Recorded July 28, 2024, with Rhonda Harrison.

It's time for the Champions in Christ broadcast

with Rhonda Harrison on 1017 Bay FM Good morning,

welcome to Champions in Christ. Thank you for

joining us this morning God is a good God. His

love for you never fails and it never ends. We're

going to talk about that great love this morning

because God is love. That's who he is. If we

turn in our Bibles in 1st John chapter 4 verse

John 4:16

16 and I'm reading out of the King James today.

It says and we have known and believe the love

That God has for us for God is love and he that

dwells in love dwells in God and God in him.

You know, we have to love to love God to dwell

in him. It says he that dwells in love dwells

in God and God in him. That's right. God is love.

So when we invite and receive that free gift

of Jesus Christ in our life, we're receiving

the fullness of God's love right into our heart

and we are a new creation in Christ and it says

hallelujah. We're going to move on to verse 18.

There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts

out fear because fear has torment. Fear is directly

opposed to faith. It's the complete opposite

of faith. So he that fears is not made perfect

in love. And we love him, verse 19, because he

first loved us. If a man say, I love God and

hates his brother, he's a liar. For he that loves

not his brother, whom he can see, how can you

love God, whom you cannot see? And this commandment

have we from him, that he who loves God loves

his brother also. You know, God requires us to

love others. Why? Because God loved us while

we were sinners praise god roman's 5 8 says while

we were yet sinners christ loved us glory to

the lord you know his love never ends it's an

ever everlasting love and if you go to roman's

8 verse 37 It says now in all these things. We

are more than conquers through him that loved

us for I'm persuaded that neither death nor life

nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor

things present nor things to come nor height

nor depth nor any other creatures shall be able

to separate us from the love of God, which is

in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hallelujah. Nothing

can separate us from God's love. He doesn't love

everything. We do know he doesn't love when we

sin, but he loves us. It doesn't change his love

for us. I am so thankful for that. Aren't you

that God loves me? No matter what he absolutely

loves us. No matter what. And if we turn to Psalms

Psalms 86:15

86, Verse 15, it says, but you, oh Lord, are

a God full of compassion, gracious, long -suffering,

and plenious in mercy and truth. God's mercy

never fails, and his mercies are new every morning.

Do you need a dose of his mercy today? I know

I need it every day. you know without christ

we are not made perfect in love but through him

we are but we do need his mercy we need his graciousness

we need his compassion and you know the same

way he is that way he wants us to be like that

to others to be loving and kind and compassionate

you know the word says that if you love those

that are lovely what reward do you have for even

the heathen can do that but it's when you love

the unlovely when you love those people are hurting

so bad that they hurt other people you know love

people reach out to people pour into their lives

the goodness of God tell them about Jesus and

how he can heal them and remove all that pain

and all that bitterness some of you out there

might be saying no this bitterness goes too deep

Jesus is supernatural and he will put his super

on your natural and he'll take that away if you'll

give it to him if you'll give him that bitterness

that hatred that unforgiveness that you might

be holding in your heart because someone hurts

you he will take it and he'll fill you with his

love with his grace and he'll bless you he will

bless you he loves you so much today and we're

going to now turn into zephaniah and zephaniah

is in the old testament and we're going to chapter

3 verse 17 and it says the lord your god is in

the midst of you is mighty he will save he will

rejoice over thee with joy he will rest in his

love he will joy over thee was singing did you

know the lord rejoices over you was singing Isn't

that awesome? And he rejoices over you. He, with

joy, he's so happy when he thinks about you.

He has nothing but good plans for you, to prosper

you, not to harm you. That's what Jeremiah says.

And so the Lord is mighty in your midst. So if

you need a mighty hand of God to help you in

a situation, call out to him. Tell him about

that situation. He loves when we talk to him,

just the way you love talking to your best friend.

or your son or daughter that you may be close

to he loves to talk to you he wants to hear your

heart and he will move heaven and earth to help

you when you have faith so we are so thankful

for that did you know when you become born again

you are a child of the most high god you are

a child of the king And it says in first John

1 John 3:1

3 verse 1 behold what manner of love has the

father bestowed upon us that we should be called

the sons of God. Therefore the world knows us

not because it knew him not. beloved now we are

the son of God sons of God and it does not yet

appear what we should be but we know that when

he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall

see him as he is and every man that has this

hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure

do you notice that says we purify ourself you

know God's not going to come in take your will

and do with you what he wants unless you invite

him he expects us to purify ourself he expects

us to keep our heart clean our mind clean and

that happens by cleansing our thoughts thinking

on things that are pure and just and holy and

of a good report the Bible says if it be any

virtue or any praise think on these things he

wants you focused on what's a blessing in your

life He wants you focused on good because he

is good and he will do nothing but bless you

with good. You know, does that mean your life

will be without struggle or trial? No way. Life

throws us curveballs, but he is always with us.

