Why They Sought Him: The Greatness of Jesus Christ
Pastor Elmo Parker

WHY WERE PEOPLE SO INTERESTED IN JESUS?

1. Throughout His ministry we find that He was concerned about the needs of people and He loved them.

Once a leper came and when Jesus saw him He was "moved with compassion" (Mark 1:41). Never once did He turn His back on any person who came to Him seeking help. When He spoke, people knew He was trying to help them. As people heard Him they realized: Here is one who is different; He is not trying to get something out of me; He is offering something to me.

2. Crowds came to hear Jesus because He had something important to say.

After He had finished the Sermon on the Mount, the Bible tells us the people were astonished at Him "for he taught them as one having authority" (Matt. 7:29). Jesus had the answers for the problems of man and He still does. Thus we are anxious to hear what He says.

3. Crowds came to Jesus because He spoke in a language the people could understand. "The common people heard him gladly" (Mark 12:37).

Jesus never tried to impress people with big words, but rather He spoke the truth of God so that the most unlearned would be helped.

4. Crowds came to hear Christ because no one else could offer what He did.

Once He asked His disciples, "Will ye also go away?" (John 6:67). Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" And that answer still holds. Where is there another who offers to us and to our world what Christ offers. If we should turn our backs on Him, where would we go?

WHY CHRIST UNDERSTANDS

The one thing I have to offer people is a Christ who knows what a hard time is. We have made Him a Christ of stained-glass windows, sweet sounding music, and fine hymns. But in the days of His flesh, He was the Christ of life that was hard and disappointing. Certainly He understands any person who is having a hard time.

Look at the home in which he lived. In one of His stories He tells about how the candle lighted the whole house. He was probably talking from personal experience. For a candle to light a house it had to be a one-room house. When He talked about food it was usually fish and bread. When He talked about clothes they were patched and then patched again. Jesus personally knew very few of the luxuries of life. He knew what it was to have a hard time.

Because of His own poverty He could preach to the common people, "And they heard Him gladly" (Mark 12:37). He stood on the same level with people who needed help and because He could help them, He won them. The same common people spread His name over all the earth.

Early in His earthly life He was confronted with children. When His disciples were turning children away, Jesus said, "Suffer little children…to come unto me" (Matt. 9:14). Through the years His love for little children has flowed. Little children sing with assurance, "Jesus loves me, this I know."

When He was a boy He worked with His father, but His earthly father died. But He taught us the truth of God being His father and ours.

At the age of only 33 He faced His death. He turned His face upward and said, "Father into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). Today the cross is embedded in the hearts of millions, redeeming those who believe. Christ cares about you!

TESTIMONIES OF HIS CRITICS

It was from the critics of Jesus that He received some of His greatest compliments. Often you can judge a man better by what his enemies say about him than by what his friends say. So, let me call the enemies of Christ and hear their testimony. These are the words of the officers who were sent to arrest Him. He gave to the world a new language, a new message of hope that pointed to a better way and a better day. The religious language of that day was full of prohibitions. Mark 1:14 tells us, "Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel [good news] of the kingdom of God." 88 times He told people how they could be “blessed”. “The common people heard him gladly” (Mark 12:37). This was the testimony of jealous Pharisees because people were coming to Him and followed Him. The authorities killed Him, but the world is still going after Him. Wesley sang, “O, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great redeemer’s praise.” Today His praise is being sung in more than a thousand tongues. His words are now translated into 1200 languages and dialects. These words were said sneeringly by people of His home town. They were right. The carpenter can take rough hewn timber and make something beautiful. He is fashioning men and women in the likeness of Himself and with them He is building the Kingdom of God.

This was said of those who were seeking to mock Him, but they were only mocking themselves. To become the Saviour of the suffering, He had to become a suffering Saviour. Poor, blind, selfish men! They are the ones who were not saved. They refused to listen when He told them, “The one that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matt. 10:39). We can never save ourselves, except by giving ourselves to something greater than ourselves. Jesus wept over Jerusalem: “Oh Jerusalem, Oh, Jerusalem.” His critics said this as they watched Him weeping at the grave of Lazarus. And not only Lazarus did He love; He loved the young ruler, the sinful woman. Not only did He love John, who loved Him, He loved Judas who betrayed Him. Not only did He love the little children who rushed into His arms, He also loved those who nailed Him to the cross-AND HE LOVES YOU AND ME!

They nailed these words above His head, but almost 2,000 years later multitudes of people stand and sing, “King of Kings, forever and ever”. No other king has commanded even a fraction of the following He commands today. He is THE KING. This was the charge hurled against Him at His trial. Today, millions are still saying it.

