Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

The New Covenant: God's Very Best For You

Hebrews 8:6, But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 
9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 
11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds[b] I will remember no more.”
The New Covenant is God’s very best for you and me.
It is the best because it is the thing that Jesus suffered and died to provide. 
We have a special place in our hearts for God and for people who have sacrificed to provide for us. We celebrate Memorial Day and Veterans Day for the same reasons.
We celebrate the birthdays and anniversaries of loved ones because the life of others has empowered our lives––indeed has given us the gift of life itself. As a pastor one of the most heartbreaking realities I see is when children do not honor and neglect their parents. When my mother I ministered together at nursing homes, I saw this all the time: People forgotten and discarded like a worn out or undesirable pair of shoes or clothes. A nursing home may be the best option, but people who bring people into the world and have cared for them should never be neglected, ignored, or disrespected.
At the heart of God’s best for you, me, and everyone is what the Bible calls the “New Covenant.” It is called “new” because of something called an “old” covenant.
Covenants, or agreements are the basis of how people connect, work together, live together, or even die together--as in the case of military service.

A Better Pattern for a Better Life

Romans 12:1, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship [reasonable service]. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The “secret” to transformation is 1) the grace of God, and 2) renewing your mindset which breaks old “patterns.”
Barclay translation of Rom. 12:1-2 
Brothers, I call upon you, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies to him, a living, consecrated sacrifice, well-pleasing to God--for that is the only kind of worship which is truly spiritual. And do not shape your lives to meet the fleeting fashions of this world; but be transformed from it, by the renewal of your mind, until the very essence of your being is altered, so that, in your own life, you may prove that the will of God is good and well pleasing and perfect.
 

Love is Action

1 John 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
As a child, I remember learning in school that a verb is an “action word.” We also learned that a noun is “a person, place, or thing,”  Love is the ultimate noun and verb! 
John defined the “Love of God,” as an action. The true measure of love is not only words, but deeds. Our deeds transform love from a “thing” into “action.” Love is the master motivator and an empowering force!
In Verse 19, The Apostle John shared this powerful truth: True love, when lived through our actions, draws us closer to God, strengthens our character, and provides the firm foundation of assurance! 
 

Great Grace: Practitioners & Partners With God

Great Grace  = Practitioners & Partners With God
Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
The grace of God is the single greatest source and resource in the life of a believer. Grace is God’s favor, ability, operational power, and everything He makes available to you and me. Grace came through Jesus Christ. John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Looking at our text: Is “Great grace” a different kind or higher level of grace? No. The word “great” here does not describe a different of Grace, anymore than there is different kind of Jesus.
Great grace describes the engagement and practice that the Apostles had with the grace of God. They were fully submitted to Christ and fully immersed in living in grace. That’s what grace “great.” Not greater grace, but great engagement with grace by believers in the early church. Grace is not something we summon like a new idea, Grace is our lifestyle. Grace is our regular practice of life.

Be Still and Know That I Am God: Lessons from (Formerly) Blind Bartimaeus

MESSAGE DELIVERD AT OVERCOMING CHURCH HARVEST CELEBRATION | October 1, 2017
Your Defining Moment: “Be Still and Know that I am God”
Lessons from Blind Bartimaeus  |  By Pastor Bryan Hudson
Luke 18:35-43 
35 Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, 41 saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” 42 Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Considering all the natural, social, and political disasters, you might think, “The devil is busy and sin is abounding!” 
God’s people maintain a Kingdom perspective: The Word of God says in Romans 5:20 “…But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.
We need to disconnect from the madness all around us, be still, and rediscover God. The dictionary defines “re-discovery” as “recovering something good that you had forgotten or lost is the fact or process of becoming aware of it again or finding it again.”

The Gift of Limitation and The Grace of Becoming

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
On the surface, the title “Gift of Limitation” might seem negative, but it is in face a very power and liberating principle.
We need to reframe our thinking about limitation. Accepting what you can’t change pushes you to focus on what you can change.
Understand the different between limitations of design from the often false limitations of what is determined.
 
Looking at our text is saying and what it is not saying:
The text is not saying: “Don’t think about yourself”
What the text is saying:
The text is coming from a place of grace, God’s ability, His operational power, everything He has that is available to us.
Don’t think more highly than you ought to think: Not because it is wrong, but because it is a waste of thought, time, and energy. Thinking outside of your design is not helpful...we’ll come back to that
Think soberly: Meaning to be of sound mind, to be in one's right mind, to exercise self control, to put a moderate estimate upon one's self, think of one's self soberly, to curb one's passions. Scripture used: Mar 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: G4993 and they were afraid.
Think within the realm or domain of your faith....which is actually more expansive than thinking more highly of yourself.
Understand the different between limitations of design from the often false limitations of what is determined. 

Walk on the Water: How Jesus Increases Your Faith

Matthew 14:26] And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27] But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 28] And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29] So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30] But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31] And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32] And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33]Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
The Lecture: An explanation.The Lab: An observation. The Learning: A demonstration. The Lesson: An application.

My God is a Big God!

