Tag: Children’s Stories

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:54 — 18.5MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:32-40

Children’s Stories
Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy
Hebrews 11:32-40

It is hard not to feel like all our efforts were turned to ash this week by the Taliban’s victory,

The question? Is there ever a time when being a Christian is NOT worth it?

The difference between submission and permission is all about who is in charge. Is God in charge…or am I?

You see, we have an enemy. He’s called Satan, and Satan’s desire is to destroy anything that belongs to God.

GOD PAYS ATTENTION when you suffer because of your stand for Jesus. God notices, and He blesses you.

Death for the Christian is the greatest event possible because only death has the ability to break the seal and usher you into inexpressible glory.

If Jesus had not died on the cross THEY (and WE) would have no hope of heaven.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:15 — 17.3MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:31

Children’s Stories
God and the Harlot
Hebrews 11:31

Now, just so we’re clear here…prostitution is a sinful lifestyle.

Matthew the Tax Collector and Simon the Zealot and Rahab the Harlot. That’s what they were known for.

They look to me like someone the shepherd brought home.

So, the spies went to find a place to stay, and they ended up in the home of the prostitute.

The drug dealer told him this: “I’m there when Johnny goes out for a loaf of bread for Mama. I’m there, you’re not. I win, you lose. It’s all about being there.”

The question for you this morning: Do you know what to tell people to be saved?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:50 — 17.1MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:30

Children’s Stories
Josh and the Big Wall
Hebrews 11:30

And that’s exactly what Israel did–and the walls came a tumbling down, the army of Jericho was routed, and Israel burned the city and everything in it.

If God says something happened, it happened–just the way He said it did.

GOD WON THE BATTLE WITHOUT THEIR HELP!!!
God did all the heavy lifting and all they did was show up.

God doesn’t win the battle with people of power; God wins the battle with people of faith.

Because Joshua was a type or image of Christ in the Bible.

Jesus has done all the heavy lifting. He won the victory for us at the cross. He did it all, and all that remains for us to do is SHOW UP.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:33 — 15.5MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:24-27

Children’s Stories
The Day Moses Said “No”
Hebrews 11:24-27

When the King’s daughter came to river, she heard the baby cry, and immediately loved him and wanted to make him her own little boy.

But, even if he wasn’t going to be the next Pharaoh, then unquestionably, he would have become a man of prominence and power.

Albert Einstein said “Coincidence, is God’s way of working anonymously.”

My point is–there’ll come times in your life when YOU’LL have to make those choices.

It’s not faith if you have to HIDE what you’ve done. That’s not faith…that’s guilt.

God takes people who mess up, and He turns them into men and women who NOW have faith and power.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:41 — 16.3MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:22

Children’s Stories
Fixing Your Eyes on the Promises
Hebrews 11:22

Do you think God would ever forget a promise? Of course not! God always keeps His promises.

Instead, He commended Joseph for his faith because he gave directions about how his bones were to be handled?

He believed that because he believed God would bring Israel back to the promised land…because that’s what God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants.

Now, granted…that’s not exactly the kind of promises we want to hear, but God is being honest with us–Christianity isn’t always going to be an easy ride.

Jesus promised much the same thing in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

But in a world where people are measured by their beauty, their influence, and their wealth and power, a lot of people get…LEFT OUT.

We must always remember—we are not better than the others in the world around us. We are simply those who have accepted better promises than the world can offer.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:21 — 14.7MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:17-19

Children’s Stories
Is Your All on the Alter of Sacrifice Laid
Hebrews 11:17-19

Now I know that you love me. You were willing to give your only son to me as a sacrifice…that’s all I wanted to know.

Human sacrifice was a great evil that God would NOT tolerate.

So, the question this morning, have you laid all on the altar? Is there anything you love more than Jesus?

Abraham, you laid it all on the altar and so I will bless you!

To become a Christian is to “lay it all on the altar.”

When we surrender our entire lives to God, then God can begin to do some powerful things THROUGH us.

Seemingly every aspect of the story of Isaac being sacrificed pointed to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:31 — 15.5MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:11

Children’s Stories
She Who Laughs Last
Hebrews 11:11

However, here God tells us “By Faith Sarah…” did something very impressive. So what exactly did she do?

But then a couple MORE years drag by, and there’s still no child.

Well, I believe God is trying to tell us that great faith does NOT mean you won’t have doubts.

And I think that is how Sarah became a woman of faith–she HEARD God! And once she heard HIM…her doubts began to fade.

You’ve got to PERSONALLY come to the point where you’ve decided that you’re going to trust God.

In the same way, the Bible teaches that NONE of us can do anything to be saved.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:23 — 15.4MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:8-10

Children’s Stories
Father Abraham
Hebrews 11:8-10

And it was through Jesus that the promise to Abraham was fulfilled that he would be The Father of Many Nations.

He believed and THEN he obeyed. And he obeyed EVEN THOUGH he didn’t know where he was going.

So the question for you this morning is this: IF God called you to do something for Him…would you do it?

If I had a loyal friend who was willing to do things for ME and I found that they needed something…I’d find a way to help them.

That WAY was the only way (because God led him along it) and that GATE was THE GATE that Abraham was going to have to enter to make it to the Promised Land.

If you want to go where God wants you to go, you’ve got to go by HIS WAY, and thru HIS Gate. And Jesus is the ONLY Gate and the ONLY Way!!!!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:34 — 14.1MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:7, Genesis 6:9-9:17

Children’s Stories
A Voyage of Faith
Hebrews 11:7, Genesis 6:9-9:17

I believe that there was a literal man named Noah who built a huge boat filled with every kind of animal–a boat that survived a world-wide flood that washed the earth clean of all evil. And THEN…God started all over again.

Do you realize that Noah had probably never seen a flood? In fact, the Bible implies that he’d never even seen it rain.

“It’s one thing to say you believe in something, but so much more to prove it.”

But, in spite of the mocking and laughter and even hatred he probably experienced, Noah still had to build the boat.

Noah’s total faith and trust had to be in GOD and in God’s ONE PLAN of salvation.

He gave them over 100 years to repent, but they just didn’t want to change their lives…so they died.

You see, the only thing you need to decide is this:
Are you willing to accept Jesus on his terms?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:15 — 15.3MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Genesis 5:21-24, Hebrews 11:5

Children’s Stories
Walk Like a Man
Genesis 5:21-24, Hebrews 11:5

Someone once noted that Genesis chapter 5 is often called the Graveyard Chapter of Scripture.

And Enoch’s desire to walk with God so impressed God that Enoch got to live forever!!!!

The most important thing to God appears to be that we want to walk with Him!

It’s saying that when I walk with God, I can walk through the darkest and scariest things of life without ever being afraid, because He is right there with me!!!!

So, the more we walk with God, the more we’ll sense the presence of that fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

You might mess things up as you walk with God, but once you get a taste of walking with God, you’ll never want to go back to the old way of life.