Category: Tim McNab
What are your priorities?
At a Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. A man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk away.
6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed.. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, priorities.
Let us Pray! ——————————————————
What are your Priorities in life?
Do you really truth God; Do you trust him with your Money and with your time
There is a story that Luke tell about a Rich man..
LUKE 12:16 The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. It brought forth plentifully. I don’t know what the crop was. It could have been wheat or figs or kiwis or even Okra.
His problem was that his barns were too small. If you have a very good crop and a very small barn what do you do?
What follows is what his mind told him to do.
Verse 18: I will TEAR DOWN my barns and build bigger ones. There will I store all my grain and my goods. End of problem. Right? Wrong!
He forgot just one thing…. the uncertainty of life.
– He was considered a fool NOT because he was rich and successful.
– He was considered a fool Not because he was cautious & a careful planner
– He was called a Fool because he considered himself the OWNER of the goods which his farms produced.
He had the right Idea but the wrong priorities
In Verse 19–he talked to his SOUL(!); “Soul, thou has much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, & be merry.
He should have talked with God. Instead he consulted with himself. That night his many years shriveled into a few hours.
At that point Jesus asked a question– When you die, who will take possession of your things?
Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
Have you ever gone to an Estate Sale or an auction of someone’s estate who you knew? You see the ownership of the things they valued being transferred to someone else.
There is no such thing as a FUNERAL HEARSE WITH A U-HAUL TRAILER BEHIND IT.
Ownership implies control. At the best we can only control our possessions for a time.
See if you think this statement is true: WE ONLY OWN THOSE THINGS OTHERS ARE WILLING TO ADMIT THAT WE OWN.
Who own your House or you Car, do you own them or the bank, they only allow you to live in the house or drive the car, Stop paying on them for a few months and see who really owns them
On this earth we have conditional ownership.
Only Jesus Christ has true ownership.
Christian stewardship is really a Relationship with Jesus.
If our farmer in this parable had recognized that he was just a steward and that God really owned the farm he would not have talked with himself.
His conversation might have been like this: “Lord, your FARM produced so bountifully this year under your blessing that your barn is too small to hold your harvest. Shall I tear it down and build a bigger one?
Jesus might have replied: Leave the barn alone, it is big enough. ……So what are we going to do with all your surplus?
No problem. Just give it to My children who are in need. In fact, the Lord may have said something like this: I invite you to Enjoy what I enjoy,—
Do you know what God Enjoys? “Giving” THE PRIVILEGE OF GIVING.
Giving is a divine privilege. Giving from a heart that is in love with Jesus will produce more joy to the giver than to the receiver.
I was in Galveston Texas one time, as I came upon a poor man who looked like he was wearing all the clothing he possessed. As he sat there on the floor his hand was outstretched. I put some money in his hand and went on. He said God Bless You Mister! I thought about that man. It is not a divine privilege to sit there against that cold wall and beg. The divine privilege is to be the one who is able to place the money in his hand.
As humans we were given two divine privileges that God has:
1)– To give, this is a divine privilege!
2)– To forgive. Only God can forgive us. But we can forgive each other.
But giving is not only in Money, most importance it is in TIME
One problem that we have is that we try to equate material things with security. The more we have the better or the safer we are.
So we get more and more until at some point we depend upon a god we can see rather that a God we can’t see. If an accumulation of material things brings happiness why are so many rich folks so unhappy?
A man wrote about the late JACKIE GLEASON. There were two Jackie Gleasons he said:
The LIFE-IS-A-LARK Gleason who charmed his audiences by saying: HOW SWEET IT IS!, and the private man trying to drown his problems in alcohol.
Like Solomon, Gleason could have anything he wanted, and both could have said: all is vanity. They both had vast amounts of money.
But the problem was that they did not have dominion over their possessions, their possessions dominated them.
Their goods had become their gods. If you remove one of the two “o”‘s from goods you have gods.
If we truly understand stewardship we will recognize that God gives us the FREEDOM OF DEPENDENCE!
We like to think that freedom is INDEPENDENCE. But that is not God’s plan at all.
God Planned that we should have the freedom of DEPENDENCE.
In their ideal state, ADAM AND EVE had no housing problems, no clothing problems, no problems with weather, health, payments etc.
It would be a strange person who wouldn’t settle for such a situation today.
Then one day along came an ugly old snake in the leaves he said,
Look, God knows that the day you eat of the fruit you will be as gods, you’ll be INDEPENDENT. You will not need Him. What happened?
Everything went berserk.
They were evicted from their home, they had clothing problems, the weather changed, they needed band aids to deal with the thorns,
Eve knew pain as she gave birth, they needed health insurance, they needed death benefits, they had big problems.
They were better off when God owned it all and they were the managers.
If today you place everything you own on the alter and give the ownership to God you are better off.
Look at it this way IF A PERSON DOESN’T OWN ANYTHING, HE IS NEVER SUBJECT TO LOSS
Job thought that way. That is why he could say “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job recognized Who owned everything he managed, therefore, God could trust him with 2X as much as he had before.
