Having received a promise from God that the righteous would not be swept away with the wicked, Abraham looks down upon Sodom and Gomorrah as the smoke of judgment rises into the air. Seeing that the Lord rescued Lot & destroyed the wicked, Abraham sees that God is fair, kind, and severe. The Lord will one day distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. His kindness and tolerance continue to lead many to repentance. His severity will meet the many who reject Him when they stand at the judgment. Have you been made righteous by the blood of Jesus?

The angels warned Lot and his family of the coming destruction. As Lot hesitated, the angels took his hand and the hands of his wife and daughters and ushered them outside of the city. Lot and his family were warned to escape to the mountains and not look back lest they get swept away in the judgment. The coming of the Son of Man will be the same. To escape judgment, a person must believe that there is one, not trust in earthly comfort and make a choice and never look back. Have you made a choice to turn from the world and follow Jesus? 

GENESIS 19:15-22

GENESIS 19:17

LUKE 12:19-20

GENESIS 19:23-26

LUKE 17:28-33

When the men of Sodom surrounded Lot’s home and demanded his guests, Lot made a horrific offer. While he was a success in society, he proved to be a failure at home. The men of the city declined and attempted to forcibly take Lot’s guests. Angels reached out and rescued Lot, who belonged to the Lord by faith. When Lot warned his soon to be sons in law of the coming judgment, they laughed in his face. Like many who earnestly try to speak truth to those they, Lot was laughed at for the truth. Do you belong to God by faith in Jesus? Are you living a life that truly honors Him?

When two angels came to rescue Lot and bring judgment to Sodom & Gomorrah, the men of the city thought they were merely strangers passing through. Inflamed with sinful lust, the men of the city surrounded Lot’s home and demanded the visiting strangers. Lot pleads with them to not act wickedly. Along with many other sexual sins, God forbids homosexuality. Homosexuality is an abomination, a failed purpose and it is forgivable. Whether your battle is with homosexuality or you’re seeking hope for someone else, Jesus is able to make all who call upon Him a new creation.

GENESIS 19:1-7

LEVITICUS 18:6

LEVITICUS 18:20-23

ROMANS 1:26-28

EPHESIANS 5:28-32

1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-11

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:

PROVERBS 5

HEBREWS 13:4

1 CORINTHIANS 7

TITUS 3:3-6

LEVITICUS 20:13

JUDE 1:7

MALACHI 2:14

SONG OF SOLOMON

GENESIS 2:25

GENESIS 1:28

GENESIS 4:1

ACTS 22:16

Abram and Lot, having achieved great prosperity, found it impossible to live near one another peacefully. Lot, lured in by the well-watered plains and the sophisticated cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, chose to make them his home. What outwardly resembled the Garden of Eden would ultimately lead to ruin. The Bible warns that bad company corrupts good morals. While we are called to share the hope of Jesus with those who are lost, we must be careful in how closely we align ourselves with darkness. Where have you chosen to settle your soul?

In the book of Philippians, Paul calls believers to press on toward the goal. We have been rescued from sin and are set free from all sin and shame, yet we have not been perfected. The Lord gives us new mercy for each day to throw off the past and walk in freedom, righteousness and His good works until the day when we will be made perfect, fully conformed to His image.

Philippians 3:12-14

The Lord has saved us by His grace and made us His ambassadors. An ambassador serves as a faithful representative of the one by whom he is sent. An ambassador for Christ is not of this world. Believers have received a new heart, mind and citizenship. An ambassador for Christ is submitted to Jesus. Many seek to have Jesus as a sponsor for their own interests while refusing Him as their Lord. An ambassador for Christ has one message. When our own agenda is attached to the gospel, it ceases to be the pure and true gospel. The message of Jesus is relevant and true to people from every nation, tribe and tongue for all time. Are you an ambassador for Christ?

