Posts Tagged bryon

Tending the Father’s Sheep – 1 Samuel 17:15

Aug 30

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon, Sermons | No Comments

Friends,

What a beautiful day in the Father’s House today!  God has blessed us tremendously with our new deacons for the upcoming year.  Pray for Jerry, Joses, and Lynn as they begin this new chapter in their lives.

In this one verse, 1 Samuel 17:15, we read that David is tending his father’s sheep, while still going back and forth to Saul and knowing that he has been anointed to be king.  My focus from this chapter was on the interesting thing that in between his anointing and kingship, David was humble and still dedicated to the work he was supposed to do.  Similarly, Jesus Christ kept about His work for His Father in between His anointing and His ascension into Heaven.

Being anointed and called is not something meant to just give us status, but instead in the church it should be something that leads us to be humbled and seek to serve where God puts us.  Both David and Jesus sought not to be served, but to serve others.  We all, like our deacons, should seek to do likewise.

You can listen to or download the sermon here:  Tending the Father’s Sheep – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

  • 1 Samuel 17:15
  • 1 Samuel 16:13
  • 2 Samuel
  • Luke 4:21
  • Mark 1:9-11
  • John 4:24
  • Matthew 5:17
  • 1 Timothy 3:8

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REFLEXIONS 4-22-09

Apr 23

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon | 1 Comment

Friends,

As many of you know, the LePere family spent the better part of last week in Orlando, FL visiting Mickey Mouse and his friends.  After 33 ½ hours in the family truckster and covering 1800 miles, I’m happy to say we had a great week and are still getting along for the most part!

There are so many things I could share about our trip, but for this Reflexions I want to talk about Nathan buying a clock.  But not just any clock…he bought a genuine Disney Mickey Mouse clock for $12.95, with his own money I might add.

As we were unpacking, we opened up the box for the clock and set it up.  With the instructions there was also a paper with their one year limited warranty.  The instructions on the warranty tell you that if the clock ceases to work properly to send the clock, sales receipt, and a check to cover handling, postage, and insurance charges.  Check amount?  You guessed it…$12.95 (see previous paragraph).  Now, they tell you this is not a repair charge, and that they reserve the right to either refund or replace the clock.  Some warranty, right?  Send in the cost of the original, and we’ll replace it for you!

Thankfully, God does not work that way.

Because of the sin in our lives, we are broken.  Confronted by the righteous judgment of God, we are fractured individuals, beaten and broken each time we disobey the commands of God.  Surely, if God wanted to, He could just discard and abandon us the first time we disobey Him and take His love and care from us and pass it on to someone else.  As the sovereign Lord, He could very easily replace us whenever we are broken beyond His tolerance level.

Thankfully, God does not work that way.

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you and I are offered the opportunity to be repaired, renewed, reborn, and remade in the image of Christ.  Through Christ we may stand before God unblemished (Jude 24), washed in the blood of the Cross (Revelation 7:14), sanctified and cleansed through our Savior (Titus 3:5).  Instead of tossing us out and replacing us, God’s desire and grace is to redeem and repair His creation time and time again.

Do you get that?  In a world where the majority of our stuff is considered too easily disposable, God never throws out or discards those made in His own image.  Read the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32) or consider the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43).  Heck, just read the Gospels!  Time and time again, we see Jesus reach out to the discarded people of society and show them how through the power of faith they can be transformed and remade.

So what about you?  How are you broken?  Would God be justified in just tossing you out and starting over with someone else?  Ever felt like He should do that?

Thankfully, God does not work that way.

No, instead, He desires to repair you.  Time and time again…over and over…through the power of Christ in your life you can have your life put back together.  You may not feel like you are worth much, but to God…you are priceless.

See you soon!

Pastor Bryon

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The Heart of God – Genesis 6:5-8

Mar 23

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon, Sermons | 1 Comment

Friends,

Another great day to be in God’s House!  It was truly a blessing to have Matt from the IMB share with us in worship.  Please keep him in your prayers as he and his family head to Japan next Wednesday.

In my message I started us in a study of Noah and the Flood.  There is certainly a dearth of research and study on this topic, and I will fall short, but I want us to consider how the story of God and Noah has parallels with the story of God and Jesus.  In both stories, God does something new in seeking to redeem His Creation to Himself.

As much as God’s work with Noah was an act of compassion, we see the heart of God in Jesus when Jesus tells us of His compassion for Jerusalem and we consider what He does for humankind through His death and Resurrection.  And, just as everyone else had rejected God in Noah’s time, so many rejected Jesus.

And, today, I believe there are still many that reject Christ when they claim His Word as their guide, and yet they intentionally reject so many of His teachings.  Thoughts?

