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Real Dudes,
This past Sunday I had the opportunity to provide the message at Church. Below I’ve provided the link to view it along with my message notes. I pray God will speak to each of our hearts as we read through this and or view it. I hope each of you have a great Holiday season. Practicing His Presence, Pastor Nate Link to message on-line… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdY7p5soUOg Our text this morning will be in Isaiah chapter 9. As you’re turning there I just want to point out that we’re beginning our Advent Series today. This morning I’ll be sharing with each of us, The Gift of Hope.
Please follow along as I read out loud: Isaiah 9:2, and 6a (CSB)
a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. 6a For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, I don’t know about you, but Verse 6 is a verse I’m very familiar with…the context around it is something I wasn’t quite as familiar with prior to beginning this study. This morning I’m not going to provide you with a typical three point message. What I hope to do is walk you through some of the questions that were raised in my mind as I was navigating through this passage. My goal is to help you understand the text better and also walk you through how to dive into and study a passage. Each of the questions I’ll be raising today begins with the question WHY? The first WHY question that surfaced for me was… Why were there people living and walking in darkness?
Now that I know what I know about the way the Israelites were living and walking…I ask myself – Why didn’t God send another Flood and eliminate them? I mean, just start all over?
In Isaiah 9:2, and verse 6 God says, here’s what I’ll do…
Woah, wait a second…Why did God allow His light to shine on those living and walking in such darkness? Did He somehow get amnesia and forget how evil they had become? Did He forget their unrepentance…their refusal to turn to Him? Did they truly deserve God’s Son?
Why did it take 700 years for God to provide the light? Why 15 generations later? Why so long?
Why are some choosing to not receive the light?
Why are some choosing to come to, believe in, and receive the light?
Consider the following passages…
I’d like to share with us a couple of the State of Alaska’s Phenomena’s.
If you were given the choice of 60 some straight days of darkness or 70 some straight days of light to live and walk in, which one would you choose? And Why? If you were given the choice of living and walking in the Land of Darkness or living and walking in the Light of Life, which one would you choose? And Why? Listen, if you’re tired of living in the Land of Darkness and would like to receive this Hope, The Light, The Child, The Son today, then you can repeat this prayer in your head as I read it aloud…you can follow along on the screen…
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Real Dudes,
Below is the message I used for our Thanksgiving service last night.
Practicing His Presence, Nate Real Dudes,
There are several chapters in the Bible that feature songs sung because of a victory in the Lord, including Exodus 15 after Moses lead the Isrealites through the Red Sea -- we have recorded for us the "Song of Moses.” In the parallel passages of 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18 we read about David’s songs of Victory over Saul and other Enemies. Isaiah 12 is a song of praise, and Revelation 5 and 15 are also victory songs. Each of these songs celebrate God's power and deliverance in response to events like the parting of the Red Sea, David's many victories, and the ultimate triumph of the Lamb in heaven. The portion of Scripture that I'm going to draw our attention to is Judges 5. This chapter celebrates the leaders and people of Israel who willingly offered themselves to fight against the Canaanites and calls for praise to God for their willingness and leadership. Judges 5 is Deborah's victory song, which was a celebration of the Israelite victory over the Canaanite army and emphasizes that the victory was due to God's intervention, not human strength alone. We'll begin in Judges 4:23-5:3, 9 (CSB) 23 That day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 The power of the Israelites continued to increase against King Jabin of Canaan until they destroyed him. 5 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang: 2 When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, blessed be the Lord. 3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes! I will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. 9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the volunteers of the people. Blessed be the Lord! I’d like to highlight a couple Truths within this particular Victory Song:
Practicing His Presence, Nate Here's an old hymn that's one of my favorites, especially as a Christian and as a Tennessee Volunteer fan;) Hymn: A Volunteer for Jesus 1 A call for loyal soldiers Comes to one and all; Soldiers for the conflict, Will you heed the call? Will you answer quickly? With a ready cheer? Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? Refrain: A volunteer for Jesus, A soldier true! Others have enlisted, Why not you? Jesus is the Captain, We will never fear; Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? 2 Yes, Jesus calls for soldiers, Who are filled with pow'r, Soldiers who will serve Him Ev'ry day and hour; He will not forsake you, He is ever near; Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? [Refrain] 3 He calls you, for He loves you With a heart most kind. He whose heart was broken, Broken for mankind; Now, just now He calls you, Calls in accents clear, Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? [Refrain] 4 And when the war is over, And the vict'ry won, When the true and faithful Gather one by one, He will crown with glory All who there appear; Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? [Refrain] Source: The New Church Hymnal #209 https://hymnary.org/text/a_call_for_loyal_soldiers Real Dudes,