One day a church treasurer resigned. Finally the church asked the local grain elevator manager to take over. He agreed under two conditions:
That no treasurer’s report would be given for the first year. That no Questions be asked about finances during that whole 12 months.
The members were surprised but because he was known for his honesty they agreed. At the end of the year he gave the first treasurers report red:
*The church indebtness of $228,000 had been paid.
*The minister’s salary had been increased by 8%
*The Cooperative Program gifts had been paid 200%
*There were no outstanding bills.
*There was a cash balance of $11,252!
Immediately the shocked congregation asked: “How did you do it?” Where did all the money come from?
He quietly answered: “Most of you bring your grain to my elevator.
Throughout the year I simply withheld 10% on your behalf and gave it to the church in your name. I have your receipts here.
And none of you even missed it. Do you see what we could do for the Lord if we were all willing to return an honest Tithe to God, Who really owes it anyway?”
We Humans have been given possessions as a test to determine whether we can MANAGE eternal things.
If we can’t manage a few dollars down here, what would we do with a whole galaxy?
So this test here is given so there will be no possibility that a selfish person will get into heaven.
We have the divine privilege of giving. Job could say in JOB 29:15-16 “I was father to the poor, and the cause which I knew not, I searched out”
We should look for projects to give to, and not have to wait for appeals to be made. We should consider every NEED as an OPPORTUNITY.
In our parable today about the rich farmer who tore down his barns and built larger ones, the final outcome was not long in coming. LUKE 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
The final verse says in verse 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Don’t get me wrong it’s OK to store up things for ourselves but at the same time we need to be RICH TOWARD GOD.
We make a living through what we get,
We make a life through what we GIVE!!
You can take it with you!
By giving to the needs of God and His work right here we are depositing PEARLS into that vault in heaven.
In my 401K the company gives .35 to every dollar I put in, that is good free money, You would be a fool not to invest.
God said for every dollar you give I will match it 100 times
You will see that your deposits have gained interest and there is quite an accumulation there. Why because you were unselfish here.
May God richly Bless you in your giving back to him what is already His.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Many years ago there were a sitcom called “All in the Family”
It was about a Family called the Bunkers.
The head of this Family was a man called Arches and a Lady called Edith and how they dealt with there children and dealt with life around them.
While the sitcom was mostly funny it did not reflect or relate in anyway to a true Family
It was T.V.’s version of what man call a family.
So what is a Family?
Is it a Man and a Woman getting married?
Is it a Man and a Woman getting married and having children?
Is it just people getting together for a reunion or gathering ormaybeChurch?
There are many types of family’s
But what is God’s true design for his Family.
In the beginning God!
That in it’s self is the biggest statement you can make, that in the beginning God created everything.
It tells who God is What God is and what God did.
One day God the Father and God the Son were in a meeting the topic of this meeting was to be different from all the rest. The doors of the great kingdom were shut and only the Father, Son, and the Spirit were to meet.
The Father was to lay out his plan for a new Family before the Son and Spirit. They were to be different from all the rest of his creation they were to be flesh and blood and able to reproduce themselves the Father did not stop here, this family were to also be made in the image of his Creator. They shall be called Mankind
Then the Son said to the Father what if Mankind prove unfaithful and fall into Sin what will happen then. The Father replied; then they would have to be destroyed for the wagers of Sin is Death.
The Son looked at the Father and said, if the new Family proves to be unfaithful and fall into sin I will pay the price with my own blood. I will take their guilty sin upon me that they could live and I will die the death that they deserve.
But how could God die for he is the giver of all life. The Son said I will become one with them. If mankind falls I will be born of them, I will live among them, I will work side by side with them, and show them the Love of the Father, and at the end I will give my life for them to prove I and the Father love them and are one.
The Father looked on the Son with love overflowing and said I commit all creation unto you my Son. From your hands will the heavens be formed, and from your hands will the foundations of the Earth be made, and also from your hands will mankind be created in our image, and if mankind should fail and sin from your hands shall salvation come and by no other.
John 1
1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2: The same was in the beginning with God.
3: All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
All creation was committed to Jesus and with out him was nothing made that was made of this world. As the Bible said for he was in the beginning with God and he was God.
10: He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit left the meeting that day with heart overflowing with love. Now that all plans have been worked out the creation of mankind could begin.
Genesis 1:
27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God the Son did accordance to the Father plan and from his hand came a breathtaking new world perfect in everyway. The Son created all kinds of new creatures, some that walked on the Earth, some that swam in the waters, others that could fly in heavens above. Then the Son formed out of the dust of the Earth in the image of God man and into his nostril he breathes into him life and Man became a living Sole.
Genesis 2:
18: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19: And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20: And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
All was perfect the Son was pleased with all he seen but the crowing act of all creation was yet to be completed. Jesus was saving the best for last.
21: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Woman the crowing act of all creation why because from her and in her was life to start she would carry life in her life. She was to be the Mother of all living.
