Year: 2012
The Gift
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
CHRISTMAS STORY: Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn’t been enough money to buy me the rifle that I’d wanted so bad that year for Christmas.
We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. So after supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn’t in much of a mood to read scriptures.
But Pa didn’t get the Bible; instead he bundled up and went outside. I couldn’t figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn’t worry about it long though; I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.
Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. “Come on, Matt,” he said. “Bundle up good, it’s cold out tonight.” I was really upset then. Not only wasn’t I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see.
We’d already done all the chores, and I couldn’t think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one’s feet when he’d told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn’t know what.
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn’t going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up the big sled unless we were going to haul a big load.
Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn’t happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. “I think we’ll put on the high sideboards,” he said. “Here, help me.” The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on.
When we had exchanged the sideboards Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood—the wood I’d spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. “Pa,” I asked, “what are you doing?” ”
You been by the Widow Jensen’s lately?” he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight.
Sure, I’d been by, but so what? “Yeah,” I said, “why?”
“I rode by just today,” Pa said. “Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They’re out of wood, Matt.” That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him.
We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a hold side of a Deer and a fewTurkeys. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.
“What’s in the little sack?” I asked.
“Shoes. They’re out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the wood-pile this morning.
I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a little candy.”
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen’s pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn’t have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to cut.
So why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn’t have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door.
We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, “Who is it?”
“Lucas Miles, Ma’am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?”
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all.
Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. “We brought you a few things, Ma’am,” Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out on e pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children—sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last.
I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn’t come out.
“We brought a load of wood too, Ma’am,” Pa said, then he turned to me and said, “Matt, go bring enough in to last for awhile. Let’s get that fire up to size and heat this place up.”
I wasn’t the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and, much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too.
In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn’t speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I’d never known before. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference.
I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people. I soon had the fire blazing and everyone’s spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn’t crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. “God bless you,” she said. “I know the Lord himself has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us.”
In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I’d never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen’s face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn’t want us to go. I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, “The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We’ll be by to get you about eleven. It’ll be nice to have some little ones around again.
Brother Miles. I don’t have to say, “‘May the Lord bless you,’ I know for certain that He will.”
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn’t even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, “Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn’t have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. So, Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand.”
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen’s face and the radiant smiles of her three children.
For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life. Count your blessings everyday, slowly and thoughtfully.
Let us Pray!
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When I was a kid, we enjoyed the Christmas time because it was wend we got everything we wore out that year.
So for the Christmas we got a pair of new; or sometime not so new hand me down shoes. We got new clothing and sometimes that too belonged to your older brother or sister the year before.
And last but not lease we got a Toy, oh yes a toy. Christmas was also a time of year we could eat as much as we wanted.
Why because Mom always cooked the biggest Turkey she could find, but the problem was we just got finished eating turkey sandwiches from Thanksgiving and now you got another month of eating it again.
Somehow Mom made Turkey in so many ways it was always good to the last bite.
Mostly Christmas was a time of family coming together, sometime aunts and uncles who you did not know you had would come and visit and they always gave you a piece of money.
I can remember one Christmas more then any; it was the one we had nothing.
My Dad had a farm in Florida where we were living at that time and he had gone back to work on the Ships. So it was just my Mother and oldest step brother with all of us 6 kids left on the farm to keep it going till Dad came back home.
Sometimes he would go for 6 months some times up to a year we would not see him so money was hard to come-by at times. There was enough just no extra money for anything that year;
Mom had to make due with what she had. But you know somehow that was the best Christmas we had because I can still remember it and none of the others.
About two days before Christmas my oldest brother went out and cut down a pine tree that we set-up in the house. Then he had a bag full of pine cones, we ask what are then for, he said to have fun with and he got out some old paint. So that is what we did painted pine cones any colour we wanted and when they were dried we hung them on the tree.
Mom as normal got my brother to kill the biggest turkey we had on the farm and my brother managed to sell a few others to the city people who came looking. So there was plenty to eat and the extra money from selling Turkeys sue came in handy that year. That was always like Mom pulling a rabbit out of the hat again and we all got a Toy.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. It is a time of giving, a time that we can visit family and friend that we might not have seen all year long. It is a time of getting back together and just remembering the past as we look forward to the future.
As in our Story many times our parents sacrificed and did with out in order to give to there Children things that they needed not things that they wanted.
God gives us things we need, things like forgiveness and eternal life.
- John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
When we choose to disobey God, when we turned our back and walked away from his love? When we rejected him and all his goodness, He still does not gave up on loving us.
When we sin and chose to die in our blindness and stupidly, God sent His Son his only Son to die in our place so that he could give us life once again.
For God so loved the world,
That little Verse of Scripture says a lot. In the days of Creation we are told that after God had finish his act of creation he looked out and saw everything he had make
In the book of Genesis 1: 31: we are told, God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
God did not just through us into a dead old world; every thing that came from the Master hand came with the best intensions.
God gave of the best that heaven could give in the creation of Mankind, in that we were created in the image of God. What an honour God places on Man to be made in the likens of his Creator
The Scripture goes on to say that he also gave his only begotten Son,
Not only did God love us but he had also planned ahead that in the event man would prove to be unfaithful, there would be hope for him.
Just how would this come about; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam.
It was a revelation of “the mystery which hath been kept in silence through eternality.” Rom. 16:25, R. V.
It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne.
From the beginning, God the Father and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate.
God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency head on.
So great was His love for this world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love.
For love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or by authority.
Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan.
This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known.
Upon the world’s dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, “with healing in his wings” (Mal. 4:2). {RC 23.3}
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
To all who have accepted Christ as a personal Savoir, the Holy Spirit has come as a counsellor, sanctifier, guide, and a witness.
The more closely believers have walked with God, the more clearly and powerfully have they testified of their Redeemer’s love and of His saving grace.
Romans 8:
39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In the beginning, God was revealed in all the works of his creation. It was Christ that spread the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth. It was His hand that hung the worlds in space, and fashioned the flowers of the field.
“His strength settled fast the mountains.” “The sea is His, and He made it.” Ps. 65:6; 95:5. It was He that filled the earth with beauty, and the air with song.
And upon all things in earth, air, and sky, He wrote the message of his Father’s love for Mankind.
So I ask you this Christmas before you open the first present. Take time and thank God for all the gifts he has giving you.
Take time to thank Jesus for taking your place on the cross and dyeing in your place in order to give you the gift of eternal life.
We did not have all the things that Kids have today, but the little we had we knew and understood the price of what it cost. And that was the sacrifice of our parents
Instead of toys this year just give to your Children something more, give them a box of Love and let them see in you the Gift of Gods forever Love.
There is an old song I remember that went something like this; Iam getting nothing for Christmas Mom and Dad are made, Iam getting nothing for Christmas cause I ant been nothing but bad.
Truth is we were all bad, but God loved us so much he gave us the greatest Gift Heaven could give. His Son Jesus
God Bless and have a very marry Christmas
Elder Tim McNab
What’s between you and Jesus?
Prov:14:12: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
When Joshua and the people of Israel were headed toward the Promised Land, right in the middle of their path was a huge obstacle, it was called Jericho. Jericho was a large, fortified city. It had huge walls surrounding it. The Israelites couldn’t go around the city; they had to go through it.
Between you and your destiny, there will always be a “Jericho” or something that you cannot go around. You have a choice either defeat it, or it’s going to defeat you.
God told Joshua to tell the people to march around the city walls one time for six days, and on the seventh day, they were to march around it seven times. They were instructed not to say a word. No talking. No whispering. No complaining. They had to March perfectly quiet. But on the seventh day, and on the seventh time around, God said, “This time I want you to do something different. As you march, I want you to let out a shout of praise.”
When God tell you to do something, does it mean to do exactly what he says or is it ok to change it just a little.
I can imagine on that seventh day, there was so much excitement. They marched around once, twice, three times with great anticipation. They knew something big was about to happen. On that seventh time around, after the priests blew the trumpets, they let out the high praises of God. They began to shout and cheer and sing, “Hosanna in the highest! To God be all the glory!” so loud that people could hear it for miles and miles.
Then all of the sudden, the impossible began to happen. Those thick, fortified walls began to shake and rattle. In a matter of moments, those walls crumbled and came tumbling down! The Israelites were able to go in and take the city, and eventually, they made it into the Promised Land.
How often in life do we think, “I’ll shout after the walls come down. I’ll shout after my victory, after the promotion, after the breakthrough?” No, that’s backwards.
The shout is what activates God’s power. I realize God hears us even when we whisper, but I believe there are some walls that will not come down without the high praises of God coming out of your mouth. That’s why when you feel like you’re going in circles; you’ve got to turn up the praise! You’ve got to thank God in a greater way. You’ve got to declare His goodness over your life. And you need to do exactly what He is telling you to do.
Maybe you’ve been around that city once, twice, three times. God is saying, “You’re coming into your seventh day. Don’t give-up you’re about to enter into your victory lap.” Now here’s the question: What’s coming out of your mouth? Make sure you’re praising Him. Make sure you’re thanking Him.
Make sure you’re ready because those obstacles, those walls are going to come crashing down in Jesus’ name! Don’t let anything come between you and Jesus, If God say it, believe it, and let that settles it.
Let us Pray!
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What is the only thing that can separate you from the Love of God? SIN
Turn with me to the book of Exodus: 31:
18: And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with Gods ball point pen, written in pencil by God, How then were they written; that’s right written with the finger of God.
Question: Why were there two tables of stone giving to Moses?
- The one had Mans requirement to God
- The other had Mans requirements to his brother.
Today we are going to look at mans requirements to God, what God told us to do
Exodus: 20:
First Commandment
1: And God spake all these words, saying,
2: I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Story:
A long time ago…in a country far, far away…there was a wealthy young guy. He had everything that he could ever want; all the stuff that anyone could ever want and more.
He followed the rules and was a good guy. He didn’t sleep with his neighbor’s wife, he didn’t kill anyone, he never stole anything, he wasn’t a liar, and he honored and respected his mom and dad. He was a wealthy man and followed the rules.
In case you didn’t catch on to the story…this was a brief retelling of the first half of the story of the rich young man from Luke 18. The man came to Jesus and asked him what he had to do to have eternal life.
Jesus told him to keep all of commandments, to which the young man responded, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.”
I can picture Jesus in my head smiling and nodding and then quietly saying, “Yea…but you have this one thing standing between you and Me. Your stuff.”
Jesus told the man to sell all of his stuff and give to the poor. Then he could follow Jesus. He made it very clear what needed to be done, and yet the man walked away from Jesus with sorrow. Jesus didn’t turn his back, the man walked away from Jesus.
