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Sunday 27 April 2014

'THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS'

Rev. Brent Russett
By Rev. Brent Russett
Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/   

_______________________________________________________
PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, April 27th, 2014:
 ____________________________________________

The Authority of Jesus’

             Good morning. And welcome to good news in the morning. My name is Brent Russett. I am the Senior Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church. It is my pleasure to look at some of life’s challenges, and then bring you some good news in the morning.


            This program is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries. If you want to look us up on the internet, or to re-listen to this program you can find us at Goodnewsinthemorning.ca

             So today we are going to look at Mark 1-5. Sometimes it is helpful to look at small portions like a verse or two. Sometimes it is helpful to take a wide swath of scripture so we see the panoramic view. This morning we are quickly going to walk through the first 5 chapters of Mark.

             If you know the New Testament a little bit, you will know that it’s first four books tell the story of the life of Jesus from different perspectives. Mark was the first of these four books to be written. What Mark wants more than anything else is to help his readers understand who Jesus is.

            Matthew was written so that the Jews could understand who Jesus is. Luke was written so that non-Jewish people could understand who Jesus is. John was written to help us believe in Jesus.

            But this morning we are in Mark. The way that Mark shows who Jesus is, by showing the authority of Jesus.

            Now I don’t know about you but I don’t give all that much time thinking about authority. Now if you are in the military you probably get authority better than most. You understand what you are responsible for an not responsible for.

            If you have been in prison, then you have experienced the severe limitation of your authority. Your choices are minimal.

            But if you are going to understand this passage it is helpful to understand that we all have some measure of authority.

            I have authority over my visa card- well kind of I have to negotiate with my wife – and technically the bank owns the card itself if you read the fine print on the back – but go with me for this illustration.

            I can choose what I buy with that credit card. I can buy clothes or I could buy a groceries or if the price was right I could buy a motorcycle with my credit card. I have the authority to use that credit card in whatever way I see fit.

            But it is not unlimited authority. I do not have unlimited credit. So I have authority within limits. But for the most part I can make decisions about how my credit card gets used.

            But I don’t get to make decisions of how your credit card gets used. If I made decisions about how your credit card gets used, that would be identity theft. That would be illegitimate authority.

            Another word for authority is power. I have the power to make a decision. Now we don’t all have the same scope of power and authority.


            You get the idea. The amount of authority you have dictates what you can and cannot choose.

            Now the people that Mark was writing to understood authority well. You see the Romans ruled the world. The Romans by the power of their armies had authority. Because of this people’s government and people’s behaviour were subject to Rome. The people could not crucify Jesus without Rome’s consent. The people were forced to pay taxes to Rome. They didn’t have any say in the matter. The authority of Rome limited their own authority and they felt it.

            I feel the limit of my own authority all the time. I watch someone who is sick, and I don’t have the authority to make the choices to heal them. I watch someone who is struggling emotionally and I don’t have the power to remove the struggle. There are often times that I wish I could just wave my hands and take the struggle away – but I can’t.

            With that as a back drop let me remind you of some stories in the first 5 chapters of Mark.

            You may remember when Jesus was baptized and then coming out of the water God’s voice was heard from heaven:

Mark 1:11 (NIV)
11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.

            The first thing that Mark shows us is that Jesus has God’s stamp of approval.

            Then Jesus starts his teaching ministry. But on one Sabbath day in Capernaum he was teaching and a person who was demon possessed started screeching. Jesus said to the demon, be quiet come out, and the demon obeyed him. And this is what Mark records
Mark 1:27 (NIV)
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.


            Jesus went from there and continued his preaching ministry and his ministry of exorcism and he also starts a healing ministry and people were flocking to him from all over the place. I want to pick up the story in chapter 2

            Jesus was again in Capernaum and was in someone’s house and the house was crowded. There was a paralyzed men who some of his friends carried to Jesus, but they couldn’t get near him, so they cut a hole in the roof and lowered the man down in front of him.

