitement for she knew that she was living in the midst of His will.
       Are you living within God's will?  And if you are and life seems to be a little out of sorts, are you rejoicing that you are where you are today?  Our heart's desire should be that we are asking that the Lord's will be done in our life, that He would be our guiding light every day and in every way. Our daily prayer should be Lord, have your way with me, do with me what you will, I am yours for the taking, use me as you see fit.  Lord I surrender all to you, have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way, Jesus Saves!

Pastor Roy
702-219-0145