 

We are blessed to have Bro.
Parker as our pastor these
past 30 years. We are
equally blessed to have the
godly example of his wife,
Mrs. Imogene.

The Saving Power of Jesus Christ!
A young married couple’s testimony of a changed life…

Wife: As a young girl my parents were separated. I was saved as a result of the bus ministry of Victory. Debbie Bearden and Patti Miller were two bus ministry workers who would visit me as a young girl and I started going to church. After several years the Lord started dealing with my heart and I asked the Lord to save me. As I have grown older the Lord has continually blessed me. I have a wonderful husband and three children. It has been a joy to be able to serve the Lord in our church. As a Sunday school teacher, a choir member and a servant for the Lord my desire is to see my family grow to know and serve the Lord.

Husband: I have attended Victory Baptist Temple all of my life. I grew up in a Christian home and went to a Christian school. I made a profession of faith at an early age and was even dunked in the baptistery. I thought I was a pretty good person, until the spring of 1990. That was when I realized that I was a wicked sinner headed for hell. I realized that I could not be saved by doing good works. For the first time in my life, I saw that I needed Jesus. I was under conviction, and finally on March 11, 1990, I surrendered my life to Christ. I am so thankful that God chose to save me. God has blessed me so much and continues to work in my life daily. My prayer now, is that God will use my life to point others to Him.

- Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Raddatz
Piedmont, MO

The Raddatz Family
Travis, Bryan, Robin, McKenzie, & Todd
 

Are You Still Hungry?
A Christian guide to growth
Dr. Paul Chappell
Pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church, Lancaster, CA

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness;
for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
 

Hunger is an evidence of life. If you are alive, you can count on being hungry at some point during the day. The same is true if you have been born spiritually. If you are alive in Christ, naturally you should hunger to know God. When a Christian never seems to hunger for the Word of God, does not want to go to church and has generally lost all interest in the things of God, it is a great cause for concern. Because hunger is evidence that we are alive spiritually, when it is missing we should check our vital signs.

As a physically dead person does not have an appetite for anything, the spiritually dead man has no appetite for the things of God. Many times in His Word, God compares His people to sheep. The Bibles tells us in Psalm 23 that as sheep, we are drawn to still waters and to green pastures. As children of God, we are to hunger and to thirst for a relationship with God and for the sustenance that He can offer.

Not only is hunger an evidence of life; hunger is an evidence of good health. One of the first signs that someone has become very sick is that they have lost their appetite.

I remember when our son, Larry was born in Santa Clara, California. We went to the hospital and we were ready to bring him home, but the doctor said, “We’re sorry, we can’t let you bring him home yet. Something is wrong.” In fact, something was terribly wrong. His fever had gone amazingly high and he did not want to eat. They became very concerned, as a virus had set into his little body and we spent many a night there in the hospital, sleeping through the night and waiting for our son’s health to improve. The first sign that there was a problem was when he had no appetite for food.

Often, when a Christian has lost his appetite for the things of God it is because he has filled it with the pleasures of the world. I think about the story in Luke 15 of the Prodigal son. The Bible tells us that he had an appetite for the world’s excitement.

However, as illustrated throughout the Bible, sin never satisfies. Soon, the Prodigal son’s money ran out and his excitement wore off. He became a hired servant feeding swine in the fields. He became so low that he “would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat.” It was at this point that he finally came to himself and said, “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17)

The Prodigal son learned a lesson that many learn too late. “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20).

So what are you craving? If you are not hungering for God’s righteousness, then you either have never been spiritually born or you are too full of the world to desire the Word of God or to desire the fellowship of God’s people. Have you “had enough” of the things of God or are you still hungry?

If you would like to receive Dr. Paul Chappell’s daily email devotions free go to: www.dailyintheword.org click on Daily Devotions scroll to the bottom click on “Subscribe to Daily in the Word”

 

Are you ready for Eternity?

Victory Baptist Academy
Graduates
2007
 

Alisha Adams was born  December 14, 1988, to Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Adams of  Piedmont, MO. She enjoys scrapbooking and studying health in school. Since childhood, her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 46:10.

“I was saved at the age of seven at my Grandma Kay’s house. It was February 17, 1997. I had just gotten out of the shower and asked my grandma how I could get saved. She took me to the living room and led me to the Lord. The Lord Jesus is my everything.”

After graduation Alisha plans to open a babysitting business in the Piedmont area. She is in the process of buying a trailer to set up her business.

Our second graduating Senior is Katrina Goodall. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Goodall of Patterson, MO. Katrina was born July 25, 1989. She has one older brother and one sister. She enjoys typing and going shopping.