Mark 2:5–12 (NIV)
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!

            So now we see that Jesus has God’s approval, and now he does what only God can do and he forgives sin. So he has authority over demons and authority over sickness now he shows he has authority to forgive sin.

One Sabbath Jesus was walking through grain fields with his disciples and they began to pick some heads of the grain and eat them. In that time that was viewed has harvesting and breaking the Sabbath. The Pharisees called him on it. This what he said,
Mark 2:27–28 (NIV)
27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

            So now he has authority over the Sabbath as well.

            Come with me to chapter 3:13. Jesus goes up to the mountain and he chose those who would go up after him.
Mark 3:14–15 (NIV)
14 He appointed twelve  that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.

            He has the authority to appoint preachers and he gives them the authority he has to drive out demons. So he appoints the twelve disciples/ apostles.

 One last story found at the end of chapter 4.

            Jesus had been teaching the crowds. He had been teaching and storytelling all day. When evening came he got into a boat to go over to the other side of the sea of Galilee. A furious squall came up and the disciples thought that they were done for. They went to Jesus who was asleep and said, don’t you care if we drown.

Mark 4:39–41 (NIV)
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!

            Not only has Jesus been validated by his heavenly father, not only does he have power over demons, and power to heal and authority over the Sabbath, and authority to delegate his authority, now he demonstrates that he has authority over nature.

            If we were to take the time to read chapter 5 w would see  how Jesus raises someone from the dead, demonstrating that he has authority over death itself.

            The gospel of Mark is trying to let us know who Jesus is by telling the stories of Jesus. One of the themes of Mark is that Jesus has authority over the various realms of life.

MUSIC
Guy Penrod: Rock of Ages - I Stand Amazed

            The gospel of Mark shows us that Jesus has authority over all realms of life. The way the gospel of Matthew sums this up at the very end of the book is
Matthew 28:18–19 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came to (his disciples) and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations….

            Jesus seemed to think that because he has authority in various areas of life, well really all areas of life – that should make a difference in how we live.
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples...
           
            So what difference does the fact that Jesus has authority over all the realms of life make in your life?

            I guess we should probably note some realities here. The provincial government of Ontario has the authority to set the speed limit on highways.

            But does everyone travel the speed limit on the highway.  No. Just because one has authority does not mean that everyone acknowledges that authority. – Until they get a speeding ticket, then they have to acknowledge the authority with their pocket book.

Philippians 2:9–11 (NIV)
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

            There will be a time when everyone acknowledges the authority of Christ. But right now – this is not so. Although Jesus has been given all authority – people don’t always acknowledge it, or live with it, at least not yet.

            But for those of you who are disciples of Christ, followers of Christ, what difference does it make to you that Jesus has all authority.

            For followers of Jesus it has meant acknowledging the Lord’s authority in our own life.

Romans 10:9 (NIV)
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

            Part of what it means to become a Christian is acknowledging the authority of Jesus in your own life. When you say Jesus, I give you my life, you are saying he has authority to say what goes in my life.

            I also recognize the struggle in that. Often people become Christians, they give their lives to Jesus and Jesus comes into their life – but it takes some time where every area of their life comes under the authority of Jesus. Some struggle with money or time or career or relationships or behaviours – and it takes a while to say Lord what you say I will do I every area of my life – but that is the beginning of real life. Those who would save their life will lose it, but those who lose it for Jesus sake will find it. What it means to lose your life for Jesus sake, is to surrender your own authority to him. He gets to be the decider for your life.

            Maybe that is where you are at with the authority of Jesus. You know that he has all authority, but there are some areas of your life where you are still not  minding the signs. The wages of sin, - and a good definition of sin is not heeding the authority of Jesus, is death.
            Whenever you don’t mind the authority of Christ it is toxic to your soul, because the whole reason why Jesus came is to bring life and have it to the full.