Gods perfect family Jesus, Adam & Eve. If God is not in the family it is not complete.
Only when Jesus is put in the middle of the family is the harmony of theEdenhome restored.
This perfect family was to live forever.
But Sin entered and destroyed it.
God’s plan of salvation is still working for all of mankind his love is today as it was when in the council of the Father he said I will give my life for them.
He lived up to his promise he became a man, lived as a man, worked as a man, and died as a Savoir. Why because of an undying love for his creation.
Ephesians: 3
11: According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
13: Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
14: For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15: Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
21: Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Here we find that God has also another family. A family in Heaven and a family on Earth, the family in heaven would be none other then the unfailing worlds, and the family on Earth would be his people, his bride, his CHURCH.
I love the picture word stories Jesus would use to describe things or bring home a lesson. Stories like being a family he used these in many different ways
John 15: The true vine
1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Jesus liking the family of God as a vine, and a vine has many of branches. On each of these branches is to be the fruit of the vine not the branch.
How are we to make fruit for thekingdomofGodlet’s look at the book of Mark?
Mark 16:
15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
We as his church have a mandate from God to make disciples, to tell this world about Jesus who he is and what he came to do.
Do you believed that church,
Do you believed that we are to go out into the world and preach the gospel of Jesus or was that just for those disciples in Jesus time.
John 15
3: Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Jesus clearly tells us that we must abide in him in order to live; we must live in his word daily. Abide in me and I in you for with out me you can do nothing.
If you cut a branch off a tree what happens to it.
At first nothing, it looks OK still green and very lively looking.
What about after a few hours, still ok but there seam to be something different.
What about after a day, now you see the leaves or wilted the once healthy looking branch don’t look healthy any more.
Why is that? Because it is not connected to Vine anymore, the life giving sap that flowed through the Vine has been cut off from the branch and so it will die.
Jesus said
6: If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
It is only as we abide in God love that we live day to day. Apart from God we are totally helpless. To abide in God is also to grow, if a tree stops growing and does not bear the master fruit what good is it. It is good for nothing but to be removed and another tree planted in its place that brings fruit in the time of Harvest.
8: Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9: As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11: These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
The greatest of all commandments is Love.
Mark:12:30:
30: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31: And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Story of the Prodigal Son: But yet the Father never stopped looking for his lost Son.
Jesus showed what true love was all about by dieing on the cross so that we could live.
Satan wants to cut off out connection to God. If we are not living for him now, when the time come to go with Jesus it may be too late. Satan may have cut off your connection he may have stopped the life flowing sap for the vine from reaching you. But only because you made the choice to be separated from the true Vine, Jesus Christ.
For a true family to be a family there must be the Savior in the middle
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About six months later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.” The young man held out this package. “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.”
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.
He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.”
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died years later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?”
There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.”
But the auctioneer persisted. “Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?”k
Another voice shouted angrily. “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!”
But still the auctioneer continued. “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son? ”
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
“We have $10, who will bid $20?”
“Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.”
“$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid more for the Son.
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. “Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!”
A man sitting on the second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection!”
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. “I’m sorry, the auction is over.”
Over “What about the paintings?”
“I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including all the other paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!”
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: “The son, the son, who’ll take the son?”
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,
WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE… THAT’S
LOVE
Will you come and be part of the Family, the Family of God.
Who Did Sin
Story: One Glass of Milk
- One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”
He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.” As He left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. You see He had been ready to give up and quit but this one kindness act gave him the strength to keep going on.
- Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from he went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. And so he went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, and then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.
She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words:
“PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK.
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.”
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: “Thank You, God, that Your love is shed abroad through human hearts and hands “.
Let us Pray!
________________________________________________________________________
Don’t you just love a good Doctor? If you find one please let me know…
As far back in history as I can go I find that there has always been doctors, or what we would call doctors, people who studied the Human Body. People who wanted to know how to help others who were sick.
Why do we need Doctors anyway? Why is there so much sickness in our world,
Why so much suffering, pain and sorry? If God is so good can you tell me why?
What is it all about? How did it start? When will it finish?
In Jesus time there was a Lady who had a problem
Luke 8: 43: And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
Sounds about right, nothing has changed in 2000 years. I know a lot of people who are just like this woman. Spent everything they had on doctors first
But listen to what happens to her
44: She; Came behind him (Jesus), and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. In other words it Stopped.
What had happened here, this woman touched Jesus and her 12 year problem went away, how, listen to what Jesus told her.
48: And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Jesus said your FAITH your FAITH has made you whole.
- Have you ever read in the Bible about the Kings of Israel? I challenge you to read the books of Kings and Chronicles and there you will find that Good Kings only lived 20 to 30 years after they became King. But Evil or bad kings lived 40 to 55 years after they became king.
Why is this, did you ever wonder why?
May years ago people believe that Sickness was all because of Sin, you made God angry and so God has broth this sickness on you. The sad part is that many people still believe that today.
Open with me to the Gospel of John and let’s see what Jesus says about this
John 9:
1: And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2: And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
There was people and religious leaders who believe that if you got sick it was because you have Sinned and made God angry.