Katrina’s favorite Bible verse is II Samuel 22:4 because “I know that I can call out to the Lord and He will hear and help me in my time of trouble or when I need to talk to someone.”

“At the age of seven I made a profession of faith. I thought that I was saved. Then years later at the age of 15 on a chapel day at school Bro. Tully was preaching on the assurance of salvation. From then on I doubted my salvation. On a Sunday night, Bro. Parker was preaching when the Holy Spirit said to me plainly, ‘You are not saved’. As soon as the invitation was given I went to my brother and he helped lead me to the Lord. Jesus Christ is a personal friend. One who will listen to me any time, watch out for me, and will never leave me for another. I can count on Him to be there when I cry out to Him or when I want to chat.”

After graduation Katrina plans to attend Champion Baptist College in Arkansas to learn to be a secretary and to get her MRS degree.

 

Mr. & Mrs. Norm Hassell of Piedmont are the parents of our third graduating Senior, Mona Hassell. Mona’s birthday is September 26, 1989. Her favorite subject in school is History. Her hobbies include scrapbooking, shopping, watching the St. Louis Cardinals and NBA basketball, and playing the piano.

Deuteronomy 31:6 is Mona’s favorite Bible verse. “In this verse the Lord says to be strong and at the end He says that He will never fail me or forsake me. This always encourages me to be strong and He will always be with me.”

“I was saved at the age of seven. I was doing my Patch devotion and the verse for that day was Proverbs 1:26. It said that the Lord would laugh at my calamity and mock when my fear cometh. I didn’t want this to happen to me. So I asked my mom and she told me that I needed to be saved. I went to her room and knelt by the bed and asked Jesus to come into my heart. The Lord Jesus is someone who is always there for me. He will never fail or forsake me. I know sometimes I fail Him but He is always faithful. He is a true Friend I can go to when everything else seems to be going wrong.”

Mona plans after graduation to go to a Bible college for one year and then to attend a dental school to become an orthodontist/dental assistant.
 

Eighth Grade Graduates
Stephen James-Dale Cates
Heather Elizabeth Henson

Kindergarten Graduates
Nathanael Eli Bridges
Logan Matthew Henson
Adam Michael Ruble
 

Honey For The Soul

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
I Thessalonians 5: 24
 

Through the power of His Holy Spirit, God will enable me to do anything He commands me to do. God does not command us to do anything that He does not give us the grace to obey, as we depend on Him. That means, for example, that

• there is no one we cannot forgive (Mark 11:25;

• there is no one we cannot love (Matthew 5:44);

• we can give thanks in all things (I Thes. 5:18);

• we can be content in every circumstance (Hebrews 13:5);

• we can boldly share Christ with others (Matthew 28:18-20);

The issue is not that we can’t obey God—that we can’t forgive that parent who hurt us so deeply, that we can’t love that colleague at work, that we can’t give thanks in the midst of the storm, or that we can’t be content with our one-bedroom apartment, or that we can’t share Christ with unbelievers.

The real issue is that we won’t forgive, we are unwilling to love, and we refuse to give thanks, to be content with what God has provided and to believe God will give us His power in sharing Christ.

Obedience is a choice made by total dependence on the supernatural power of God. By the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, we can choose to forgive, choose to let Christ love others through us, choose to give thanks in every circumstance, choose to be content, and choose to focus on lost souls.

May God help us to know that true freedom only comes through obedience.

 

Fresh Peach Pie
In Loving Memory of Helen Miller

Editor’s Note: Helen gave me this recipe three years ago. I will always cherish the type written page with her signature at the bottom. Since peaches will be coming in season this summer, I thought you might enjoy this recipe.

Cook water, sugar, and cornstarch until thick. Use some of this water to mix the cornstarch. Do not add more water. Stir in margarine and lemon juice. Stir in Jell-O. Stir until Jell-O is completely dissolved. Let cool. Fold in peach slices and let set until slightly jelled. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with cool whip before or during serving.

NOTE: To keep your pie crust from getting soggy, spread 4 oz. of softened cream cheese over bottom of pie crust. I usually add some powdered sugar to the cream cheese and a small amount of almond flavoring to the cream cheese.

NOTE: To make with home-frozen peaches, I let peaches thaw, using the peach juice for the water. If peaches are already sweetened don’t add sugar. Using cornstarch and the peach juice cook until thickened. Add about ½ tsp. lemon juice. Let cool. Fold in peaches and continue as above.
 

Announcements

5th Sunday Sing

Sunday July 29
6:00 p.m.



The Kalimeyer Family

11:00 a.m.
&
6:00 p.m.