The Tree Church

Pastor Matthew Johnson

All my life You have been faithful and I have lived in the goodness of God!

Psalm 100 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. 

1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. The New King James Version

King of kings and Lord of lords…Jesus!!

Choices have consequences

Every choice is a step toward a destination. David was a  man after Gods’ own heart. When he was confronted with his sins he repented. God saw his heart. David was a military king. He served first as a military leader to king Saul. At the end of his life David wanted to build a temple to God. Because of his  military violence he was denied but it was given to his son Solomon to build the temple. David remained in the background with monetary con

Jeremiah 23:5-6

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

“Jesus is the Lord of righteousness”.

Israel wrongly thought that the Messiah would come in a military fashion and that He would restore power to them. 

Jesus did not fill that mold.

Jesus came with shouts of grace, truth and love!

John 6:38

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Matthew 6:913

9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13  And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Philippians 2:5-8

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus was willing to leave heaven to do the will of the Father. He lowered himself to human form in order to give His life in propitiation for ours. He experienced all the trials and temptation that are normal for humans but without sin. He suffered and died for us out of the love of God for man.

Matthew 26:39

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus led through serving!

Matthew 20-25-28

25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

If there ever was a person who deserved to be served it was Jesus. Yet His whole life was a life of serving. He was patient. He was kind. In humility He taught His followers. When Jesus extended love to others as an example to how we should live our lives. Heaven will be much like life on earth but without sin. No hatred. No power struggles. No prejudice. 

Jesus loved the “unlovable”.

Women were considered property in His time. Jesus celebrated women.

He cared for the poor. Thee religious considered them punished by God. Jesus loved them.

The tax collectors, despised by the Jews, He invited Ito dinner.

All were welcomed by Jesus. He was full of grace and truth!

John 1:1

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Anyone who ask for forgiveness He gave but He never condoned sin. 

Jesus came to seek the lost and  give them truth.

He exposed sin for the purpose of saving them by accepting the grace of God and changing their way of life.

We have a me first value system in America. That is not the way of God.

Ephesians 2:1-3

2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

When we were dead in our sin and deserving of death Jesus took  them upon Himself. He gave His life for ours!

2 Corinthians 5:14

14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

In His power He willingly chose to love.