Look at the story of Job was it because Job sinned that he lost everything he had
No….
STORY: Tell only a short version of the story because of time:
Who was the cause of Job’s sickness “ Satan” he hates people who loved and worships God and puts God first in their life’s.
3: Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Was the works of God manifested in the life of Job, yes they was.
I have heard people say you are sick because you don’t eat right, or you brought this upon yourself by your bad habits.
Yes it is true that eating right can help your body fight off sickness and help you to heal faster.
But not all sickness if because of what you eat.
I know some very good Vegetarian who has Prostate Cancer, why, no one can explain..
- Some diseases are caused by other things beside what you eat.
- Sin has affected our genes; sometimes we get sick because of our ancestors
- Sometimes we get sick because of the environment around us
STORY: Working Offshore on the Oil Rigs / Being put into tanks to clean them of who knows what. 10 to 20 years later we find we have Cancer and no one knows why.
- Sometimes we get sick because of the stuff that is put on or into our food Genetically modified food not good for the human body
So it is not always because of what you eat, But what and how you eat may makes a big different in the outcome of how your body will heal and fight the disease.
- What about bad things happing to good people, is it because they Sinned?
Remember the Story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan, in Luke 10: 30-35.
STORY: Tell short Story of the Good Samaritan
Most people will turn their head when they see someone suffering or in pain. They will walk right by saying I hope someone helps that poor lady that poor man.
The problem these days not all people who are hurting are laying down on the ground.
Some of them are in our everyday life. They live down the block, or in the house next to you, they are there at work standing in front of you, sometimes they are sitting in the Church right next to you.
How do you know if someone is hurting? How can you tell when someone is in need of help?
Sometimes it is easy to see if they are just laying there on the ground or in bed hurting. We can look and say excuse me but are you hurting, can I help you.
I remember when I was going through Cancer treatment many times people who cared about me would ask how are you doing and I just say.
I could not be better if I was twins…..
Many times I was hurting on the inside, I was in pain, I was in distress physically and sometimes mentally, I was sick, but I was happy to know someone cared about me.
How do you tell someone what you are feeling when they don’t understand what you are going through. I could pull someone over and talk for hours about my pain, and the next time they see me they will avoid me because I take too much of their time telling them how I hurt all the time.
So again why,
Why if God is so good is there so much sickness in our world?
Why do good people suffer and why SIN?
Why did God just not blot it out when it started?
Did you ever ask yourself Why God, why me what did I do to deserve this….
The only way to know something is to live it yourself or you will never really know it, you can’t know or feel what someone is going through unless you have felt it for your self.
- God knew of Sin and he knew of its deadly effects. But how could he in all fairness justly condemn mankind to eternal death if he himself has never experience what it is like to suffer, and die because of Sin
One day God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all came together. They came together to plan the creation of a new World and a new kind of Creature.
A creature that would not be a spirit but would be flesh and blood. One that life would be created from within life and they would be made in the image of their creator Himself, he would be called Mankind because this new Creature would be both male and female.
Mankind like all of creation would also be giving the freedom of choice.
What is the freedom of choice?
The freedom of choice is what keeps all of heaven in perfect order; it is the ability to choose: to love God, or not to love God.
God the Son said what if this new creature would choose not to Love God and would Sin, what would happen to them?
1John:3: 4: Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Ezek:18:4: Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Romans 6: 23: For the wages of sin is death The wages of sin is death
Why if God is so good is there so much sickness in our world, why do good people suffer and why SIN.
Why did God just not blot it out when it started?
Why God, why me what did I do to deserve this….
If you knew your Children would turn out bad would you still have them?
What if you knew your Children would someday kill you, would you still have them.
No matter how they turn out I love them and would still have them, even if it cost me my life to save them. Why because I love them
- Are you beginning to understand now how God Loves?
God the Son said but wait, if Mankind chooses to not love God, if he chooses death rather than life, if he chooses not to obey the commandments of God.
God the Son said, I will Chooses to die in his place,
I will take his Sin’s upon myself so that if Mankind chooses to believe in me he can once again be restored to his Maker
That is why God the Son became a Man to know and understand where we are, and to help us find the path that was lot because of Sin back to the Father.
He took Sin upon himself who knew no Sin and died the death that we will die because of Sin. This He did so He could give us in exchange His eternal live that we do not deserve, all because He Loved us.
Romans 6: 23: For the wages of sin is death but, I like that word but, you know why because it tells me that there is more to the story, there is something better to come.
You see the BUT says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is hope after all; there is a way to be reconciled back to our Creator who loves us
The only way to know something is to live it yourself or you will never really know how it is. That is what Jesus had to do for all Mankind
A healthy person can never understand the pain and suffering of someone who is sick and we are all sick with the disease of sin and dying.
God being God had to become what we are in order to feel what we feel and live how we live in order to show us that God loves us and through Him we can know God the Father loves each and every one of us.