            It may be that some of you are here today and you know you haven’t come under the authority of Christ, or you have only done so in part – I want to urge you to confess Jesus as Lord.

            But for others of you, what the authority of Christ will mean in your life is real freedom, just like it did to the disciples who were harvesting on the Sabbath. Jesus says, I know that there are people who say you can’t do that – but I want to let you know that it is alright.

            There are people who will tell you that you are crazy to dump the career path you’re on, even though you know it is the right thing to do. Jesus may come along and say – it is alright to follow the heart that I have given you rather than the expectations of the people around you.. There is a profound freedom in following Jesus rather than the expectations of others. Knowing that Jesus has a greater authority than the authority of other people’s expectations can be freeing.

            There are people who will give you religious expectations. Jesus loves the church. Jesus called the church his bride. Jesus wants the church to be healthy strong and beautiful. But there is often a big difference between the church Jesus loves and the religion that operates in his name. Coming under the authority of Jesus, helps when it comes to getting mislead by religions that add or take away from what Jesus has said.

            There is a freedom that comes from the authority of Jesus.

            We saw how Jesus had authority over the demonic and how he delegated that authority to the disciples. Does Jesus still delegate his authority.

            That is what Ephesians 1 and 2 are driving at.

Ephesians 1:19–22 (NIV)
19 … power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

            So Jesus has ascended into heaven and he has been placed far above every authority in this world both now and the world to come. God has appointed him head over everything – for the church.

            Now look what chapter 2 says,
Ephesians 2:6 (NIV)
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

            Where is Jesus seated, far above all authority in this world, and then he says come here and sit with me – and because of your connection with me – I am giving you authority to do things in my name.

            That is why Jesus invites us to pray in his name. There is authority that comes in being connected to Jesus. In fact that is what it means to pray in the name of Jesus – Jesus is giving his authority to answer your requests.

            There is something very profound about that. Jesus gives us the authority to do what he has called us to do. So when he says – go and make disciples- we can do that because his authority and the authority that he has given to us.


            The gospel of Mark show how Jesus has authority over ever sphere of life. Jesus says because he has authority we are to go make disciples – In fact he shows in Mark where he give authority to his followers.

             I wonder what would happen if you took up the authority that he has given to you. I wonder what would happen if we took up the authority given to us. I suspect we might just see God power at work in our lives in an ever increasing measure – and that we would make more disciples of Jesus.

My prayer for you is that you will walk in the authority that you have been given.        
           
Let’s pray…

Thank you, Jesus, for all the authority that you have. All authority has been given to you. You have authority over every sphere of life. And my prayer is that you would, indeed, come and give each person here who knows you, just a sense of what it means to live out that authority in their own life.
I pray that their prayer would take on new meaning and new power because they know that they have authority in you, because they’re connected to you.
I pray, Lord, that that they would be able to move into all that you call them to do.
I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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            Listeners I want to tell you about a special event that is happening Friday May 9th at 7 p.m. Good news in the morning is putting on. We have invited Dr. Rick Reed President of Heritage College and Seminary and former pastor at the Met to come and speak about the Good News about getting out the good News. Redemer Alliance’s worship team will be there – as will the speakers that you normally hear on this program. It is going to be an evening worth going to. So mark it on your calendars Friday May 9th at Parkdale United Church. At 7 p.m.

Thank you, Listeners for your words of encouragement, and for keeping us in your prayers. Keeping this program on the air continues to be a work of faith. If you can help with that, please make out a cheque payable to Good News Christian Ministries, Box 184 , Rideau Ferry , On. K0G  1W0. Or you can give online by going to goodnewsinthemorning.ca

May you know Jesus Christ personally and profoundly.  May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart.  And may the heavenly Father surround you with His constant and abiding and accompanying love

MUSIC
Hillsong - My Redeemer Lives

- Rev. Brent Russett
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:
http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/21638/good_news_102_apr27.mp3

Sunday 20 April 2014

'EASTER SUNDAY'

Rev. Brent Russett
By Rev. Brent Russett
Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/   

_______________________________________________________
PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, April 20th, 2014:
 ____________________________________________

Easter Sunday’
 
            Good morning. And welcome to good news in the morning. Happy Easter – He has risen – He has risen indeed.  My name is Brent Russett. I am the Senior Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church. It is my pleasure to look at some of life’s challenges, and then bring you some good news in the morning.

