Category: Christianity
To Obey is better
Some time ago I ran across a wedding prayer that illustrates how we substitute religious talk for obedience. This is a girl praying on her wedding day asking God to Bless her:
“Dear God. I can hardly believe that this is my wedding day. I know I haven’t been able to spend much time with You lately, with all the rush of getting ready for today, and I’m sorry. I guess, too, that I feel a little guilty when I try to pray about all this, since Larry still isn’t a Christian. But oh, Father, I love him so much, what else can I do? I just couldn’t give him up. Oh, You must save him, some way, somehow.
You know how much I’ve prayed for him, and the way we’ve discussed the gospel together. I’ve tried not to appear too religious, I know, but that’s because I didn’t want to scare him off. But he’s not totally against you or anything. I can’t understand why he hasn’t responded. Oh, if he only were a Christian now.
Dear Father, please bless our marriage. I don’t want to disobey You, but I do love him and I want to be his wife, so please be with us and please don’t let it rain and spoil my wedding day.”
Let us Pray!
Silly story isn’t it, God here are my conditions. Take it or leave it!
But how many of say that very thing, Lord I know I should not do that and I know this too is wrong but just give me a little more time and right after I finish with this I will come and serve you so please keep sending me your blessing. Amen
God may be a God of love but He is also a God of order. With out order with out obeying is only confusion and destruction
Did you know that Obeying Leads to Wisdom and knowledge
Obeying your parents is one of the most difficult things to do as a teenager. This is a time that you want to spread your wings and do things on your own. You want your independence, and you want to prove you can be a responsible adult. Yet there is still a level of needing your parents to guide you through this time, and there is still so much you can learn from them while you’re still a teen.
There are times when obeying your parents can be really tough. We all think we know enough to make our own decisions. But do we really? God reminds us that it is a foolish man that does not seek to become more disciplined and wise
Proverbs 1:
7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8: My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
The most important people in our lives are our parents. They can be the greatest guides we have in this life, and they can lead us in the path God has for us…if you let them. For most of us, our parents offer advice and discipline out of love, and we would do well to listen and learn from what they have to say.
Exodus 20: 12: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Do you realize that by obeying your Mother & Father it will help you to have a longer life. That is what Gods commandment is saying; if you honor them God will honor you.
If you read the book of Amos as you start reading you will find there a Father who is pleading with His children to do one thing and that is to just obey Him.
1. Why would that be? is it because he is a mean old man
2. Maybe his father did not let him do anything that was fun and he is doing the same to you
3. Maybe you think, Old people don’t know how to have fun anymore.
4. Even worse then His children not listen they go out and do exactly the opposite of what he spent his life teaching them.
That is a slap in the face to the Father
So why is the Father pleading for His children to Obey Him: Because He knows better then they do what they have need of. And like any Father He wants to give His children the things they need to make them happy not the things they think will make them happy.
But all the Father can see is how they have cast aside His gifts and trampled His Laws under there feet. Why would a Father want to continue to give them anything else? And the worse thing of all is for the children to turn away completely and go and give to someone else the respect and honor due only to the true Father.
When God first created mankind all God asked was one thing, just obey the things I tell you and all this is your forever.
Story: Adam & Eve God gave them the keys to the City and they blew it!
What if someone offered you to live in a paradise place where everything is paid for; a beautiful home the best cars money can buy. A place where you will never get sick or have any pain or sorrow, where you can go out and do anything and go any place in the world you wanted to go.
Wow that would be a dream come true. But there is only one little stipulation; way out in the back there is an old building. And you are told never to go in it for in the day you enter it or even open the door everything will be gone. How long do you think it will take before curiosity will get the best of you.
Is God particular about things He tells us to do? You better know it.
Lets look at what God told the Children of Israel when he was leading them to a land of Mike & Honey.
Deut:11:
23: Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
24: Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.
25: There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Did you read that correctly, if you obey what God told you to do there shell not a man be able to stand before you.
26: Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
27: A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
28: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
What did God want, only for them to obey what He told them, what did they do the opposite of what God told them to do. How can you expect God to bless you if you are not doing what he told you to do so he can protect you.
If someone is blessing you and giving you everything you need and want you to be happy. Would you be thankful, how would you show that you are thankful? By doing what they said right.
I tell you one of the hardest things in my life was raising my children, because I was pulling them one way, and the World was pulling them another. I provided for there every need; I gave them the best of what I could; even if I had to deny myself of something I made sure they did not lack.
What else could I have done as a father to show my children my love for them then to give then my very life?
God lead His people out of Egypt to a land of promises, to do this He called a man by the name of Moses to be there leader and guide.
Here is faith my friend. We need to learn to trust God at His word; If God is leading you to do something don’t worry about things getting in the way; Just trust God.
The very present of God was right there with the children of Israel everyday and yet they did not believe. All they did was to complain
Exodus:14:12: Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
Numbers:21:5: And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
Why were they mad and complaining, God was leading them out of being slaves, so why were they mad.
They could not see how God was going to provide for them. They were looking at all the problems when they should have trusted God.
They seen all the plague that God sent on the Egyptians and how He kept them safe.
They seen God divide the Red Sea for them to safely walk across and how God closed up the water and destroyed the entire Egyptian army.
They seen all this but they could not see how God could provide food and water for all of them.
I want to share something with you, if you were there with them you would more then liking been one of them rebelling against God. Why because that is human nature, and what we need to learn is to put human nature aside and blind fold our eyes and just trust God at His word.
Sometime we need to stop and think, if God created this world and everything in it then he can also create what is needed.
Let me ask you a question,
Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God.
Do you believe that the Bible is 100 percent true?
Turn with me to a very importance scripture, this scripture if the very foundation of God Himself 1st John:4:8: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
What does the Bible say God is? LOVE
God is love and what do you do when you love someone. You want to make them happy correct.
Do you remember when you first got married, how if that special someone in your life asked you to do something how it was a joy to do it no matter what it was.
What made it a joy “LOVE” right and what does the Bible say God is God is love
1st John:4:16: And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Now that we understanding what God is like, lets look at what He tell us.
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:14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
I had people tell me that no one can keep all 10 commandments it is impossible that is why Jesus had to come and do away with them. Is that what the Bible says, I don’t think so. Jesus said if you Love me you will keep them and by keeping them the world will know that you love me.
A loving God would not make commandment that were impossible to keep.
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye CONTINUE IN MY WORD, then are ye my disciples indeed; And YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32
Only those who OBEY God and OBEY what they learn from His word can continue growing in His truth.
Why are there so many supposed to be Bible scholars that can’t come to a good understanding of Scripture? The reason is that spiritual things “are spiritually discerned.” You must have Gods Holy Spirit working in you so that He will lead you into all Truth .
John:16:13: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into 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.
Obedience Brings You Closer to God
God is the father of us all. There is a reason why we use a term like father to describe our relationship with Him, because just as we are to obey our parents, we are to obey God. If we cannot obey our earthly parents, how are we to obey our Heavenly one?
Faithfulness comes out of obedience to God. As we learn to obey, we learn to be wise in making our decisions in life. As we learn to obey, we learn to open up our eyes and ears to God’s plan for us. Obedience is the first step in living a Christian life. It helps give us strength in our faith and the ability to overcome temptations that can lead us astray.
Obeying is not Hard
No one says obeying our parents is easy. Sometimes it feels like our parents are from a whole other world. Sure, they come from a different generation, and we may not always understand their reasoning.
However, we don’t always understand God, either, but we know that what God does is for our own good. In the case of our parents, it’s that way, too.
We need to realize, though, that there will be pitfalls in obeying our parents, and there will be times that obedience becomes so difficult. Yet obedience takes work.
How do we show Obedience?
1. Listen
2. Doing
3. Show Respect
4. Have Patience
5. Communicate
Heaven will be filled with only one kind of people, and that is people that totally trust God. 99.9% of the time. Will that be good enought?
That may be good for man but not with God, with God it is all or nothing.
You either have 100% faith that God will do what He says He will do or you will be truly Left Behind.
Matthew 7:
21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Are you a Christian by Gods standards or a Christian by the World Standards? It will make a bight difference in the end as to where you will spend eternity!
Psalms 111: 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments:
Friend I pray that as you read this little sermon it will help you to understand more about Gods love for you. In fact the Father loves you so much that He sent His Son to this planet to show us how to live. He lived a life of Love and helping other, He lived a life of obeying His father commandments.
The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; We have all sinned and according to the law we must someday die. but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. All who by faith and obedience to God will live again by the grace that Gods Son Jesus has giving to all.
Gods Son gave His life for us why” John 15:23 Because God said that Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
God loves us, each and everyone of us, and He know what is best. Satan will do all he can to keep you from knowing God and knowing His love for you.
I am the way the truth and the Light
Don’t let Satan keep you from what is already yours. Jesus says if you love me show the world that you love me by doing the things I told you to do. If ye love me, keep my commandments. John:14:15:
God Bless and be with you all
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth Ministries
What does the Bible say?
When my Dad said something he meant what he said, there was no such thing as a second chance.
I grew up with two brothers older then me just about 11 months apart, and we fought like cats and dogs.
When we did something bad my dad made sure we knew not to do it again. Let’s say he had a way of making an impression on you that you would never forget.
He did all he knew to do, to teach us right from wrong.
The sad thing is when he was young he never knew God and never knew how to show love.
I am glad that God is nothing like, my earthly father.
My Heavenly Father is a Father of Love and Kindness toward His children.
He makes sure you know the different between right & wrong, but He will not force you to either one He does it with love.
It is a choice that He gives each of us to know Him and Love Him.
His Word His Truth is all that a Man needs to live
Let Us Pray !
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When we study the Bible and want to know Bible Truth there is only one way and that is to pray for the help of Gods Holy Spirit and let the Bible interpret itself..
When man tries to intrepid what the Bible said, he is seldomly right.
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, WE OUGHT TO OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also THE HOLY GHOST, WHOM GOD HATH GIVEN TO THEM THAT OBEY HIM.” (Acts 5:29-32)
When you find the truth in Gods word and do it not, you shut off His Spirit of truth, If you find truth in Gods word and you Obey His word God will lead you into more truth.
“If any man WILL DO HIS WILL, HE SHALL KNOW THE DOCTRINE, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John 7:17
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye CONTINUE IN MY WORD, then are ye my disciples indeed; And YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32
Only those who OBEY God and OBEY what they learn from His word can continue growing in truth.
The Bible must be studied in accordance with how the Bible tells you to study it or you will walk away with the wrong interpretation of what it is saying.
Many of good men have gone wrong trying to interpret the Bible; they study but not in accordance with how the Bible tells them to study.
I can take the Bible and a scripture and make you believe anything I want and show you scripture to back it up. But is it Truth? It is coming out of the Bible?
But it is nothing more then a man made interpretation of Gods word.
14: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
2Pt:3:17: Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
A few weeks ago my sermon was on What is Truth, and we found out that the only thing that is Truth is God’s Word.
Apart from God’s Word is only a lie.
So if God’s Word is Truth and His Spirit is Truth, then we must ask what does it teach or say.
God’s word is Truth
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
John 1:14 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.
If we use God’s word to find out what Truth is should we not also use God’s word to tell us how to intrepid His word, His Truth!
Let’s look at the Book of Isaiah and see what it says on How we should study the Bible
Isa 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Isa: 28:13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
So if we are to know Truth and know What the Bible teaches as Truth we must also study it in accordance how God has told us to study it.
Is that right… Who knows best God right….
At work many of the people I work with are all ways asking me if I am a Jew. I say Why do you ask that…..
Then they said , why do you keep all those Old Jewish rules and laws.
I then ask Old Jewish Rules and Laws Please explain.
That thing about the Sabbath day and not being able to eat Meat or Pork
I then ask them are you sure that is a Jewish thing.
In fact Jewish people eat Meat and they Worship on the Day God told them to Worship on, but if that makes anyone a Jew then I might be a Monkeys uncle accordance to Darwin.
I am not a Jew and I know following God word don’t not make any one a Jew, what it does do is make them a Bible believing Christian and that makes them a Spiritual Jew.
Let’s look into God’s Word and see where did keeping the Sabbath and eating meat and unclean meat come from.
Let’s see if in fact they are just an old Jewish rule and Law and not for us today.
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.
4: These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
So here we find that Adam & Eve were the first two Jewish people because they kept the Seventh day holy as God commanded them before Sin entered this world.
So Adam & Eve kept the Seventh-day of the week holy, why because God told them to keep it Holy, not by force but by Love
Do you think they taught there Children about God Seventh-day Rest, Don’t we as parents Teach our Children things that are importance for them to learned
So we find that Adam & Eve were giving the Seventh-day rest before they had any Jewish Children.
Back before the Flood men lived for many hundred years and had full capacity of his Brain, there was no need for books. Instructions were handed down from generation to generation with perfection.
After the Flood when men begin to populate the Earth again and not live as long as before, God gave instructions to Moses to Wright in a book so we would not forget what God’s Word say.
Look at Israel on there way to the Promise Land, What happened
Gods Holy Sabbath day
Ex 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. God performs a Miracle by give them food in the desert, but he tells them something not to do, Don’t gather it on the Sabbath…
How do we know that the Seventh day is the Sabbath?
Ex:16:26: Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
So accordance to the Bible what day is Sabbath
Exodus 20
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:
Now you might say I know that verse that is one of the Ten Commandments but there is something missing, that is correct it starts with the Word Remember..