The problem with the man was that he didn’t really want Jesus, all he really wanted was eternal life. He probably came to Jesus expecting to hear, “Hey good job, you’ve kept the commandments, you’re in good shape!”
But instead Jesus challenged him and said, “Hey…what’s consuming your life? Your stuff? Okay, now get rid of it and follow me.”
Jesus knew this man’s heart. He knew that his stuff consumed his life. If you aren’t willing to give up what’s most important to you in order to follow Jesus, will you enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
This man let his stuff keep him out of the Kingdom of Heaven. He let his stuff get between him and Jesus.
What stuff are you letting get between you and Jesus? What’s consuming your life that isn’t Jesus? If it were you that came to Jesus, what would he tell you to give up? Would you give it up…or would you walk away filled with sorrow?
Second Commandment
4: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6: And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
From the beginning mankind always worship something. Way back in time we see Man worshiping the Sun, Moon, Stars, Rocks, Trees, Animals why is that.
Satan wants to make sure you are worshiping anything except the real thing and that is the creator God.
Why do you think there are no true pictures of Jesus today, because there would people who would worship the picture more than the person in the picture.
We can see that in many of the world religions today, even in some Christian Churches we see people praying and worshiping statues or as the Bible calls them a graven image.
Inside of Man is the need to worship and that need is only fulfilled when we worship the Creator God.
*** STORY: The stature that was leaking Holy Water in Italy. Years later it was found that a bath room sink was leaking down a wall a few hundred feet away.
Third Commandment
7: Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
When my Wife married me, back in 1974 she took my name. At that time and in our culture, that was traditional.
She forsook her parent’s name, and took her husband’s name. The taking of the new name, reflected a change in life, and change in status and a change in priorities.
She was no longer a single woman, she was married. She no longer dated men, she was mated to one. She no longer was a young woman, she was a changed woman. She was now responsible for a family and a relationship that would last over 38 years (so far!).
If her lifestyle did not change from that day forward, she would have been disapprove of by her community. Few, if any, cultures or societies encourage their married women to live in the same way after the marriage as they did before they married
In other words, if my Wife had taken my name, but not changed her lifestyle, she would have taken my name “in-vain”. She would have had a ceremony, but not a new life, and boy would I have been upset, to put it mildly.
When we put on a uniform, we take the name of those whose uniform it is. Whether it is a sports team uniform, a work uniform for that employer or a military uniform.
When we choose a career, we take the name of the best of everyone in that career field. When we take on a title, we take the name of the best of everyone with that title.
If you take the name of God, at a ceremony, and tell the world that you are now part of the ‘bride of Christ’ as the church is called, yet you do not live like a ‘bride of Christ’, you have taken His name in vain, and you will not be considered guiltless.
Live with Jesus as if you are committed to Him for life, not as if He is a friend. A spouse is supposed to be an intimate friend, companion, confidant, friend and a lifetime commitment.
To treat Jesus as anything less than that, is to take His name in vain. Ouch. Are you ‘guilty as charged’?
You get the picture!
** Thou shalt not take
The true meaning of that phrase is made clear if we substitute “bear” for the word, “take”. We would then have this for our scripture from Exodus 20:7: “Thou shalt not bear the name of the Lord in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who bears His name in vain.”
Jesus told Paul that he was to “bear His name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel“ (Acts 9:15). Bearing the precious name of Jesus with integrity, faith, and charity, Paul turned many to righteousness in the ensuing years.
He did not bear, or take the name of the Lord upon himself, in vain. As Paul later testified, “His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all.” (1Cor.15:10).
After Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, he took them to Mount Sinai, to enter into a covenant with the Lord. First though, God sent Moses down from the mountain to deliver His “proposal” to Israel: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.“ Exodus.19:4-6.
When we as Christians don’t live up to that name before our friends what are you really telling them. When we don’t live by the standards that God told us what is that really saying about your relationship with God?
Are you beginning to understand what the 3rd commandment is really saying. It does not mean just using the verbal word or expression about God. It means more; it means your marriage relationships to God.
Don’t treat God any different then you would your spouse next to you.
Fourth Commandment Exodus 20:
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
We are told to Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy if we search the Bible no where can you find where the Sabbath was giving to just Abraham or his children only.
So we must go back further in order to find where did the Sabbath that we are told to remember start.
Genesis: 2:
1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
So where did the Sabbath come from, the book of beginning, better known as the book of Genesis says at Creation.
Maybe this is the reason why only the fourth commandment starts with the word
Remember.
God is saying to Remember because it was giving at the beginning
Let me tell you something; I would fear to be the minister or preacher who would tell you it is OK to forget something that God wrote with his own finger and said to remember; Especially if there were no scripture to back up or to say otherwise.
The Word Christian what does it mean:
Acts:11:26: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Why were they called Christians? What was it about them that people seen that they gave them that name. They were all doing the same things that Jesus did, so they call them Christians, Christ Like people.
What are you watching is it parsing God?
What are you saying is it praising God?
What are you listening to is it parsing God?
You see these are the things that tell you just how close to Jesus you really are, if they don’t bring honor, glory or praises to Jesus maybe you need to change what you are doing.
It is the little things that we do that keeps us away from fully knowing Gods love. Those little things that come up and get right between you and Jesus; I pray that each of you here today will examine your life and see what is there.
Are you willing to give Your Stuff up for Jesus?
Romans: 8:
35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1John:5:
3: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
John:14:
23: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John:15:
10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Friend I pray that there is nothing standing between you and Jesus today and if there is go to him and ask forgiveness and decide in your heart to change it today, not tomorrow, change it today. We are not giving tomorrow we have only today.
There is no sin in your life that He is not willing to forgive.
He loves you how much, enough to die in your place so that you will not have too. But if you don’t love Him, if you are not faithful to Him, do you expect Him to be any different then you would be if your spouse was unfaithful to you.
Don’t let this world or the things of this world stand in your way to the only one who really love you.
Rv:12:12: Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Satan will stop at nothing to keep you out of heaven, why because he hates Jesus and he hates all who follow Jesus. We as Christians will always have problems in this life, why look at Rv:12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Remnant is not the Majority or large groups; it is the small little groups who follow the truth. Not because it is popular but because it is what God said to do.
The closer you get to Jesus the more problems you might be in for because there is always a Jericho in the way. It is how you deal with that Jericho that really matters.
If you Love me just keep my commandments Jesus said and show the world that you and I have a covenant relationship with each other. I love you and want you to live with me for eternity in a home I am building just for you.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
Be Ready for you know not the Hour
John 4: 23: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
I always find that things happened when you least expect it. And if you are waiting on something, especially if you are watching it as you wait, it can take forever.
When you lease expect it, something like a Fire Drill can through you right off balance, why because we are not prepared.
On the Ships we are forever having drills, drills of all kind. The reason is to make sure you are ready at all times and prepared at all times in case of a real Emergency.
Because if you are prepared when the trouble comes you will know just what to do to be SAVED.
Matthew:24: 42: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Jesus is telling us the same thing, be ready, be prepared because we know not the hour when the Lord shall return for those who are ready
Rev:14:12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Let us Pray!
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I have a message today for every individual. I wish everyone in Lafayette could gather around and hear what we’re going to talk about today— because today we are going to talk about the last night on Earth.
That night that finally comes to every person who ever lives on this planet. Today we are going to talk about making decisions.
STORY: The City of city of Pompeii
Many of you have heard about the city of Pompeii which was in Italy long ago. It was in the year 79 AD that the mountain called Vesuvius literally exploded and millions of tons of ash and molten lava came down from that volcano to completely destroy the inhabitants of that city.
That day was like another day, they were Partying, Drinking, Getting Married, some others were properly out in the field Working, some were Grinding at the Mill, It was like any normal day that is “Until”.
If the stones of that city could speak, what a story they would tell us of that last night for the people of that city. The tale of a whole city who were overwhelmed in one night
Apparently there was a time when those people saw the mountain exploding and many had the chance to escape. The city was filled with many wicked people who cared nothing about God. We know this because the city had a terrible reputation.
They lived a lavish comfortable lifestyle, maybe too comfortable. Yet before the volcano erupted, the people of Pompeii had plenty of evidence that something was wrong, something was about to happen.
Small tremors could be felt on a regular basis throughout the city, wells and streams had dried up, the animals began to act strangely as they could sense the soon coming danger.
The Spirit of God was there pleading with them to repent of their sins and get ready for what was coming. But the people kept on with their pleasure seeking until their doom was sealed.
They didn’t know when they went to bed that night that it would be their last night alive on planet earth.
Then on August 24 the volcano exploded. Some died instantly, yet others lingered to see what would happen. Rather than flee, they made a decision which would cost them their lives.
The Bible gives us another illustration of the last night on Earth in the book of Genesis. It’s the story of a man named Lot who lived in the city of Sodom—another very wicked city.
When the destroying Angles came they found only Lot was ready and prepared
Lot tried to warn some of his daughters and sons-in-law but they mocked him and he finally had to leave them knowing they would be destroyed and lost forever.
The inhabitants of those cities pushed away the pleading voice of the Holy Spirit. They, too, didn’t realize that by morning, their life would be over.
People today think, “If I knew that I only had one day or one month or even one year left to live, I could get ready for Jesus. I’d make things right and prepare myself. I’d pay my debts and confess my sins”
Of course we would. But, my friends, most people will never ever know when they will enter into that last 24 hours of their life on this Earth. Because death comes very suddenly upon us
Matthew: 25:13: Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
The awful tsunami disaster that struck on Dec. 26th of 2004. An event so powerful and devastating and yet so sudden that many tens of thousands in Indonesia were caught unawares.
For those people caught and killed in the large wave, the last thing on their minds when they went to bed the night before was death.
They didn’t think that it would be their last night to make things right with God and so most would just carry on with their normal lives.
The devil knows that death can come suddenly and he takes advantage of our procrastination. That sin of neglecting salvation turns into the sin of rejecting salvation.
If we say “no” to God, before long it turns into a habit and becomes addicting. If a person waits one day, he’ll wait another day. If he’ll wait one week, he’ll wait another week. And those weeks stretch into months and even years and finally his time is over.
There is never a better time to get things right and get ready for eternity than today!
“Today is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2
I wonder how many of you are aware of the devil’s favorite word. The devil’s favorite word is “Tomorrow.” The devil will tell you, “Don’t make a decision now. Make it tomorrow.
Don’t follow that Bible teaching today or tonight. Do it tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.” Because tomorrow turns into weeks, and weeks into months and then years and finally the day will come suddenly—perhaps much more suddenly than we even think—and there will be no more tomorrows!
The human heart that is so touched by God’s Holy Spirit tonight can become hardened if we wait for tomorrow.
Jesus knew that. And so He warned us. In John 12: 35“Walk while you have the light lest that light turn to darkness.” You see friend, if we walk away from God’s truth, all there is left is darkness.