My God is a Big God
Psalm 145:5, "I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works."
In life, we have a tendency to see everything through the light of our experience. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it is always something is limiting to our perspective.
One of the main challenges life is how circumstances and especially trouble work against our minds, outlook and faith. Everything around you does not encourage you. Having encouragement and faith are essential.
On a regular basis, you should expose yourself to realities that expand your mind and your faith. This is part of the appeal that our society has for celebrities in big leagues sports. All of these people seem bigger than us and so we feel inspired by them. People can are certainly a source of inspiration, but we should reach much higher to God himself and His creation.
Our natural lives and circumstances can force small thinking when we need to be thinking bigger.
God is a big God and we are a big people with him. We don’t think small or accept small, simplistic statements on matters of big consequence.
Proverbs 1:22, How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.
David put in mind on big things. That’s how he got through difficult situations
David said: Psalm 145:5, "I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works."
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 8 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! 2  Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. 3  When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4  What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5  For You have made him a little  ower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7  All sheep and oxen Even the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. 9  O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Some Ways to Expand Your Thinking
Read an entire book (A Good one!)
Take a walk and pay attention to nature
Do something you have not done before)
Think about what God has brought you through
Reflect on the birth of a child
Reflect on how God has kept you in times of difficulty
Pray and worship God for an extended time
What can you think of?
 
Isaiah 54;1-6 (MSG)
 
“Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby.
    Fill the air with song, you who’ve never experienced childbirth!
You’re ending up with far more children
    than all those childbearing women.” God says so!
“Clear lots of ground for your tents!
    Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!
Use plenty of rope,
    drive the tent pegs deep.
You’re going to need lots of elbow room
    for your growing family.
You’re going to take over whole nations;
    you’re going to resettle abandoned cities.
Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed.
    Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short.
You’ll forget all about the humiliations of your youth,
    and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory.
For your Maker is your bridegroom,
    his name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel,
    known as God of the whole earth.
 

Trailblazers, Not Just Travelers

Trailblazers, Not Just Travelersby Bryan Hudson
Psalm 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca [tears], They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion
This is a very encouraging text. David is providing a framework for handling and overcoming adversity. This is something that David understood very well both from the perspective of attacks he endured from his enemies, as well as suffering from consequences of his own bad decisions and actions.
David approaching everything from the perspective of a worshipper and a victor, not just as a victim. He looked to the Lord for help.
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,God is your source. Your strength is in Him as your source, not in your resources.
5 Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.A pilgrim is someone moving on a specific mission for God. We can use the word “trailblazer.” A traveller may only be someone moving for pleasure. In context, the jewish people were often on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate days of feats or “appointed times” in the presence of the Lord.
I. The Feast of PASSOVER (Leviticus 23:5)II. The feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD (Leviticus 23:6)III. The feast of FIRST FRUITS (Leviticus 23:10,11)IV. The feast of PENTECOST (Leviticus 23:17)V. The feast of TRUMPETS (Leviticus 23:24)VI. The feast of ATONEMENT (Leviticus 23:27)VII. The feast of TABERNACLES (Leviticus 23:34)
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca [tears]
The journey was sometimes difficult because the of the desert environment and hardships such as drought along the way. This is the point at which travelers become “unhappy”, lose their will to continue, and drop off. A traveler is all about having a good time. A pilgrim or trailblazer is all about purpose and God’s purposes in particular.
This “Valley of Baca” is oftentimes a “Valley of tears” because of the anguish and hardship.
6 They make it a spring;Some translations render this verse, “They make a well or wells.” The idea is that they didn’t just suffer through it. The did something about it. They dug wells or made cisterns to collect rain water and heavy dew. You might think, “how could that help them if they were in need of water?” Here is where the trailblazer part comes in: They did not make the well for themselves. They made for others who would follow them!
A lot of us pilgrims don’t get the opportunity to benefit from their own labors. A true trailblazer is building paths and opportunities for those who follow. This is what people in the generation of Dr. Martin Luther King did, and people in every generation have done. This is what I do.
One commentator wrote: “This trouble they willingly undertook, rather than to neglect the opportunity of going up to Jerusalem at their solemn times. And possibly they did this, not only for themselves, but for the benefit of other travellers who came after them; whereby they showed both their piety and charity.”
6 The rain also covers it with pools.God (Our Source) fills the wells and cisterns with water to create a resources for those who follow.
7 They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in ZionThis is the highest hope of every pilgrim and trailblazer: That those who follow will experience strength for their journey, and become a trailblazer for others; “Strength to strength”
These are things that mere travelers cannot do. A traveler is focused on more on himself than on others.
The prophetic words of Isaiah 61 describe the mission of the ultimate Pilgrim and Trailblazer, Our Lord Jesus Christ. One a day when He was in the synagogue, he stood up to read and he was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He found this place and read the following:
1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed MeTo preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,3  To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified
Jesus blazed the trail of our salvation, blessing, and purpose! He brought Good News:
Gold tidings to the poor: You don’t have to be poor anymore!Heal the brokenheartedLiberty to captivesOpening of the the prisonYear of Jubilee, release from debtConsole those who mournBeauty from ashes: Something good from nothingOil of joy for heavinessTrees of righteousness: Planting of the Lord
 

"The Attitude of a Victor" by Patricia Hudson

"The Attitude of a Victor" by Patricia Hudson
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.