            And it is a special morning. It is the morning of the greatest celebration on the Christian Calendar. It is the morning where we celebrate life. Resurrected life. The life of Jesus.

            This program is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries, You can find us on the web @ Goodnewsinthemorning.ca I would encourage you to check out our website. You will find a number of things there to build into your spiritual life.

            Just a couple of days ago we walked through good Friday. It was the day that Jesus died. Today we come to Easter Sunday and we celebrate Christ’s rising from the dead. This morning I want to take some time with you and ponder what this weekend means.

             When I was growing up what was emphasized at Easter was the cross. The power of the cross. It was at the cross that our sin was paid for. It was at the cross that Satan was defeated. It was at the cross that that great exchange took place, Jesus life for my life. It was the cross that paved the way for a relationship with God. It was at the cross where I found forgiveness.  And all these things are right, and important and true.

            The resurrection that we celebrate today, well the resurrection was all about apologetics. The resurrection proved that Jesus is who he said he was. It proves that the work on the cross is valid. The resurrection was seen as validating the work on the cross. And it does that. As the apostle Paul said, 1Co 15:14  And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 

            But this morning I want to take you to deeper into the resurrection than. The resurrection is about far more than just validating the cross. The resurrection is not only something Jesus did, it is what he is all about, it is who he is, and it is who he wants to be for you. I want to spend the rest of this morning unpacking that for you.

MUSIC – EASTER SONG 2ND CHAPTER OF ACTS 2:26
            I want to tell you the story from John 11.  Jesus had three friends in village of Bethany.  Verse 5 puts it this way, John 11:5  Jesus loved Martha and her sister(Mary)  and Lazarus.  In some ways this is a different relationship than we see with any of the other characters of the New Testament. They weren’t really disciples. There weren’t family. They weren’t people he had brief encounters with and then walked away. These were friends.

            Jesus was up in Northern Israel, in Galilee when he got word that Lazarus was sick. Jesus hung around Galilee for two more day and then said, lets head to Bethany. Lazarus had died. By the time they got to Bethany, Lazarus had been buried in a tomb for 4 days.

            The family was mourning. The people of the village were mourning. This is where we pick up the story.

20  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
 21  "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
 22  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
 23  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
 24  Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
 25  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
 26  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
 
            Martha is grieving. She is hurting. Out of her pain she speaks. Jesus, you could have healed Lazarus if you were here – but you weren’t.  Jesus said, listen, you brother will rise again.

            Martha says, I know about the resurrection. It will happen at the end of time.--- What is left unsaid, is that this isn’t much comfort right at this moment. But Jesus turns to Martha and says to her "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  26  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

            If you know the story, you know that Jesus spoke into the grave of Lazarus and Lazarus was raised from the dead. But the verse I want to focus on this Easter Sunday morning is vs 25 and 26

Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  26  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

            Jesus didn’t say I can cause a resurrection to happen here. Jesus didn’t say I myself am going to be resurrected in a very short time from now. Jesus didn’t talk about what he could do,---- he talked about who he was.

            Jesus says I am the resurrection. It is not just that I do resurrection. I am the resurrection.  That is an important distinction. He goes on to say, I am the life.  Those of you who know the bible know this isn’t the only time Jesus said that. Jesus said, John 14:6  , "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. 

            When Jesus says something once, it is worth taking note of. When Jesus says something more than once it is worth taking it really seriously. When Jesus says I am the life twice, you need to know that this is important.