When people keep on lingering and putting off the call of God and the invitation of the Holy Spirit, they actually harden themselves and seal themselves against the convictions of truth and after a while those truths don’t make an impression anymore on them.
What a tragedy! If we are one step outside the door of the ark when it closes, we might as well be a thousand miles away.
When the angel hand came to close that door of Noah’s ark, there were people no doubt only inches from the ark; only inches away from making the decision that would have saved there life’s.
When Noah made his last appeal to the people, there were many who probably helped at some time in the building of the ark and never got on; but just waited and watched.
If you’re lost by an inch, you might as well be lost by a mile or a million miles.
There are some just like that today. They may have worked for the church, and they said they agreed with the teachings of the church, but they never made a firm decision to get on board with the church!
Friends, we must be willing to move in our lives and get on board the ark of today—which is to submit our lives to the truth of God’s final warning message.
Story: Remember the story of Paul preaching in Act 26: 28:
Governor Felix “When I have a more convenient season I’ll call for thee.”
King Agrippa Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
*Friends, an “almost” Christian is not a Christian at all.
I’ve watched people tremble with conviction as the Holy Spirit pleads with them but they are only almost persuaded. But friend, if we sit and sit as the call of God comes to us, and do nothing, we are just as lost as the person is down at the bar drinking.
There were two thieves who died with Jesus. One asked for and received salvation. The one on the other side was just as physically close to Jesus and yet he didn’t turn to him and cry out for help. He didn’t say the words that could have brought salvation to him. Many are going to be lost exactly like that.
In Matthew 12:30 Jesus says, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”
Sometimes the most profound statements in the Bible just slip by us. Here Jesus is taking away all neutral ground—all fence sitting, and He says, “You’re either with me or you are against Me.”
There’s no neutral ground with Jesus. And then in the next two verses He tells us about the one and only sin that He cannot forgive.
Matthew 12: 31,32 “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men, And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
The Bible says all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men. What is another word for manner? All kinds! Every kind of sin can be forgiven.
So is the unpardonable sin a kind of sin? Any sin you name, whether it’s adultery, murder, lying, any kind of sin, if we sincerely confess it, and forsake it, God will forgive it. Isn’t that good news?
No matter what kind of sin we commit we serve a God who is open-armed with forgiveness just as the father was in the Bible with his prodigal son.
We serve a God of mercy. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive them.”
If you are tormented with a guilty conscience, come to Jesus and let Him forgive you. Come to Jesus and let that great big guilty burden roll off your back and He will give you peace and take those accusing voices away.
According to Matthew 12:31 the unpardonable sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit of God, the third member of the Godhead. When you sin against the Holy Spirit it can’t be forgiven. It’s a very serious sin. Now why is this?
Why is this sin against the Holy Spirit so serious that it would jeopardize our eternal life?
In order to understand this simple truth, we must go and study the work of the Holy Spirit in the human heart, and the delicate mechanisms by which the Holy Spirit works.
We’re going to study in the Bible just how the Spirit works so that we can be sensitive to the Spirit’s voice. So we can hear the Spirit’s voice as He works in our heart and mind.
John 16:13
The Bible says, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into (what?) all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
The first work of the Holy Spirit upon every human heart is to lead them to truth so the truth can set them free.
It is the Holy Spirit that inspired this Bible that we’re reading here today, and the Bible says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Heb.13:8)
So the same Holy Spirit that inspired the Bible writers to write Scriptures, leads you and I today to understand what the Bible writers wrote down.
For example, if I study the Bible truth regarding death, and realize the Bible doesn’t teach purgatory, and there is no such thing as an immortal soul, but because of my past cultural or traditional background, I reject the clear teachings of the Bible, I am not only rejecting a Bible truth, I am also resisting the Holy Spirit that wants to lead me to understand that truth.
Why? Because the same Holy Spirit that caused that truth to be written in the Bible, now desires to lead us to understand it.
There are some folks that say, “Well, Tim, I hear the truth, and I know the Holy Spirit is saying ‘this is sin, this is wrong,’ etc., but I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, I’m going to go home, and I’m going to pray about it. And I’m going to wait on the Holy Ghost and see what the Holy Ghost has to say.”
Friends, if we can see plainly what the Bible is saying, then we don’t need to wait on the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is waiting on us.
And every impression we get does not mean that it’s the impression of God’s Spirit. I’ve had people say to me, “I know what I ought to do, but I’m not going to do it unless I feel convicted by the Spirit that I should.”
Luke 16:31 “And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose form the dead.”
In other words—the Scriptures are enough! They are sufficient proof of what is truth!!
Isaiah 20: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
So whatever God has said in the Bible, by faith, step out and do it. Move ahead and do it. Don’t wait for a special feeling, or a sign from heaven.
(Man in Harrisburg who prayed to see shooting stars to know if the Sabbath was true or not.)
When God shows us something plainly in the Scripture, there is no need to ask for shooting stars!
We must make an intelligent choice to act on the Word of God. And when we choose to act on that which is right, our feelings then will follow.
If I have a feeling which harmonizes with God’s Word, praise the Lord! But if I don’t have any feeling at all, I still act based on what God says in the Bible.
The Bible tells us God never condemns sincere people that are in darkness.
John 3:19
He says, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
God is telling us that in the Judgment, Men and Woman will not be condemned because they believe a lie, But rather because they would not believe the truth.
Why because when the opportunity came to know and accept the truth they refused to accept it
There must come a point in our hearts and lives where we love and embrace that truth enough to follow it no matter the cost.
Satan will work, and is working amazing deceptions in these last days. The only safety is to have a mind open to accept and to obey Gods truth.
Let’s go to 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 in the New Testament also to establish this fact. “What shall it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul?”
What is your job going to mean to you and your family and your friends: all on the outside of the walls of the city will be forever lost?
If you’re waiting for truth to be popular—it will never happen. If you’re waiting for all the popular speakers in the country to follow Bible truth—you’ll wait too long.
*Was it a popular thing to get on the ark in Noah’s day? No
*Was it the right thing though? Yes
*Was it a popular thing to be a follower of Jesus when He was there at Calvary? No
*Will it be popular to be a faithful Christian during the Mark of the Beast crisis? What do you think?
The same Holy Spirit that speaks to you speaks also to the popular people of the day. My friend they will have to give an account to the Creator God in the judgment with what they did with truth just like we will.
John 3:16
16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Roman 8:
39: Nothing can separate us from the Love on God that is in Christ Jesus except your willingness to not be saved.
God is poring out his Love and Truth to all people everyday, saying follow me for if you love me do the things I told you to do and you will have everlasting life.
So that when the time comes and when the clock strikes that hour in your life you will have no worry or fear. John 4:23: The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, why because they have made the Lord the Ark of safety in there lives.
My friend please be Ready for you know not the Hour or how close we really are, but I tell you a truth it could happen at any time.
God Bless each and everyone of you today
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth Ministries
www.restoringgodstruth.org
It’s closer then you think
Scripture Mt: 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
STORY: Harley the Pit Bull,
Anyone have a Dog? Anyone have a Pit-Bull?
Pit-Bulls are about the most loving Dogs in the world, they are just giving a Bad name by people who miss-use them. Well I have a Pit-Bull named Harley; she was dropped off on my door step by my Children and never picked up again, but she is a very loving dog so she stayed.
Now and then she will do some of the strangest things, like getting in my way under my legs so I can’t move with out knowing she is right there. Then all at once she will be gone, now where did that crazy dog go I would say. So I would look all over the house for her and can’t find her, what is going on I would think.
I would start looking under the beds and no Harley; well I would say I know she did not just disappear. So again I would start the search room by room and then at last I would check the Bathroom, and when I pulled the shower curtain there she is right in the bathtub. Oh I would say you want aBathbut then I would notice in her eyes something strange. As I reach down to pet her she would be trembling and her tale between her legs in fear.
What is wrong I would say but just about then I would hear it outside. Thunder out side, I would go and look and see dark clouds with thundering and lightning. Where did this come from it was Sunshine just a little while ago. Oh that’s it she could hear and feel that there was a storm coming and did her best to warn me to take shelter in the bathroom. When I would not go she had no choice but to leave me and go her self. I would think that is remarkable that Animals know when something like bad weather is about to happen long before we ever hear or see it.
Let us Pray!
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Did you know that right before a Hurricane or an Earthquake Animals will start to act strange as if they somehow know something bad is coming!
Why is this, it is something left over from Noah days.
Let’s take a look at what happened back then in Noah’s time.
God told Noah that the End of everything was coming, to build a really big boat.
The question is why?
Genesis 6:
12: And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
The Earth was Corrupt with Sin and God told Noah to warned the people that the end is coming. Noah preached for right at 120 years, and what happened no one believed him.
Only the Animals believed and when the time came they went into the Ark and were saved while the world outside perished.
In the book of Matthew Jesus himself is telling us something very importance for the time we live in.
Matthew 24:
37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
It is sad but the Bible is telling us that our World today is no different then it was back in Noah’s time
39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Most of the signs about Jesus return have all been fulfilled except for a few.
Matthew 24:
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
What did Jesus mean by all this?
There is a time coming that people will not believe there eyes if it were told them, in fact it is told them and they still will not believe.
The end of Sin out of Gods kingdom is soon to be removed forever, never to rise again.
But listen to what Jesus is telling us about how people will feel about his coming.
2nd Peter 3:
3: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4: And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Are there scoffers in these last days?. There always has been scoffers but they are getting worse.
They are scoffing at everything including the nearness of the coming of Jesus Christ. You have seen scoffers. They are everywhere and complain about anything, listen to just a few
- “Everything that can be invented has been invented. I recommend that we close the US Patent Office.”– this was the statement of the director of the US Patent Office to President of the United States in 1889.
- Thomas J. Watson Jr. of IBM predicted in 1958: “There is a world market for no more than about five computers. There’s no future in it.”
- In 1896, one magazine author wrote: “The vast majority of people would prefer a smooth running, reliable steam engine . . . to the evil smelling dangerous, wasteful, and at best uncertain and unreliable gasoline engine.”
- In 1900, a spokesman for the granddaddy of the Mercedes Benz Co. said: “There will probably be a mass market for about 1,000 automobiles, that’s about it. And after all, there is a limit to the number of Chauffeurs who could be found to drive them.” And during the next seven years Henry Ford sold millions of Model “T”s.
- In 1903, a preacher predicted, regarding air travel, “it’s good for God and angels and the birds…”. – -his name? Bishop Milton Wright, father of Orville and Wilbur Wright.