Throughout history, numerous events have shaped our world, but none have had a more profound impact than the first coming of Jesus Christ. When Jesus entered our world, He triumphed over sin and death, offering eternal life to all who embrace Him as their Lord and Savior through faith. Before His glorious ascension to the Father, He made a powerful promise: He will return one day to gather His followers. This return will be marked by divine judgment for those who rejected Him, and Jesus warns us that His arrival will be at an unexpected hour. This urgency compels us to prepare ourselves for His coming. In this message titled “Be Alert,” we will dive into what it means to be ready for the second coming of Jesus.

The great Samson played with fire as he continued to subject himself to a people given to idolatry, pride, greed, and immorality. Like many, he believed he could maintain control as he refused to flee from temptation. Having become exhausted by the relentless assault, he finally surrendered the source of his great power. When his enemies came for him, his power had been removed by the Lord. They overcame him, gouged out his eyes and chained him in the prison. Many today have eaten the fruit of their own devices and found themselves chained in misery. However, it was in the prison that Samson began to humble himself and once again return to the true God. Maybe you have drifted far from the Lord, and the time has come to once again call upon His great Name. 

John the Baptist served as a herald for Jesus, emerging from the wilderness to boldly call people to repent of sin and embrace the true light. His message convicted powerful individuals who preferred darkness to light, leading to his imprisonment. In his shaken state, John sent a message to Jesus, asking if He was the Expected One or if they should await another. Jesus responded by highlighting His miraculous power at work in people's lives and blessing those who would not be offended by Him. Are you, in your current struggles, offended by God? Will you choose to trust and find peace in who He is, even if He hasn't answered your prayers with a "yes"

JOHN 1:6-8

MATTHEW 11:1-3

MATTHEW 11:4-6

JOHN 20:25-31

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:

LUKE 1:17

ISAIAH 40:3

MATTHEW 5:16

JOHN 3:20

DANIEL 3:17-18

MARK 6:27-28

Despite repeated imprisonment by a government hostile to the gospel, Paul refused to give in to discouragement. He persisted in prayer, praised God's name, and continued to preach the gospel. Many tend to forget God in times of trouble, but God promises to hear our cries in distress, remaining the same yesterday, today, and forever. When we praise the Lord, we are brought into the helpfulness of His presence. Our time of imprisonment can become an opportunity to preach the gospel, just as Paul did in his own prison. Are you using your difficult times to grow in the Lord and strengthen your witness, or are you wasting them?

ACTS 16:23-26

ACTS 16:25

HABAKKUK 3:17-18

ACTS 16:30-31

ACTS 24:24

ACTS 26:28-29

Having been separated from his slave owner and eventually put into prison, Onesimus encountered Paul, a believer in Jesus. During the course of his time in prison, Onesimus comes to faith in Jesus, thus becoming an entirely different man. Paul writes a letter to his slave owner and asks Onesimus to deliver it himself upon his release. Paul declares that Onesimus is now a follower of Jesus with a new heart, direction, and standing before God and man. Paul asks his slave owner to accept him back, not as a slave but as a brother. If you are in a prison cell of some kind today, will you consider that the Lord may use it to transform your life and eternity?

PHILEMON 1:10-18

PHILEMON 1:11-12

PHILEMON 1:12

PHILEMON 1:15-18ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:EPHESIANS 2:3

COLOSSIANS 1:21

EZEKIAL 36:26

EPHESIANS 4:22-23

EPHESIANS 2:12-13

EPHESIANS 5:8

1 PETER 2:10

1 PETER 2:25

Despite betrayal and enslavement by his brothers, Joseph maintained unwavering faithfulness amidst suffering. He served his master diligently, earning favor. When confronted with temptation, Joseph clung to righteousness, not for earthly gain, but out of devotion to the Lord. Even when he possessed the power to seek revenge for the wrongs committed against him, Joseph chose to extend mercy and grace instead. In your current circumstances, whatever they may be, is God worthy of your faithfulness? 