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
God is saying go back to Genesis and Remember what I told your first Parents to do keep holy the Seventh-day of the week
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.
The 4th commandment states two things very clear Who God is & What God did,
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So we find that the Sabbath is not a Jewish thing, it goes all the way back to Gneisses. What about Food or Meat is that Jewish
What Food did God give man to eat?
Genesis 1
29: And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30: And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
God did not say anything about eating meat here, He said every green herb shell be for meat. God gave only Veggie here
So when did man start eating Flesh
Genesis 7
1: And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2: Of every clean beast; Hold on Time out What book are we in, Genesis Chapter 7 right; before there were a Jewish Nation right, Was Noah a Jew ?
So God way back in the Beginning made Distinction between Clean and Un-clean Animals
thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Do you see that 7 of the Clean 2 of the un-clean
3: Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
Was Noah Jewish?
No more then I am, Did God make a distinction between Clean and un-clean animals back in Noah time before there were Jewish people living on the Earth, yes He did.
5: And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
6: And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7: And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8: Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9: There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
Why did Noah need more of the clean animals then that of the un-clean
After the Flood all Vegetation was distorted, Man was allowed to eat only the Clean Animals and also to use them for sacrifice to atone for his sins.
Genesis 8
20: And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Noah took of the clean animals and made an offering unto the Load, the others he used for food for him self and his family.
If Noah would have used any of the un-clean animals, what would have happen to them, Extinction? They would not have made it into our days.
Are we told in the New Testament that it is now OK to eat the Unclean Animals
Remember the Bible must be studied how
Isa:28:10: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
If the Bible does not agree with your interpretation it is because there is something wrong with your interpretation not the Bible
The Bible must agree Old Testament and New together if it does not go back and re-study again.
If God did not allow the Unclean to be eating back in Genesis He is not going to change His mind in the book of Act
Let’s look at Act 10
10: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11: And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13: And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Do you see that, Look like it is ok to eat anything right. NO….
First ask Does it agree with the rest of the Bible,
You will find the answer is No, so there must be some wrong with how we are reading it.
Sometimes you must read the completed content of the Scripture in order to understand what the God is saying
Read all of Act 10 and you will find that God was showing Peter that not animals; but Men are not common or un-clean
All men are created equal in the eyes of God, the Color of there skin may be different but they all bleed the same red.
Jesus said Think not that I came to Change the Laws
Mt:5:18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
God word from Old to New is still the same nothing has changed. He knows what is best for his children and he wants them to live a better and heather life.
Only as we rest on the day God gave as rest and keep those thing that he told us not to do can we enjoy a better happier life here on this Earth until he comes for those who have put there Faith in His Word.
We do this not to be saved, for no man can save his self
But because we are Saved by his grace we want to show other a better way of living and that is by every word that comes from God
Matthew:4:4: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
So when I am ask if I am Jewish all I can say is; not by Birth
But I am a Jew by Spirit
Romans 2
28: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
What ever you do and how ever you Study your Bible never take just one or two Scriptures and try to understand what God is saying.
The Bible must be studied from Genesis to Revelations on ever subject in order to get a clear understanding of what God’s word is saying.
There can be no separation of Old and New Testament.
The Old Testament help us to understand the New Testament
And the New Testament helps us to understand what the Old Testament was saying.
That is the way God made it
Isa:28:10: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
There are many other Truths in the Bible. If you would like to know more, we offer free Bible Studies –
May God bless you all as we study in His Truth…..
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth
If God is so good why ?
My son came home yesterday and told me about his friend whose wife 
was pregnant and only two days passed the baby’s due day when the baby stop moving and died, Why, why, why did something so terrible like this happen to this young couple, they had prepared everything expecting this child to come into the world and fill there home with joy and love, But now there is only emptiness, pain, sorrow and hurting, God where were you, how could you just stand there and let something like this happen, Why God why.
My friend Larry was a good Christian man who I met on Cancer Survivor Network. We did a lot of talking by e-mail then one day he said I got some bad news, my cancer is back again. We talked about it and doing treatment again, but when he started the treatment is did not work. Larry was a faithful Christian he lived helping other and was the kind of person who you would love to be around. He died, Why God why did you let Larry die he was a believer and a good man so why did you let his cancer come back and kill him.
I had another friend who lived in Freeport Texas, a good man who did not hurt anyone he had a beautiful wife who loved him very much but one day he got a little sick and they found out his Lymphoma was back again. He lived in pain and finally passed away after a long hard fight.
My brother Jesse also had a cancer called Lymphoma the doctors tried all they could do but his heart just could not take all the damage for the Chemo, it killed him.
My Mother at the age of 49 got colon cancer, she did all she could do to fight it but as time went on she died.
A few weeks ago there were some very bad tornados up north, some people died others lost there homes, cars, and all there possession.
This week I see in the news about wile fires taking and burning to the ground people homes and everything they had.
And all we can say is what is going on, where is God, why is He not stopping stuff like this from hurting people.
I had a very bad time growing up because dyslexia, it was not until I grow-up and got married that my wife helped me and it disappeared. Now it is back again but I just say it not the grammar or spelling that is important it is the massage.. Then at the age of 46 I was told I had NPC this is a cancer in the sinus. Who me, cancer, no way it can’t be true, I just don’t understand it, how could God do something like this to me. After all my Chemo and Radiation treatment to the head it came back worse then ever.
So If God is so good why is there so much pain, sickens, and Death. Why God why what did I do that was so bad that I got cancer right in the prime of my life, could you not stop it.
I am sure that there are times in our life we all question God as to why He gave me or my love one this problem, this pain, this sickness, this suffering and sometime separation by Death.
Let us Pray!
In order to answer the question if God is so good why is there so much Pain, Sickens, Death and Destruction. We will need to know who God is and to do that we have to use the only book that tells us about Him. I ask you do not take my word for what I am going to tell you about God, but to get your Bible out open it and follow along with me to see if what I am telling you is the truth. You see what I say does not mean anything it is what the Bible said that means everything. I don’t want you to believe what I say I want you to believe what the Bible is telling you.
Let’s go to the Book of Genesis 1 and start on verse 1.
1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4: And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5: And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
The Bible tells us that God is the creator of all things; it is He who made the heavens above and the Earth beneath, lets go on to verse 26.
26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
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.
So God then created Mankind, He creator man in His own image and likeness and gave to him dominion over every thing He created and He looked at it all and in verse 31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
Picture taken by Benjamin Bruce
God saw that is was not just good but very good, ok so what happened why did it all change. Let’s look a little more
Let move to chapter 2 and verse 9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
God did not make us robots, God made us to have freedom, freedom of choice, freedom of will. Freedom to serve Him or not to serve Him, He wanted a creation of people who could show love back to Him for what He has done for them, and to do that He made a test and simple little test of freedom to choose God or not to choose God.
Look at Genesis Chapter 3 verse 1
1: Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
So now satan come in to the picture, the only place that he was allowed to work was with in the space of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He did not have dominion over the Earth he was limited to only one little area and that is where Sin interned into all of mankind.
Look at what happened
6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
The sad part here, Eve was deceived by satan to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil but Adam when he realize what Eve did could not see himself without her and he offer up dominion of this world to satan by taking and eating of tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Did they get knowledge of good and evil, you bet they did and it’s been down hill from then on.
7: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
This is where it all started, this is where satan told the biggest lie there is. God said if you eat of this tree you will die, satan said you will not surely die.
Our Creator God wants us to obey His law, why because He knows it will keep us happy and living in peace even while living in a World of sin.
Let’s go on and see what happened when God found them after they ate of the Tree He told them not to eat of. Again look at chapter 3: verse 9
9: And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10: And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11: And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12: And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Look at the first thing that sin did, Adam loved Eve so much he did not want her to die so he ate of the fruit, what love we would say right, now he is blaming her for everything, what happened to his love for her.
13: And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Now we see Eve blaming the serpent for what happened; is that not just like sin, everyone blaming someone else for what they did.
14: And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
So the Lord put a curse on the serpent from this day on he would scroll on his belly, but what about the Man and Woman, let’s see what God told them.
15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
What a promises God gave to mankind, this tells me that God knew of the possibility that man might sin that man might of his freedom of choice eat of the tree. God had a plan, it was not His will that sin should enter into this world but if it did He had a plan in place to rescue man. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Just what is God saying here enmity between who and what seed
16: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18: Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Question: What was it that God wanted from the being that He created in His image and likeness? Only one thing and that was for Man to believe what his maker told him was best for him by obeying his master Law. Was it too much to ask of Adam & Eve to stay always from the one tree
Now can you understand why we suffer, why there is so much sickness, it is not God. God gets all the blame, it was Man that did not choose God, man Chose Satan instead of God. When Adam choose to obey Satan by eating of the tree he gave up ownership of this world, look at what the Bible says
Rom:6:16: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Adam not Eve gave up ownership of this world when they chose to obey and yield themselves a servant to Satan.
What they told God was this: OK God I am going to do it my way from here on out so please back off and get out of my way I don’t need your help.!
So it’s not Gods fault that sickness, death and bad things, came into this world. God did everything possible to show mankind that He loved him, God put mankind is a paradise home with only one little restriction.
Now I ask you; is God wrong for what happened to mankind and for sin coming into this world. Is God wrong because you or I or a love one of ours is dying of some terrible sickness? Or that we are living in pain and suffering each day. God loves us each and every one of us, we were made in His image and in His likeness.
Christ and Family
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.
Oh my brother I hope you are starting to see bad thing happen to good people everyday, but it is not God who causes it to happen. It was because we choose to believe a lying devil over what God told us.
From the beginning all God wanted was the same that we as parents want from our children. For them to be obedience to us and do what we tell them to do, not because we are tyrants over them but because we love them and we know what is best for them.
Remember what we read back in Genesis 3:15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Look at 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.
God so loved the world, that he gave his only beloved Son, that any one believing in him should not perish. God again does all He can do to bring back as many as possible of His falling children. Even if He Himself must come and die in there place to save them
God the Father did not spare His only Son Jesus but sent Him to this world to show mankind that He God still loves us and wants to be a part of our life if we will only turn from our sinful condition and be obedience to His Law
Look at what Jesus told the religious leaders when He was here on earth Matthew 5:
17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The Last time I looked out side heaven and earth did not pass away yet, so God’s Law must still be in effects. That is what Jesus said not me, so if the earth is still here Gods Laws are here for all who love Him and obey His teaching.
But the problem we have today is that people don’t want to do what God told them to do, that was Adam & Eve problem too remember. They too wanted to do it there way and God will just have to except it that way. But here is the problem God does not except it and will not, if He would not change His Law for His own Son He will not change it for you or me. Look at the Romans 6: 23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Not obeying or doing what God said will lead to not just death but eternal death. God does not want that for anyone Jesus came to save us from our sins and eternal death to show us how to live by God’s law.
The world we live in now would have been so different if only man would have learned to obey and keep God’s commandments. But rather then choosing God we chose Satan; it is not God but Satan who brings all this suffering on mankind.
Read the book of Job chapter 1 & 2 and see God does not cause evil on any on it is the works of Satan, but people like to blame God for it.
Look also at Revelation 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 is mad because he knows his time is short and he wants nothing more then to destroy the people God loves and those who were made in the image and likeness of the God of creation.
We tend to all blame God when we get sick or when something bad happens but like I said it is not God who causes it, it is the devil. He was a deceiver from the beginning.
Read Revelation 12:
7: And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8: And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9: And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
So you see even in Heaven satan was at work causing trouble and problems for God until the day came when God had to cast him out of heaven. So where did he go, to the only planet in all of the solar systems that he was ruler over, and he has done nothing but cause trouble and problems here on this world; and then he has people who God loves blame God for it.
Look at what one of the disciples told the Religious leader when they commanded him not to speak or preach in Jesus name. Acts:5:29: Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Who should we obey
In our world today people like to play Christian, they want to serve God but they want to serve Him there way. My friend when God tells us to do something he expects us to do it just like He told us to do it, with no deviation. Anything apart from that is sin and sin is what separates us from God.
A lot of Christians like to tell me oh those Laws were for the Jew’s not for us today. But then I ask why God gave the Jews those laws, why because they were God’s people. Ok so if they were God’s people back then and we are Gods people now and God does not change, as Gods people we need to be doing what God say to do and not what man or satan said to do. Am I right or not?
We need to be keeping the Laws God made for His people, right.
Our Father who is in heaven does not want for any of us to suffer because of sin but we live in a world full of it. But soon and very soon the Bible tells us that God will put an end to satan and all his evil angles. At the same time He will put an end to sin in this world. He will put an end to sickness, suffering, pain and an end to death.
Look at Nahum 1: 9: He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
Bad things happen to good people all the time. I am an Elder in my Church and I had cancer and the cancer came back in the same area in my sinus three times. I treated it the first two times but when it came back the 3rd time I said no more and so the doctors gave me 6 months to maybe a year to live if I am lucky. Luck I don’t believe in but God I do believe in. My brother found a place where they did only natural herbal treatment for people like me who are sick with cancer. That was in June 2006 and God blessed it so that I am still here some 8 years later. I live with a lot of problems but it is all from the treatment not the cancer. I don’t know the reason why God healed me and not others who were better men better Christians then I am.
