Sermons by Ysrael De La Cruz (Page 16)

God’s Blessings in Disguise

Very often we think that having a blessed week means that things went well with us, no one got sick in the family; bills were paid on time.  No conflict with anyone in the family and so forth.  We tend to think of blessing only when things are ok with us.  Some think that if you experience trials or hardship in life, then God is not blessing you. 
What if I told you that at times it is through those trials that you get to experience the biggest blessings?

What to do When Your Back is Against the Wall

Everyone goes through difficult times in life.  Some of you may be going through tough times right now.  You may be in the middle of the storm seeking hope and it appears that hope is truly far away.  We know that going through difficulties in this life is just a matter of time.  We will all experience hardship.  The question is not will trouble times come to you?  But rather, how do you respond when they come?
We can learn how to respond by looking at how this king responded to a situation that had him against the wall.  He felt helpless, just like many of us may feel at times.

Unshakeable Peace

You’ve probably seen the slogan “World peace” People dream about this concept of peace, which for them it means, not conflict or wars between nations and people.  People have been pursuing peace for thousands of years, but their peace is based on circumstances.  If there is no war, I will have peace; if people would like me, I will be a peace….If I could get that job, I will have peace… (circumstantial)  I will like to tell you about a peace that is not dependent on the circumstance or situation you may be experiencing today.

What it Means to be a Member of the Church

The church was Jesus’ idea; he is her founder.  Jesus said he would build it.  He bought it by his own blood and promised that it will transcend time.  Last week we talked about how the church began at the preaching of the apostles in Jerusalem.  The proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Messiah and people accepted this message and were baptized into Christ, then they were added to the number of followers.  The church is the gathering of those who profess faith in Jesus.  Christ’s church is made up of local congregations throughout the world.  Have you ever wondered what it means to be member of Christ’s church?

Why the Church

Maybe you have heard people say that they love Jesus, but don’t like the church.  These people think they can have a relationship with Jesus apart from his church.  There is even a book written entitled “They like Jesus, but not the church” by Dan Kimball.  There are so many wrong things with claiming to love Jesus and then not loving his church.  If you don’t love the church, then you don’t love God.  IF you don’t love your brother and sister, how can the love of God be in you?

That They May Be One

Tragedy tends to bring people together very quickly; we are familiar with slogans such as “united we stand” “Boston strong”  It is in those moments that we realize that unless we remain united we won’t survive.  It is during those times that we stop being selfish and think of others; it is in those times that we see people for who they are and not based on their skin color, political preferences, social status, etc.  All of a sudden, people begin to care for each other in ways you never thought possible.  The disheartening thing is that this is the only time some people experience unity or benefit from it.

Understanding our God-Given Mission

One of the best ways for the church today to understand its mission is to take a closer look at the life of Jesus.  Jesus was on a mission when he came and he was all about fulfilling his mission for the glory of God the Father.  When we are not sure what our mission as followers of Jesus is in this world, we need to take a closer look at Jesus.  Because the church is the incarnation of Jesus in the world.

Forgiveness Matters

Followers of Jesus are to imitate his teachings; there are many people who called themselves Christians, but their lives, behavior don’t reflect Jesus.  I think people should stop calling themselves Christian if they are not going to love others the way Jesus asked us to love them.  Another area in which many Christians misrepresent Jesus in our world, is when it comes to forgiveness.  There are followers of Jesus who have a really difficult time forgiving a brother or sister.  If you are one of those who really struggle forgiving their brother or sister, I hope you are ready to journey through God’s word so we can see why forgiveness really matters.

Loving God and Loving People

There is so much hate in our world, in our country, communities.  People need to see love, experience love, the world needs to learn what love is all about.
Jesus once said that the whole law of God and the prophesies are summed up in two commandments.  To love God and love people.  This world would be a completely different place if we just lived out these two commandments.

Saved by Grace – What does that Mean?

Today I would like to talk about another word we Christians throw around a lot and at many times, we don’t quite understand its meaning.  It is the word “grace.”  We hear things like you are saved by grace and there’s nothing you could have done.  Salvation is a gift, that you don’t deserve it.  Just as we spent time last week looking at God’s love and what we mean when we say it’s unconditional, today I want us to spend some time looking at God’s grace.  What is it?  What do we mean when we say we are saved by grace?

Gods Love – Unconditional or Conditional?

One of the most discussed topics in the Bible is the love of God, but I believe it’s one of the most misunderstood when left to our own explanation.  To understand God’s love, its nature, we must go to the Scriptures to see how God himself defines his love.  Sometimes we talk about God’s love being unconditional, but we fail to expand or explain really what that term means.  Today I would like us to spend some time looking at God’s love so we can understand better what we mean when we attach it to words such as unconditional or conditional.

Loving Like Jesus

The word Christians was given to the followers of Christ because their lives were Christ-centered.  Their lives reflected the teachings of their Lord; their communities were Christ-centered; their love for each other was also evident to outsiders.  Sadly, this is no longer the case in our society where the word Christian is thrown so loosely.