sermons
MOTHER'S DAY MESSAGE
May14,2017 by Pastor Louie Franco
TEXT: 1Samuel 1
Hannah, a woman of faith, had a situation like most of us. She may be childless, but not prayerless. She was mocked, provoked, and taunted by Peninah...
But she knew HOW to face her difficulties and challenges; she knew WHERE to go in times of distress; she knew WHEN to pray the right prayers; she knew WHO can fix her trouble; and she knew WHAT to do when her prayes are answered.
May14,2017 by Pastor Louie Franco
TEXT: 1Samuel 1
Hannah, a woman of faith, had a situation like most of us. She may be childless, but not prayerless. She was mocked, provoked, and taunted by Peninah...
But she knew HOW to face her difficulties and challenges; she knew WHERE to go in times of distress; she knew WHEN to pray the right prayers; she knew WHO can fix her trouble; and she knew WHAT to do when her prayes are answered.
Easter Sunday Message
April 16, 2017 Pastor Louie Franco
The first words spoken by Jesus to the women after his resurrection is "Don't be afraid", and then when he appeared to His disciples, he said "Don't be unbelieving".
This is exactly the message that this world needs to hear. We live in a world that is full of fear, insecurity, doubts, and unbelief. The message of Christ's resurrection is simple - Do not be afraid; do not be unbelieving. Because of His resection we have no fear, but we have power over the enemy, we have hope, we have victory, and we have the assurance. So don't be unbelieving. Put your trust in the risen savior.
April 16, 2017 Pastor Louie Franco
The first words spoken by Jesus to the women after his resurrection is "Don't be afraid", and then when he appeared to His disciples, he said "Don't be unbelieving".
This is exactly the message that this world needs to hear. We live in a world that is full of fear, insecurity, doubts, and unbelief. The message of Christ's resurrection is simple - Do not be afraid; do not be unbelieving. Because of His resection we have no fear, but we have power over the enemy, we have hope, we have victory, and we have the assurance. So don't be unbelieving. Put your trust in the risen savior.
CROSSING THE RED SEA
SERMON March 19, 2017 by Pastor Louie Franco
God’s detour, no shortcut.
When the Israelites left Egypt, God did not lead them to a shorter (Exo. 13:17), or to a normal and easier route going to the promise land (which was the eastward direction). Rather, God directed them southward to the Red Sea. This tells us, God does not go by man’s standard. We may think the shorter distance to travel, the better use of time and energy. But God, in his foreknowledge, knew that the Israelites needed more time to squeeze out that “Egyptian system” out of their lives, before they can be fit to enjoy the promised land; thus, taking them to a longer, more challenging route. One preacher said, "it took overnight to take Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel." Sometimes we tend to ask God why some of our prayers seem to take ages before we get the answer and then instinctively we focus our faith on the answer; “when will God grant my request?” We become product driven like the world today, rather than adaptive to the process and appreciative of the life lessons we pick up along the way. We easily focus on the blessing, instead of the blesser; the gift, instead of the giver; the promise, instead of the promiser. We need to understand that God simply operates in his own time because He knows what is best for us. When God takes us to a detour instead of the normal path that we know, He's preparing us for a greater miracle.
Keep calm, it’s not your fight
When the Israelites reached the dead-end (edge of the Red sea) they had no choice but to stop, there no way to keep going. They were faced with an impossible barrier-- approximately 1600ft deep and 12 miles wide body of water. Suddenly, they saw from a distance, the armies of Pharaoh on their assault chariots coming towards them, with only one objective, to slaughter and wipe them out from the face of the earth. They panicked and cried out to God! (Exo. 14:10). What would you do when you’re faced with insurmountable situation in your life? Imagine that you are in a a dead end. You can’t reverse or make a U-turn, the enemies are right behind you. You are trapped! What would you do? With the kind of world we live in today, it is not unusual to be caught up in the same situation, where there is no way out but a miracle from above. The sad reality is, people without Christ in their lives, sometimes resort to drastic escapes which often results in making the situation worse.
I like what Moses told the people, The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm (Exodus 14:14). When you are threatened by "Pharaoh’s armies" of depression, addiction, injustice, hatred, illness, or any negative force that will try to harm you, and feel like you are at a dead end, trapped and hopeless, the Lord says, “Keep still, I got this.” Just remember, He who fights for us had never ever lost a fight. He's the champion of all ages. He has defeated sin and death, and He's already given you the victory over any spiritual adversary you will face. John the Beloved reminds us, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Another assurance from Isaiah, says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord (Isaiah 54:17). No weapon built or designed by the devil to harm you, or fired against you, will succeed. Not even the great chariots of Pharaoh will get near you, for the battle belongs to our God.