Becuase of Love
Isa:53:5: But he God was wounded for our transgressions, he God was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him God ; and with his God’s stripes we are healed. We are forgiving
Isa:53:8: He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa:53:11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa:43:25: I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
You know the different between Man forgiving and God forgiving.
Man forgives but never forgets
God forgives and forgets
John:15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
May the God of our fathers be with you and bring a blessing into your life this Sabbath and throughout the new week just ahead. Amen
If you Love Me!
Remember the day when you first saw that someone special. What was it like ? You just wanted to show them how much you loved them and wanted to be with them.
If you ask someone who had been married for 50 years, how did you do it?
They would tell you, we fell in Love.
It was not always easy; we had our problems along the way, but the harder the problem the harder we worked to get through them.
For someone to stay in Love you must be willing to do Cretin things.
Willing to admit that you are not always right….
Willing to put your pet project aside in order to see your help mate achieve there goal…
Willing to Listing to your help mate when you have something importance to say…
Willing to take time and just be a friend….
Willing to love, when you are treated with no love in return.
The world just don’t understand what is means to say the word LOVE
Just how far would true love go?
There was a song back in the 70tes that said. I walk a million miles, cry a million tear, swim the deepest seas, clime the highest hill, just to have you near me.
The problem with people is that when the test comes we often fail. True love knows no boundaries, it knows no limits, it will cross over any obstetrical to get to the one who is Loved.
Love is not by what you see Good looking people
Love is not by what you hear Good sounding people
Lover is not by how you feel A feeling can be wrong
Love is an expression of giving, the more it is cultivated the more it will grow.
John:3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Love is not taking but Giving, you must be willing to Give in order to stay in Love..
Let us Pray !
What is Salvation?
Christ Alone praying for YOU
The Bible said that all that is needed for our salvation is for a person to except Jesus as their savior.
Simply put; Salvation by Faith “All that is needed is simple Faith in the son of God” as my redeemer
What does Jesus then tell us to do to show that we love him and have forsaking this world of sin.
John 14: 15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Would it not be correct to say that when you are in love, that you are willing to do anything that someone special asks you to do?
John 14: 23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Jesus is saying that He will come and make his home with you, for if you love me you will show it in your outward works.
Works can’t save anyone works only shows the one who you love. If Jesus is in you then the works of Love will show through you to others.
John: 15: 10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Keeping the commandment can’t save us; it is only a way that helps Gods people to stay in his Love with Him. It shows to the world that I have giving my life to the power that is high then I.
John: 8: 51
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
What is he saying here….
What type of death is Jesus talking about here in John 8:51. Do we not all die?
Many of the prophets kept Jesus sayings and are dead!
Here is where we need to let the Bible and the Bible alone speak for its self
Too many times we are told by religious leaders what the Bible is saying. The Bible is wrote in common language so that every man for himself can go and read for himself what God has said. Never let someone try and tell you what the bible said, read and see if it is so.
Rev: 2: 11
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
God’s people, who know the truth, understand that this life is not the death Jesus was talking about. It is the death that comes after the first resurrection, the second death, those who will die a second time in the lake of fire. This is an eternal death that there will be no coming back from.
Rev :20: 6
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
We all must take part in the first death, if not, how would there be a first resurrection.
The only people who will not take part in the first resurrection will be Faithful Enoch for he walk into heaven, and Elijah who was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. Even the great Prophet Moses had to pass through the portal of death because of sin. There will also be a group of Christian people living in the last days who will not see death.
1 Thessalonians 4:
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
What a day that will be, Can you say Amen
What a day that will be, to see Jesus coming our of the eastern sky, and hearing him shout to the sleeping Saints, awake my friend for I am coming for you, to give you that reward I have promised, that where I am you will be also.
It’s hard to imagine what that day will be like, God people for the passed 6000 years have been laying down their life on the old world.
But when the Lord comes they will be awaken, could you imagine standing there looking up and some old Saint saying hey Friend could you please more over a little you are standing on my chest.
People who have been buried for Hundreds even Thousands of years going to meet there Lord.
If you are a child of God it don’t matter where you die or how you die. Jesus has giving his Angles charge over you, and they have Marked the very spot where you have laid down you life.
Rev: 20: 14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev: 21: 8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
It is one thing to die on this earth, but quite another thing not to have a part with Jesus and die the second death.
Don’t you just love when the Bible answers Questions and not man?
What a Gold Mine the Bible is to those who love the Lord.
How many preachers do you think would have elaborated on what Jesus was talking about, and each one come-up with a difference Idea about never seeing death? But the word of God makes it so clear.
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I was at a Friends Funnel who I knew for many many years, and his wife ask me if I would like to say something. So I got up and told how we got to know each other and a few old boat stories.
I then said I am glad he gave his life to Jesus before he died.
Then I quoted from 1 Thessalonians 4:
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
I then said what a day that will be when we see Jesus coming back and those who have die believing in him will rise on that day, I can’t wait to see my friend again.
