Pastor Craig

A Kind Heart

By Pastor Craig Sicilia

A kind heart (Christ like)

Good Morning Family

Here we are coming up on another holiday season

The holidays can be a real struggle for some people

And our normal struggles can be magnified by the holidays

Here we will be coming up to thanksgiving

A holiday carried down from the pilgrims when the Indians had it in their heart to help the white man survive a rough winter

Then just around the corner from that we have Christmas the greatest known to man, the symbolic date of the birth of our beautiful savior the Lord Jesus Christ

So naturally this becomes a special time of refection for the good the bad and the indifferent

We tend to reflect upon our lives and loved ones.

It can be a time where we reflect upon the choices we have made in our lives

The holidays for some people are the saddest, most difficult times to cope

People have difficulties coping for a variety of reasons

Some remember the loved ones that are no longer with them

Some people regret the bridges they have burnt

Some people get caught up in the commercialized Christmas that man has developed this very special season into and get depressed that they can not financially have the kind of Christmas that we are lead to believe that we should have

And there are some who just plan dwell in their lives current situation

Bottom line here is not to forget the reason for the season and what it really means

Brothers and Sisters open up your hearts this year

And remember just how luck we are no mater what your earthily situation is

Think about it for one minute and you to will realize how lucky you are as a Christian

Jesus Christ has freed us from our sin, from our eternal death

Make no mistake about it we are all sinners and we all fall short of the glory of God, we only have salvation through the blood of Jesus

And we need to remember just what a perfect love he has for us

He has already forgiven us

Even though we sit and plot out our sins

We will go out of our way to sin

And we know exactly what we are doing while were sinning and we do it anyway

How lucky we are Jesus loves us anyway

Jesus loves us with all of are hang ups all of our sins

How lucky we are brothers and sisters

Jesus paid our price the ultimate price for every sin we have ever committed or will committed

And he still loves us anyway just as we are, sinners

How lucky we are, he only wants what is best for us despite our selfs

How lucky we are folks, again my message is open your hearts and let Jesus work through it

It is more than just a nice thing to do

It is more thank just a kind thing to do

It is not only the right thing to do but its our duty to open our hearts

I take you now to my scripture for today

I take you to Matthew 25:31-46

When the son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people ofe from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left

Then the king will say to those on his right, come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me

Then the righteous will answer him, Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink, when did we see you a stranger and invite you in. or needing clothes and clothe you when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you

The king will reply I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me

Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.

They also will answer Lord when did we see you hungry or thrsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and did not help you

He will reply, I tell you the truth whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

I look at this parable as one of the most vivid that Jesus ever spoke

God lays the foundations of salvation based on our actions and service to our fellow man

Friends every thing is connected

Everything is Connected

In the middle of all the ruckus in our home this past week, I discovered a moment of great inspiration. Then again, that's where great inspiration is born.

We are getting new carpeting for our upstairs. That in itself has turned my world upside down. But the bigger picture here is how one thing always leads to another.

When we decided to get new carpeting, we couldn't just get new carpeting.

"We have to paint the ceilings," my wife told me.

"Won't the new carpeting like looking at our old ceilings?" I asked.

"Not the point," she replied. "I don't want to be painting the ceilings after we put the carpeting in."

"Okay with me. Put the new carpeting in and we won't paint the ceilings," I said.

It wasn't the right answer.

She walked away from my logic as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Okay, we'll paint the ceilings," I conceded.

"Well, we will need to paint the trim and the walls, too," she said as she stood in the doorway.

"I know, the carpeting, right?" I said.

"Yes, but the trim will look old next to the new ceiling."

I sighed.

"Okay, I'll paint the trim, too."

"Well, you'll need to sand them first."

"Because of the carpeting?"

"No, it's the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do was leave the old carpeting," I mumbled.

"Oh, by the way. We also should paint the walls," she added. And without hesitating so as to avoid unnecessary comments from me, she continued. "The walls in the back room have cracks that need to be repaired."

Everything is connected.

Like fixing the cracks in the plaster.

I really wasn't sure if I remembered how to do it. Since I was already up to my neck in these projects I thought I better ask someone.

Standing in the aisle of the local hardware store I looked around to find a clerk.

Now, if I were roaming around the store with nothing in mind, there would be five clerks asking, "May I help you find something?"

But never when I really need one.

I grabbed what looked like the item I needed and began reading the label. Is it me getting older or do they make the print so small any more you need a telescope to see it?

"Do you know what you are doing?" I heard a man ask me.

Looking up I expected to see a clerk standing there. It was an elderly man.

"Oh, a man of great wisdom!" I said. "How'd you know I needed help?"

"The can's upside down," he said.

"That's okay, I couldn't read it anyway," I said laughing.

I proceeded to explain my challenge.

"Make the cracks bigger," He said.

"Why? I'm trying to cover them up," I said.

Then was my moment of inspiration.

"In order to fix a small problem you need to see it bigger," he said.

I had a look of confusion.

"That small crack most likely is a part of a bigger problem. By exposing the crack the filler will smooth it over more evenly. By making it a little wider the filler can get into the crack, you can sand it and paint it and never see it again. People who putty over a tiny crack will only get to see it again," he said.