- In 1948, radio pioneer Mary Summerville predicted: “Television will not last. It is a flash in the pan.” Newspaper editor C.P. Scott agreed: “Television? No good will come of this devise. For one thing, the word itself is half Greek and half Latin. Is isn’t going to amount to a thing.”
- In December of 1989, West German politicians confided to David Hasselhoff that the Berlin Wall would still be in place long after their children and grandchildren had died. Two weeks later it came down!
Scoffers! I tell you there are an abounding number of scoffers in our world today, scoffing, even in the Church, “you will hear people saying Jesus coming is a long way off. Don’t worry about it, just be cool we are all going to be raptured
The last days are not far in the future my friend; and I believe the last days are here just around the corner.
Scoffers are saying: the ground under Los Angeles is solid. We aren’t expecting any earthquakes in our life-time. We still have time to eat, drink and be merry.
But God says in Luke 12:40, “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
I think there are going to be many, many disasters in the last days, just before the coming of Jesus.
One type of disaster will be in bad weather. Look at Psalm 50:3 (NLT) Our God approaches with the noise of thunder and a great storm rages around Him..
Lighting and thunder.
- When God came toMount Sinaithere was a storm. Remember?
- When He appeared to Elijah there was a great storm.
- And just before the second coming, I think we are going to have great storms.
“Natural disasters, Ellen G. White says in Counsels on Health, “will be more and more frequence and disastrous.”
Come over here to Revelation 7 in your Bible. The first verse talks about the wind.
Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
In the last 20 years or so we have seen some of most devastating hurricanes ever.
Do you remember names like Mitch, Frances, Andrew, Katrina, Rita, Lili, Charley, Ivan, Jeanne. Those aren’t names that people are very happy with.
Those are big named hurricanes. Some of them coming and splitting and turning around and coming back again. We have the weirdest stuff going on. I think that eventually the angels will let go of the four winds.
What do these winds represent? They represent trouble, strife, wars, and all kinds of problems in the last days.
STORY: . **** Galveston Hurricane Report of 1900 ****,
In Galveston on the rain-darkened and gusty morning of Saturday, September 8, 1900, newspaper readers saw, on page three of the local Daily News, an early-morning account of a tropical hurricane prowling the Gulf of Mexico.
On the previous day Galveston had been placed under a storm warning by the central office of the Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service) in Washington, D.C.a one-column headline announced, “Storm in the Gulf.” Under that, a small subhead proclaimed, “Great Damage Reported onMississippi and Louisiana Coasts-Wires Down-Details Meagre.” The story, only one paragraph long, had been sent out ofNew Orleans at 12:45 A.M. that same day, but it added nothing to the information presented in the headlines. Additional details were unavailable “owing to the prostration of the wires.” Beneath theNew Orleans report appeared a brief local story: “At midnight the moon was shining brightly and the sky was not as threatening as earlier in the night. The weather bureau had no late advice as to the storm’s movements and it may be that the tropical disturbance has changed its course or spent its force before reachingTexas.”
This hurricane had been first observed on August 30 in the vicinity of 15° north latitude and 63° west longitude, about 125 miles northwest of Martinique, proceeding westward. Galvestonians had been aware of the storm since September 4, when it was reported moving northward overCuba. From the first, however, details had been sketchy because of poor communications. Ships at sea, where oncoming hurricanes built strength, had no way of telegraphing weather observations ashore, and other nineteenth-century technical shortcomings interfered.
Except for the rain and wind, Saturday began in the city of 38,000 inhabitants much the same as any other weekday. People prepared for another stint in the routine of six-day workweeks then common; not even an encroaching tide disturbed them greatly. Galvestonians had become used to occasional “overflows,” when high water swept beachfronts. Houses and stores were elevated as a safeguard.
The tide kept crashing farther inland, and the wind steadily increased. The Weather Bureau official in charge locally, Isaac M. Cline, drove a horse-drawn cart around low areas warning people to leave. Comparatively few people had evacuated the city, before bridges fromGalvestonIslandto the mainland fell, many of the people along the beach waited until it was too late to seek shelter in buildings downtown, away from the Gulf.
Houses near the beach began falling first. The storm lifted debris from one row of buildings and hurled it against the next row until eventually two-thirds of the city, then the fourth largest city inTexas, had been destroyed. People striving to make their way through wind and water to refuge were struck by hurtling bricks and lumber and flying slate from roofs. The greatest wind velocity registered before the anemometer blew away at 5:15 P.M. was an average of eighty-four miles an hour for a five-minute period, but gusts of 100 miles an hour had been recorded, and weathermen’s estimates later reached more than 120 miles an hour. About 6:30 P.M. a storm wave, sweeping ashore in advance of the hurricane’s vortex, caused a sudden rise of four feet in water depth, and shortly afterward the entire city was underwater to a maximum depth of fifteen feet. This storm wave caused much of the damage. The lowest barometer reading was 28.44, recorded shortly after 7:00 P.M. Around 10:00 P.M. the tide began to fall slowly, and little damage occurred after that.
September 9 dawned on desolation. Most of the city lay in shambles. Between 6,000 and 8,000 people in the city ofGalvestonhad died, and estimated casualties for the entire island ranged from 10,000 to 12,000. Property damage was impossible to estimate by current standards, but contemporary figures ranged from twenty to thirty million dollars.
A high-water mark of 15.7 feet and high winds had destroyed a third of the city, including 2,636 houses and 300 feet or 1,500 acres of shoreline. The sixteen ships anchored in the harbor at the time of the storm also suffered extensive damage.
More violent and costlier hurricanes have struck coastal areas of the United States since 1900, but because of the death toll the Galveston storm that year was in the 1980s still called the worst recorded natural disaster ever to strike the North American continent.
They had signs, they had reports, but no one picked up on them.
The worse thing that can happen is when the warning is giving and no one pays attention until it is too late.
If hindsight was foresight our first parents would have never sinned
I think we will have great storms in these last days and I don’t mean just Hurricanes. The winds of strife are beginning to blow, and in the last days there will be great trouble raging all over this entire Planet.
Take care because there is hope in Jesus
Revelation 7:
2: And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3: Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
God will take care of his people in these times, we have nothing to fear if we put our faith and trust in the hands of Jesus
Psalm: 91:
7: A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8: Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
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What are you doing to warn people of this soon coming End?
Look at what the Bible is telling us, we are the Watchman on the Wall we must tell the people. It is not our job to force them to hear or believe, but it is our job to let them know that it is coming and that it is closer then many people think it is.
There are many who have not heard, many who have not been told, many who have not been warned, and it is our job to warn them of what is coming.
Ezekiel 33:
6: But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
7: So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house ofIsrael; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8: When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9: Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
We must tell the world that Jesus is coming back soon, and not just soon but very soon. .
We are the Watchman on the Wall; every little thing you do will find someone who is looking for the truth.
Look at what Jesus is telling us in the book of Isaiah:55:
11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
We go not alone, Jesus is right there with us
Hope is in Jesus, we must tell the World that Jesus is coming
What are you doing oh Watchman?
Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.”
How can we sound the trumpet? How can we let the people know?
There are many ways to share the Gospel, the good news about Jesus.
Everything thing we do will fall into one of three categories.
1. Direct Contact:
- a. Face to Face sharing the good news
- b. Visiting the needed
- c. Bible studies
- d. Volunteering
- e. Missionary work
- f. Your personal behavior, and that effects people more then you think.
2. Indirect Contact:
- a. Mailing; this can be anything from sending a card to say Thanks, Miss you, happy birthday, hope you get well soon.
- b. Leaving literature behind, tracks, free Bible studies cards, Health booklets,
- c. Finding people who are in need and directing them to help
- d. Sharing your resources, Time or Money
There are a lot of Christian’s right here in our Church that I know who minister, through Indirect Contact; God bless you for what you do in His name.
3. Prayer:
- a. Just that on your knee interceding in someone behalf.
- b. Nothing will get you closer to Jesus then through Praying for someone else.
The gospel is going to the world. And, many Christian denominations are out there preaching about Jesus. We’re doing a lot, but we’ve got a lot more to do and we need to keep at it.
God has richly blessed the spread of His Gospel.
We need to keep something at heart, When the Gospel goes to the entire world, we go home!
Is it going to the world, I think it is and I think Jesus coming is a lot closer then you think
What are you doing personally to help other prepare for His coming?
Friends, the last days are an Opportunity.
It is the last opportunity for a dying world to know its creator, an opportunity for us to preach the gospel, an opportunity for you to give your heart to Jesus Christ
I wonder if there is anybody here today who needs a saving relationship with Jesus. Are you closer to Jesus today than you were last year?
Do you truly have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ? If not would you like to receive Jesus as your Savior all you need to do is to invite Him in to your life?
If you want to know more details of last day events, I highly advise reading a very informative book called The Great Controversy, by EG White, especially the last chapters.
Friend: It is closer then you think.
May the Lord our God guide and Bless you as you seek for His Truth
Strengthening Your Faith
What is Faith?
We all know the Bible answer to that can be found in Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
What gives you Faith?
What gives you faith when everything is going wrong?
What gives you faith when problems are touching you personally?
How do we Strengthening our Faith in God in times like these?
I don’t know about you but it is hard for me to just have Faith in something I can’t see.
That is why we have a Bible, because God is the same yesterday, today and forever, He does not change
The Bible is a Book full of people with Faith. Why so that we can know how God has worked in the past, so it can give us Hope and Strengthen our Faith in Him now and in the Future.
Let us Pray!
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I would like to share with you what gives me Faith.
What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “The Prophet Elisha and his servant”
Tell a short Story about Elisha…..
2 Kings 6:
16: And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17: And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Sometime we get discourage when we don’t see things going like we think they should. If I can’t see it with my eyes I don’t believe it
- Sometime we are discourage when other Christian judge us by there standard of Christianity. Remember satin also goes to Church
- Many of time we are surrounded by the enemy and satin brings sickness into our life, don’t let it get you down, let it be a tool to draw you closer to Jesus.
- What about other problems in this world. Read the story of Job
- Don’t give up Faith, but pray and ask God to open your eyes so that you might see; Angle standing next to you to protect you and take care of you.
Fall on your knees and pray, don’t let Satan block your hold on Jesus
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “Moses crossing the Red Sea”
God gave a Man a Missionto lead his People and that man was “Moses”
We meet him by the Red Seawith his Church group of complaining Christians “You have brought us here that Pharaoh may kill us. Remember the Story; the army was right behind them.
Exodus 14:
21: And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
I have heard many of people try and explain what happen and how the water naturally dried up for the Children of Israel to cross over
But then there is this one little scripture that said
22: And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
It is proof that God can not only Walk on Water but he can also make it stand Vertical if he so needs
There was a young Man reading his Bible and he was at the part where Moses was crossing the Red Sea and he was so excited about how God would deliver his people.