I was giving the worse look you could have ever imagine by a man of the cloth, that church Pastor was angry at me for quoting the Bible in his church.
He was mad and then started preaching on 1 Thessalonians 4:16 but when he got to the part that said and the dead in Christ shall rise first
He jump over it and went on to verse 17, and saying that, that is why when you die you go straight to Heaven.
After the Funnel was over he shook everyone hand but mine…
Satan is always looking to lead you away from the truth, and the shame of it all, he uses so called men of God to do it.
Jesus said in Mark:7:7: Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of (God) NO the commandments of (men).
As Christians, from the start satin has been trying to block our way.
He puts roadblocks in our way, but some how we get through with God help.
So he digs a pit for us to fall into, it takes a lot of faith to get out of it. Sometimes we loose faith and don’t always make it.
Remember Peter for only one second he took his eyes off Jesus and he started to sink. And like Peter all we have to do is say Lord save me.
Satin will put many roadblocks in our way. He will use every means possible to lead us the wrong way. Away from the finish line “away from Jesus.”
For three and a half-year the disciple followed Christ, yes they love him. They were also proud to be associated with him.
Jesus said one day let us go to Jerusalem, There the son of man will be betrayed and they will kill him but I will “rise again the third day”.
When Jesus made his way in to Jerusalem his disciple were full of joy as they heard the people saying Ho-san-na blessed is he that comet in the name of the Lord.
Now they thwart that Jesus would take his place as King of Israel “But he did not”
Only a few days later in the upper room, after washing the disciple feet and breaking bread and giving them the cup that would represent his blood shed for all mankind.
He said one of you would betray me.
They could not believe what he just said. “Who which one of them”
Jesus knew what he came to do; and because of his infinite Love for us He was willing to give his live in our place,
STORY: Jesus In the garden:
He did not have to go through the pain and suffering, He could have called His Father and he would have send Angles to rescue Him.
But then how could he be man substitute
The arrest: They came out after him as if he was a murderer
The trial: He was marked and beaten before un-hold men, Even one of His own disciples denied that he even knew Him.
Then they hung Him on a cross:
But here on the cross is what he came to do, to take the place of you and me, to die the death that will bring us life, but now ask yourself WHY?
Because of His LOVE for You
Jesus disciples were their watching him as he hung on the cross. They could not believe that he would let himself be crucified.
All there hopes all their dreams of Jesus being King and they by his side.
There had hoped that he would redeem Israel from the grip of Rome.
But now every thing hung on the cross.
As they looked, they heard Jesus say IT IS FINISH and bowed his head and die.
Their hearts almost stop beating when there realized that Jesus was dead.
Is it over, is it all over they though to them self
Their minds were so blinded by Jesus death that they did not remember Jesus saying the 3rd day I am going to rise again!
John 19:31
The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
That Sabbath day was a special Sabbath day
It was a hi-day “it was the weekly Sabbath and a feast day Sabbath” making it a Hi Sabbath:
Death by the cross was slow and the Jews did not want the body of Jesus hanging were all could see what they had done
Jesus Disciples watched as Joseph and Nickodemos remove the body of Jesus and place it in a tomb and seal it.
In the book of Luke 24:1-7
1. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices, which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6. He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet inGalilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
That evening two of the disciples were walking to a small town called E-may-us, and as they walk they did not notice a man walking with them.
Till he said what kind of communications are these that ye have one to another, as walk and are sad
One said to him art thou only a stranger here in Jerusalem and have you not know what had come to pass in the last days.
Jesus said what thing
Luke 24: 21
But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemedIsrael: and beside all this, to day is the “third day” since these things were done.
Jesus looked with love in his heart and said O foolish and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
They felt hope as he talks, for it is what Jesus would have said
As they reach there home they invited him in but he did not except, but they said the day is far-spent come and enter and spend the night
So Jesus went in (our savior does not force him self on anyone) he will come in only when he is invited too.
As they sat for the evening meal they look
Their companion spreads forth his hand in the exactly the same way their master use to do.
They looked again and low they see in his hands the prints of NAILS
Both exclaim at once it is the lord Jesus. But he vanished out of sight.
As they look at each other and said did not our heart burned with in us as he talked
They go to tell the others
When they find the disciple and knock for entrance and the door open for them and another unseen enter in with them.
As the disciples tell that they seen Jesus and how he open the scriptures to them and was know in the braking of bread.
A voice said PEACE BE UNTO YOU.
They started back in terror for his radiance fills the place; Love was shining from him it was coming out his face.
Then he spoke the word of love that left no need for dough, and just because he knew our heart he spoke our feeling out.
Why are you so troubled why are you in fear; see my hand and see my feet for I my self am here. Reach out now and handle me till all of you been shore.
My life is more then spirit for I am here in flesh and bones.
Before Christ left he made a promise he will come back for all that believed in him. All that truly Loved Him, and keeps his commandments, not to be saved by keeping his commandments but because they want to show they Love Him.
Let me quote 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 & 17 again
1 Thessalonians 4:
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
What a promises my brother, do you believe what Jesus said, he is coming back for all who Love him and have kept his commandments to show the World who they Love.