He's a manual God with us. He never leaves you.

He will never forsake you. Praise the heavens

in which God comes from. We just love him. He's

just so great. You know, we're going to go to

first John four again. And this time we're going

to start in verse eight. He that loves not knows

not God for God is love. And this was manifested

the love of God towards us because that God sent

his only begotten son in the world that we might

live through him. Hallelujah that we might live

through him. When you give your life to Christ,

you are crucified with him. it's not you that

live but Christ that lives in you that's what

the Word of God says and so we are blessed and

thankful that we get to live in Christ because

there's nothing but goodness in Christ there's

nothing but blessing that God has for us And

you know, in in John chapter three, we've talked

about verse 16, but verse 17 says for God sent

not his son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world through him might be saved.

And you know why it says might be because we

all have a choice. We can choose to accept Jesus

as Lord and Savior, or we can choose not to.

But I opt to choose because everything about

God is good and to have someone watching out

for you. Do you know he has angels available

and they go out and minister to those that are

co -heirs to salvation? Who's a co -heir? His

children. Who are his children? Those that believe

in the Son of God and received him as their Savior.

Praise God. Glory to God. That means he sends

out his angels to help us to help you and to

help me. Praise God. Praise God, you know God

is faithful to a thousand generations. That's

a lot of generations and we're not there yet.

So hallelujah. He is so faithful. His word never

changes. The Bible says he's no respecter of

persons. So he's not going to respect you if

you have more money or less money. He loves everybody

the same. I know that's hard to fathom sometimes

it is in my mind but it's truth because God's

Word says it and the Bible says God cannot lie

so hallelujah we thank thank the Lord for that

John 15 13 says greater love has no man than

he that lays down his life for his friends do

you know that's what Jesus did for you and for

me He laid down his life for his friends. He

laid down his life for all of mankind He became

the perfect sacrifice He laid down his deity

in heaven his royalty in heaven He laid it all

down and came on this earth and was birthed of

a virgin chose not to sin he could have but he

chose not to because the joy set before him he

endured the cross the Bible says he was an always

tempted like us but did not sin praise God he

became the ultimate sacrifice the payment the

payment for sin has been paid it's done now all

we have to do is receive it it's a free gift

Not of works least any man should boast you can't

work yourself into heaven You have to receive

it as a free gift. Isn't that glorious? Don't

you love getting gifts? How about giving the

great getting the greatest gift of all time?

That's your salvation You know Jesus said To

Philip he said have I been so long with you and

yet you have not known me Philip He that has

seen me has seen the father and how saith Believe

Thou not that I am in the Father and the Father

in me and the words I speak unto you. I speak

not of myself, but the Father that dwells in

me. He does the works. You know, the same Holy

Spirit lives in born again Christians born again

Christians receive God through faith. and they

their life is turned around and they begin to

please God and do what pleases him. Does that

mean you'll be perfect? No, but it does means

God's grace and his mercy is there to help us

when we're not perfect. and if you you know admit

it and quit it if you do something wrong admit

it and quit it and be done repent which means

do a 180 and god will forgive you and you'll

be right back right with god it's god keeps it

so simple for us and i'm so glad he does god's

love is poured out upon us today in more ways

than we can imagine You know, think about it.

It's poured out in our protection. It's poured

out in the blessed country. We live in where

we can worship him freely. That is not in a lot

of countries. We have the ability. praise God

for the men of this country that came over here

most of which were Christian that wrote the cons

signed the Constitution and they stood on these

Christian principles and therefore we have the

freedom to worship that's why we are so blessed

to be in America we get to enjoy a lot of other

things too but that's the greatest freedom we

have because with God on our side there's nothing

can defeat you he has planned no defeats for

you today nothing but blessing for you nothing

but blessing for you you know first peter four

eight talks about how we should love one another

Have you been loving one another today? Have

you loved on someone today? And I'm not talking

about just in words. Love is action. You can

say it. It's wonderful to hear when someone says

I love you. Now I want to tell you right away.

God loves you and he loves me and I'm so thankful

that he does. First Peter chapter four verse

eight says and above all things forever love

amongst yourself for love shall cover a multitude

of sin and it says use hospitality one to another

without murmuring. You know God hates murmuring.