MUSIC:  Was it a morning like this?  - by Sandy Patty 3:23

            I have reminded you of the story of Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Jesus.  Although this story is about Lazarus, and although Jesus is talking to Martha,

            I want you to know that when Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me will live even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die – I want you to know that he is say that to you as well..

            The fact that Jesus is the resurrection and the life matters to you, it applies to you, it can make a profound difference to you. For those of you who are not followers of Jesus, it is an invitation to you. Jesus is saying if you will believe in me, trust in me, but your faith in me you will have this kind of life. For those of you who are followers of Jesus it is a statement of reality about who Jesus is and who he is for you..

            He is talking about you when he says, He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” The fact that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, only matters if you believe in him. But if you do, it says, you will live even when you die. In fact in a sense you will never die. 26  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. That is important for you to note because of what he is saying about when this life starts. It doesn’t start after you die. It starts before you die, and death doesn’t affect it.

            In other words Jesus is say I am the resurrection and the life, for those of you who will let me – I will be that for you,---- for those of you who will believe in me. And I want you to know that this life starts now and it extends into eternity. Jesus says to you, I am all about life. I am the resurrection. I am the life.

            My guess is that even if you have an elementary grasp of Christian faith, you will know some things. One of the things that you will know is that sin is bad. You may not be able to tell always what is sin, and what is not, but you will know that it is bad.

            The reality of it is, that God hates sin. The reason why God hates sin, is that sin brings death. The reason why there is death in the world, is because of sin. The bible says that the wages of sin is death.  Death happens not only on a physical level. Sin brings death on a spiritual level. Sin separates us from God. Sin disconnects us from the spiritual realities around us. We neither can see the angels of heaven or demons of hell. There is so much that goes on at that level that affects our world, and yet we walk through this world totally oblivious to that reality.

            But not only that, death affects our soul. Our mind, our will, our emotions. Our understanding is often darkened because we can’t handle the truth. Our emotions often become distorted. And the reality is that we live in a world full of sin and other people sins affects us too.  .

            This death affects us socially as well. We build self-protective walls around ourselves. We cannot truly open ourselves up to other people because we are afraid. We are afraid that they might see us for who we are and reject us. We are afraid that they make take advantage of us. We are afraid of being hurt, or being imposed on, and the list could go on. All this is a result of the death that sin brings.

            This is our Easter weekend One of the ways to look at this weekend is that what Jesus did on  Good Friday deals with sin and what he did on Easter Sunday deals with death. Jesus dealt with our sin on the cross. Jesus brought an antidote to our death in his resurrection.

            Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. Jesus was raised to life and conquered death. And both sides of those equations matter.

            Of ten Christianity has thought of as a moral code that we live by. Or it has been thought of as a list of rules that we keep or break. I kind of grew of with a kind of Christianity that said, Jesus died for our sins, sin is bad, and so what matter is that we live a holy life. The holy life was defined as a life without sin, or at least with sin minimized.

            I believe passionately in living a holy life. But not with that definition. It is good as far as it goes, but you see that kind of Christian life, only deals with half of Easter. It only deals with Good Friday, with Christ crucified. I want you to know that there is a deeper reality. Jesus wants to deal with the death that is in us. Every fiber of his being is wired for resurrection. He is wired for life. And when you bring Jesus into your heart, he wants to bring resurrection into your life, he wants to bring the life that is really life into your life.

            Jesus said, I have come that you might have life and have it to the full.

            Now this is different than some self-help book, that will tell you that if you really want experience life, you need to take up running so you can release endorphins, or you need to take up adventure so you can release adrenaline into you system. Some will tell you that if you are going to experience life, then you need to surround yourself with beauty, or learn mediation for peace or do something meaningful for fulfillment, or experience all you can. These things can be good, but the life of Christ goes deeper yet.

            There is often the implication in our society that you need more money than you have to really live. If you had money then you could live large.  Then you could really live. You may be able to buy a host of experiences with a pile of stuff with money – But the life of Christ goes deeper yet.