I hope that you are there on that beautiful day when Jesus calls all who truly Love Him to come and live with Him in that paradise home he built just for you. Don’t miss it my friend, it is there for all who put Jesus first in their lives.
FACING TRIALS ALONE
Act 27:
31: Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
At the height of his popularity, Rudyard Kipling was one of the most widely read authors of all time.
At one point it was estimated that each word he had in print was worth twenty-five shillings.
A group of students at Oxford University pooled their change and sent twenty-five shillings to Kipling, and the accompanying letter read, “Send us your best word.”
Before long, the reply came back. And so with great anticipation, the students opened the envelope from Kipling to find a single word printed on the piece of paper.
It simply said,
“Thanks.”
One little word, but what power can it accomplish
How often do we use this simple word that can say so much all by its self?
Thank you Jesus, for being my savior, my Lord and my Friend.
Lets us Pray?
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We all have a bad habit of doing things all by ourselves and perhaps no one is worst with that then me. I hope I am the only one here today with that problem.
When someone needs help I am willing to go and help them, but when I need help and they ask me I just say ”That’s OK I can do it”. Then I suffer through the heat of the mess all because of some stupid little inner me that can’t seam to say OK I need you to help me.
I am glad Paul was not like that he knew where his help came from and he trusted God with his life.
Our story today starts with Paul being under arrest and escorted by a Roam guard.
First we must understand the setting of the story and the reason why Paul was where he was.
Paul was a prisoner and on his way to see the judge in Roam, Why because He was a Roman Citizen so he could only be judge by a Roman court
There are two reasons in life that we all suffer;
Number 1: Is problems we cause and bring upon ourselves. This we do through
Drinking, Drugs, Partying, This hurt our bodies
Number 2: Is problems that come because we refuse to be like what the world calls normal.
Jesus was one of these types. He was not the Normal
When he was just a little boy I am sure there were many of times his friends called him to go with them and do a little hell raising, but he would not go with them.
Sometime in life we must learner to stand alone.
We will not always be able to hide in our pleasant of comfort places where we feel warm and cozy. We need to take a stand of being different at being a true Christian
At being someone that said No; I will not follow the crowd Jesus is my leader and I will follow only Him.
Why do we fear to stand alone, what makes us afraid?
There is a day when we will be called to stand before kings and rulers of this world. How does that make you feels?
The Bible said don’t worry about what you are to say.
Mark 13
9: But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10: And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11: But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Mt:10:28: And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Now let’s look at Paul and his problems
Act 27:
6: And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.
7: And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;
8: And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.
It way late in the year and the winter months were just about on them. There was still some time for sailing but for only short trips and close to shore.
9: Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
10: And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.
11: Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
12: And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.
This all makes good sense to me,
I am a sailor, I don’t expect Pastor Paul to be able to tell me how to run my Ship or when it is good or bad weather. I am an expert right.
So the Centurion would only be expected to believe the ship owners rather then believe Paul
In our world people who do not know God believe what they are told by men of the world, not by men of God
13: And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
This is kind of like Sin, at first it seams that all is OK and you have manages to achieve your objective, but like all Sin it is not what happened in the beginning or in the middle, but what happens in the End.
14: But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
We know it better by its 21 century name Typhoon
15: And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.
Let me explain what is going on:
The Captain of the ship has lost all hope; he and his crew are doing all they can to keep the ship on curse but the Seas and the Wind keep pushing them backwards.
They had no Compass, they had no GPS to tell them where they were. All they had was the Stars and the weather was so bad the could not tell where they were
16: And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
The weather seam to lay down some and they took the opportunity to try and make what repairs they could to the ship.
17: Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
18: And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;
19: And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.
20: And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
The world would give-up hope, but not God people, they know with Jesus there is always hope
When things seam like it is over we know that is where God takes control
The same is true in our lives today. Satan may make you feel that the end is near there is no hope, your condition is beyond help.
Don’t listen to that, Do this real fast, put a mirror under your nose and bread out, quickly remove the mirror and look for vapor residue on it. If it is there then you are still alive and there is still hope for you.
Why because Jesus came to save all who call on his name, no matter what boat you are in he can save to the up-most in any condition
21: But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
No one was interested in what Paul had to say before, but they are interested in hearing what he has to say now.
A few weeks ago I was in Honduras, some of the Church leaders were telling a story about the resent Earthquakes there.
He said all the Churches were almost empty one week and then the earthquake and now its standing room only
It is funny how when there is trouble; the world looks to God, but as soon as the trouble is passed the world goes back to doing what it was doing before
Paul did not sway he stood firm because his Rock was Jesus and when your Rock is Jesus you can’t be moved.
Lesion to what Paul is telling the people
22: And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.
23: For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
24: Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
25: Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
26: Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
This was like a 9.9 Earthquake, and everyone was trying to get as close to Paul as possible
27: But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
Have you been on a boat for more then a day, what was the sea condition, Good / bad.
