Pastor Mike : THE FINAL COUNTDOWN : A Ministry of CHRIST-LIVES MINISTRIES

Pastor Mike : THE FINAL COUNTDOWN : A Ministry of CHRIST-LIVES MINISTRIES

by Mike Letterman

Season 10

Time With the Master - A Thrilling Moment

Luke 23:32-43 King James Version 32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. 33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, This Is The King Of The Jews. 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Time With the Master - A Teaching Moment

John 3:1-15 King James Version 3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Intro: Over the last several weeks, we have looked at several of the personal encounters that Jesus had while He was here, walking upon the earth. We have watched Him as He interacted with sick people, dead people and lost people. We have watched our marvelous Lord do that which most people would have considered impossible. We have seen Him heal the sick, raise the dead and reach out to the lost. In this passage, one of the best known in the New Testament, Jesus has a personal encounter with a man named Nicodemus.

Time with the Master - A Touching Moment

Mark 5:22-34 A TOUCHING MOMENT Intro: Mark chapter 5 is brimming with impossible cases. It has been called the Bible home for incurables. There are three cases given in this chapter which are absolutely, humanly speaking, hopeless and impossible. There was the Demonic Man, there was this Diseased Woman, and then there was the Dead Girl. All three of these cases were considered impossible in the Lord's day and they still are in our own day as well. Mark 5:22-34 King James Version 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Time with the Master - A Terrifying Moment

8 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Time With the Master - The Tragic Moment

Intro: We are continuing to look at the personal encounters the Lord Jesus had while He walked here on the earth. Most of the personal encounters Jesus had while He was on this earth ended gloriously. Most often, the people who met Jesus were healed, saved and eternally changed. However, not every meeting ended so gloriously! In our text today, we are presented with a man who had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ that ended tragically. I would like for us to look into this encounter today, because I fear that there are many people attending our churches and especially our Baptist churches who are in the same condition as this young man. They want to be saved and they may even feel that they are saved, but they have no understanding of what genuine, biblical salvation is all about. Well, in this passage, the Lord Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms just what it takes to be saved. I do not know where you stand with the Lord today, but I do know that if you are not saved, you need to be and you will hear how you can be today. If, for some reason, you have been mislead about your salvation, then you will hear how you can come to know Jesus today. All I ask is that you let the Lord speak to your heart, and if He calls you to come to Him, then I want you to come. Let’s look together at another moment with the Master and consider A Tragic Moment.

Time With the Master - The Leper

Series Introduction: A one reads the Gospels, it quickly becomes apparent that the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was a people centered ministry. There are two verses that declare, in detail, our Lord’s mission statement. 1.) Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” 2.) Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Obviously, Jesus came into this world with the cross of Calvary in His heart and on His mind. He was literally born to die, John 18:37! The passage in Mark 10:45 does tell us about Jesus coming to “give His life a ransom for many”, but it also tells us that He same to this earth “to minister”. This word literally means “to serve” and it comes from the same word that gives us the English word “deacon” or “servant”. Jesus came to this world to die for men, but He also came to serve men.

Season 9

Romans - The Vocabulary of PRAISE

Romans 16:24-27 THE VOCABULARY OF PRAISE Today we conclude our series from the Book of Romans. It has been a long and enjoyable study and it is no wonder one of my seminary professors Dr. Hayes said that Romans is on of the most important books of the Bible. There is certainly a lot there as you peel back the onion. The most common Greek words for "praise" in the New Testament are αἶνος (ainos), meaning praise or hymn; ἔπαινος (epainos), a good word for praise or commendation; αἴνεσις (ainesis), the act of praising or a thank-offering; εὐλογέω (eulogeo), to speak well of or praise; and δοξάζω (doxazo), to glorify or give honor. Lets read from Gods Word!@ Romans 16:24-27 King James Version 24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: 27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. Intro: As Paul concludes his letter to Rome, he becomes so filled up with praise to the Lord for His blessings that he bursts forth in a "doxology." Now some churches sing what is known as "The Doxology." It goes like this: Praise God from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Romans - A Household of Faith

Romans 16:3-5 A HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH Intro: A person cannot read through the Bible without encountering several wonderful families mentioned in its pages. There is that little family in Bethany made up of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. They were a great blessing to the Lord Jesus. There is Timothy's mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois and the great impact they made on young Timothy. There is the family of Mary and Joseph where the Lord Jesus grew up and lived out His early years. What a family that must have been! In this passage we are invited to inspect another great family. So far as we know, this family was made up of just a husband and a wife. There names were Aquila and Priscilla. This couple is one of the greatest families recorded in the Word of God. The folks are mentioned 6 times in 4 books of the Bible. Each time, they are mentioned by Paul himself and this indicates that they were special to his life and ministry. Lets Read From Gods Word Romans 16:3-5 King James Version 3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: 4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. If we will but take the time to investigate the passages dedicated to this special household of faith, we will see the attributes that make them stand out among the families of their time.

Romans - A Godly Woman

Romans 16:1-2 A GODLY CHRISTIAN WOMAN Intro: The pages of the Bible are filled with the names of many great women. For instance, there is Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus. There is Eunice and Lois who taught young Timothy the way of God 's salvation. There is Lydia, the merchant from Thyatira, who was converted under Paul's ministry and was greatly used of the Lord. The book of Acts speaks of a woman called Dorcas. She was a talented woman who ministered to the needs of the church and was raised from the dead by Peter. Then, in this chapter, we are introduced to a woman named Phebe. She is a special woman, who demonstrates the attributes of holiness, servanthood and dedication that should mark all true women of the Lord. Lets read from Gods Word! Romans 16:1-2 16 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

Romans - Pray For Me

Romans 15:30-33 WILL YOU PRAY FOR ME? Intro: Paul was without a doubt one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Christian who has ever lived. He was a man of power who was used of God in some very magnificent ways. He saw the Lord work more miracles and save more souls that you and I would probably see in several lifetimes. You would think a man of his stature would have needed no one or nothing. However, such is not the case. Several times in the writing of Paul, 1 Thes. 5:25; 2 Thes. 3:1; Heb. 13:18, he is found asking the people of God to pray for him. Here is a man who is on top of the heap spiritually speaking, yet he feels the need to have God's children battling for him in prayer. Yet, here is a man who is keenly aware of the benefit of having the saints of God lift you up in prayer. Romans 15:30-33 King James Version 30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; 31 That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; 32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

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