Then a Man came up to him and asks what he was so excited about. So he told him, and he said O that, yes but you see there was a strong Earthquake that day and the water just ran out some. And so there was still about 6 inches of water left so that was no real miracle.
As the man was walking away, the young man started jumping up with even more excitement, when the Man asks what was it, he said “God just drowned the entire Egyptian Army in 6 inches of Water.
If I had learned anything in Life; I have learned that if God said it, Believe it!
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “A boy named David”
Israel was at war: Both armies’ were camp on a hill with a Valley between them. David found himself bring supplies to his Brothers, when he saw what
1 Samuel 17:
23: And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24: And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
We are no different; we run and forget about God who is fighting on our side, when we see how big the Mountain is that satin laid before us.
26: And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
- How big are the problems you face everyday in Life. We all look at the little things in life that make us afraid. Because our problems look so gigantic.
- None of us fight the same battles, because we are all different, what’s a problem to you is child play to me; and what’s a problem for me is silly to you.
- We allow satin to put a magnifying glass in front of our eyes to make us fear the things we have no control of.
- We need to learn the lesson of True Faith in God
- The Bigger the problem the bigger the Miracle, What is too big for God
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: A young man by the name of “Stephen”
He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was brought in for what he believed
Act 7
55: But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56: And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57: Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, (People will do the same today)
58: And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
59: And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60: And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- People today still don’t want to hear the Truth. They will do all they can to keep from hearing and not believe the Truth. Why does it always seem easier to believe a Lie then to believe the Truth,
Matthew:7:13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
- There is a time coming when again they will want to stone and Kill you for telling God’s Truth. So don’t be afraid when it come; Jesus told us it would happen, be Faithful, because you will not be alone.
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “Sharack, Meshack and Abednego.”
It is very importance when you are in a leadership position to be true to what you believe. Because you may be called in to account for it someday
Daniel 3
12: There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of theprovinceofBabylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13: Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
The King told them look I understand about this thing you have of worshiping your God, but right now you don’t need to worry about your God you need to worry about Me. Because I am fixing to do you a lot of boodle harm if you don’t do what I say
Look at what they said to the King
17: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19: Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
- When the going gets hot will you be there for Jesus.
- The hold world will be falling down on there knees paying honor to someone other then Jesus, Will you follow.
- The Bible said you can’t serve God and man
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: “Daniel and the Lion Den”
He too was in a leadership position, but his pure heart made him stand out among all the other. So they tricked the king
Daniel 6
18: Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
21: Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22: My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
- When the going gets tuff will you be able to stand for Jesus all by your self.
- That’s right no Mama and Daddy there, No Brother or Sisters There, No Husband or Wife There, No boy friend or Girl friend there to help you make it.
- Just you all alone. Most people fail because they have never put Jesus First
- Do you have the Faith in Jesus that will secure you a place in Heaven?
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: Noah
He had the faith that can build when everyone else was in doubt
Geneses 6
7: And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
I am happy for us today that there was a Man like Noah
Again the Earth is filled with Violence; and again it will be destroyed.
The Ark Represented Jesus, all who would go in could be Saved. It is no different to all who come to Jesus he will again save them, but they must make a choice
- It may not be easy to go and do what God is telling you to do.
- But if you put the little Faith you have in God you will be like Noah. “How” Everyday he drove a nail into the Ark every time he put a board on the side his Faith Grew and Grew until he could see the plan God had in mind for him
It happens only by Faith When you are obedience to Gods word he will save you
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: Elijah “Choose ye this day who you will service”
Did the people forget who there God was, who brought them through the Red Sea, Who provided for them for 40 years in the wilderness, who defender them from other invading tribes.
1 Kings 18
21: And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Yes they did forget, and so do we, when we put other things first in our Life before Jesus.
One of the Most Dangerous things that we as Christians can do is to put Religion before God, it happens when we believe more in the rules then the rule maker, this is what happened to the Jewish nation. They put Gods Laws before God himself.
Jesus said I am the truth the light and the way, no man comes unto the Father but by Me.
Remember that It is by Faith that we server him; and because we Love him that we keep his Commandment. We don’t keep His commandments to be saved.
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What gives me Faith is Stories Like: Creator who became his Creation
“ Why; to Save Them from there Sin”
John 3:16
16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
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Now my Question is; What are you doing for Jesus?
What’s your Christian Experience like lately, are you kind of Plateau, or maybe on a down ward trend.
If you leave here today and get nothing else out of this Sermon except what I am going to tell you right now you will have understood what other before you have giving for Jesus.
Today; there is a knock on your Door, you open it up and there are 6 Police Officers and 4 Army Men come to take you in for a hearing.
You say, what have I done, (Know one say’s a word more to you except that they have a warrant for your arrest).
You are hand cuffed and lead out of your home, you look back and see your kids crying, the neighbors are all out watching you being lead away because of the commotion in the neighborhood.
You are brought in and told to wait, you look and see a group of people some you recognizer as former Church members other you have no idea who they are.
You ask a guard standing near-by, where are my Children, and my Family; he only looks at you and said “TRADER” and turns and looks the other way.
Now you are brought in before this council, and they ask you question about your family, your place of work, and finally about you Church.
You are accused of crimes against the State; you have broken Civil Laws, and can no longer be trusted worthy with your Freedom. You have been told and warred about your failure to keep the secular day of worship and about you’re spreading lies about Jesus coming back to this earth.
You have been tried and convicted for your crimes,
Do you have anything to say for your self before sentence is passed on to you?
The Judge picks-up his gravel and say “you are hear by sentence to Death”
HOW WILL YOU STAND?
There will only be two Choices “Faithful or Faithless”
How is your walk with Jesus today, it is not enough to just say that you love him.
You must have a daily living relationship with Jesus if you will be able to stand for him when the time comes. Remember you will not be alone Jesus will be there just like with Stevenson, giving you the Strength you need.
But we must learn to live by Faith now so that when the times comes we will not fail but like the Men and Women of the past stand strong in Faith for Jesus.
Don’t trust to yourself, Peter denied Jesus three times before he learned one of the most importance lesson and that is just two little worlds Have Faith………
Strengthen your faith in Jesus everyday; read about the life of others who had Faith. When the time comes and the clock is ready to strike midnight right before the hammer falls. Jesus will be there.
He is never late my friend; he is always right on time!
God Bless you all amen
What are your priorities?
At a Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. A man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk away.
6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed.. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, priorities.
Let us Pray! ——————————————————
What are your Priorities in life?
Do you really truth God; Do you trust him with your Money and with your time
There is a story that Luke tell about a Rich man..
LUKE 12:16 The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. It brought forth plentifully. I don’t know what the crop was. It could have been wheat or figs or kiwis or even Okra.
His problem was that his barns were too small. If you have a very good crop and a very small barn what do you do?
What follows is what his mind told him to do.
Verse 18: I will TEAR DOWN my barns and build bigger ones. There will I store all my grain and my goods. End of problem. Right? Wrong!
He forgot just one thing…. the uncertainty of life.
– He was considered a fool NOT because he was rich and successful.
– He was considered a fool Not because he was cautious & a careful planner
– He was called a Fool because he considered himself the OWNER of the goods which his farms produced.
He had the right Idea but the wrong priorities
In Verse 19–he talked to his SOUL(!); “Soul, thou has much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, & be merry.
He should have talked with God. Instead he consulted with himself. That night his many years shriveled into a few hours.
At that point Jesus asked a question– When you die, who will take possession of your things?
Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
Have you ever gone to an Estate Sale or an auction of someone’s estate who you knew? You see the ownership of the things they valued being transferred to someone else.
There is no such thing as a FUNERAL HEARSE WITH A U-HAUL TRAILER BEHIND IT.
Ownership implies control. At the best we can only control our possessions for a time.
See if you think this statement is true: WE ONLY OWN THOSE THINGS OTHERS ARE WILLING TO ADMIT THAT WE OWN.
Who own your House or you Car, do you own them or the bank, they only allow you to live in the house or drive the car, Stop paying on them for a few months and see who really owns them
On this earth we have conditional ownership.
Only Jesus Christ has true ownership.
Christian stewardship is really a Relationship with Jesus.
If our farmer in this parable had recognized that he was just a steward and that God really owned the farm he would not have talked with himself.
His conversation might have been like this: “Lord, your FARM produced so bountifully this year under your blessing that your barn is too small to hold your harvest. Shall I tear it down and build a bigger one?
Jesus might have replied: Leave the barn alone, it is big enough. ……So what are we going to do with all your surplus?
No problem. Just give it to My children who are in need. In fact, the Lord may have said something like this: I invite you to Enjoy what I enjoy,—
Do you know what God Enjoys? “Giving” THE PRIVILEGE OF GIVING.
Giving is a divine privilege. Giving from a heart that is in love with Jesus will produce more joy to the giver than to the receiver.
I was in Galveston Texas one time, as I came upon a poor man who looked like he was wearing all the clothing he possessed. As he sat there on the floor his hand was outstretched. I put some money in his hand and went on. He said God Bless You Mister! I thought about that man. It is not a divine privilege to sit there against that cold wall and beg. The divine privilege is to be the one who is able to place the money in his hand.
As humans we were given two divine privileges that God has:
1)– To give, this is a divine privilege!
2)– To forgive. Only God can forgive us. But we can forgive each other.
But giving is not only in Money, most importance it is in TIME
One problem that we have is that we try to equate material things with security. The more we have the better or the safer we are.
So we get more and more until at some point we depend upon a god we can see rather that a God we can’t see. If an accumulation of material things brings happiness why are so many rich folks so unhappy?
A man wrote about the late JACKIE GLEASON. There were two Jackie Gleasons he said:
The LIFE-IS-A-LARK Gleason who charmed his audiences by saying: HOW SWEET IT IS!, and the private man trying to drown his problems in alcohol.
Like Solomon, Gleason could have anything he wanted, and both could have said: all is vanity. They both had vast amounts of money.
But the problem was that they did not have dominion over their possessions, their possessions dominated them.
Their goods had become their gods. If you remove one of the two “o”‘s from goods you have gods.
If we truly understand stewardship we will recognize that God gives us the FREEDOM OF DEPENDENCE!
We like to think that freedom is INDEPENDENCE. But that is not God’s plan at all.
God Planned that we should have the freedom of DEPENDENCE.
In their ideal state, ADAM AND EVE had no housing problems, no clothing problems, no problems with weather, health, payments etc.
It would be a strange person who wouldn’t settle for such a situation today.
Then one day along came an ugly old snake in the leaves he said,
Look, God knows that the day you eat of the fruit you will be as gods, you’ll be INDEPENDENT. You will not need Him. What happened?
Everything went berserk.