GENESIS 39:1-6

JOB 2:7-10

GENESIS 39:7-10, 19-20

GENESIS 50:15-21

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:

1 PETER 2:21, 23

HEBREWS 4:15

EPHESIANS 1:13

1 SAMUEL 24:6

ROMANS 12:19

PROVERBS 24:17-18

Peter's powerful testimony for Jesus led to his imprisonment. While faithfulness often encounters resistance, believers can find encouragement in sharing the sufferings of Christ and our global brethren. Despite being chained in prison, Peter experienced profound peace, sleeping soundly—a peace unlike any the world offers. The Lord intervened, sending an angel to awaken and free him. God sees us in our own "prisons" and possesses all the power needed to break our chains. Are you resting in God's peace today?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

ACTS 12:1-6

ACTS 5:17-25

ACTS 12:6

ACTS 12:7-11

The Bible promises joy for all who know the Lord. The joy that anchors the soul is given by God to those who put their faith in Jesus for salvation. There is no other source of true joy. The joy that God gives is an eternal joy, unmoved by trial or storm and without end. True joy is a light and a witness in the life of the believer. Do you have true joy?

PSALM 5:1-3, 11-12

ISAIAH 35:8-10

2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-2

To know God is to stand in awe of Him. His knowledge, wisdom, judgments, and ways far surpass our human comprehension. God has made Himself knowable through His creation, His Word, and ultimately, through His Son Jesus. Do you know God through Jesus Christ? Do you know Him well enough to stand in awe of Him? 

Romans 11:33-36

Every person has either hurt someone in their life or has been hurt by someone. For true reconciliation to occur, we must look to the example Christ set on the cross, exemplifying forgiveness and humility. In the parable of the two sons, the younger son greatly disrespects his father and runs off into reckless living. Even though this is a great offence, it ends in a great reconciliation because of true repentance and forgiveness.

Verses:

Luke 15:11-32

Luke 15:17-19

Proverbs 21:2

Luke 15:20-24

Matthew 5:38

Matthew 5:39-41

Ephesians 4:31-32

Haggai promised Zerubbabel that God would endorse his leadership against all future enemies. The Lord declared He would shake the heavens and overthrow opposing kingdoms and install Zerubbabel like a signet ring. The unredeemed world will always resist God. As God shook the heavens in defense of Zerubbabel, He will do once more in a day yet to come. When Jesus comes as Judge of the world, every mountain and island will be moved out of their place. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. All will do this unto Him as their Savior or as their Judge. Which will it be for you?

HAGGAI 2:20-23

PSALM 2:1-3

PSALM 2:4-6

HAGGAI 2:21

HAGGAI 2:6

HEBREWS 12:25-29

REVELATION 6:12-17

HAGGAI 2:23

PSALM 2:10-12

During the time of Haggai, the priests told the people that they could not be made holy by association, yet they could be made unclean by association. This is still true now. A person cannot be made holy by knowing a righteous person, being inside a building, or abiding by a ritual. One can only be made holy by coming to Jesus all on one's own. However, anyone can be made unclean by associating with evil things and people. God will smite us to awaken us and bring us to the only place of blessing, which is obedience.

HAGGAI 2:10-14

MATTHEW 25:6-9

HAGGAI 2:13-14

HAGGAI 2:15-17

2 CHRONICLES 33:10-13

HAGGAI 2:18-19

When the people began to build the new temple, the older generation wept in memory of the glory of the old temple. The past can be the idol that robs us of God’s blessing in the future. The Lord encouraged the people to continue the work and reminded them that He would be with them. God does not call us to a task based upon our own qualification, rather He promises to be with us in our obedience. The Lord declared that once finished, the glory of the latter temple would be greater than the first. The Bible says that the end of a matter is greater than the beginning. Are you living in the past or the present? Is your life resting in the Lord or your own capability?

EZRA 3:10-12

HAGGAI 2:1-3

HAGGAI 2:4-5

EXODUS 3:10-12

HAGGAI 2:6-8