All I can do is to thanks Him for what de did and pray for all my others friends who are still in treatment or just found out that they or a love one of there has some life threaten disease. Remember God did not do it nor did He cause it to happen, it was because of sin in out world and satan because he is the father of sin. From the day our cells conceive in our mother’s womb we start the process of dying. Why because of sin for God did warn Adam & Eve saying in the day you eat of it you will surely die.
Don’t despair my friend, because there is hope and that hope is in Gods Son who came to die in our place. For the Bible tells us
Look again at 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.
John:3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John:6:27: Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Rom:6:22: But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Even thoe that had sinner and rejected God, God did not reject us who had choosing to accept what He did in our behalf, die for our sins. The God we serve is a God of love a God who would do anything for His children who believe and trust in Him and do what He has told them to do in order to have everlasting life with Him.
It’s so simple just like the test in the garden of Eden, Jesus said in the book of John:14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments. Gods commandments don’t save you; His commandments only shows the world who you love, then Gods extends His grace because you have choosing to obey what He told you to do. You see what I mean it is so simple. In the Garden of Eden the test was one tree don’t eat of this one tree, today the test is will you obey by keeping my commandments. If you do, it will tell the world you love me and that I love you.
You will have trials in this life you will get sick in this life and you will die in this life but it is not about this life, it is about the next life. Read with me what God is saying in the book of Revelations
Look at Revelations 20
10: Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
We are going to suffer just like non believers and as we get close to the time of the end. Satan will put into the heart of evil men to cast some of us into prison but we are told to be faithful even unto death and God will give us a crown of life.
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.
Here is where a lot of Churches get confused because they don’t understand what the Bible is saying about a first and second death.
Rv: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.
The first resurrection will be for Gods true believing people who have died, that is the first death, you understand we die from this world only once.
Rv:20:14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
The second Death: it is for all who have chosen not to follow what God said to do. It will be for evil men and women, who never believed in God. It will be for Pastors who lead people away from God truth, and for fake Christians who wanted both this world and heaven too. But sorry the Bible said in Luke:16:13: No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
1Pt:4:17: For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
My brother you might be hurting, suffering, in pain or maybe close to death or maybe some love one or good friend is having problems.
Don’t blame God put the blame on the one who caused all this, the one who lied to our first parent. Then read the Bible it is a book about God working with man trying to lead man back to His truth. When God says to do something, we must learn to do it exactly like God said to do it. No cutting corners
God said to keep Him commandments, then keep them, don’t worry about others who tell you, you don’t need to, do what God said not man. Acts:5:29: Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
I live in this world with a sick body from Cancer; I can’t do or enjoy all the things I once did. Some days or good some are bad, some are more pain some or less pain.
Here is the key: one day the life I live in thissick body will be over, one day I will stand face to face with my God and friend. That is where it will all matter, that is where God will judge upon the things He says to do and keep and the thing He did not say to do or keep.
Rv: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.
God is merciful because God is love; He wants that no one has to die the second death. But if someone by choice does not want to believe or do as He ask them to do, He God will not force you against your choice
God Bless you my friend; and if you are sick or someone you love or know is sick pray and ask God for His protection, His blessing, His guidance and understanding. Then move by faith knowing it was not God who did this it was because of a devil that hates you because you were made in the image of your creator God. Then except His will and follow His ways, just read about what Jesus did and how Jesus lived. Always doing the will of His Father, always helping someone else, always keeping the Commandments and always showing love to those who was hurting.
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth Ministry
Miracles are they from God or Satan
Have you even seen a miracle, how did you know it was a miracle. In our world today there is a lot of counterfeiting and so if it is in the world it is also in the Church. Are all Miracles of God (answer) can the devil also do miracles.
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Let’s open the Bible the word of God and see what the Holy Spirit has to say about Miracles, let’s look at Revelation 16:
13: And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14: For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
So Elder Tim you are saying that some of the miracles I have seen in my Church may not have been done by Gods Holy Spirit and that it was done by a devil. No I am not saying that the Bible is saying that, read it again in Revelation 16: 13-14, spirits of devils, working miracles. That is why we must study the Bible and not go by what we hear some preacher saying. The word of God can be the only truth that we can be sure is truth. Look at what the prophet Isaiah said while under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Isa: 8:20: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. If what you hear in Church, in your Home, or in a bar room, if it does not agree with all that the Bible said from Genesis to Revelations there is no truth in it.
Come with me as we travel through the Bible God’s Holy Word to see how God lead the early Disciples in aiding the Gospel commission.
Let us Pray!
Open your Bibles to the book of Acts and turn to Acts Chapter 20 verse 9-10
Acts 20: 9: And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 10: And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
Satin is always at work he does not sleep, he wants nothing more then to take as many people who were made in the image of God and destroy them. He know we are very special to God we are a one of a kind race living here on Earth. But instead of reflecting the image of God we are more likely reflecting the image of Lucifer. So what went wrong, our first parents believed what the Devil said over what God told them. Although this was not in the planes that God had for the people who was made in his image; He God did not leave us alone to die in our sins.
God had an emergency back-up plane, He loved His creation too much to just stand-by and watch them die.
After the young man fell out of the Church window it made no little disturbance in the meeting. Paul could see that the devil was at work and wanted to draw the attention from the words Paul was preaching; to the young man who just died
Acts 20:
10: And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. 11: When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. 12: And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
Wow what a Miracle and right there before everyone. What satan tried to destroy, God used as a blessing so that many other would believe!
How could Paul have done this, again we look to the Bible for the answer and to help us understand.
Corinthians: 12:
1: Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
Paul wanted to show the Church how much God loved them and that He would add them in there faithful walk with Him by these gifts God has giving to His true believers
4: Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5: And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6: And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7: But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9: To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
12: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14: For the body is not one member, but many.
So here we find that God gave to His people gifts, why to add them in the spreading of the Gospel. May times as Christian we want to shove down people throat the Gospel and make instance Christians out of them. But that is wrong, you never see that in the Bible, God people spoke the word and the word that was with God in the beginning the Holy Spirit refreshes the person. So you see we must first take care of the need and when they are ready and healthy again then bring them Jesus and they will be open to receive Him. Why because they will see in us the works that Jesus did.
Look also at the book of James 5:
James:5:16: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Wow the prayers of God’s righteous servants availeth much that is wonderful to know. The pray of faith by a righteous man who walk and talks to God, so the pray of faith is trusting God.
A number of years ago when I first came to understand Gods truth I was working as a Port Engineer taking care of 12 Offshore Supply Vessels. Some times I would have to drive all night to get to the Dock where the Ship came into. This one night I remember more then any because it was very foggy and I had a 6 hour drive ahead of me. The big problem was that the Supply Vessel was only going to be at the dock for 7 hours, so that say to me I need to hurry and get there.
As I drove I had my CB radio on trying to drive as fast as I could with all the fog. One of the problems I was having is I was getting tired because I worked all that day; I told my self I need to get there and did not have time to sleep. I got onto the back roads because I could get there faster but the fog there would only be worse. I did not know what to do so I said a prayer, why not, it was just a little while after I said that prayer that the fog lifted and it was a clear night. Wow I said but then I thought oh that was not my pray that the fog was lifted. But the more I listen to my CB radio and the people who were driving on the Main road I wondered, they was talking about how bad all the fog was. I called and asked them where they were on the highway because I am on the back road and I don’t have any fog. No one believed what I was saying, so I drove the next 5 hours with no fog until I got to the dock where the vessel was. I told them about how the fog lifted and I drove all the way here in less then 6 hours. They too did not believe what I told them.
But I knew it was God and he knew I needed to get to the ship and get there safe. This same thing happened to me many of times after and I would just thank God for it each time.
Take a look at Hebrews: 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
A few years after that I was working as a shore side mechanic for a company called AMR in FreeportTexas. When the big refineries in that area needed to shut down they would need to rent some big air compressors from where I worked in order to keep pressure on the lines to keep them from shutting down. There was 4 of us mechanics and we would rotate weeks of going out at midnight to fuel up the compressors.
I remember one night I got into the fueling truck and headed off to get a load of Diesel before going into the refineries. I had notices that the lights on the truck were not all that bright but like everyone I just wrote it off in my mind as nothing. I was going up a high bridge and just as I got to the top the engine stop running, I tried to start it but there was nothing. So I coasted off the bridge and pulled over on the side of the road to see what the problem was. When I turned the key switch all I could hear under the hood was a clicking sound, and I knew what that that was bad. The reason my lights were going so dim was because the battery was not charging and going dead. Oh boy what do I do now was all I could think. I was not in the best part of town and there were two bar rooms up a block or so but I did not need help from anyone who was drinking all night. I found a phone and called every number to my office trying to get help but no one answered. I needed to get moving because those big air compressors were getting low on fuel by now. I call my wife and told her what had happened, but she was at home sick. Anyway I walk back over to the truck and tried the key one more time and the same thing. I remember sitting there and then I ask God, Lord I am in a bind and don’t know what to do. I need to get fuel into the compressors and soon but I am hear in a truck with a dead battery and no one will answer my call for help.
It was about then in my mind I could hear a voice saying try the key again, I wrote it off as me just thinking foolishness but I kept hearing it so to satisfy my mind I turn the switch and the truck started, wow I could not believe that. I did not want to turn the lights on for fear it would finish draining the battery, but I could not drive in the darkness. So when I turned the lights on wow I said I have never seen them so bright. I went back to the office and fill up with fuel from the storage tank but left the truck engine running. After I filled it I looked and said Lord keep it running so I can fill the compressors, and I did just that I ran into all three refineries and filled all the compressors up and drove back to the office and parked the truck. The lights were still as bright and the engine was still running good. So I thought to myself, you know it might have just been a loose connection. So I turned the engine off and tried to start it again and there was nothing. I turned the light switch on and the battery was so drained it look like a cigarette butt for brightness. I knew then what I just had was a miracle, God sent an angle to power up my battery until all my work was done. The next Moring when I came into the office I seen one of the mechanic working on the fuel truck so I walk over and said what are you doing. He looked and said man do you know who drove the truck last night, yes it was me. He looked at me and said you are one lucky guy, why I said, he said the alternator is burnt up and the battery is 100% dead. How did you use it last night, oh I said that was easy, angle power I told him as I walked away.
Miracle, God hears his people in our time of need we are never along, He is right there listening to out prayers and needs.
But remember not all miracles are from God, because satan can also do a deception that would look like a miracle to us human. Go to the Bible, as we read the bible this is what God said about satan, for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, why to deceive. God is truth and Satan is a counterfeiter liar, what ever God does Satan will have one almost like it. Satan wants nothing more then to deceive you and lead you away from the truth and he will stop at nothing to do just that.
Rv:22:2: In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
God is love and He wants to show you that you can trust Him, but to trust someone you need to get to know them. And how do we get to know God, by studying about Him, and the more we study the closer we come to Him. The closer you are to God the more you want to do His will because you will see in Him a God of Love and mercy. Jesus said John:14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Jesus goes on to say in 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. All God asked from the beginning was for His people to obey what He told us and believe in His word. Satan wants nothing more then to get between you and God and keep you from knowing the truth. So he has a counterfeit for everything that God wants to give us. God has a Religion; Satan has a Religion almost the same as Gods. God have commandments so does Satan but taking just a few words out in God commandment and changing them. You see, that way hardly anyone will see the change satan made. God said worship me on the 7th day of the week, Satan says why not worship God on the 1st day of the week because that is the day everyone else is doing it. All counterfeits to Gods truth.
As we get closer to the time of the end we see Satan working even hard to get as many people as possible to believe his lies. Look at Revelation 13:
11: And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12: And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Who is this end time beast power that Satan is working through that is exercising all the power of the first beast before him, and will cause the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast power, whose deadly wound was healed.
13: And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14: And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Please don’t miss what the Bible just said (deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power)
15: And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
So the second beast will make laws to worship the first beast, and anyone who does not obey will be killed: read the book of Daniel chapter 3
Look with me at the description of this power and notices that he is lamb like in the beginning. A Lamb in the Bible represents Jesus, look at John:1: 29: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Who was this Lamb John was talking about Jesus that is correct.
So this 2nd beast power will start off as a Christian Nation, but then something happens, it starts to change. It takes on more of a dragon influence and who does a Dragon represents in the Bible. Lets look at Revelation:12:9: And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The Bible calls the Dragon the Devil and Satan, so this end time power that was once a Christian Nation will set aside it christianly and become the Devil’s tool working his will, not Gods. How does he do that by being a counterfeiter and making it just a little easier for people to do what he wants and not God!
Look at the book of Genesis and start with chapter 3
1: Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Did you see it, did you see how satan mixed just enough lie with Truth. For God said if you eat it you will surely die! satan said “Ye shall not surely die” When God gives a command we must follow it to the very dot and tee of the letter.
5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Here satan told the truth, yes we will know good & evil but look at the cost to all mankind. God in his love for man wanted nothing more then for man to just trust Him God, but He gave us a free will and we chose to believe what satan said over what God said.
Rom:6:16: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
He does not replace all of the Truth with a lie that would be too easy to catch, so what he does is to just mix a little lie in with the truth
Look at 2nd Corinthians: 11:
14: And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15: Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
What, did you just read that for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light and if he can impersonates an angle or Jesus doing Miracles what do you think the people of this world will do? They will all rush out to see and hear him and be healed by him.
Look at Matthew: 24:
23: Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25: Behold, I have told you before.