You can download the sermon here: The Heart of God by Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

  • Genesis 6:5-8
  • Colossians 1:19, 2:9
  • 1 Samuel 15:11, Joel 2:13
  • Genesis 18:3, Exodus 33:17
  • Luke 13:34-35
    • Matthew 9:36
    • John 11:35, Matthew 26:38
    • Matthew 23:37
      • James 4:17
  • Matthew 5:38-39, 43-44, 6:14-15, 7:1-3
  • Mark 9:35, Luke 18:18-25, John 6:60-67

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What Book Are You Reading?

Feb 9

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon | No Comments

Friends,

I am down in Jacksonville, FL for a pastor’s conference with Annie right now.  We have had a chance to hear some of the best preachers in Southern Baptist life currently as well as other well known speakers.  It has been a tremendous blessing to hear and be fed by the Word.  This really hit home as we were driving back to the hotel just a few minutes ago.  There was a billboard up on the interstate with this line, “If this isn’t your book, you don’t have the real book.”  Sounds like a good tag line for the Bible, doesn’t it?  Alas, this was an ad for a phonebook.

We are being surrounded by bad news in the media these days.  Every station is covering what the problems are and how they are being handled or what plan someone is coming up with.  I suspect that in each of your homes you are being impacted in some way by the current situation, and many of you have had moments of fear, and wondered whatever shall we do?

Pull out your Bible!  Read it, study it, pray over it, let it speak to you!  If you are looking for answers to the world problems around you let me say this, “If you don’t have His book, you don’t have the book.”

I found myself reading Psalm 111 tonight, I’d love to hear where God leads you as you search for His Word in these troubling times.  God Bless…

Pastor Bryon

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Mid-Week Musings 11-13-08

Nov 14

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon | No Comments

MID-WEEK MUSINGS 11.13.08

Friends,

Well, how are you doing today?  Seriously, how are you?  Watch the news, and they’ll tell you how bad the economy is.  And the number of piracy attacks east of Africa is rising.  And there is still no cure for cancer.  And childhood-obesity is rising.  And the auto industry is collapsing.  And the war in Iraq.  And the war in Afghanistan.  And job losses are rising.  And…well, you can fill in the rest, can’t you?

Now bring it closer to home…what do you know about the greater Big Island area?  I can think of words like cancer, unemployed, poor, hungry, lonely, ill, stressed, etc.  Think of all the problems we have here just in Big Island!  I mean, you could name them, couldn’t you?  So, what do we do about it?  What are you doing about it?

I was listening to someone on the radio yesterday, and was reminded that just to take a breath, just to be alive is a tremendous blessing.  I don’t know about you, but I needed to hear that.  I am keenly aware of so many burdens in our community right now.  In fact, at times it is suffocating to the point I don’t know which way to turn.  With all the bad news in the world, what can you do?  With all the bad news in Big Island, what can you do?  And this is the danger…we get caught up in all the bad news, we just figure there’s nothing we can do, so let’s just be down.

And yet, if we are believers, if we are Christians, if we are truly alive in Christ, I mean truly alive in Christ, then shouldn’t we have some joy right there?!  No one who finds life in Christ in the scriptures walked away sad.  Is it possible to truly have Christ in your heart and be sad?  Yes, but…does that mean we live in that world?  Do you know anyone that can find the negative in anything?  Have you had times in your life when no matter what was going on, you found yourself feeling down about everything?  I know I have.  And yet, as I have listened to all the doom and gloom over the economy, the world, the election, the church, and everything else, I find myself caught up a little in it, and then I get mad at myself for letting this pull me down.

So today, Thursday, while it is cloudy and rainy and gloomy and you can think of all the things going wrong in your life, think about one other thing…”Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…”  – 1 Peter 1.8 (NIV)

I’ll be preaching on Genesis 3.8-24 and asking the question “Are You Coming or Going?”  Hope to see you there!

Blessings

Pastor Bryon

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Ingredients of Sin – Genesis 3.1-8

Nov 9

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon, Sermons | 1 Comment

Friends,

Good evening!  Hope each of you has a blessed week.  My goal this morning was to look at the story of Adam and Eve in the garden and what is now known as The Fall.  From this scripture, we can that there are several steps that lead humans through temptation and then sin.  How we understand this can influence how we seek to win the battle against Satan and his temptations.

Consider how the battle begins with an influence outside of us, then a debate and struggle goes on within us.  If we lose, and we sin, then we must deal with the consequential guilt.  It is for this reason that Christ came into this world, to show us that as He did, we can overcome this world if we fully trust in Him.  Also, realize that Christ, though fully divine, was also fully human and endured every trial and temptation that we do.  Your thoughts?

Scriptures Referenced:

  • Genesis 3.1-8
  • 1 Kings 8.46-50
  • Numbers 32.23, Psalm 51, Daniel 9.5
  • Matthew 4.1, 6.13, 9.13
  • 1 Corinthians 10.13
  • Hebrews 2.18, 4.15
  • John 1.29
  • James 1.13-14
  • Romans 3.23

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