Just like life. Sometimes little problems are the beginning of bigger ones. Sometimes taking a broader look at it will help to resolve the problem once and for all so that it never returns.

Handling the small crack in the foundation of your well being will help to prevent that foundation from crumbling.

Sometimes, "In order to fix a small problem you need to see it bigger."

Everything is connected.

Like you and me!

Brother and sisters God is not going to judge us on the knowledge we have learned

God is not going to judge us on the fame we have acquired

He is not going to judge us on the fortune or riches we have acquired

He will judge us on our hearts, and the selfless things we have done during our lives

Are your actions Christ like

There are certain things which this parable teaches us about the help which is our duty to give

The lord tells us to help in the simple ways

He tells us to feed the hungry to give the thirsty man a drink

To welcome strangers into our lives

To care for the sick

And to visit the prisoners

And this help must be uncalculating

Those who help to whom Jesus spoke about did not even realize they were helping and thus piling up eternal merit

They simply helped because they could not help themselves, it was a natural instinct of a loving heart

Quite uncalculating

On the other hand those who did not help the reaction was similar

The reaction was if we knew it was you Lord we would have gladly helped

But here is the big difference in the heart

They did not help because they believed that it was only some common man who was not worth helping

Then we have those who will help if there is praise and thanks and recognition

But to help like this is not the help Jesus demands from us

When you help like this you already receive you merit here on earth

Its like not helping at all it is pandering to ones self esteem

Such help is not true generosity

It is disguised as selfishness

The help which wins the approval of God is that which is given for no other reason than to truly help

I want to read this passage again

I believe it to be so important that its worth repeating

I take you to Matthew 25:31-46

Then the king will say to those on his right, come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

The king will reply I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me

They also will answer Lord when did we see you hungry or thrsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and did not help you

He will reply, I tell you the truth whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Brothers and sisters we need to keep our hearts and eyes open and take advantage of the opportunities God sets before us to help

I want to share a story of ones eyes being closed

Pastor Craig story of Wally’s good friend Sport

A little robin named Sport decided he’d rather not fly south for the winter. As snow began to fly and the streams iced over, he reluctantly came to the conclusion that he'd made a big mistake --- that he'd better head south. As Sport rose high into the scurly sky, the air felt even colder and the winds more fierce.

He flew as straight south as he could and yet the wind threw him about with utter disdain. After flying for what seems like forever, his wings began to ice over. Fly as he might, his wings soon froze to the point of almost no movement and so, he half glided half plummeted toward earth.

Through frosted eyebrows he saw an open spot among the trees. Navigating as best he could, Sport plummeted into a farm yard and landed among the cows. He rolled over twice, skidded into a clump of hay and just lay there regretting the day he decided to spend the winter in Maine.

At this very moment and with total unawareness of the robin, one of the cows came along and dropped a warm wet cow pie right on top of him. Struggling frantically, Sport managed to stick his head up and take a breath. He gasped at the smell, but immediately noticed that whatever he was in, it was very warm. He soon stopped shivering. As he became warm and comfortable, he did as birds do, he began to chirp. Closing his eyes Sport thought thoughts of the southern sun. Spontaneously, he chirped again.

Unfortunately for Sport, his chirping sparked the curiosity of Freddy, the barnyard cat. So Freddy, who did as cats do, came along to investigate. He found Sport, chirping away with his eyes closed. Since Sport had no idea what was going on around him, he was an easy target for Freddy. Freddy hauled Sport out of the manure pile and then promptly ate him.

So in fond memory of Sport remember this. Not everyone who dumps on you is not your enemy. Not everyone who hauls you out of poop of this world is your friend, and above all, if you are warm and comfortable, keep your eyes and heart open and your mouth shut.

____________________ Author Unknown

Brothers and sisters we are so lucky to have Christs love in our lives

We are forgiven so that our hearts may be open to help one another

We must protect each others dignity at all times

We must share this love that Christ has put in our hearts

Jesus confronted us with the wonderful truth that all such genuine help that comes from our hearts is so pure that it is like helping Jesus him self

And all such help with held from our fellow man is like with holding help from the Lord Jesus Christ

You may think to your self how can this be

Lets think about that for a moment

How many parents do we have in here today?

If we truly want to delight a parents heart.

If we really wish to move him in to gratitude

The best way is to help his child

Friends God is the great father and the way to delight the heart of God is to help his children

Our fellow man

So we need to realize how lucky we are and open are hearts and eyes to those around us

We need to be kind, loving compassionate and caring for all of those around us

I will close with a poem today

I AM A SOLDIER

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, of the army of my God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, Prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.

"I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire.

"I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity. I will either retire in this army at the Rapture or die in this Army; but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out. I am faithful, capable, and dependable.

"If my God needs me, I am there.

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His Kingdom!

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.

"I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

"When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I end with nothing, I will still come out even. I will win. My God will supply all my needs. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ.

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot handle me.

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to a captain and then bring me back to rule this world with Him.

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, in the army, and I'm marching, claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around.

"I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, marching Heaven-bound. Here I stand!

I will stand with my heart and eyes open to his Great commission

I am a soldier of God, I will share his love with everyone every chance I get

I am a soldier of God and everyone will recognize this by my actions

They will know I am a Christian by the love I share

Will you stand with me?"

Let us pray

pastor Craig Sicilia productions