Enough crying, get moving
As they watch the Egyptian armies get closer and closer, and as they hear the ground rattling a thunderous sound of more than 600 chariots, loaded with fully armed fierce warriors hungry for Hebrew blood, the tension among the Israelites builds up by the minute and the more they cried out to God in desperation. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! (Exodus 14:15). This is the most exciting part of the story. If I may paraphrase what God said, "Enough whining, enough complaining and crying. Get your rod Moses and just do what I told you to part the Red Sea so you can get moving!" Sometimes we're like the Israelites at the Red Sea, when we are praying and asking God for something. We tend to prolong our cry for deliverance, "I can't make it, ..can't do this, Lord!" when in fact God has already parted the Red Sea for us to pass through, and all we needed to do is to get moving. God already did His part, now it is our turn to take the steps and march forward. We cry out to God to have mercy and save our love ones, and yet we do not go to them to share the gospel. We cry out to God to provide our finances, and yet we do not go out and apply for jobs. Most of the time, God had already parted the Red Sea for us, all we need to do is to get moving.
You'll find in the story that the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on dry land, and made it safely to the other side. While enjoying their deliverance, they have also witnessed how God defeated the armies of Pharaoh by drowning them into the sea. When faced with your "Red Sea" and you feel that the "armies of Pharaoh" are behind, remember that it is not your fight and that He will part the sea for you. You will walk on dry ground and make it to the other side, just keep the faith and get moving.
SERMON March 19, 2017 by Pastor Louie Franco
God’s detour, no shortcut.
When the Israelites left Egypt, God did not lead them to a shorter (Exo. 13:17), or to a normal and easier route going to the promise land (which was the eastward direction). Rather, God directed them southward to the Red Sea. This tells us, God does not go by man’s standard. We may think the shorter distance to travel, the better use of time and energy. But God, in his foreknowledge, knew that the Israelites needed more time to squeeze out that “Egyptian system” out of their lives, before they can be fit to enjoy the promised land; thus, taking them to a longer, more challenging route. One preacher said, "it took overnight to take Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel." Sometimes we tend to ask God why some of our prayers seem to take ages before we get the answer and then instinctively we focus our faith on the answer; “when will God grant my request?” We become product driven like the world today, rather than adaptive to the process and appreciative of the life lessons we pick up along the way. We easily focus on the blessing, instead of the blesser; the gift, instead of the giver; the promise, instead of the promiser. We need to understand that God simply operates in his own time because He knows what is best for us. When God takes us to a detour instead of the normal path that we know, He's preparing us for a greater miracle.
Keep calm, it’s not your fight
When the Israelites reached the dead-end (edge of the Red sea) they had no choice but to stop, there no way to keep going. They were faced with an impossible barrier-- approximately 1600ft deep and 12 miles wide body of water. Suddenly, they saw from a distance, the armies of Pharaoh on their assault chariots coming towards them, with only one objective, to slaughter and wipe them out from the face of the earth. They panicked and cried out to God! (Exo. 14:10). What would you do when you’re faced with insurmountable situation in your life? Imagine that you are in a a dead end. You can’t reverse or make a U-turn, the enemies are right behind you. You are trapped! What would you do? With the kind of world we live in today, it is not unusual to be caught up in the same situation, where there is no way out but a miracle from above. The sad reality is, people without Christ in their lives, sometimes resort to drastic escapes which often results in making the situation worse.
I like what Moses told the people, The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm (Exodus 14:14). When you are threatened by "Pharaoh’s armies" of depression, addiction, injustice, hatred, illness, or any negative force that will try to harm you, and feel like you are at a dead end, trapped and hopeless, the Lord says, “Keep still, I got this.” Just remember, He who fights for us had never ever lost a fight. He's the champion of all ages. He has defeated sin and death, and He's already given you the victory over any spiritual adversary you will face. John the Beloved reminds us, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Another assurance from Isaiah, says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord (Isaiah 54:17). No weapon built or designed by the devil to harm you, or fired against you, will succeed. Not even the great chariots of Pharaoh will get near you, for the battle belongs to our God.
Enough crying, get moving
As they watch the Egyptian armies get closer and closer, and as they hear the ground rattling a thunderous sound of more than 600 chariots, loaded with fully armed fierce warriors hungry for Hebrew blood, the tension among the Israelites builds up by the minute and the more they cried out to God in desperation. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! (Exodus 14:15). This is the most exciting part of the story. If I may paraphrase what God said, "Enough whining, enough complaining and crying. Get your rod Moses and just do what I told you to part the Red Sea so you can get moving!" Sometimes we're like the Israelites at the Red Sea, when we are praying and asking God for something. We tend to prolong our cry for deliverance, "I can't make it, ..can't do this, Lord!" when in fact God has already parted the Red Sea for us to pass through, and all we needed to do is to get moving. God already did His part, now it is our turn to take the steps and march forward. We cry out to God to have mercy and save our love ones, and yet we do not go to them to share the gospel. We cry out to God to provide our finances, and yet we do not go out and apply for jobs. Most of the time, God had already parted the Red Sea for us, all we need to do is to get moving.
You'll find in the story that the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on dry land, and made it safely to the other side. While enjoying their deliverance, they have also witnessed how God defeated the armies of Pharaoh by drowning them into the sea. When faced with your "Red Sea" and you feel that the "armies of Pharaoh" are behind, remember that it is not your fight and that He will part the sea for you. You will walk on dry ground and make it to the other side, just keep the faith and get moving.