Last week I sat down to watch a movie with my granddaughter. I’d never seen or heard of the movie Leap before, so I was attentive to the message in it. If you haven’t seen it, there is a young girl named Felicie who is beginning ballet. She goes from being the worst in her class to competing for the lead spot in the biggest play of the year. Throughout her training and competing, one of her mentors makes the statement, “you’ll be ready when you can answer the question, ‘Why do you dance?’” Almost frustrated with the number of times she’s asked it, Felicie can’t stop thinking about how to best answer the question. Nearing the end of the movie, immediately following a dance-off with her competitor (Camille), the gentleman (Merante…he is the one responsible for choosing who plays which role in the play), has the following exchange with the two young girls…
Men, let me ask you this…Why are you a follower of Christ? For all these years have you been attending church because it’s something your parents forced you to do? Or is it because you’re passionate about following Jesus and that’s what you live for? This made me think of the conversation between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15-17. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him or not. Peter responds verbally with a YES each time. Jesus tells Peter, “then feed My sheep.” You see, it’s not just about telling Jesus you love Him, but it’s actually proving it through our actions. It’s almost as though Jesus asks Peter, “Why do you follow Me?” Can you explain that to Me? If it’s because you love me and you’re passionate about living the Christian life, then are you prepared to back up your words with actions? You’ll devote your life to feeding My sheep because you love and follow Me. What if someone asked you the question, “Why do you follow Christ?” What would your response be? Would you resemble Camille in the movie and stumble over your words and come up with some empty answer, or would you look more like Felicie who got to a point where she was prepared to always be ready to explain it? What did the producers do to draw you to Felicie in the movie, what caused you to cheer her on, what created emotions within you because of her statement? She got it…at a young age someone spoke into her, asked her the question, and she owned it for herself. What about you…do you own your relationship with the Lord and your service for Him? Are you truly passionate about Him and His ways? Men, let me ask each of us an important question – Why do you follow Jesus? Do you have a thought out and prepared response? I pointed out earlier the statement from the movie, “you’ll be ready when you can answer the question, ‘Why do you dance?’” Men, you’ll be ready to be all-in for Jesus and used by Him when you can answer the question, Why do you follow Jesus? What’s your initial response? Something to mull over, pray about, and then act on. Practicing His Presence, Nate 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT) Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. Real Dudes,
My last blog ended with asking God to restore a renewed spirit within me. On Sunday, October 5th of 2025, just a few weeks ago, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship (OCBF) held a restoration service. It was an amazing celebration service as we witnessed a christian brother being restored back into ministry. Below is the link to Brother Tony Evans’ Restoration Service – evidence of a renewed spirit. Begin at the 43:40 and go to the 1:30:00 mark. Jonathan Evans reminds us that historically the church has been quick to judgment and condemnation. But from biblical teaching this is the path OCBF exemplifies for us.
What about you? Do you have sin in your life that needs to be brought before leadership in the Church? Are you afraid they might judge and condemn you? Pray that God will give you courage and humility to bring it to light. Pray for a people who will choose to help walk you through a restoration process no matter how difficult it may seem and be. Pray for those you love and care about who may be affected by your decision to seek restoration. Trust God will reward you for it and that the Church will celebrate with everyone directly involved by it. I highly encourage you to watch this service when you get an opportunity to…praying it will change you, your family, and your church, and that God will receive all the glory for His will being done. Practicing His Presence, Nate https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=1e7dfcb5e01aab5a&sxsrf=AE3TifML6O0ZdURDLWSaZ3Co4ryppTpJCA:1759955916957&udm=7&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZud1z6kQpMfoEdCJxnpm_3b1rh8tmijoxabUcIQACXBPGOgTvdOTZ7-BDqvnYatn3cacfzOMvLC5Iw0Vn5YH1dpv-hqvDY9sWUm2NyVNLouF9agAWn9XdvAeipruS0VttgaDZSa22o3Jwi78MLTv-8rSOKINvaMKTtuOLrIekGYOr-6p6XCmhS6dRN53oaex-FQXJjw&q=tony+evans+restored+to+ministry&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVsIDaupWQAxWQ4MkDHeOHIiAQtKgLegQIExAB&biw=1440&bih=678&dpr=2#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:6769abc4,vid:pCQYOXPqFo4,st:0 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLT) That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. |
AuthorNate Smith is a husband, a father of 6 girls, grandpa to 3 granddaughters and one grandson, a police and fire chaplain, a pastor, and has a passion to see men grow in Christ. #girldad including granddaughter
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