It's not of him. That means your heart's not

pure when you're doing something for someone

if you do something. to help them and then you

turn and murmur about them. That's not God. And

that's not good. And that will in no way bless

your life because you're cursing someone. So,

you know, if you have something to say about

someone, let it be nice. not say it to the Lord

send your tell your complaints to the Lord he

wants to hear what's on your heart if it's legitimate

and either way he will help you through it and

he will lead you in the word he will lead you

because you know what we're all made from dust

of the earth. That's where it all started with

Adam and he blew life into the dust and Adam

was created. Wow, what a miraculous God we have.

He threw the heavens out like a curtain. The

worlds were framed by the word of God. That's

how powerful our God is, your God and my God.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise be to God who

loves us, who died for us, who gave his life

for us. Therefore we should serve him and love

him and enjoy him. God's a fun God. He's not

boring. Your life will never be boring. When

you give it to God, you know, in Galatians three

twenty, it says I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,

I live yet not I but Christ that lives in me

and the life which I now live in the flesh. I

live by the faith of the Son of God who loved

me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate

the grace of God for if righteousness comes by

the law, then Christ is dead in vain. In other

words, there's nothing you can do. to make yourself

right the Bible says our righteousness but outside

of God is filthy rags but in Christ our righteousness

we are the righteousness of God in Christ hallelujah

you've been made right through his sacrifice

through the blood of Jesus so in Galatians 5

Galatians 5:22

verse 22 it says But the fruit of the Spirit

is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness,

long -suffering, meekness, temperance, and against

their such there is no law. And they that are

Christ have crucified their flesh with the affections

and the lust thereof. If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit. These are the

things that should be coming forth from your

life. The Bible says you'll know them by their

fruit. This is the fruit of the Spirit. Are you

full of love and joy and peace? Are you gentle

and good and have faith and are humble and self

-control? If not, check your heart. Go before

the Lord. Pour yourself out against him. Empty

all that stuff, all your concerns, all your worries.

He says cast your cares on him because he cares

and loves you so much. He will take them and

he will help you, but he helps you through faith.

That's what we've been reading about in the different

stories is how much God helps us when we are

in faith, when we are believing God. You know,

God knows right where we're at. You know, just

like when when Jesus entered through Jericho

and he saw Zacchaeus, who was the chief among

the tax collectors, and he was rich and he went

to see Jesus and he was up in a tree and Jesus

spotted him. And Jesus said, Zacchaeus, come

down because I'm going to your house today. Zacchaeus

stood and he he was blown away that Jesus because

Zacchaeus was doing some you know underhanded

things with the tax collecting and and but Jesus

wanted to go and have dinner with him and get

to know him and by reaching out and loving on

him like that. Zacchaeus you can read it in Luke

Luke 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19 he stood up and said to the Lord behold

Lord I will give half my goods to the poor and

if I've taken anything from any man by false

accusation I will restore him fourfold Wow Wow

do you think God's love changed Zacchaeus's heart

absolutely he was doing some wrong things to

people and he says I'm not just going to pay

them back what Took from them. I'm gonna give

them fourfold and I'm gonna give over half of

my goods to the poor Wow, and Jesus said to him

this day Salvation has come to your house for

as much as he also is a son of Abraham For the

son of man has come to seek and save those which

were lost We're gonna go to a couple of songs

and we're gonna come back and I'll speak to you

once again I love you Lord For your mercy never

fails me All my days I've been held in your hand

From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my

head Oh I will sing of the goodness Oh, I will

see of the good You are closed like no other

I'm known you as a Jesus come Jesus come. Coming

later Jesus come he's coming back if you haven't

heard Jesus is coming back and it's sooner than

we think so we all want to be ready what does

that mean we want to be ready for him to take

us to heaven because in that day and in that

hour we no one knows when that's going to happen

it could be today it could be tomorrow he said

you'll know by the signs of the times And so

we wanna be ready. So if you haven't received

Jesus as your savior, pray this prayer with me.

Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart, forgive

me of my sin, wash me, cleanse me, fill me with

your Holy Spirit. I renounce the things of the

world and I receive you now, the free gift of

salvation. And you are my Lord in Jesus' name,

amen. If you receive Jesus today or if you made

your life right with him, We want to send you

a free Bible. You can connect with us at ChampionsInChrist3

at gmail .com. That's ChampionsInChrist3 at gmail

.com. We want you to go out and make it a great

day. Know that Jesus loves you. We love you and

you are a champion in Christ.