26: Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
God told us ahead of time that these things will come, so that we can be prepared and not be deceived by satan. Who are Gods true believes all who obey His voice and do the things He said to do. They will know the truth from the fake because they love the Lord and study and live there life in accordance to His commandment, that is why Jesus said if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Who ever you are reading this please study your bible, but not the way some preacher or some church do. Open your mind and forgot what you heard from others, let the Bible talk to you, listen for God Holy Spirit who will lead you into all truth.
Remember what God told to John to write in the book of Revelation 14:
Rv:14:12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Miracles still happen everyday, and God blesses us everyday and when we are sick we can go to Him in prayer for healing, but we should always add in our pray; thy will oh Lord be done. God is in control; sometime we need to step back and let Him do the driving, He will saftly get us home.
I still live with many problems from the Cancer I had, but the Cancer is not the problem anymore it is the treatment I had. You know what they say if the Cancer doesn’t kill you the treatment will, how very true. But this I always say and this is the way I look at my life. I would rather die at the hands of a God that loves me then to be healed by a devil who hates me.
I pray that you too will study the Bible and the bible only and let the Bible lead your life and not a Church that claim they are following the Bible but don’t do as Jesus said. Miracles happen when Gods true people pray and I believe I am a living Miracle because of the many prayer of God true people
Bless you all for the miracle of life that God give to us everyday
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth Ministry
SAVED by GIFT CERTIFICATE
I like when people give me Things, especially things like Gift Certificates, because it mean I can get something for free, I can go and eat and it don’t cost me nothing or I can go to the Home Depot and get things I need and it too don’t cost me anything.
I believe we are Saved this way, “Because someone else has already Paid the price”
Back about 2300 years ago the folk who lived in Alexandria in Northern Africa could not grow enough food. They were totally dependant on Eastern Mediterranean lands (Phoenicia) for their grain, their wheat.
They called it “corn” in those days. They would die without outside supplies. Their life totally depended on the arrival of the food from somewhere else.
About a certain time of the year when their supplies began to run out they would be waiting hoping that the ships would appear over the horizon soon, bringing the great supplies of wheat that had been grown.
People would keep a look-out. They didn’t have very good communications and so they would just watch for the ships.
When they saw those great grain ships appearing over the horizon they were just thrilled. There food was coming! What a great day that was! As the heavily laden ships came closer the good news spread quickly that food was coming.
The Greek-speaking folk living in Alexadria coined a special word just for that event; to announce the good news that the grain ships had arrived in port.
You can read this word in your New Testament. It’s in the book of Mark, chapter sixteen, you can find this word, this special word announcing the good news that the grain had arrived, that it was coming, it was on the way.
Here it is in Mark 16:15(NIV)- “And He said unto them ‘Go into all the world and preach the GOOD NEWS to all creation.’
” What is the “good news”?
The good new is that Jesus Christ has come, that He is our Savior. Of course the word we’re defining here is “the gospel“, evangelion in the Greek. Basically that means good, merry, glad, and joyful, tidings that makes a man’s heart glad.
The gospel is the good news that Jesus has come. He has brought life for a dying race. Without Jesus coming we were all doomed.
Romans 1:17(NIV)– For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, …. the righteous will live by faith,” he concludes in that verse.
The three angel’s messages of Revelation 14 is vital to us as a people.
The very heart of those messages is the everlasting gospel which will be proclaimed to every nation and kindred and tongue and people Rev. 14:6. When that happens then Jesus will come…as told in Matthew 24:14.
Now, there’s a lot of gobbledy-gook about how we are saved and what the gospel really is. Before we can preach the gospel we must know in our hearts what the gospel is.
If I asked ten people what the gospel is, I would probably get ten definitions. What is the gospel?
Here are two views about how we are saved:
1. We are saved totally by believing in Jesus. Works do not have anything to do with our salvation. Therefore, we can live however we want to live because works has nothing to do with salvation. Some people call this the “New Theology”, although it is thousands of years old.
2. Some people believe that we are saved by faith plus personal works. And Jesus saves us, that’s true, but we must manifest good works and we must grow more and more like Jesus toward perfection of our soul. And some people call that “legalism”.
Now I believe there’s a third way. And I believe that is brought by the gospel.
3. Jesus saves us. We’re saved totally by believing in Him. He totally provided righteousness for us, AND He provides the power to live the Christian life. We are not saved by our works: we’re saved by His works, and He empowers us to live the Christian life.
The first of these three views I would call cheap grace.
The second I would call legalism!
The third view, I believe, which is a balanced view where we ought to be today, and this view is what we want to focus on today.
Now I want to define the “Gospel” for you. What is the GOOD NEWS? What is the GOSPEL? The Gospel is what tells us that we are saved by a GIFT CERTIFICATE!
You are not saved by going down and securing salvation for yourself.
It is not a “do-it-yourself” thing.
Salvation is provided by somebody else that has gone down to the store and totally paid for your salvation long ago; and made it so that I can go down there to the store and trade your gift certificate for Eternal life.
We all want something for nothing. We shop for juicy bargains. We mail in the coupon for free drawings.
I had a Friend who one day showed me over 150 scratchy off Lotto tickets she got. She told me that she won all of these it just cost he $75.00. So I as her how much did you win, she just looked at me like “what do you mean” I got to play all of these over a 150 tickets. So I said OK I understand that you got to play all of them, but how much did you Win from playing all of them. She again just said I won all of these, so I told her you mean you lost your $75.00 bucks, She then told me that I did not understand anything about playing scratch-off. I told her all I understood is that She lost her Money.
People spend a fortune trying to win the lottery.
Shame on them!
Only twice does the word WIN appear in the Bible. PHILIPPIANS 3:8(KJV) Paul speaks of gaining – or winning Christ. “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. I have suffered the loss of all things…that I may WIN Christ.”
How do we get Christ?
By winning Him, not by purchasing Him.
If you want to win something win eternal life because you will Win every time.
It is a gift. Salvation is gained by accepting a Gift you have already won, not by our efforts; But because we have chosen Him. “Jesus” as our Savior
If you choose Jesus you are an instant winner. If you choose the world you are a big looser.
Salvation is free! But salvation is not a cheap commodity!
Jesus achieved my eternal life through sweat, tears and blood. What a high price! Today, Jesus simply gives it away to His friends who then possess perfect righteousness through their faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, on the cross Jesus said a very important statement: three little words. He said, “It is Finished!” (John 19:30)
What was finished?
The word Jesus used is a Greek word … Tetelestai, which in our version of the Scripture is translated, “It is finished.”
Archaeologists have repeatedly found its Latin equivalent, consummatum, scrawled across ancient tax receipts, indicating it also meant “paid in full“.
What Jesus was saying on the cross was, “This debt is now paid in full. I completely paid the price.” Sin’s account was settled on the cross. Our debt and guilt were wiped out! You can’t add to it. All that I can do is accept it.
So I obtain salvation by gift certificate that has been paid in full by Jesus.
I can’t purchase eternal life, by a whole life full of doing good works.
But I live a life of good works in response to His gift. Jesus gives me eternal life. But, the good news is that it does not stop with the gift certificate. When I take my salvation home Jesus comes home with me to help me apply my gift and to use my gift in my life. And that is very much UN-like cheap grace.
Years ago I purchased a gizmo for my children. It came in a box and said “some assembly required“! It was some assembly alright! After an hour or so and a long struggle with plastic parts and instructions written by some Japanese person who had probably had a one hour correspondence class in the English language, the thing finally worked!
The truth is that Jesus not only provides our salvation, but Jesus comes with the gift and helps us assemble the gift and use gift as the Christian life. Jesus creates within our new heart a dislike for sin and a deep love for good things.
The truth is that we are saved totally by Jesus’ blood, not by our own blood. And that same blood also has the power to enable us to live a changed life. That doesn’t mean that we won’t make any mistakes. We may make mistakes but that same blood also has the ability to blot out our sins and give us complete forgiveness.
Blood is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. It lies at the very heart of the Gospel, for it is through “the blood of his cross” that Jesus reconciled us to God. (See Colossians 1:20-23).
Some years ago a terrible railroad accident occurred, killing many people. A commuter train had stalled on the tracks just a few minutes before a fast freight was due to arrive.
A conductor quickly sent to flag down the approaching “flier.” Being assured that all was well, the passengers relaxed.
Suddenly, however, the speeding freight came bearing down upon them. The crash left a ghastly scene of horror.
The engineer of the speeding freight train, escaped death by jumping from the cab. He was called into court to explain why he hadn’t stopped.
“I saw a man waving a flag,” he said, “but it was yellow, so I thought he just wanted me to slow down.”
When the flag was examined, the mystery was explained.
It had been red, but because of long exposure to the sun and weather it had become a dirty yellow.
Just think of the lives eternally wrecked by the ‘Dirty yellow gospels’ that we hear today in many Churches — the bloodless theories of the gospel that send their hearers to their doom instead of stopping them on their downward slide!
Cheap grace will lead to certain doom. Legalism or perfectionism will not save. I’ve never met anybody that is totally perfect. I don’t think any of us could ever equal what Jesus did for us.
Jesus Christ can give you His righteousness and you can stand truly perfect right now by his Free Gift of Salvation to everyone who believes.
Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross can redeem your soul (see Romans 5:8,9). Don’t be deceived by a weak “dirty yellow gospel” of human works that is powerless to save you from everlasting destruction.
The wonderful truth is that we are truly totally saved by Jesus.
Jesus the Son of God is our Saviour. Jesus Himself will set us free. Jesus said in John 8:32 (KJV) “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” This is an interesting statement and many Christians do not apply this text correctly.
What is it that we have to know? The doctrines? or What is the truth?
Jesus explains this in the next verses: John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Notice what sets us free… The Truth in verse 32: And the Son of God in verse 36. Jesus is the same today as when he said that 2000 years ago…
In John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, life...'” It is knowing Jesus that totally sets us free. Jesus paid for Salvation with His perfect life. It is not the belief in certain doctrines that will save us. We do not have to earn heaven. Eternal life is a gift, free, it had already been paid for with your Gift Certificate Jesus gives you.
I am not saved because I keep the Sabbath or because I keep all the others Commandments, Why because the Law can’t save me, the Law can only convict me. We are saved by Jesus.
Matthew 19: 16: And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? What did Jesus tell him, you know the Commandments
20: The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
If just keeping the Law could save you them this young man should be saved; correct
Look at what Jesus said to him
21: Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22: But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
He was a Good Man, but being good what not his problem, He keep God Commandments, but just keeping the Commandments, was not his problem was it.
The real problem was, he was trying to save his self; by his works and not by his Faith. He did not have the Faith that if he gave away all that he had, God would give him ten times more back
But let’s understand Doctrines…..
Doctrines are important, and that’s where people call us a sect, they have almost stopped calling us a cult.
But they still call us a sect: they can’t understand how we can believe that we are totally saved by Jesus and yet it is also important to keep the Sabbath.
Because I am saved by the Blood of Jesus I do what he told me to do. If you Love me keep my Commandments John:14:15:
We keep God’s Commandments because we love him not because we are saved by them.
Never forget one thing, There is a different’s in keep God’s Law to be Saved; and keep God’s Law because you are Saved.
I will tell you this, I am married to a wonderful woman and I don’t help her do the dishes because of some law, I do that because I want to, I want to do something to make her happy.
I keep the Sabbath because I want to do what makes God happy. It’s a response to Him. So we’re saved by gift certificate. Eternal life is given by a gift.
How do you get the gift? You have to know the Giver.
Let me ask you a question– Have you ever received a major gift in your whole life from a complete stranger?
That has never happened to me.
We almost always receive gifts from people that we know. Our friend Jesus, because we know Him he wants to give us His Eternal life.
The Gospel is all about our wonderful loving Friend, Jesus, standing with outstretched arms wanting to share His eternal life with you.
I believe the only way anyone will ever be lost is if that person willfully and consistently rejects Jesus and reject His free gift of Eternal Life.
Otherwise, we’re going to be saved.
Legalism is like a body without a soul. It is a corpse.
Cheap Grace is like a soul without a body. It is a ghost.
Neither one of them work.
Only Jesus could live the perfect life in both body and soul. He became a Saviour.
Jesus, lived the perfect life and paid a big price for complete salvation for each of us. Then Jesus gives this expensive rescue to us as a free gift if we love Him.
Where do you pick up your gift certificates?
John 3:36- “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life!…”
You get it from Jesus.
You know there is only one thing about a Gift Certificates; It is no good unless you use it.
My friend we are told that we are saved by grace through out faith in God. Put your faith in Jesus and what He has done for you, it is free for the asking just trust Him and see.
God Bless you all is my pray in Jesus name.
Elder Tim Mc Nab
Bible for Truth Ministries & McDonald Road Church
The Prophet and the Donkey
Numbers 22: 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
Do you sometime feel you are standing in your own way?
![60-wrong-way[1]](http://www.restoringgodstruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/60-wrong-way1.jpg)
Have you ever wanted to go some where and all most went to the wrong place, because you found you were going in the wrong direction.
I missed my plane at an airport in Paris once, I wanted to get on a plane going to Brussels but somehow I was waiting at the gate for one going to Brazil. Has this ever happen to you while you are traveling, don’t feel you are all alone. We are born going the wrong way because of sin, and it is Jesus who puts us back on track.
How many time do we miss the Signs that God has giving us to direct and guide, all because we become careless as Christians.
