Posts by Billy Hayes (Page 7)

This world has amazing transformations around us constantly. We see caterpillars change into butterflies. We see tadpoles change into frogs. We see leave change color. We see our children grow from babies into adults. When we see these changes many times we don’t even give them a second glance. We are so accustomed to seeing these changes. Change is a good thing. We, however, do see change when a person obeys the Gospel. Notice how Paul was inspired by God…

It has been very well said throughout the years that sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go. Sin will keep you longer than you ever intended to stay. Sin will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. Sin will require of you more than you ever wanted to give. In our modern culture, the word sin is rarely, if ever, used. However, God’s Word speaks plainly to the idea of sin. Sin is the…

This has been a strange and weird time for everyone, especially our young groups. We all have gotten very comfortable with summer fun, weeks of camp, VBS and evangelistic efforts to other states. When the pandemic of COVID 19 hit our nation and the subsequent quarantine, everything changed. It is important to live after the following motto: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”  Under this motto, we reinvented the wheel. Every Tuesday morning for the past two months, we…

The answer is an emphatic YES! However, to understand this question in its fullness, we need to understand the question and how our God answers that question in His Holy Word. Let us take some time and explore the question.  Can a man stand before a Holy God justified? What is meant by man? The word anthropos is the word in question. It means the totality of mankind; male and female. This word also includes EVERY race of men. Mankind can…

A young boy and his grandfather were in a conversation one day. The conversation was revolving around future plans. The grandfather asked, “What will be after High School for you?” The boy replied, “College.” So the old man said “What then?” Thinking hard, the boy said, “Marriage?!?” The Grandfather said, “What then?” “Kids, I think” replied the boy. “What then?” said grandfather. The boy started getting frustrated. He said, angrily, “Work for about 25 years.” Then the retort of the…

Matthew 11:28-30: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This is the invitation given to mankind by the Savior of all. This invitation was given to us by the grace and mercy of God. Notice…

So many have been taught that mankind only needs to “accept” Jesus in order to be saved by God. Is this true? What does the term accept mean? What about baptism, repentance or confession? How do I understand the idea of accept? Accepting Jesus means the following: We must accept Jesus as KING. The title Christ means King. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of all lords (Revelation 19:16). Being the King means a few things. Being…

In this world, two groups of people exist. One group has hope. The other group has no hope. Ephesians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:13 and Revelation 21:8 all deals with the man with no hope. Hope is a choice and so many today chose to have hope. This morning, let’s explore what that means. What is hope? According to Romans 8:24, biblical hope is desire plus expectation. We often confuse the idea of “wishing” with hope. One might say, “I hope…

In our world today, we find ourselves in the mental state as if we are in jail. We equate our homes during quarantine as if we are sentenced to the department of corrections penal facility, never to get out again. This is the classic human condition. We cannot see the bigger picture, or maybe we will not see the bigger picture. We focus all of our time and attention on why we cannot go and do this or that. Allow…

We are all in an odd place in history. This is an interesting time as we maneuver through this very strange time of virus and quarantine. We can talk to others around us and hear the grumblings of the desire to get back to our “normal” life. Our older generation wants to go back to work. Our younger generation wants to see their friends. But let’s focus in on the church during this time of uncertainty.  The 70 West congregation…