They were evicted from their home, they had clothing problems, the weather changed, they needed band aids to deal with the thorns,
Eve knew pain as she gave birth, they needed health insurance, they needed death benefits, they had big problems.
They were better off when God owned it all and they were the managers.
If today you place everything you own on the alter and give the ownership to God you are better off.
Look at it this way IF A PERSON DOESN’T OWN ANYTHING, HE IS NEVER SUBJECT TO LOSS
Job thought that way. That is why he could say “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job recognized Who owned everything he managed, therefore, God could trust him with 2X as much as he had before.
One day a church treasurer resigned. Finally the church asked the local grain elevator manager to take over. He agreed under two conditions:
That no treasurer’s report would be given for the first year. That no Questions be asked about finances during that whole 12 months.
The members were surprised but because he was known for his honesty they agreed. At the end of the year he gave the first treasurers report red:
*The church indebtness of $228,000 had been paid.
*The minister’s salary had been increased by 8%
*The Cooperative Program gifts had been paid 200%
*There were no outstanding bills.
*There was a cash balance of $11,252!
Immediately the shocked congregation asked: “How did you do it?” Where did all the money come from?
He quietly answered: “Most of you bring your grain to my elevator.
Throughout the year I simply withheld 10% on your behalf and gave it to the church in your name. I have your receipts here.
And none of you even missed it. Do you see what we could do for the Lord if we were all willing to return an honest Tithe to God, Who really owes it anyway?”
We Humans have been given possessions as a test to determine whether we can MANAGE eternal things.
If we can’t manage a few dollars down here, what would we do with a whole galaxy?
So this test here is given so there will be no possibility that a selfish person will get into heaven.
We have the divine privilege of giving. Job could say in JOB 29:15-16 “I was father to the poor, and the cause which I knew not, I searched out”
We should look for projects to give to, and not have to wait for appeals to be made. We should consider every NEED as an OPPORTUNITY.
In our parable today about the rich farmer who tore down his barns and built larger ones, the final outcome was not long in coming. LUKE 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
The final verse says in verse 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Don’t get me wrong it’s OK to store up things for ourselves but at the same time we need to be RICH TOWARD GOD.
We make a living through what we get,
We make a life through what we GIVE!!
You can take it with you!
By giving to the needs of God and His work right here we are depositing PEARLS into that vault in heaven.
In my 401K the company gives .35 to every dollar I put in, that is good free money, You would be a fool not to invest.
God said for every dollar you give I will match it 100 times
You will see that your deposits have gained interest and there is quite an accumulation there. Why because you were unselfish here.
May God richly Bless you in your giving back to him what is already His.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Many years ago there were a sitcom called “All in the Family”
It was about a Family called the Bunkers.
The head of this Family was a man called Arches and a Lady called Edith and how they dealt with there children and dealt with life around them.
While the sitcom was mostly funny it did not reflect or relate in anyway to a true Family
It was T.V.’s version of what man call a family.
So what is a Family?
Is it a Man and a Woman getting married?
Is it a Man and a Woman getting married and having children?
Is it just people getting together for a reunion or gathering ormaybeChurch?
There are many types of family’s
But what is God’s true design for his Family.
In the beginning God!
That in it’s self is the biggest statement you can make, that in the beginning God created everything.
It tells who God is What God is and what God did.
One day God the Father and God the Son were in a meeting the topic of this meeting was to be different from all the rest. The doors of the great kingdom were shut and only the Father, Son, and the Spirit were to meet.
The Father was to lay out his plan for a new Family before the Son and Spirit. They were to be different from all the rest of his creation they were to be flesh and blood and able to reproduce themselves the Father did not stop here, this family were to also be made in the image of his Creator. They shall be called Mankind
Then the Son said to the Father what if Mankind prove unfaithful and fall into Sin what will happen then. The Father replied; then they would have to be destroyed for the wagers of Sin is Death.
The Son looked at the Father and said, if the new Family proves to be unfaithful and fall into sin I will pay the price with my own blood. I will take their guilty sin upon me that they could live and I will die the death that they deserve.
But how could God die for he is the giver of all life. The Son said I will become one with them. If mankind falls I will be born of them, I will live among them, I will work side by side with them, and show them the Love of the Father, and at the end I will give my life for them to prove I and the Father love them and are one.
The Father looked on the Son with love overflowing and said I commit all creation unto you my Son. From your hands will the heavens be formed, and from your hands will the foundations of the Earth be made, and also from your hands will mankind be created in our image, and if mankind should fail and sin from your hands shall salvation come and by no other.
John 1
1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2: The same was in the beginning with God.
3: All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
All creation was committed to Jesus and with out him was nothing made that was made of this world. As the Bible said for he was in the beginning with God and he was God.
10: He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14: And the Word was made 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.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit left the meeting that day with heart overflowing with love. Now that all plans have been worked out the creation of mankind could begin.
Genesis 1:
27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God the Son did accordance to the Father plan and from his hand came a breathtaking new world perfect in everyway. The Son created all kinds of new creatures, some that walked on the Earth, some that swam in the waters, others that could fly in heavens above. Then the Son formed out of the dust of the Earth in the image of God man and into his nostril he breathes into him life and Man became a living Sole.
Genesis 2:
18: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19: And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20: And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
All was perfect the Son was pleased with all he seen but the crowing act of all creation was yet to be completed. Jesus was saving the best for last.
21: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Woman the crowing act of all creation why because from her and in her was life to start she would carry life in her life. She was to be the Mother of all living.
Gods perfect family Jesus, Adam & Eve. If God is not in the family it is not complete.
Only when Jesus is put in the middle of the family is the harmony of theEdenhome restored.
This perfect family was to live forever.
But Sin entered and destroyed it.
God’s plan of salvation is still working for all of mankind his love is today as it was when in the council of the Father he said I will give my life for them.
He lived up to his promise he became a man, lived as a man, worked as a man, and died as a Savoir. Why because of an undying love for his creation.
Ephesians: 3
11: According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
13: Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
14: For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15: Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
21: Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Here we find that God has also another family. A family in Heaven and a family on Earth, the family in heaven would be none other then the unfailing worlds, and the family on Earth would be his people, his bride, his CHURCH.
I love the picture word stories Jesus would use to describe things or bring home a lesson. Stories like being a family he used these in many different ways
John 15: The true vine
1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Jesus liking the family of God as a vine, and a vine has many of branches. On each of these branches is to be the fruit of the vine not the branch.
How are we to make fruit for thekingdomofGodlet’s look at the book of Mark?
Mark 16:
15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
We as his church have a mandate from God to make disciples, to tell this world about Jesus who he is and what he came to do.
Do you believed that church,
Do you believed that we are to go out into the world and preach the gospel of Jesus or was that just for those disciples in Jesus time.
John 15
3: Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Jesus clearly tells us that we must abide in him in order to live; we must live in his word daily. Abide in me and I in you for with out me you can do nothing.
If you cut a branch off a tree what happens to it.
At first nothing, it looks OK still green and very lively looking.
What about after a few hours, still ok but there seam to be something different.
What about after a day, now you see the leaves or wilted the once healthy looking branch don’t look healthy any more.
Why is that? Because it is not connected to Vine anymore, the life giving sap that flowed through the Vine has been cut off from the branch and so it will die.
Jesus said
6: If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
It is only as we abide in God love that we live day to day. Apart from God we are totally helpless. To abide in God is also to grow, if a tree stops growing and does not bear the master fruit what good is it. It is good for nothing but to be removed and another tree planted in its place that brings fruit in the time of Harvest.
8: Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9: As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11: These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
The greatest of all commandments is Love.
Mark:12:30:
30: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31: And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Story of the Prodigal Son: But yet the Father never stopped looking for his lost Son.
Jesus showed what true love was all about by dieing on the cross so that we could live.
Satan wants to cut off out connection to God. If we are not living for him now, when the time come to go with Jesus it may be too late. Satan may have cut off your connection he may have stopped the life flowing sap for the vine from reaching you. But only because you made the choice to be separated from the true Vine, Jesus Christ.
For a true family to be a family there must be the Savior in the middle
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About six months later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.” The young man held out this package. “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.”
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.
He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.”
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died years later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?”
There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.”
But the auctioneer persisted. “Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?”k
Another voice shouted angrily. “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!”
But still the auctioneer continued. “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son? ”
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
“We have $10, who will bid $20?”
“Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.”
“$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid more for the Son.
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. “Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!”
A man sitting on the second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection!”
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. “I’m sorry, the auction is over.”
Over “What about the paintings?”
“I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including all the other paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!”
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: “The son, the son, who’ll take the son?”
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,
WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE… THAT’S
LOVE
Will you come and be part of the Family, the Family of God.
Who Did Sin
Story: One Glass of Milk
- One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”
He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.” As He left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. You see He had been ready to give up and quit but this one kindness act gave him the strength to keep going on.
- Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from he went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. And so he went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, and then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.
She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words:
“PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK.
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.”
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: “Thank You, God, that Your love is shed abroad through human hearts and hands “.
Let us Pray!
________________________________________________________________________
Don’t you just love a good Doctor? If you find one please let me know…
As far back in history as I can go I find that there has always been doctors, or what we would call doctors, people who studied the Human Body. People who wanted to know how to help others who were sick.
Why do we need Doctors anyway? Why is there so much sickness in our world,
Why so much suffering, pain and sorry? If God is so good can you tell me why?
What is it all about? How did it start? When will it finish?
In Jesus time there was a Lady who had a problem
Luke 8: 43: And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
Sounds about right, nothing has changed in 2000 years. I know a lot of people who are just like this woman. Spent everything they had on doctors first
But listen to what happens to her
44: She; Came behind him (Jesus), and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. In other words it Stopped.
What had happened here, this woman touched Jesus and her 12 year problem went away, how, listen to what Jesus told her.
48: And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Jesus said your FAITH your FAITH has made you whole.
- Have you ever read in the Bible about the Kings of Israel? I challenge you to read the books of Kings and Chronicles and there you will find that Good Kings only lived 20 to 30 years after they became King. But Evil or bad kings lived 40 to 55 years after they became king.
Why is this, did you ever wonder why?
May years ago people believe that Sickness was all because of Sin, you made God angry and so God has broth this sickness on you. The sad part is that many people still believe that today.
Open with me to the Gospel of John and let’s see what Jesus says about this
John 9:
1: And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2: And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
There was people and religious leaders who believe that if you got sick it was because you have Sinned and made God angry.
Look at the story of Job was it because Job sinned that he lost everything he had
No….
STORY: Tell only a short version of the story because of time:
Who was the cause of Job’s sickness “ Satan” he hates people who loved and worships God and puts God first in their life’s.
3: Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Was the works of God manifested in the life of Job, yes they was.