In the Bible we are told that there is only one thing that is importance, and that is to follow Jesus. There is nothing else that Matters.
But it is so easy to become careless, when place ourselves on satanic ground
We sometimes try to get things that God know it not good for us, because it will not lead us closer to Him; but father away from him.
The world strive for more everyday, everyday you see people who are court up in a world of making more, weather it is more Cars, more Houses, more Land, more Crops, more Investments, More, More, More, MONEY.
I once asked a rich man how much is enough, he look at me for a while and then said, until, I said until what, he said until I have it ALL.
So I then asked, when you get it all, what are you going to do with it. Try to get more?
Mark:8: 36:
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
As Christ representative how are we supposed to look each day? How are we supposed to act each day?
Many times a person life may be determined just but the way we act or look in a giving situation.
One day the Pastor told me that there was a complaint about me, I ask him what is was, he told me that a cretin Man who told him he will never come back to Church again because of the way I looked at him. I was floored by what he said; I don’t understand I told him.
He told me that one Sabbath after study service was over; I was coming down the hall getting ready to go up and start the worship service with the other Elder. This Man was standing in the Hall and he looked at me and said I looked back at him, and he could read the expression on my Face “by the way I looked back at him” that I did not want anything to do with him, that I through little of him.
This all happened a few years ago while I was in the middle of Radiation and Chemo treatment the second time.
I know I was not the best persons to be around at that time in my Life, even my Children moved out of the house. Most days I should have not even came to Church, but I did because it made me fell better then just sitting at home. But I wish now that I would have stay home that day, because of an expression of my face there is a person who may never come to know Jesus.
It is hard, but it is true; that it does not matter if the expression on my face was because of Pain, Sorrow, Sickness, Suffering, or just Contempt. He read something in my Face that should not have been there, and a soul may become lost because of it.
How about with doing Gods will, do we sometime jump the gun, and take off running with our fully listening to what Gods is saying.
How easy is it to misinterpret what Gods real plan is when we are bent on doing something we want to do. I am sure that no one here has that problem.
Lets go to the Book of Numbers Chapter 22: and see if any other Christian had this problem
1: And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.
We find here that the Children of Israel had not yet intern into the promise Land, for we are told that they were still on the other side of the Jordon in the plains of Moab.
Now if you were the King of that country and all of a sudden a large amount of People just showed up and camped in your back yard, how would you fell about it?
To make matters worse, you hear all kinds of stories about them and how there God goes before them. In fact you hear stories about how they have walk through Rivers of water on dry-land, how they eat food that come down from the Heavens, and how there God goes before them into battle.
This would make you pretty up-set would it not? Balak was indeed up-set!
2: And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
The Amorites were a strong people in the Land, but were powerless to stand before the Children of Israel when God was with them. Notice: I said when God was with them
This is a good lesion for us today, we should only fight the battle for God when he is with us, don’t try and do it on you own
3: And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
They were afraid and they were scared because they have seen what had happen to the Amorites and figure it will also happen to them next.
4: And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
Normally when an approaching army comes and besieges a City, they pretty much eat off the Land and do what ever they want. Because there were no re-enforcement in those days
But this was not Balak main concern, his main concern was that Israel was going to defeat all the Kings round about them, and it would only be a matter of time before he to would have to defend his kingdom.
Now let me ask, was God fair in his dealing with these Kingdoms?
Did they have the opportunity to know who God was?
Did they have the knowledge of the great God of Creation?
How do we know that the knowledge of God existed in that part of the world, look at verse #5, what does it say the King did.
5: He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
I just love the way this King describes the people of God, there is a day coming when the people of God will again cover the face of the whole earth.
6: Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
The King knew and understood one thing, he had a big problem on his hand and this Man was in contact with the one person who could help.
What he did not know was that this same God was the one bringing these people into his homeland because they had refused to acknowledge him as there Lord and Master.
Moab was a descendent of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. So they had ever opportunity just like we do today to know God, but they do just like we do, they choose to turn away from God and serve another Master.
Jesus well said in the Book of Matthew 12:
30: He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
The people of Moab knew who Jehovah was but they choose the pleasures of sin for a season rather then to serve the God of creation, so the cup of there transgressions had finally reached it limit.
We too have the same problems; we too choose the pleasures of sin, rather then to give God not only our Life, but our Time, our Money, and our, Heart.
The Day of Judgment will come when we lease expect it, and rather then asking God for his forgiveness the world like Balak will search and hope to find someone who can curse the people of God who dire stand in there way.
Now the King is sending his delegate, his diplomat, his representative, his ambassador, what every you may want to call them; on a very special mission.
Numbers 22:
7: And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
So they are doing what the people of this world would do when in trouble and need a quick fix.
How many times when you are having a problem do you look for a quick fix. You don’t need to raise your hands; it is just about all of us at times, right.
We are always looking the fast way out rather then having to stay in for the long hall. The King of Moab was no different he needed a quick fix so he is sending now for Balaam’s help.
Now let’s take a close look at the Man of God and what he is going to say to this envoy of people from the Moab
8: And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. Way to go
As Christian we should never take matters into our own hands. Always before entering into a matter we should make it a time of prayer and seeking to know God will. Here we have a very good example of how to handle every type of situation.
9: And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
I am sure God did not need to ask Balaam who these men were or what they were doing there. But God always gives us a chance to explain the matter in clarity, so that God and Man are talking on the same terms and we can’t say later “I did not understand”.
10: And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
11: Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
Balaam also knew who these people were and he also knew that the Lord God was bringing them out of Egypt to possess the land before them.
12: And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
Case is now settled and the matter is closed, right.
13: And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.
Now I have a problem here with the way Balaam handles this, I think he should have used better words then the Lord refused to give me leave.
Maybe something like; you better get home and get your house in order because the Lord God of Israel is going to give your Land to the people before you, and don’t call on me again.
In the way Balaam answer these men he left an opening for the King of Moab to come back. He left an opening for satin to inter, for he wanted to please God but he also wanted to please the King of Moab, who was to give him a very lard reward.
14: And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
Balaam just needed to find a way around God not letting him go to claim this reward; after all he could do a lot of good with that kind of money.
He could build a School, go on a missionary trip, and maybe even hold some evangelistic seminars right there in the mist of all these Idolatry nations. BUT God does not need Money he needs a people who are faithful to him in every aspect.
15: And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.
16: And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:
When people are bent on doing something there way, they will stop at nothing, even selling themselves to achieve what they want
17: For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
This is the reward Balaam was hoping for; if he could curse these people for the King of Moab and get paid before the children of Israel invade Moab he could take is easy for the rest of his live.
But Balaam knew one thing, it was not up to him, he must inquire of God.
18: And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
Does God change his mind, do we need a second time to go and ask God it is still Not OK to go.
How do you feel when your Children come to you and ask?
Dad I know you said No on this; but I want to check to see if it is now OK.
People may change, but God does not, if God told you to go,
you need to ask what’s stopping you, and if God told you to not to go,
you need to shut it down fast.
19: Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.
Balaam knew who these people were he knew that God was with them and he knew God was going to answer him the same way.
20: And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
Now please notices what God told him” If these men come to call thee, rise up” and go with them
Here is a big problem with many of good Christian people of God
These men knew that God would not give Balaam permission to go with them and so they did not go to inquire of Balaam but broke camp and made ready to depart.
When Balaam learned this what did he do?
![RidingDonkey[1]](http://www.restoringgodstruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/RidingDonkey1.jpg)
21: And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
Balaam did not wait for the men to come and ask, he was ready that morning to go with them; He was standing in the wrong line, waiting to go to the wrong place.
This happens when we know what God will is but we try and input our own will instead. Balaam did the same thing we do; and that is to try and rationalize what God said.
Good Christian people everyday try and explain what God is saying rather then just paying attention to the words in God Holy Book, just read it for yourselves.
God was not pleased with the actions of Balaam.
Balaam was double-minded, pursuing a course to gain and retain the favor and honor of the enemies of the Lord, for the sake of rewards he received from them.
At the same time he was professing to be a prophet of God. Because the Idolatrous nations believed that curses might be uttered which would affect individuals, and even whole nations.
22: And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
If there were every a Man between a Rock and a Hard place I believe Balaam found it.
23: And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Any one here have a Donkey, not only are they ugly but they are about the most stubbing animal there is; the only reason to ride one is because it is better then walking.
I am sure in Gods eyes sometimes we are just like Donkeys
24: But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25: And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
Balaam did not know what was happing, but that pore little Donkey new, and he wanted nothing to do with the Angle who stood in the path he was going in.
26: And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27: And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
This kind of reminds us of what happen when we are in traffic and there is a slow poke in front of you and you just want to beat them out of the way.
Now please notice what the Lord does here.
28: And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
Balaam is so mad that he does not even realize he is talk to the Donkey,
29: And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
30: And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
As he now starts to realize what is going on by the way the Donkey is speaking to him, God open his eyes
31: Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
32: And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
The Angle told him, Because your ways was wicked before me:
33: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
34: And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
Balaam sure changes his tune now. Why do we have to wait for an Angle of God to knock us off our Donkey before we start to go the right way. (And there is another word I would like to use in place of the word Donkey), Paul had to get knock his Hose
35: And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Here is a solemn warning for the people of God today, to allow no un-Christian trait to live in our hearts. A sin which is cultivated becomes habitual; and, strengthened by repetition, it soon exerts a controlling influence, bringing into subjection all the nobler powers.
Balaam loved the reward of unrighteousness. The sin of covetousness, which God ranks with idolatry, he Balaam did not resist and overcome.
Satan obtained entire control of him through this one fault, which deteriorated his character, and made him a time-server. He called God his master; but he did not serve Him; he did not work the works of God
There are a lot of times in life we try and go our own way and do our own thing, forgetting that God is right there everyday watching his children.
We sometimes go where we should not go, and do things we should not, even look at someone the wrong way.
We as Christian must always be on guard against the attack of satin, sometimes when we know the will of God we too like Balaam want to go when God is saying stop.
We are sometimes just like Balaam when we want to follow our own way rather then following God way. Sometime we make excuses or try and put words in God mouth of what he has not told us to do,
We need to make sure we are following Jesus, following the Cross and not following the world.
If you follow the world it will lead you to destruction just like it did to Balaam, but if we follow Jesus he will lead us to eternal life is a land that eye’s have not seen and ear’s have not heard of.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth
You Are What You Eat!
Did you ever hear someone say these words to you before?
What do they really mean?
Are we to believe we are what we eat, or we eat what we are?
I have heard a lot of different sermons on this subject, but my question is this what does the Bible and the Bible only say about food?
We hear everyday someone preaching on the Radio or we see them on the TV, and most of the time what they are saying really sounds good. They are even giving Scriptures to back up the opinion that was made.
But you know what, “I found that you could take the bible and use a few scriptures and make it say whatever you want it to say”. “Is that not what satin does all the time?”
Because we form our own opinion about a subject, or because we were tart a subject in a way that you could never see truth, unless the Holy Spirit is your guide.
Well we are going to look at what the Bible say about Food, not what I say or the preacher on the Radio said about it.
We will let Gods book speak for itself on the matter.
First of all we need some rules:
Rule #1
The Bible and the Bible alone will interpret itself, it does not need mans help!
Rule #2
If in doubt see rule #1
How should we study the word of God?
First Let’s have Prayer:
You should never open the word of God with out first asking for his spirit to guide you into all truth
If you find something hard to understand you should never give up and except what the world said about it, keep searching till you understand the meaning.
We are going to jump in head first by looking at the Book of Leviticus:
I will be using a lot of Scripture today and it may not be possible for you to keep up, so if you like I will make available free of charge to anyone a copy of this sermon.
Leviticus 11
1: And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
2: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
Here we have God saying to Moses, I am going to show you something Moses if you want to live a better life and a longer life, do what I tell you. There are beasts I have created that are ok to eat and there are beasts that are not ok to eat.
I am going to show you that there is a different between them.
3: Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
No need to be a professor to understand what that just said, right. God did say that what is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud among the beasts (Mammals) are OK to use as food. Is that clear?
4: Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
5: And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
6: And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
7: And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud;he is unclean to you.
God said that all Mammals as described above are not clean and you should not eat them. Is that clear?
Now God goes on to tell Moses the same thing is true of all I created in the Sea
9: These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
10: And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
When God said something is an Abomination people need to wake-up a smell the Coffee.
What is another word for Abomination, “eyesore, loathe, abhorrence, repulsive, detestation” do you kind of get the picture God was painting about what he thinks of man eating these things.
God said Moses I am not finish yet there is more we have to talk about things that fly.
13: And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
14: And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
15: Every raven after his kind;
16: And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
17: And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18: And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
19: And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
20: All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
These are all birds of pray and God said don’t eat them, they are not good for food.
21: Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
22: Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
I don’t know of anyone standing in line for a grasshopper burger, are better yet a grasshopper burger toped with locust. But God said there were clean and OK to use as food.
Matt 3: 4
And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
God goes on talking to Moses he said.
Leviticus 11:
23: But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
God also told Moses, I created a Dog to be man best friend not on his plate for lunch.
27: And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.
42: Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
Look good at the next scripture:
Who is telling us this “ Can man change what God said !
44: For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
God’s gave these requirements to His people His holy people. Back then God’s holy people were the Jews. Today God’s holy people are His true followers
What does Paul tell us in 1st Corinthians 6: 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
We are not to believe that our bodies are ours to do what we please, our body belongs to God and they are giving to us for a short time here on Earth.