            All these things are secondary. You could live a life where you never travelled more than 100 km from home; a life where you didn’t have much money, and a life where you were neither an adrenaline addict or always looking for an endorphin rush.  And yet you could really live.

            I know some of you have a hard time with that, but to say that this is impossible, is to say that most people before the 20th century never really lived. The world of technology that we live in causes us to believe that to live is to go fast, to travel far, to learn lots, to experience much. But those are all illusions if we can’t get the core things right. 

            Your life is not to be found in things, or experiences, but in the person of Jesus Christ. How do you find life in a person? Or how do you have the work of the resurrection applied to your life.

            The first thing you need to know is that you can’t get to Easter Sunday without passing through Good Friday. You can’t go after the life that Jesus offers until you take his remedy for sin. You must be forgiven. You must be released from sin. You must put your faith in Christ and his work on the cross. You can’t by pass this.

            Part of believing in Christ is agreeing with him. A prayer like, Jesus I have done what is wrong in your sight. I have sinned. I acknowledge my need to be forgiven. Please come into my life. I choose to give you my life and I am going to follow you.

            Believing in Jesus – means to trust in the power of his forgiveness, not in your good works. If you want the life of Christ you must first pass through good Friday.

            But this is Easter Sunday. What does it mean to do have the work of the resurrection applied to your life?

            I would suggest to you that it is an ongoing process. When you get to heaven you will be fully alive. But I have become convinced that Jesus wants more for us than just to hang on and survive until heaven. He is about life, and this life starts now.

            Christ is the resurrection and the life. This about more than following a self-help book or an owner’s manual. This is about allowing Christ to become the filter through which we experience life.

            Remember resurrection is a supernatural thing. It is not something that you do, but it something the Christ does in you. Your job is to let Jesus fully into the areas of death in your life.

·         Relationships
·         Fears
·         Disappointments
·         Self perception
·         Walls you have put up
·         Defenses

            Here is what will happen. As you commit the different areas of your life to Jesus, he is going to come along and show you the poisons and toxins in your soul. He might even call you towards changes.

            There may be things in your life that you wouldn’t label sin but he might show you how they are killing you. He will come along and say I want to bring life to that part of your soul – will you let me.

            Today we are remind that Jesus not only conquered death, he is in the business of giving life. He is the resurrection and the life. He want you to have real life, true life, abundant life.

            His question to you is will you let him?


Let’s pray:

Lord Jesus, thank you for who you are. You rose from the dead. You showed us that you have the power of life. You said, “I am resurrection”, “I am the life”, Lord, my prayer is for our listeners, that they would experience your life truly and abundantly, fully. And in the areas of death in their soul, right now, that you would gently nudge them and say, “Yes, I want to bring back your soul to me; I don’t want it withered; I don’t want it dying; I want you to flourish; I want life in you!” 
Lord, I pray that you would just give them a sense of your conviction and that you would lead them into the things that you want them to do.
I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 ________________________________________

            Listeners I want to tell you about a special event that is happening Friday May 9th at 7 p.m. Good news in the morning is putting on. We have invited Dr. Rick Reed President of Heritage College and Seminary and former pastor at the Met to come and speak about the Good News about getting out the good News. Redemer Alliance’s worship team will be there – as will the speakers that you normally hear on this program. It is going to be an evening worth going to. So mark it on your calendars Friday May 9th at Parkdale United Church. At 7 p.m.
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thank you, Listeners for your words of encouragement, and for keeping us in your  prayers.,   Keeping this program on the air continues to be a work of faith. If you can help with that, please make out a cheque payable to Good News Christian Ministries, Box 184 , Rideau Ferry , On. K0G  1W0. Or you can give online by going to goodnewsinthemorning.ca

May you know   Jesus Christ personally and profoundly.  May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart .  And may the heavenly Father surround you with His constant and abiding and accompanying love

MUSIC
Christ the Lord is Risen today  Hymns Triumphant Performers 3:08


- Rev. Brent Russett
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