I have heard people say you are sick because you don’t eat right, or you brought this upon yourself by your bad habits.
Yes it is true that eating right can help your body fight off sickness and help you to heal faster.
But not all sickness if because of what you eat.
I know some very good Vegetarian who has Prostate Cancer, why, no one can explain..
- Some diseases are caused by other things beside what you eat.
- Sin has affected our genes; sometimes we get sick because of our ancestors
- Sometimes we get sick because of the environment around us
STORY: Working Offshore on the Oil Rigs / Being put into tanks to clean them of who knows what. 10 to 20 years later we find we have Cancer and no one knows why.
- Sometimes we get sick because of the stuff that is put on or into our food Genetically modified food not good for the human body
So it is not always because of what you eat, But what and how you eat may makes a big different in the outcome of how your body will heal and fight the disease.
- What about bad things happing to good people, is it because they Sinned?
Remember the Story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan, in Luke 10: 30-35.
STORY: Tell short Story of the Good Samaritan
Most people will turn their head when they see someone suffering or in pain. They will walk right by saying I hope someone helps that poor lady that poor man.
The problem these days not all people who are hurting are laying down on the ground.
Some of them are in our everyday life. They live down the block, or in the house next to you, they are there at work standing in front of you, sometimes they are sitting in the Church right next to you.
How do you know if someone is hurting? How can you tell when someone is in need of help?
Sometimes it is easy to see if they are just laying there on the ground or in bed hurting. We can look and say excuse me but are you hurting, can I help you.
I remember when I was going through Cancer treatment many times people who cared about me would ask how are you doing and I just say.
I could not be better if I was twins…..
Many times I was hurting on the inside, I was in pain, I was in distress physically and sometimes mentally, I was sick, but I was happy to know someone cared about me.
How do you tell someone what you are feeling when they don’t understand what you are going through. I could pull someone over and talk for hours about my pain, and the next time they see me they will avoid me because I take too much of their time telling them how I hurt all the time.
So again why,
Why if God is so good is there so much sickness in our world?
Why do good people suffer and why SIN?
Why did God just not blot it out when it started?
Did you ever ask yourself Why God, why me what did I do to deserve this….
The only way to know something is to live it yourself or you will never really know it, you can’t know or feel what someone is going through unless you have felt it for your self.
- God knew of Sin and he knew of its deadly effects. But how could he in all fairness justly condemn mankind to eternal death if he himself has never experience what it is like to suffer, and die because of Sin
One day God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all came together. They came together to plan the creation of a new World and a new kind of Creature.
A creature that would not be a spirit but would be flesh and blood. One that life would be created from within life and they would be made in the image of their creator Himself, he would be called Mankind because this new Creature would be both male and female.
Mankind like all of creation would also be giving the freedom of choice.
What is the freedom of choice?
The freedom of choice is what keeps all of heaven in perfect order; it is the ability to choose: to love God, or not to love God.
God the Son said what if this new creature would choose not to Love God and would Sin, what would happen to them?
1John:3: 4: Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Ezek:18:4: Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Romans 6: 23: For the wages of sin is death The wages of sin is death
Why if God is so good is there so much sickness in our world, why do good people suffer and why SIN.
Why did God just not blot it out when it started?
Why God, why me what did I do to deserve this….
If you knew your Children would turn out bad would you still have them?
What if you knew your Children would someday kill you, would you still have them.
No matter how they turn out I love them and would still have them, even if it cost me my life to save them. Why because I love them
- Are you beginning to understand now how God Loves?
God the Son said but wait, if Mankind chooses to not love God, if he chooses death rather than life, if he chooses not to obey the commandments of God.
God the Son said, I will Chooses to die in his place,
I will take his Sin’s upon myself so that if Mankind chooses to believe in me he can once again be restored to his Maker
That is why God the Son became a Man to know and understand where we are, and to help us find the path that was lot because of Sin back to the Father.
He took Sin upon himself who knew no Sin and died the death that we will die because of Sin. This He did so He could give us in exchange His eternal live that we do not deserve, all because He Loved us.
Romans 6: 23: For the wages of sin is death but, I like that word but, you know why because it tells me that there is more to the story, there is something better to come.
You see the BUT says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is hope after all; there is a way to be reconciled back to our Creator who loves us
The only way to know something is to live it yourself or you will never really know how it is. That is what Jesus had to do for all Mankind
A healthy person can never understand the pain and suffering of someone who is sick and we are all sick with the disease of sin and dying.
God being God had to become what we are in order to feel what we feel and live how we live in order to show us that God loves us and through Him we can know God the Father loves each and every one of us.
Becuase of Love
Isa:53:5: But he God was wounded for our transgressions, he God was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him God ; and with his God’s stripes we are healed. We are forgiving
Isa:53:8: He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa:53:11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa:43:25: I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
You know the different between Man forgiving and God forgiving.
Man forgives but never forgets
God forgives and forgets
John:15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
May the God of our fathers be with you and bring a blessing into your life this Sabbath and throughout the new week just ahead. Amen
If you Love Me!
Remember the day when you first saw that someone special. What was it like ? You just wanted to show them how much you loved them and wanted to be with them.
If you ask someone who had been married for 50 years, how did you do it?
They would tell you, we fell in Love.
It was not always easy; we had our problems along the way, but the harder the problem the harder we worked to get through them.
For someone to stay in Love you must be willing to do Cretin things.
Willing to admit that you are not always right….
Willing to put your pet project aside in order to see your help mate achieve there goal…
Willing to Listing to your help mate when you have something importance to say…
Willing to take time and just be a friend….
Willing to love, when you are treated with no love in return.
The world just don’t understand what is means to say the word LOVE
Just how far would true love go?
There was a song back in the 70tes that said. I walk a million miles, cry a million tear, swim the deepest seas, clime the highest hill, just to have you near me.
The problem with people is that when the test comes we often fail. True love knows no boundaries, it knows no limits, it will cross over any obstetrical to get to the one who is Loved.
Love is not by what you see Good looking people
Love is not by what you hear Good sounding people
Lover is not by how you feel A feeling can be wrong
Love is an expression of giving, the more it is cultivated the more it will grow.
John:3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Love is not taking but Giving, you must be willing to Give in order to stay in Love..
Let us Pray !
What is Salvation?
Christ Alone praying for YOU
The Bible said that all that is needed for our salvation is for a person to except Jesus as their savior.
Simply put; Salvation by Faith “All that is needed is simple Faith in the son of God” as my redeemer
What does Jesus then tell us to do to show that we love him and have forsaking this world of sin.
John 14: 15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Would it not be correct to say that when you are in love, that you are willing to do anything that someone special asks you to do?
John 14: 23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Jesus is saying that He will come and make his home with you, for if you love me you will show it in your outward works.
Works can’t save anyone works only shows the one who you love. If Jesus is in you then the works of Love will show through you to others.
John: 15: 10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Keeping the commandment can’t save us; it is only a way that helps Gods people to stay in his Love with Him. It shows to the world that I have giving my life to the power that is high then I.
John: 8: 51
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
What is he saying here….
What type of death is Jesus talking about here in John 8:51. Do we not all die?
Many of the prophets kept Jesus sayings and are dead!
Here is where we need to let the Bible and the Bible alone speak for its self
Too many times we are told by religious leaders what the Bible is saying. The Bible is wrote in common language so that every man for himself can go and read for himself what God has said. Never let someone try and tell you what the bible said, read and see if it is so.
Rev: 2: 11
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
God’s people, who know the truth, understand that this life is not the death Jesus was talking about. It is the death that comes after the first resurrection, the second death, those who will die a second time in the lake of fire. This is an eternal death that there will be no coming back from.
Rev :20: 6
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
We all must take part in the first death, if not, how would there be a first resurrection.
The only people who will not take part in the first resurrection will be Faithful Enoch for he walk into heaven, and Elijah who was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. Even the great Prophet Moses had to pass through the portal of death because of sin. There will also be a group of Christian people living in the last days who will not see death.
1 Thessalonians 4:
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
What a day that will be, Can you say Amen
What a day that will be, to see Jesus coming our of the eastern sky, and hearing him shout to the sleeping Saints, awake my friend for I am coming for you, to give you that reward I have promised, that where I am you will be also.
It’s hard to imagine what that day will be like, God people for the passed 6000 years have been laying down their life on the old world.
But when the Lord comes they will be awaken, could you imagine standing there looking up and some old Saint saying hey Friend could you please more over a little you are standing on my chest.
People who have been buried for Hundreds even Thousands of years going to meet there Lord.
If you are a child of God it don’t matter where you die or how you die. Jesus has giving his Angles charge over you, and they have Marked the very spot where you have laid down you life.
Rev: 20: 14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev: 21: 8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
It is one thing to die on this earth, but quite another thing not to have a part with Jesus and die the second death.
Don’t you just love when the Bible answers Questions and not man?
What a Gold Mine the Bible is to those who love the Lord.
How many preachers do you think would have elaborated on what Jesus was talking about, and each one come-up with a difference Idea about never seeing death? But the word of God makes it so clear.
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I was at a Friends Funnel who I knew for many many years, and his wife ask me if I would like to say something. So I got up and told how we got to know each other and a few old boat stories.
I then said I am glad he gave his life to Jesus before he died.
Then I quoted from 1 Thessalonians 4:
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
I then said what a day that will be when we see Jesus coming back and those who have die believing in him will rise on that day, I can’t wait to see my friend again.
I was giving the worse look you could have ever imagine by a man of the cloth, that church Pastor was angry at me for quoting the Bible in his church.
He was mad and then started preaching on 1 Thessalonians 4:16 but when he got to the part that said and the dead in Christ shall rise first
He jump over it and went on to verse 17, and saying that, that is why when you die you go straight to Heaven.
After the Funnel was over he shook everyone hand but mine…
Satan is always looking to lead you away from the truth, and the shame of it all, he uses so called men of God to do it.
Jesus said in Mark:7:7: Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of (God) NO the commandments of (men).
As Christians, from the start satin has been trying to block our way.
He puts roadblocks in our way, but some how we get through with God help.
So he digs a pit for us to fall into, it takes a lot of faith to get out of it. Sometimes we loose faith and don’t always make it.
Remember Peter for only one second he took his eyes off Jesus and he started to sink. And like Peter all we have to do is say Lord save me.
Satin will put many roadblocks in our way. He will use every means possible to lead us the wrong way. Away from the finish line “away from Jesus.”
For three and a half-year the disciple followed Christ, yes they love him. They were also proud to be associated with him.
Jesus said one day let us go to Jerusalem, There the son of man will be betrayed and they will kill him but I will “rise again the third day”.
When Jesus made his way in to Jerusalem his disciple were full of joy as they heard the people saying Ho-san-na blessed is he that comet in the name of the Lord.