45: For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46: This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
Why do you think God gave us laws? If you know that giving your children too much food with sugar in it will make then sick, what do you tell them. Do you not make rules or Laws of what they can or can’t eat? God is no different; He knows what is good for our bodies and what is bad.
47: To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
Are we still to obey these old laws today; this is the big question.
We here a lot of Christian preachers saying that they are out dated, they were for the Jew only, we Christian are not under the law so they don’t apply to us today.
Is that Scripturally True:
Let’s keep going to find the true answer to the question, remember I am not going to give you my opinion of the subject, I am going to give you all of what the word of God said on the subject and you will draw your own conclusion.
There is nothing I dislike more then hearing a preacher read the word of God and then say well it don’t really mean that it mean this, are it was for these people and not us, we are different.
Were the Jewish people, Gods holy people?
Careful of what you say now, are we today Gods holy people?
What makes the different!
They were Gods people then, and we are Gods people now, they were the church then, we are the church now.
The only different is the Cross of Jesus. They looked forward to the Cross; we look back at the Cross.
Lets doing a little digging here and go back to creation.
Does the word Meat mean Flesh food in the Bible? Let’s look at Genesis: 1: 29: And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Does any one need a preacher to understand what we just read? What we read is God gave to man his food, and it was not the beasts’ (animals) of the earth, it was the fruit or meat of the fruit as the Bible calls it.
For this reason you will find many Christians who are vegetarian and not meat eaters.
The diet of man was altered after Sin entered into the Human family and man became so wicked that God had to make an end.
Genesis 6
5: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6: And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
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.
We are not going into the book of Noah, because of time; let’s just take a look at what happen.
We know that God told Noah to build an Ark because he was going to destroy the earth with a flood. God gave Noah the plan for the size of the Ark, why because he knew it would have to hold a pair of all the beasts of the earth.
Lets pickup on the story where God is calling the animals and they are going into the Ark.
Genesis 6
19: And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
20: Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
Let’s dig a little deeper here into what is happing right here.
Genesis 7
1: And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2: Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Did we just read that right, did God say Clean beast by sevens and un-clean by two.
Did God make a distinction between what animals were clean and unclean back in the time of Noah?
So why do we here men preaching telling us we don’t have to worry about those old Laws, we can eat anything we want, just put a little more gravy on it. It is ok to eat what God said is an abomination
Were those laws for the Jew only and not for us today? Was Noah a Jew?
We have the same problem with the Sabbath, God said Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Preachers are saying that was for the Jew not for us, we can worship God on any day we want.
But yet we find God resting on the Sabbath in Genesis.
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
We here preacher saying the Sabbath was for the Jews only, yet we find God gave it to our first parents Adam & Eve, Were they Jewish ?
God said Remember the Sabbath day, man said No Forget it, we go to church on Sunday. Who are you going to believe; God or your preacher?
God knew that all the vegetation would be destroyed on the earth, and he knew man would need to eat, so he permitted man to eat the clean beasts of Earth.
It was not Gods intended food for man; he did not create our body to consume Flesh food. It was only a substitute after man Sinned.
This is the 3rd time we find God lowing the Food standard for man, did you know that.
Let’s look at the Facts
Genesis 1: 29
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
This is the first and best food God gave to Mankind, Is this correct, their more, lets look
Genesis 2: 9
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Did you understand what we just read, in the garden there was a Tree of Life, this with the fruit of other trees was Man Food. The perfect mixture that could keep the bodies God created running forever and ever and ever.
Did you know that in each of us God created our bodies to repair themselves. It’s all there inside us; the problem is we no longer have access to the perfect mixture of food that was in Gods plan for man, Why. “SIN”
Science today has discovered that the body uses different compounds to aid in repairing itself. It get these compounds by the food we eat, it brakes down the food and absorbs the chemical. Then it uses the chemical in a microscopy way to aid in the repair of cells. But they all agree on one thing. That there is one Chemical Missing and they have no idea what one that one is. Could it be the Fruit we can’t get anymore “the Tree of Life”
Look at the next scripture:
Genesis 2: 17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
So there was a Tree that gave Life, and a Tree that gave Death, would anyone like to guess which Tree man chose.
That’s correct we chose Death,
So we know the Hi octane food needed for man to live forever was removed because we chose to die rather then live.
What did God do next!
Genesis 3:
17: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18: Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
God never intended for man to eat the herb of the field, or vegetables of the earth, that was our choice; guess what happens when you no longer had access to the Food God made for you.
Genesis 5: 5
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Conclusion:
- God created hi octane fuel for our body “ Tree of Life and the Fruit of the trees in the garden”. We will call this No# 1 Premium grade Fuel. If your body is running on this is will run forever.
- God substituted man food after sin interned by taking away the Tree of life and giving him the Vegetables as well as the Fruit of the tree. We will call this No#2 Medium grade Fuel. And man life went from Forever to about 900 years.
- After the Flood we again find God substituted man food by giving him permission to eat the clean beasts of the Earth. We will call this No#3 Low grade Fuel. And again what happen, man life went from 900 years to 500 to 300 to 200 to 125 to 70 years. Its all in the Bible read it.
All I want to do here is give you the facts from the Word of God and not my own opinion
Are we what we eat or do we eat what we are.
Now I am going to ask you to form your own opinion on this one.
If God gave permission to eat the low-grade #3 fuel “Clean Animal”
What would you call the Un-clean Animal; Extreme low grade #4 or #5 Fuel, now you understand why God said don’t eat them they are an abomination to you, “Don’t even touch them”
I hear a lot of good Christian people saying, in the New Testament we are told we can eat anything we want. Well that great my friend but you will never find that Scripture that said you can eat anything unless you take it out of the content it was written in.
Why because God’s people are still Gods people today, from Adam to Noah to Moses and the Jews and you and me who by Faith in Jesus are grafted in to the true vine.
God gave his Laws to our first Parents, and told there Children 2500 years later to Remember them. 1500 years later he came to this Earth to prove he Loves us and even died showing it.
As a Christian I can eat anything I want to eat, but I choose Gods way because I know that he would want me to keep this body running in good condition for as long as possible.
1Cor:6:19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
My body is the temple where Gods Holy Spirit lives and I want to put only what God said to put in it. If the so called old laws were good enough for Gods people back then, they are good enough for Gods people now. God does not change and His laws are still binding no matter what man may say. Let the Bible and only the Bible speak, Gods Holy Spirit lead Men to write it and God Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth and make clear what God is saying.
Most of you know that I had Cancer and it came back 3 times. I fought it with all the radiation and chemo’s, but it did not work. Then the last time I just gave it all to God and because my body was in better health then normal by eating the right foods God stopped the cancer from growing. I still test positive for NPC and my doctors can’t understand how I am still alive 8 years later. Then again most of them know nothing about the correct food that Gad gave to man.
STORY: New Car
If you buy a new can what is the first thing you do, read the owner Manuel right. Why would do you do that?
Because when we buy something new we want to know what the Manufacture said about our new car and how to take care of it
The Manuel will tell us the type of Spark Plugs to best use and how often to change Oil and Filters where to put water and where not to put it, and most of all what type of Fuel is best for our New Car to keep it running at Maximum performance and keep all the internal part clean and working good.
Now we have a chose to make, we can do what the Manual said to do and keep our New Car in tip top shape, or we can through the Manual away, and put what we want into the car fuel tank, it just that simple.
You know it seams like we all start out making the wrong chose at first, look at Adam & Eve. Our first parents made a bad chose, but when they found out, they ask for forgiveness and God forgave them. So it was with our Fathers before us, so it is with us today.
When we finally realize that we make some bad mistakes in life all we have to do is say Father please forgive me, and he will. We may have to live with the result of the many bad mistakes we made, and that is understandable. So did our first Parents, but we can change our live and start living for Jesus today
I don’t know if this message will make you change your life style or not, or after hearing it what you will do. I pray it was a clear subject on the word of God dealing with what we should or should not eat; only you and God will know the answer to that.
The Choice is your!!!
Are you what you eat, or do you eat what you are?
I have changed my life style back to a vegetarian because I don’t like the taste of meat and because I believe God knows what the best things are for me to eat. After all who knows better but the creator.
Remember God gave these laws to His Holy people, back then they were the Jews, today they are His true follower His true Church.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth.
God is Love
Matt:hew22:37: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
A few months ago my Wife gave me a gift for Christmas, something I always wanted, a GPS for my truck to help guide me when I get lost coming home from work. Well mostly for when I am traveling to help find where I am going.
It is really cool you can set where you want to go and just kick back and do what it tells you to do.
But I find it has a fault with it. You see I don’t like going the same way to work and back home all the time. Sometimes I take short cuts by taking the back roads. So I have to sit there and listen to my GPS telling me I am going the wrong way turn around, then when it finally understand I am not going to turn around. It said re-calculating and shows me the way home from my new location.
Now this is really fun or it was for a while anyway. What I would do is to let it tell me the time it would take to get home from my destination, and then I would go the back way and try to beat its best time.
Now as much fun as I was having with the GPS, it did not take long before it started to get Old.
And you know I was not playing with it anymore, nor did I try to beat its time.
But what really got me the most is that no matter how many times I let it take me home on the back roads, it never learned. It was as if it new only one way, it never learned as much as I tried to teach it the back roads.
You even wander how God feel about stuff like that.
When He first created Man God did not want a robot something with a pre-formed program that will always love Him.
Can you image, I LOVE YOU, YES I LOVE YOU> with no meaning to it.
How long do you think it would take God to get board with something like that?
He wanted a being that could learn, could make decisions, could laugh, could sing and Love Him back. Someone that He could communicate with and enjoy spending time with Even at the risk that one day they might rebel and kill Him.
Let Us Pray:::
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Turn to the person sitting next to you and answer this question to yourself.
Would I die for this person sitting next to me?
More then likely if it is your Husband, Wife or your child your answer is Yes.
Not always the case but we are saying more then likely.
Let’s be Honest now; What is that four letter word that we as Christian seldom use,
That right “LOVE”
It is one thing to say you Love; and quite another thing to truly mean it.
What is LOVE?
How does the world describe LOVE, is it a one night stand, or just sexual desire when your hormones get overworked.
In our world today there are many who look for Love in the things that this World has to offer, but it is not true Love.
- Beautiful; people worry about how they look, and there is nothing wrong with that we all want to look good; but wanting to look good should not be your life’s goal or ambitions. I am glad I am Ugly so I don’t have to worry about this one.
- Money; there is nothing wrong with having money as long as it is not your God or that you put it before others.
- Things; just like money we can have a Love for the possessions we have; If you put the things you have in life before others.
- Love of self, being glad that you are not like other who are less fortunate then you are. Best described as a five letter word called PRIDE.
So how do we define true Love in a world of Sin.
You know in the old days when a Boy and Girl meet they fell in Love they got Married raised a family, the Man would work hard making a living and bring it all home to support his children and Wife.
They would live a long life together for 50 to 70 years and then go to rest in Jesus.
Some one told me that was old fashion; we now live in the year 21 century so get with it old man.
Now days when Boy meets Girl they get married on the 5&10 plan
They meet fall in Love because they both look good and are at the healthiest point in there life. They get Married start having Children and 5 or 10 years go by and they are getting a Devoice.
Now let me ask you what was missing in there lives. Where did they go wrong?
They have no true commitment or true love for each other
Let’s take a look at LOVE and how it is described in Gods word.
Love is the basis of all creation; and redemption is the basis of true education.
This is made plain in the law that God has given as the guide of life. . . . To love Him, the infinite, and all-knowing one, with your whole strength and mind and heart, means the highest development of every power.
It means that in the whole being; the body, the mind, as well as the soul—that the image of God is to be restored in Mankind.
The law of love calls for the devotion of body, mind, and soul to the service of God and our fellow men. And this service, while making us a blessing to others, brings the greatest blessing to ourselves.
John 3: 16: 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 made
In the book of Genesis 1: 31: we are told And 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 very image of the creator God. What an honor 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
It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne.
From the beginning, God 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.
He Died for YOU
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)
John: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 Savior, the Holy Spirit has come as a counselor, 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.
The men and women who through the long centuries of persecution and trial enjoyed a large measure of the presence of the Spirit in their lives, they have stood as signs and wonders in the world. Before angels and men they have revealed the transforming power of God’s redeeming love in the heart
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 setteth fast the mountains.” “The sea is His, and He made it.” Ps. 65:5&6; 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.
Rom:13: 10: Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
True Love is Patient, true Love is Kind, true Love will endure, and true Love will overlook the Faults of others and endeavor to bring into others the saving grace of Jesus.
It sees no evil, wishes no evil and does no evil to someone else. Jesus said Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
If only we would follow the Master words Love worketh no ill to others, what a place our world would be.
Matthew 5
43: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Through the prophet, Jesus declares, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.” He compels none to follow Him. “I drew them,” He says, “with cords of a man, with bands of love.” Ps. 77:20; Jer. 31:3; Hosea 11:4.
It is not the fear of punishment, or the hope of everlasting reward, that leads the Disciples of Christ to follow Him.
They behold the Savior’s matchless love, revealed throughout His pilgrimage on earth, from the manger of Bethlehem to Calvary’s cross, the sight of Him attracts, it softens and subdues the soul. Love awakens in the heart of the beholders. They hear His voice, and they follow Him.
