His Name is Salvation

by Pastor Ken  

Matthew 1:21

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

 

Jesus (Yeshua), meaning "Yahweh saves" or "Salvation."  His name is His mission, He is the Christ, the (Mashiach) Messiah, the deliverer.  He came that the world would be redeemed through Him.  Forgiveness is the essence of the Cross and Christmas.   Luke 4:18-19 reminds us that His mission is to:

 

  • Proclaim good news to the poor (those who lack).
  • Proclaim freedom for the prisoners (stuck in sin).
  • Recovery of sight for the blind (by the world).
  • Set the oppressed free (free from... addiction, depression, discouragement, sickness, the enemy).

Forgiveness and reconciliation are His Mission.  To restore us into the right relationship with the Father, to redeem us for eternity.

 

The application here is to join Jesus' mission, to give what we have been freely given, the gift of forgiveness.   If you have someone that you have been estranged or could not forgive before, this message urges you to reconcile, to forgive as you have been forgiven.   Let the work of Christ dwell in your hearts this Christmas, proclaim His good news to everyone, forgive, and be at peace, and allow this Christmas be one of reconciliation.

 

 

Lord, I pray that you would bring to mind anyone we have not forgiven.   That you would not allow another year, or month, or day go by that would allow any unforgiveness to stand, that we would be set free from it, and that you would heal old wounds, old relationships, that you would bring in us and through us the gift of forgiveness.   In Jesus' name Amen!

 

Categories: Welcome
 12/24/25 03:00:00 pm, Leave a comment »

Who He Is

by Pastor Ken  

 

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

 

 

"Who He Is!"  He is the Wonderful Counselor, He is the Mighty God, He is the Everlasting Father, He is the "Prince of Peace."    What we learn from the word of God is that what Jesus brings and what the world brings are totally two different things.    The world says peace is wrapped up in circumstances, "If I only had enough money, or if all my bills were paid, if my children were in the place I need them to be."   Then I would have peace; it is based on circumstances, but that is not the peace that Jesus brings. 

 

The word tells us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace; that word in Hebrew (sar) tells us that Jesus fights for our peace.   Jesus brings peace (John 14:27) not like the world, but get this "Lasting Peace."   Because He battles for your peace, His peace is lasting because He has the power to destroy the things that steal your peace.   This verse is a reminder to seek the Prince of Peace.  

 

The application here is for those who want to find real peace to pursue the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords, the Great I Am.   Isaiah 26:3 says He keeps those in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him.   We need to focus all of our energy, our hearts, our minds on the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will find peace, because we will have found the Prince of Peace, it is who He is, not just what He brings.

 

 

Lord, amongst the hustle and bustle of this time of year, I pray that each of us takes a breath, a moment to reflect on you, to not lose sight of what and why we do what we are doing this time of year, that we would celebrate your presence, not just presents that we would pursue the Prince of Peace, the Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor and in that pursuit you would bring perfect peace, in Jesus' name, Amen!

 

Categories: Welcome
 12/23/25 02:49:00 pm, Leave a comment »

Wise Men Still Seek Him

by Pastor Ken  

 
Matthew 2:7-11
 
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
 
 
When we read this story of the mysterious Magi from the East (Babalon), most of us miss the connection.   These Wise Men who sought out the Messiah, the Christ, the King that was foretold, the one who would change the world forever.  We know that Nebuchadnezzar had taken the treasures from the first temple in Jerusalem, frankincense, gold, and myrrh among them.   The connection:  (Dan. 5:11) The men that Daniel was put in charge of were called Magi; Daniel was the chief of the Magi.   We also know that Daniel's visions of the coming Christ would have been told to these men.  These men were no accident; they were converts, they were more than likely descendants of these men that Daniel was made chief over.    So when we read this Christmas story, the coming of these wise men from the east we should not miss that they had brought back to honor God the things that had been taken from the temple.  
 
 
This is a reminder that we should all the days of our lives seek to honor the Lord, to pursue the things of God in Christ Jesus, and bring our sacrifice of praise and honor Him with our lives, serving Him with all that is within us.
 
Wise Men Still Seek Him
 
 
I pray that you would be caught up in the ahh that is Christ this Christmas, that you would read the coming of Christ, and that God would reveal the depth of its power, that you hearts would burn within you, that your desire to serve Him in this new year would be greater than ever before.  In Jesus' name, amen! 
 
 
Categories: Welcome
 12/22/25 02:57:00 pm, Leave a comment »

The Unlikely Announcement

by Pastor Ken  

 
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 
~Luke 2:9-10
 
 
The greatest birth announcement in the history of man, the Son of the Most High God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Great I Am, it was not before Kings and men of great position, but it was brought to everyday dudes, working me, guys doing the work that most would not do.   If anyone fit John 3:16 "Whosoever", these guys did.   That is the good news, that it is for "Everyone", the least likely, the most unexpected, it is for all who "Receive" it.
 
Something about these shepherds, many were uneducated and unskilled, they were not only considered social outcasts but were also considered spiritually unclean. Shepherds had to constantly care for the sheep and were not able to adhere to all the extra ceremonial laws and cleanliness stipulations that Pharisees were imposing on the people. 
 
But let's not completely overlook that these shepherds were more than likely tending sacrificial lambs for the Jerusalem Temples.  Is that not something to cause pause, cause you to stop for a moment to ponder, those tending sacrificial lambs would meet the lamb of God given for the sins of the world.   Let that sink in!
 
This is a reminder that:
  • It is not your position.
  • It is not your education.
  • It is not based on how good you are.
  • It is not based on your past.
  • It is not based on your family tree, the stock you come from.
Your invitation is based on "Christ."
 
You are a "Whosoever!"
 
 
These shepherds would share the good news everywhere they went; they had experienced the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Lamb of God.
 
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,~Luke 1:17
 
The application here is to share the good news of Christ the Savior, so that everyone you encounter would know the good news.
 
 
I pray that we would be bolder this year, reach more with your good news, that we, like these lowly shepherds, would not keep quiet, that we would shout it from the rooftops, that no one would miss it, because Joy and Peace have come to us, and it is a gift to be shared.  
 
Glory
Categories: Welcome
 12/19/25 03:14:00 pm, Leave a comment »

The Power of Surrender

by Pastor Ken  

Luke 1:38
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
 
 
I think when we read of the virgin birth, we are caught up in the overall picture, but we lose sight of the fact that Mary is a teenage girl who is to be married to Joseph when the angel arrives on the scene to tell her, "Mary, you are to be with child through the Holy Spirit."   Imagine the things that would race through your mind:  "How will I manage this news, my husband, my reputation, most importantly, my life?"   I don't think we fully understand the strength of this young lady, it is no wonder she was chosen.   A heart so surrendered to the Lord, she says, "May your word to me be fulfilled."    This is: "Strength in Surrender!" 
 
The power comes when we surrender to God, that is when the impossible becomes possible through this Strength in Humility, this Sweet Surrender to the Lord. 
 
 
The takeaway, the application here is to surrender to God, to listen for His movement, to be obedient to His leading.    As we listen for His voice, we must prepare our hearts to be read to move, to accept it, to step into it, to be obedient to it.   James said don't just merely listen to the word, do what it says.   We must respond to the word of God.
 
 
Lord, I pray that all of us could step into the stream of obedience, that we would experience this Strength in Surrender, that you would do the impossible in and through us, that we might see the miraculous, that we might be sent to do the impossible, in Jesus' name, Amen!
Categories: The Word...
 12/18/25 03:12:00 pm, Leave a comment »

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