Now they thwart that Jesus would take his place as King of Israel “But he did not”
Only a few days later in the upper room, after washing the disciple feet and breaking bread and giving them the cup that would represent his blood shed for all mankind.
He said one of you would betray me.
They could not believe what he just said. “Who which one of them”
Jesus knew what he came to do; and because of his infinite Love for us He was willing to give his live in our place,
STORY: Jesus In the garden:
He did not have to go through the pain and suffering, He could have called His Father and he would have send Angles to rescue Him.
But then how could he be man substitute
The arrest: They came out after him as if he was a murderer
The trial: He was marked and beaten before un-hold men, Even one of His own disciples denied that he even knew Him.
Then they hung Him on a cross:
But here on the cross is what he came to do, to take the place of you and me, to die the death that will bring us life, but now ask yourself WHY?
Because of His LOVE for You
Jesus disciples were their watching him as he hung on the cross. They could not believe that he would let himself be crucified.
All there hopes all their dreams of Jesus being King and they by his side.
There had hoped that he would redeem Israel from the grip of Rome.
But now every thing hung on the cross.
As they looked, they heard Jesus say IT IS FINISH and bowed his head and die.
Their hearts almost stop beating when there realized that Jesus was dead.
Is it over, is it all over they though to them self
Their minds were so blinded by Jesus death that they did not remember Jesus saying the 3rd day I am going to rise again!
John 19:31
The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
That Sabbath day was a special Sabbath day
It was a hi-day “it was the weekly Sabbath and a feast day Sabbath” making it a Hi Sabbath:
Death by the cross was slow and the Jews did not want the body of Jesus hanging were all could see what they had done
Jesus Disciples watched as Joseph and Nickodemos remove the body of Jesus and place it in a tomb and seal it.
In the book of Luke 24:1-7
1. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices, which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6. He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet inGalilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
That evening two of the disciples were walking to a small town called E-may-us, and as they walk they did not notice a man walking with them.
Till he said what kind of communications are these that ye have one to another, as walk and are sad
One said to him art thou only a stranger here in Jerusalem and have you not know what had come to pass in the last days.
Jesus said what thing
Luke 24: 21
But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemedIsrael: and beside all this, to day is the “third day” since these things were done.
Jesus looked with love in his heart and said O foolish and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
They felt hope as he talks, for it is what Jesus would have said
As they reach there home they invited him in but he did not except, but they said the day is far-spent come and enter and spend the night
So Jesus went in (our savior does not force him self on anyone) he will come in only when he is invited too.
As they sat for the evening meal they look
Their companion spreads forth his hand in the exactly the same way their master use to do.
They looked again and low they see in his hands the prints of NAILS
Both exclaim at once it is the lord Jesus. But he vanished out of sight.
As they look at each other and said did not our heart burned with in us as he talked
They go to tell the others
When they find the disciple and knock for entrance and the door open for them and another unseen enter in with them.
As the disciples tell that they seen Jesus and how he open the scriptures to them and was know in the braking of bread.
A voice said PEACE BE UNTO YOU.
They started back in terror for his radiance fills the place; Love was shining from him it was coming out his face.
Then he spoke the word of love that left no need for dough, and just because he knew our heart he spoke our feeling out.
Why are you so troubled why are you in fear; see my hand and see my feet for I my self am here. Reach out now and handle me till all of you been shore.
My life is more then spirit for I am here in flesh and bones.
Before Christ left he made a promise he will come back for all that believed in him. All that truly Loved Him, and keeps his commandments, not to be saved by keeping his commandments but because they want to show they Love Him.
Let me quote 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 & 17 again
1 Thessalonians 4:
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
What a promises my brother, do you believe what Jesus said, he is coming back for all who Love him and have kept his commandments to show the World who they Love.
I hope that you are there on that beautiful day when Jesus calls all who truly Love Him to come and live with Him in that paradise home he built just for you. Don’t miss it my friend, it is there for all who put Jesus first in their lives.
FACING TRIALS ALONE
Act 27:
31: Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
At the height of his popularity, Rudyard Kipling was one of the most widely read authors of all time.
At one point it was estimated that each word he had in print was worth twenty-five shillings.
A group of students at Oxford University pooled their change and sent twenty-five shillings to Kipling, and the accompanying letter read, “Send us your best word.”
Before long, the reply came back. And so with great anticipation, the students opened the envelope from Kipling to find a single word printed on the piece of paper.
It simply said,
“Thanks.”
One little word, but what power can it accomplish
How often do we use this simple word that can say so much all by its self?
Thank you Jesus, for being my savior, my Lord and my Friend.
Lets us Pray?
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We all have a bad habit of doing things all by ourselves and perhaps no one is worst with that then me. I hope I am the only one here today with that problem.
When someone needs help I am willing to go and help them, but when I need help and they ask me I just say ”That’s OK I can do it”. Then I suffer through the heat of the mess all because of some stupid little inner me that can’t seam to say OK I need you to help me.
I am glad Paul was not like that he knew where his help came from and he trusted God with his life.
Our story today starts with Paul being under arrest and escorted by a Roam guard.
First we must understand the setting of the story and the reason why Paul was where he was.
Paul was a prisoner and on his way to see the judge in Roam, Why because He was a Roman Citizen so he could only be judge by a Roman court
There are two reasons in life that we all suffer;
Number 1: Is problems we cause and bring upon ourselves. This we do through
Drinking, Drugs, Partying, This hurt our bodies
Number 2: Is problems that come because we refuse to be like what the world calls normal.
Jesus was one of these types. He was not the Normal
When he was just a little boy I am sure there were many of times his friends called him to go with them and do a little hell raising, but he would not go with them.
Sometime in life we must learner to stand alone.
We will not always be able to hide in our pleasant of comfort places where we feel warm and cozy. We need to take a stand of being different at being a true Christian
At being someone that said No; I will not follow the crowd Jesus is my leader and I will follow only Him.
Why do we fear to stand alone, what makes us afraid?
There is a day when we will be called to stand before kings and rulers of this world. How does that make you feels?
The Bible said don’t worry about what you are to say.
Mark 13
9: But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10: And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11: But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Mt:10:28: And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Now let’s look at Paul and his problems
Act 27:
6: And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.
7: And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;
8: And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.
It way late in the year and the winter months were just about on them. There was still some time for sailing but for only short trips and close to shore.
9: Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
10: And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.
11: Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
12: And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.
This all makes good sense to me,
I am a sailor, I don’t expect Pastor Paul to be able to tell me how to run my Ship or when it is good or bad weather. I am an expert right.
So the Centurion would only be expected to believe the ship owners rather then believe Paul
In our world people who do not know God believe what they are told by men of the world, not by men of God
13: And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
This is kind of like Sin, at first it seams that all is OK and you have manages to achieve your objective, but like all Sin it is not what happened in the beginning or in the middle, but what happens in the End.
14: But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
We know it better by its 21 century name Typhoon
15: And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.
Let me explain what is going on:
The Captain of the ship has lost all hope; he and his crew are doing all they can to keep the ship on curse but the Seas and the Wind keep pushing them backwards.
They had no Compass, they had no GPS to tell them where they were. All they had was the Stars and the weather was so bad the could not tell where they were
16: And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
The weather seam to lay down some and they took the opportunity to try and make what repairs they could to the ship.
17: Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
18: And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;
19: And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.
20: And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
The world would give-up hope, but not God people, they know with Jesus there is always hope
When things seam like it is over we know that is where God takes control
The same is true in our lives today. Satan may make you feel that the end is near there is no hope, your condition is beyond help.
Don’t listen to that, Do this real fast, put a mirror under your nose and bread out, quickly remove the mirror and look for vapor residue on it. If it is there then you are still alive and there is still hope for you.
Why because Jesus came to save all who call on his name, no matter what boat you are in he can save to the up-most in any condition
21: But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
No one was interested in what Paul had to say before, but they are interested in hearing what he has to say now.
A few weeks ago I was in Honduras, some of the Church leaders were telling a story about the resent Earthquakes there.
He said all the Churches were almost empty one week and then the earthquake and now its standing room only
It is funny how when there is trouble; the world looks to God, but as soon as the trouble is passed the world goes back to doing what it was doing before
Paul did not sway he stood firm because his Rock was Jesus and when your Rock is Jesus you can’t be moved.
Lesion to what Paul is telling the people
22: And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.
23: For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
24: Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
25: Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
26: Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
This was like a 9.9 Earthquake, and everyone was trying to get as close to Paul as possible
27: But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
Have you been on a boat for more then a day, what was the sea condition, Good / bad.
We went fishing for my Son bachelor party in Tampa, what a good time, the ride was about 1 1½ hours out to the fishing area, the seas were about 4 to 5 foot, just beautiful for an old seaman like me.
Everyone was doing great except Pastor Edwin he was sick as a seadog, the only thing he was doing was feeding the fish over the side of the boat.
I almost felt sorry for him, almost that is.
I can only imagine how it would be with a boat load of men about 266 of them in a Hurricane force winds. I road out many of hurricanes offshore but never with so many people on board
Now the boat was coming up behind an Island, trained mariners can tell the difference in the sound of the sea and the waves of the Oceanic.
Look at verse 28
28: And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
29: Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
30: And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
31: Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
32: Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
Here is a massage for us today.
Only as we abide in Jesus can we be saved
The world may have all types of roads to heaven but none lead to Jesus
John:14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There is only one way to heaven and that is by Jesus and the sacrifice he has giving on the cross in payment for our sins
And there is only one way to get forgiveness, Except it by faith what He has done for you
Now they are all waiting for Paul to give the word
The Roman centurion, the ship owner, the ship Captain, the crew, and the passengers, All eyes were now on Paul
Act 27:
33: And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
34: Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
35: And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
36: Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
37: And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
38: And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.
39: And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
40: And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
If you are to be saved you must committee your live to Jesus, you must put yourself in His hands and let go of the rope that holds you too this world. The ride may get bumpy but the end results is what counts
41: And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
42: And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
43: But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
44: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
Many times in our life we will face trials; and come up against forces mightier then we are.
Eph:6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
When we are doing God will and going where God wants us to go, we must remember that He will take care of the problems that stand in the way.
God will not let his People Parrish, we may face trials but we will not face them alone
The ship was lost but the 266 souls were saved,
This is a great lesion for us today, by Faith we are saved through the Grace that Jesus gave on the cross; dieing in my place that I might have the life.
For he took my place in exchange he gave me his life . O what Love, O what a savior is Jesus my Lord.
Don’t be afraid to stand up for Jesus, someone’s life may be counting on your testimony
It is my pray that each of us will come to know Jesus as Paul did, that no matter what problems come to us in live we can say I know that my savior is in control and I have nothing to fear.
D5 Creation