The law of God, from its very nature, is unchangeable. It is a revelation of the will and the character of its Author. God is love, and His law is love. Its two great principles are love to God and love to man. “Love is the fulfilling of the law” Rom. 13:10
Matthew 22;
36: Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38: This is the first and great commandment.
The greatest of all Commandments is to Love the Lord your God, This will take in the first Four of God Ten Commandments.
The revelation of God’s love to man centers in the cross, its full significance
tongue cannot utter, pen cannot portray, the mind of man cannot comprehend.
Christ crucified for our sins, Christ risen from the dead, Christ ascended on high, is the science of salvation that we are to learn and to teach.
Rom. 8:34 “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God”
Heb. 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he liveth to make intercession for them”
It is through the gift of Christ that we receive every blessing. Through that gift there comes to us day by day the unfailing flow of Jehovah’s goodness.
Every flower, with its delicate tints and its fragrance, is given for our enjoyment through that one Gift. The sun and the moon were made by Him. There is not a star which beautifies the heavens that He did not make. Every drop of rain that falls, every ray of light shed upon our unthankful world, testifies to the love of God in Christ.
Everything is supplied to us through the one unspeakable Gift, God’s only-begotten Son. Who was nailed to the cross that all these bounties might flow to God’s people who Love him and he will manifest his life in them who truly love him.
1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God”
The knowledge of God as revealed in Christ is the knowledge that all who are saved must have. It is the knowledge that works transformation of character. This knowledge, received, will re-create the soul in the image of God. It will impart to the whole being a spiritual power that is divine.
Of His own life the Saviour said, “I have kept my Father’s commandments” John 15:10. “The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” John 8:29.
As Jesus was in human nature, so God wants His followers to be, In His strength we are to live the life of purity and nobility which the Savior lived.—
When your heart is in its right place the Love for God will be first and foremost in your life. There will be nothing you will put between you and God
I hope we can truly understand that, There will be nothing you will put between you and God. It is through the transforming love of Gods grace that others will see the Love of Jesus living in you and want to know more about him.
The Second greatest Commandment is like the first; Love for others, on this hang the other six Commandments.
Matthew 22:
39: And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets
God’s Laws are all built on a Foundation of Love for others.
John 15:
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.
Now how would you answer the question of True Love.
It is easy to say I would die for my Spouse, I would die for my Children, my Brothers or Sisters, my Dad and Mon, and for a few good close relatives just to be on the good side.
But it is quite another thing to say it and mean it about dieing for someone else or someone you don’t even know.
True Love will look over the other Faults and still say yes I love you.
One of the reasons so many Marriage fail today is because one of the pair fail to over look the faults of the other.
And it is no different in the Church; when we get so busy looking at the faults of other we fail to see our own and when this happen it can destroy even God house.
Luke:6:42: Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.
In take upon Himself humanity, Christ revealed a character the opposite of the character of Satan.
But He stepped still lower in the path of humiliation. “Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:8.
As the high priest laid aside his gorgeous pontifical robes, and officiated in the white linen dress of the common priest, so Christ took the form of a servant, and offered sacrifice, Himself the priest, Himself the victim. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.” Isa. 53:5.
Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His.
It was Satan’s purpose to bring about an eternal separation between God and man; but in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen.
In taking our nature, the Saviour has bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken. Through the eternal ages He is linked with us. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.“
He menthe what he said and he said what he menthe
I would like to share a story with you and hope it will hit home.
I’ll never forget reading the first time about a dream that the famous Scotch theologian, Alexander White. This man awoke one night in a terrible sweat of fear and torment. He was weeping; his wife, in fact, had been awakened by his cries in the night. She said, “What’s the matter Alex, what’s the matter?” “Ah,” he said, “Mary, I had a terrible dream. I dreamed I stood in Pilate’s judgment hall, I saw Jesus brought in there before the tribunal.
I saw them strip Him to the waist. I saw a cruel Roman soldier step up with a long wicked lash, and he began to beat Jesus.” He said, “I watched as that great whip came down once, and then it came down twice, and I could stand it no longer. I sprang forward, I gripped the arm of the soldier. I held on as tightly as I could, then suddenly,” he said, “this soldier turned and looked me in the face, and Mary,” he said “it was I!
I was the soldier-I was the one beating my Lord.” And Alexander White broke down and wept bitterly as he remembered that terrible dream. Ah, friends, if we could only be impressed so vividly ourselves, that it was our sins that crucify the Son of God.
May God help us to confess our sins, to accept Jesus as our Saviour, to have our sins washed away in the blood of Christ, so that they shall not stand against us, so that we shall not share in the sin which killed Him there upon the cross of Calvary.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
We can only learn how to die for others when others can see Jesus in us.
If they can’t see Jesus in us then the only person we will die for is ourselves, and that death is the eternal death from Jesus.
When Love is in the heart the Image of Jesus will be present in the Life.
Love is the outward workings of the Holy Spirit in the Live of people who has made Jesus the center of there lives.
Love works no evil, hears no evil, and does no evil to others; remember Jesus died for ALL
Matthew:5:46: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Matthew:22:37: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind
When we learn to Love God with all of our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind; then we will have learn to the point of being willing to die for others as Jesus die for you.
God Bless
Elder Tim
Law & Grace
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Sometime things are hard to see even if it is right in front of our eyes, but praise God he has giving us a Spiritual Mirror so we can not only see but understand his words.
Story: I once had a Boat named the Egabrag 1
You might ask what was so great about the Egabrag,it was no different then any other Vessel, but it had one of the most importance jobs in the Military working for the US Navy
Every day it preformed it job flawless, it never failed to do its job, too much was counting on it to fulfill its daily mission.
For almost 20 years it worked non stop, She was not much to look at but her Crew had great pride in running her
When she was decommissioned and I took her over, I just could not help but wonder, Who could of came up with a name like Egabrag 1 the name just did not made sense, until one of the Crew told me, people in California did not like a boat being called the Garbage 1 Egabrag backwards is Garbage
Sometimes the Bible is like that; but just because we don’t understand a topic in the Bible it does not mean we should just skip over or pass it by, for it is by studying God word that we uncover the true meaning of the hidden truth berried deep in Gods word.
Let Us Pray
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Are law’s importance?
Do laws put us in bondage?
Have you ever lived in a place where there were no laws?
What do you thing would happen to the USA if there were no law’s to govern the people?
Just think, if there were no laws; you could do whatever you want and no one would stop you. Except everyone else is doing the same thing as you, and there is no one stopping them either.
Do you see where a problem could come from?
What if I don’t like stopping for red lights, there are always a pain and turn red at the wrong times. So I am going to just drive straight through them from now on. I might not live long doing that; but remember there are no laws telling me I can’t.
Laws are not made to keep us from something good! They are made to keep us happy and safe. So everyone knows what to expect from the other person.
Were Gods Law’s to be a burden or a joy to mankind?
What about Grace if we have Grace Do we still need Law’s?
First we must understand What is GRACE?
We don’t have to earn it. It is the most valuable gift of all. The Scripture says in Ephesians 2:8, 9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Salvation does not come from any human effort. It is a free gift without money and without price, or let’s says with out cost to Mankind
In Revelation 5:9, the redeemed are pictured as standing before the throne of God, both the redeemed from the Old Testament times and from the New Testament times, singing glory to Jesus, the Lamb, “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”
A great, fundamental truth is expressed here—the only way a sinner can be saved is through the blood of Jesus. Since the time of Adam, sinners have been saved only by believing and having Faith in Jesus.
If men are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, where does the Ten Commandment law come in?
Throughout all the ages of controversy between Christ and Satan, the devil has sought to destroy the authority of God over man by casting the law aside and by preventing knowledge of the truth about God’s law.
The enemy of Christ brings this about by rejection of the law; or a wrong concept or understanding of the dispensation of the law as opposed to the dispensation of the gospel. This is what we call being one sided or not seeing the hold picture.
Satan could bring in the principle of salvation through works, and prevent the functioning of the law according to God’s design.
Kind of writing it out backward so that you see it but don’t truly understand what it is saying. Do you see the ECARG & HTIAF Grace & Faith
The role that the law fulfills in relation to the gospel is two-fold.
1. First, it is God’s standard of what is right and true. As a standard the law expresses the mind and the will of God, for in Psalm 40:8 it says, “I delight to do thy will, 0 my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.”
2. Second the law also declares man’s duty to God, for in Ecclesiastes 12:13 we read, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
How often I have heard Christians boast that they don’t care about those old laws of God. “Why”
Because they hide behind Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
They say that since they are saved by grace, through the atoning blood of Christ, they don’t have to keep God’s commandments at all. Have you ever heard that theory?
BUT: You can not take just one scripture from the Bible and make a completed doctrine, that my friend is a very dangerous way to live. Because when you live your life that way you are not truly living it for Jesus, but for what fits your life style.
In Romans 6:15, the very next verse in the chapter, Paul says, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? Paul says God forbid.” The fourteenth verse has stated, “Sin shall not have dominion over us,” or “it shall not be our ruler.”
We are not under Sin or the condemnation of the law either, when we obey God.
Why?
Because we are saved by grace, But that does not license us to sin? “God forbid.”
When an individual is saved by grace, he is under greater obligation than ever before to keep the laws of God.
As it says in Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.”
Are we licensed to break the law of God because we are saved by grace and saved by faith? God forbid. “Yea,” he says, “we establish the law.” The law is firmer than ever in our lives.
Question?
Who is under the law today in your city? Those who have broken it; they are under the law, and in jail.
The man who keeps the law, is the man who is free today.
The law breaker is under the condemnation of the law and doing time in jail.
Right here let us stop a moment and read the definition of sin in 1 John 3:4. “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
Are we clear on this. When a man sins he has transgressed the law.
Who’s Law; “GOD”.
Every sinner has broken the law. What is sin? “The transgression of the law.” When a man sins, what does he do? He breaks the law of God.
There must be a law, otherwise he couldn’t break it. We are not under the law unless we break the Law.
I would fear to be called a minister of the Lord today and tell people it is ok to break Gods laws.
Matt: 5:19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
How does God feel about man making his own laws and rules and teaching people to live by them instead of his commandment Law’s.
Matt:15:9: But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Is there danger in not keeping God Commandments?
You might say; Lord I am saved by grace I was told I don’t need to keep those old laws.
The governor of the state has life-and-death power. A man has been sentenced and condemned to die. He is under the sentence of death. Friends intervene; they present evidence to the governor, special factors involved in this case—contributing factors as to why this individual was caught in this particular crime.
As the governor investigates the evidence, he feels that this man deserves clemency; so he uses his official prerogative as the head of the commonwealth. He takes his pen and dips it in the ink and signs across those condemnation papers, “PARDONED,” and then signs his name.
That condemned man, my friend, has been saved by grace, not by his works or by his goodness.
He was doomed to die, and being ever so good in that death cell would never, never in this world save him. That is very obvious.
In other words, after an individual has broken the commandments of God, he cannot be good enough to save himself. The wages of sin is what? Death. We have all sinned, so are under the sentence of death. And there is only one way of salvation, through Jesus Christ.
Now the condemned man is pardoned. He can hardly believe his eyes as he sees the kindness, the stroke of generosity and love shown by that governor.
PARDONED. SAVED. FREE. You meet the freed man a little later and he says,
“Wonderful what that governor did for me, and wonderful this new freedom of mine.
Now I can break the law all I want, for the governor set me free from the law and from the sentence of death. I am saved by his grace.”
Did the governor pardon him so he could go out and become a greater law breaker? Shall we who are saved by grace continue law breaking? “God forbid.” We are under even greater obligation to keep the law because we are saved by God’s grace.
Matt:22: 36-40
36: Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38: This is the first and great commandment.
39: And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Love the Lord thy God it is the first four of the Ten Commandments;
Love thy neighbor it is the last six of the Ten Commandments;
Do we find any evident of keeping the old Jewish Ten Commandment Law in the New Testament Yes we do….
Matt:19:17: And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mark:10:19: Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Luke:18:20: Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother
Luke:1:6: And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Over and over and over again we hear Jesus telling the people to keep his commandments.
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If you really Love the lord, and want to show him that you Love him, then do what?
Show him you love him by doing what he tells you to do.
I have heard some say, “Those commandments were only for the Jews.” Then a Christian can lie and steal, and murder people, and do anything else that he pleases. Is that possible?
Jesus says in ” John:14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
It was because Gods Laws were broken that Jesus gave His life. If these were to be abolished, why not abolish them before Jesus came to die? Then His death would not have been necessary.
John:14:21: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to 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.
Some people say, “Well, I can’t leave my church.” We’re not talking about church my friend.
We’re talking about following God. And if your church is in the way of you following God then you need to move out of it…….
Don’t look at the people. Look at the Light God is showing you.
We need to take one more quick glance here at what Jesus said. Matthew 7:21. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Now notice verse 22. This is an amazing statement by our Lord. “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”
Oh yes, miracle worked in the name of Jesus. Good so called Christian people who refuse to do one thing, and that was to keep God’s laws.
Don’t you see Christ’s answer now in verse 23. “Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Oh, this is one of the most sobering passages in the Word of God, because we’re led face to face here with an understanding which we can’t escape—that it makes a difference to God what we believe and how we live.
It isn’t enough to say, “Yes, I believe. I’m a church member.” Church will never get you to Heaven
It’s a matter of how you live and what you believe about God that makes a difference.
