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Pastor Holston’s Sermon 2.28.10 FLIP THE SCRIPT mpeg4 from Hasker Thomas on Vimeo.

Matthew 7: 24

In John Bevere’s book The Bait of Satan, he explains that trials and tests locate a person. He says that it determines your spirituality and reveals the true conditions of your heart.

How we react under pressure is how our real person or our true character reacts.

To give illustration to this principle Bevere used two different types of houses.  We can have a house built on sand that is five stories high and beautiful, decorated with the most elaborate materials and craftsmanship.  As long as the sun is shining, it looks like bulwark of strength and beauty.

Next to that house you can have a single story plain house.  It is almost un-noticeable and possible unattractive compared to the beautiful building next to it. But it’s built on something you can’t see-a rock.

As long as no storm strike, the five story house looks much nicer. But when it encounters a severe storm, the five story house collapses and is ruined.  It may survive a few minor storms but not the hurricane.  The plain, one story structure survives. The larger the house the harder and more noteworthy it’s fall.

Many Christians are like the five story house. They look nice, they say all the right things, and they seem so spiritual. But when there is a major storm in their life they are shaken and fall away from the faith.  Many other Christians are like the one story plain house, they don’t have flashy spiritual gifts, they are not in front of the congregation all of the time, and they don’t seek the spotlight; but they never waiver in their faith.  What kind of house are we depends on how we react to pressure.

On Wednesday, 2.17.10 here at St. Matthew UMC we had our Ash Wednesday Service. A great time in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was had by all!  We had a packed house and the Spirit was High!  We fellowshipped here at St. Matthew UMC with our brothers and sisters from Bethel….The Church at Franklin Mills.  All I can say is; What A Blessing!  Pastor Rob Tarnoviski was our Guest Preacher of the evening and he reminded us of the true meaning of Repentance and Reconciliation during this season of Lent!  He reminded us to be true about our Repentance and not to play games because we can’t pull the wool over God’s Eyes…He Knows the truths of our Hearts!  He reminded us that the purpose of giving up something that we love is to realize that God is Everything that we need ALL the Time!  The message was on time and it fell on fertile soil.  God moved through this place and started healing broken hearts as people prayed that God would reveal their hearts so that they could repent! 

Sunday Worship Service

Now moving forward to Sunday February 21, 2010,   a Holy Ghost filled great time was had by all. The Praise Ensemble ushered us into the Spirit of Praise and Worship rendering the selections; Let the Glory of the Lord, Open the Eyes of My Heart, and I Feel the Presence. The Holy Spirit prepared all hearts to receive the Word of God from Minister Victor Gimenez. However, before Minister Vic rendered his sermon Bro. Hasker Thomas shared his testimony on reconciliation and sung a song that God placed on his heart to write, God…He Will Heal Your Broken Heart.  After that, Minister Victor Gimenez kept the worship going after the selection he said, “The Spirit of God is heavy in this Place!”  He began to pray for the healing that was taking place in St. Matthew.  He continued the series on Reconciliation with the title “Ministering Reconciliation ” which came from 2 Corinthians 5:11-17.  He spoke on how because of Christ’s love, he died for us!  So we must die to ourselves and no longer live in ourselves.  He mentioned that this is God’s house…not talking about the four walls of this church; We are God’s Church!  So if we are in Christ, we are new creations. Everything old about us has passed away and EVERYTHING has to become new!  We are God’s Peculiar people we handle Reconciliation the way the Holy Spirit would have us to handle Reconciliation through Love and Truth…not the way the World does!

Proverbs 16:18

One way the enemy keeps a person in an offended state is to keep the offenses hidden, cloaked with pride.  Pride will keep you from admitting your true conditions.

Pride keeps you from dealing with the truth.  It distorts your vision.  You never  change when you think everything is fine.  Pride hardens your heart and dims the eyes of your understanding.  It keeps you from the change of heart -repentance- that will set you free.

Pride causes you to view yourself as a victim.  Your attitude becomes, ’I was mistreated and misjudged; therefore, I am justified in my behavior.’  Because (we) believe (we) are innocent and falsely accused, we withhold forgiveness.  Though your true heart condition is hidden from you, it is not hidden from God.  Just because (we) have been mistreated, (we) do not have permission to hold on to an offense.  “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” 

(The Bait of Satan, John Berree, 1994)

I have been hurt severely by many people over the years.  I would often say that I was not hurt.  I knew it was wrong to be offended as I denied and repressed it.  I convinced myself I was not hurt, but in reality, I was.  My pride covered the true condition of my heart.

What offense have we covered, concealed, and repressed in the inner places of our heart?  What damage are they doing to our soul?  Have we taken the bait of Satan?

Sermon of Pastor Rob Tarnoviski Ash Wednesday Service mpeg4 from Hasker Thomas on Vimeo.

Maybe the best way to understand what forgiveness is to understand what it is not.

Forgiveness is not forgetting. There is no command that we must forget the wrongs done to us. Instead, we must not hold a debt or grudge against them.

Forgiveness is not forgetting the hurt or shrugging it off. So many people say,’ that’s alright’ when it was not alright. Or that it is OK when it was not OK. Forgiveness means taking the offense seriously not just shrugging it off. Don’t make forgiveness in to a cover for abuse.

Forgiveness is not trust. Forgiveness does not mean that people are put back into a trusted position where they can do more damage. You can forgive but not trust. Forgiveness is given because God gave it to us. But trust must be earned.

Forgiveness is not reconciliation. Forgiveness is the pathway to reconciliation but it is not reconciliation. Forgiveness takes one party but reconciliation takes two.

Forgiveness is a fresh start. An author, Douglas Steere, stated that forgiveness is not a condition in which the sin of the past is not altered or its inevitable consequences changes. But rather, in forgiveness a fresh act is added to those of the past, which restores the broken relationship and opens the way for both parties to meet and communicate deeply with each other in the present and future. True forgiveness is a first step toward healing.

CSY Choir and Pastor Holston’s Sermon Stewardship of Our Hearts mpeg4 001 from Hasker Thomas on Vimeo.