Many will say, “Lord, we’ve cast out devils. We’ve done miracles. We’ve prophesied.” And yet, they will be lost.
It makes a difference what we believe. Anchor your faith firmly, my friends, to the rock of Scripture “GOD’s WORD” and nothing else.
Christian can you say you know Jesus and not keep his Commandments
1John:2:3: And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1John:2:4: He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
That’s not my saying brother and sister, for it is written in the book called the Bible, which is none other then God word.
1John:3:22: And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
People are always looking for bargains, for special discounts. Some churches advertise, “Come to us, we will give you a bargain, 10% off of the Ten Commandments.” But will that stand in the judgment?
Just because some great churches tell you that they will make it easy and only ask you to keep nine of the Ten Commandments, is that sufficient? Will you pass in the judgment day?
Has any church the right to discount the commandments of God? How do we dare imagine that we are on the high road to heaven when we knowingly break any of God’s commandments?
Matt: 5:19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
1John:3:24: And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1John:5:2: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1John:5:3: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
So now we know that it is very importance to keep God’s commandments.
If you love God then who are you enemy with, That’s right the world.
For you can’t love God and the world!
What are we told will happen to God people because they love the Lord their God and claim to be his people. His people who keep his Laws and keep the testimony’s of his Son Jesus Christ.
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.
Rv:14:12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rv:22:14: Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
If the world hated Jesus then you know it will also hate you, But don’t worry He Jesus will give you the power needed to obey
Some time ago one of the items of interest in the newspaper was about a cave-in in a mine down in Pennsylvania somewhere—I think you might remember it. There were some miners trapped but there was reason to believe they were still alive under ground.
There was no way to dig down through the mine shaft that had caved in so they were hoping the miners were off to the side of the main shaft in a little room in a horizontal shaft.
So they brought in a great drilling rig and started drilling down through that solid rock trying to get into that room where they felt they were probably entombed.
Hour after hour, day after day, while the world watched, virtually holding its breath, as the news media portrayed for us the picture of how they went down there 6 inches and then another foot and down finally to three feet.
The families camped at the mouth of the mine where the rescue operations were going on.
Finally the day came when that great boring rig bore through the ceiling of that room where the miners were trapped. Rapidly it was withdrawn and they lowered a microphone taped to a little speaker down that hole.
The man who was directing the rescue operation at the top spoke into his end of the microphone and said, “Are you alright? Are you alive? Are you there?!”
And then a voice came back from the heart of the earth. “Yes, we’re here. We’re alright.”
A great shout went up from the rescue workers at the opening of that pit. Then the director said this into the microphone. “What do you want the most?” There was a pause and then a voice came back, “FREEDOM.”
Oh friends, heaven is involved in the greatest rescue operation the world has ever known.
All the universe is watching. Day after day, week after week, year after year, for the last six-thousand horrible years,
God has been seeking to rescue those of us who have been entombed by the avalanche of sin.
What must it do to His heart by our procrastination, our idleness, our spiritual postponement of eternal things.
We send back a message and say, “Oh, we’re satisfied with the trinkets, we’re satisfied with the things, but thanks just the same.”
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a Salvation?
Have you every ask your self just what is GRACE anyway,
Well here it is in a nut shell
GRACE “God’s Riches At Christ Expense”
Elder Tim McNab Restoring Gods Truth Ministry
Reflections of the Christ
John: 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father…..with painful eyes he asked,
‘Dad when will my fingers grow back?’ The man was so hurt and
Speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions……sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written ‘LOVE YOU DAD’.
The next day that man committed suicide. . . Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life….. Things are to be used and people are to be loved, but the problem in today’s world is that, People are used and things are loved..
During this year, let’s be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used, but People are to be loved … Be yourself….This is the only day we HAVE. Have a nice day
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits they become character; Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Let us Pray!
What is the most importance thing in your life? To many it is there Silver and Gold and the things they have in Life. I use to work at a Shipyard many years ago and sometimes we had work to do on some very expensive yachts. Some of them worth many millions of dollars and right as you go in they would have a sign hanging over head saying He Who Dies with the most Toys Wins. One time I had the opportunity to ask the man who own Sandals in Lost Vegas about his sign. I ask him how much is enough, he replied back till I have it all.
Till I have it all; what does the Bible teach about material things Matthew:16:26: For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Growing up I had to work everyday, I would go to school and right after school I would have to go to where my Dad worked to help him. He was a retired seaman and worked in a store selling discounted lube Oil back in New Orleans. One day my Mom and Dad got into an argument and ended up devoicing. Mom did all she could to teach us about God but Dad always thought that Christians were nothing but weak minded people. Dad moved back to the Islands in Honduras and Mom did all she could to keep the family together. But I was an angry young boy just about 14 years old when they separated and had no direction in life. About 6 months after my Dad left I was getting into all kinds of trouble on the streets of New Orleans and one day I decided to run away. So I planned very carefully and on Christmas Eve 1969 I packed my bags and got onto an airplane and left the USA for Utila one of the HondurasBayIslands.
Here I lived for the next 5 year and here it was that I learned why my Mother could no longer take living with my Dad. I loved him but he did not know how to give back love, his life was void of affection and full of hate. With the help of my older brother who was from my dad’s first wife and lived on the Island I made it until I was old enough to come back to the US and work.
Before I meet my Wife, my hold life was a life of nothing but living for the next day. At the age of 17 I started working in the Oil fields and moved to VeniceLouisiana. My cousin & I who was more like a brother lived doing nothing but drinking and smoking dope and anything else we could get our hands on. But I always had an empty feeling in my life and tried to fill that void with what everything I could. I got married just after I turned 18 to a very wonderful young Lady who was 21 at the time. She said that way she could finish raising me, boy she did not know what she was getting into. But guess what I did not know what I was getting either, but God knew, He planned it this way because of a pray I would pray. Asking Him Lord please bring a woman into my life that will make me a good wife and love me for what I am. I was not even a Christian then but God heard my prayers and answered them with a beautiful young Island girl who did not know the first thing about cooking.
A few years after we were married we had our first Child, a beautiful little girl who had my heart. I did not want for her to have a life like I had, so I decided I will make a change. I want in her little eye’s to see me as a loving father, but I did not know what a loving father was because I did not have one as a pattern. But I did remember my mother reading from the Bible about a Father God, so I started to studding about Him. The more I read about Him the more I started to change my life. I gave up drinking, smoking, dope and even started to change my vocabulary to words of a pleasant nature. I wanted to be to them what I never had a father who Loved me; I wanted them to see in me the Reflection of Jesus.
I wanted my Children to see the God I meet in me!
What are we showing others around us, do they see Christ in you or a Devil.
The Bible is a book of love it is a love letter from the God who has created this world. But something went wrong the man God created in his image rebelled because he believed a lie told to him in the garden. From the beginning we are told that everything God did was perfect in the Book of beginning called Genesis on the very first chapter 1: we have the story of God’s creation of His love.
24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25: And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
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.
29: And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30: And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good
But the question, with giving Man so much freedom and giving him dominion over the whole world; would he remain faithful to his creator. So God planted in the middle of the garden a tree just one tree as a simple test to see if man who He created in his own image would love him. Genesis 2: 9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2: 15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
God told the Man and Woman who He created that everything was there, but that there was one restriction they were never to eat of this one tree. Why because God loved His creation and God knew that if man would eat of this one tree it would open his life to a life of sin and rebellion and life of pain, suffering, sickness, and death.
There was nothing different about this tree; it was just another tree in the garden that God created. But what it was was a test of obeying God word, God said not to eat of it and live or eat of it and die. It was a simple test that God took one tree and said don’t eat of it.
It had to be this way, why because God did not create the Man and Woman to serve His from force, God wanted man to serve Him out of love; the same love that God had in the beginning the same love that God has for all of us today. For freedom to be free it must be willing to let go, willing to take a chance, willing to show love in the hope of receiving love back again. The freedom of choice comes with a price and we all have been giving that freedom and we must choose whether we will serve God or man.
God knew that man might sin but that did not stop His love for man, God knew that if man sinned he would have to die, Why because one of Gods Laws were broken, But God had a plan.
Now sin has marred God’s perfect work, yet the handwriting remains. Even now all created things declare the glory of His excellence. There is nothing except the selfish heart of man that lives unto it self. No bird that cleaves the air, no animal that moves upon the ground, but ministers to some other life. There is no leaf of the forest, or lowly blade of grass, but has its ministry. Every tree and shrub and leaf pours forth that element of life without which neither man nor animal could live; and man and animal, in turn, minister to the life of tree and shrub and leaf. The flowers breathe fragrance and unfold their beauty in blessing to the world.
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 times eternal.” Rom. 16:25: Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. From the beginning, God 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. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting 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.
Lucifer had said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; . . . I will be like the Most High.” Isa. 14:13, For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
But Christ, “being in the form of God, counted it not a thing to be grasped to be equality with God, but emptied Him self, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. There is no other love greater then the love that God has toward man, we have sinned we have broken our relationship with our creator we have turned our back on Him but even then He did not stop loving us. He came to save the world and the world knew Him not; He came to his own people and His own people did not except Him; but hung Him on a Cross. Why because of God’s great Love, God has never stopped loving mankind.
When man sinned by eating of the Tree that God warned him not to eat there was a Law broken and that Law said in Ezek:18:20: The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
The King of glory stooped low to take humanity. Rude and forbidding were His earthly surroundings. His glory was veiled, that the majesty of His outward form might not become an object of attraction. He shunned all outward display. Riches, worldly honor, and human greatness can never save a soul from death; Jesus purposed that no attraction of an earthly nature should call men to His side. Only the beauty of heavenly truth must draw those who would follow Him. The character of the Messiah had long been foretold in prophecy, and He desired men to accept Him upon the testimony of the word of God.
With amazement the heavenly messengers beheld the indifference of the people whom God had called to communicate to the world the light of sacred truth. The Jewish nation had been preserved as a witness that Christ was to be born of the seed of Abraham and of David’s line; yet they knew not that His coming was now at hand. In the temple the morning and the evening sacrifice daily pointed to the Lamb of God; yet even here was no preparation to receive Him. The priests and teachers of the nation knew not that the greatest event of the ages was about to take place. They rehearsed their meaningless prayers, and performed the rites of worship to be seen by men, but in their strife for riches and worldly honor they were not prepared for the revelation of the Messiah. The same indifference pervaded in our world today. Hearts selfish and world-engrossed were untouched by the joy that thrilled all heaven.
In Psalms 23: we read these words
1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
“I am the Good Shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” “I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
Again Jesus found access to the minds of His hearers by the pathway of their familiar associations. He had likened the Spirit’s influence to the cool, refreshing water. He had represented Himself as the light, the source of life and gladness to nature and to man. Now in a beautiful pastoral picture He represents His relation to those that believe on Him. No picture was more familiar to His hearers than this, and Christ’s words linked it forever with Himself. Never could the disciples look on the shepherds tending their flocks without recalling the Saviour’s lesson. They would see Christ in each faithful shepherd. They would see themselves in each helpless and dependent flock.
This figure the prophet Isaiah had applied to the Messiah’s mission, in the comforting words, “O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! . . . He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.” Isa. 40:11. David had sung, “The Lord is my shepherd; He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young
And the Holy Spirit through Ezekiel had declared: “I will set up one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them.” “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.” “And I will make with them a covenant of peace.” “And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen; . . . but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.” Ezek. 34:23, 16, 25, 28
Christ applied these prophecies to Himself, and He showed the contrast between His own character and that of the leaders in Israel. The Pharisees had just driven one from the fold, because he dared to bear witness to the power of Christ. They had cut off a soul whom the True Shepherd was drawing to Himself. In this they had shown themselves ignorant of the work committed to them, and unworthy of their trust as shepherds of the flock. Jesus now set before them the contrast between them and the Good Shepherd, and He pointed to Himself as the real keeper of the Lord’s flock.
We are the sheep of His pasture and God has called us to attend His flock and to lead them by His example. We are to do this by doing the things that He did and speaking the words that He spoke.
John:10:14: I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
The life of every Father on earth is to be the leaded the priest of his family, we are to show our children the reflection of Christ living in us. We are to be to our Wife, family and others living around us a reflection of the good shepherd. We must follow His example we must study and read everyday and apply to our life the things we learn about being a true shepherd so that when the world sees us they see only the reflection of the Christ living in us.
Jesus gave us two great commandments to live by
Mark 12
29: And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
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.
This commandment takes in the first 4 of the Ten Commandments, Mans duty to his creator
31: And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
This Commandment takes in the last 6 of the Ten Commandments Mans duty to his brother.
What a letter of love that God has giving to man that we might know the love of the Father through His Son Jesus.
I can only pray that my wife, my children and my grandchildren see only the reflection of the Christ living in me. Salvation is a free gift to all who by faith will except it, but it was not free to God’s Son Jesus he paid the price for our sins by His death. What a beautiful story about Love, how can anyone reject pure love so freely giving is a mystery to the heavenly host.
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.
Friend I hope and pray that you find in Jesus the love that God has giving for this world salvation. John: 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. That is just what Jesus did, he dies to give you life, He took your sins upon Himself because He loved you with a Godly love.
There are many people that we meet each day in our world and you can always tell the ones that live with Jesus in there hearts. Just look for the reflection of His life in them.
God Bless and may your life also be a reflection of Christ living inside of you.
Elder Tim McNab
D5 Creation