We went fishing for my Son bachelor party in Tampa, what a good time, the ride was about 1 1½ hours out to the fishing area, the seas were about 4 to 5 foot, just beautiful for an old seaman like me.
Everyone was doing great except Pastor Edwin he was sick as a seadog, the only thing he was doing was feeding the fish over the side of the boat.
I almost felt sorry for him, almost that is.
I can only imagine how it would be with a boat load of men about 266 of them in a Hurricane force winds. I road out many of hurricanes offshore but never with so many people on board
Now the boat was coming up behind an Island, trained mariners can tell the difference in the sound of the sea and the waves of the Oceanic.
Look at verse 28
28: And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
29: Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
30: And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
31: Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
32: Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
Here is a massage for us today.
Only as we abide in Jesus can we be saved
The world may have all types of roads to heaven but none lead to Jesus
John:14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There is only one way to heaven and that is by Jesus and the sacrifice he has giving on the cross in payment for our sins
And there is only one way to get forgiveness, Except it by faith what He has done for you
Now they are all waiting for Paul to give the word
The Roman centurion, the ship owner, the ship Captain, the crew, and the passengers, All eyes were now on Paul
Act 27:
33: And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
34: Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
35: And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
36: Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
37: And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
38: And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.
39: And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
40: And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
If you are to be saved you must committee your live to Jesus, you must put yourself in His hands and let go of the rope that holds you too this world. The ride may get bumpy but the end results is what counts
41: And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
42: And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
43: But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
44: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
Many times in our life we will face trials; and come up against forces mightier then we are.
Eph:6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
When we are doing God will and going where God wants us to go, we must remember that He will take care of the problems that stand in the way.
God will not let his People Parrish, we may face trials but we will not face them alone
The ship was lost but the 266 souls were saved,
This is a great lesion for us today, by Faith we are saved through the Grace that Jesus gave on the cross; dieing in my place that I might have the life.
For he took my place in exchange he gave me his life . O what Love, O what a savior is Jesus my Lord.
Don’t be afraid to stand up for Jesus, someone’s life may be counting on your testimony
It is my pray that each of us will come to know Jesus as Paul did, that no matter what problems come to us in live we can say I know that my savior is in control and I have nothing to fear.
Last Day Counterfeits
Prov. 14:12 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
If you were the devil and could counterfeit anything you wanted, what would it be? Certainly it would be some thing of great worth.
Have you ever seen a counterfeit pile of dirt or a counterfeit toothpick? We only copy valuable things. Money is often copied.
“Satan is constantly seeking to counterfeit the work of Christ.”
Matthew 13:24,25 – “Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.‘”
Satan especially likes to plant his tares among the wheat.
The arch counterfeiter is the devil. So, as you might expect, the biggest forgery today is in religion. Churches (most of them unknowingly) have become involved in teaching forged illusions of Bible truth. With so many clones out there, truth seekers become confused and many simply seek out the best counterfeit. Never be satisfied with anything less than the genuine article.
Swindler Satan’s simulations reach fervent pitch in the last days. In Luke 21:8 Jesus said: “Watch out that you are not deceived.”
I Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow ddeceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
God’s truth has splintered into more than 250 different beliefs. This forgery of truth has been masterminded by the devil.
This replica of truth is not new. Christ warned about it in His day: Mark 7:7 – “In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the Commandments of men.”
Let us look at a few of the many delusions the devil has devised and that most of the world accepts:
Everything was Good
(1)–Creation/Evolution Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” I believe that in the beginning God Created the heavens and the earth. The chance that higher life forms might have emerged through the evolutionary processes is comparable to the chance that a tornado sweeping through a landfill might accidently assemble a space shuttle all gassed up and ready to fly from the junk in the dump.
If we can’t believe in the first sentence in the Bible, then we must reject every other page as fraudulent.
Another hoax emanating from the time of Genesis comes from the Garden of Eden. It was there that the original “Snake in the Grass” announced a great counterfeit that is still believed by most of the Christian world today.
(2) – There is no Death. Genesis 3:4 – “‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman…” Almost every church today believes this deception. Most of the religions of the world have purchased the devil’s lie- hook, line, and sinker. In saying “There is no death” he was introducing the delusion that there is life apart from God, Who is the source and maintainer of all life. God said man is mortal, the devil said he is immortal and that evil or good, man will never die. Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The wage of sin is NOT eternal life. Even if that life is in the fire of hell. Think about it, if you are alive in the fire of hell forever then you would have to have eternal life. Not much of a life!…. but it does last an eternity. Is that what the Bible says? NO! The wage of SIN is not life in hell or anywhere else. The wage of sin is death. Eternal Death. Just the opposite of the gift of God which is eternal life. Praise God for Eternal life! (Note that even Jesus said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”)
So, this counterfeit, that there is no death, opens the door for yet another fabrication!
(3) – I call it– Fake Fire. You see, if a sinner dies, and somehow does not die, then he must be alive somewhere. Where is that? Hell! And so the belief that there is no death means that life is indestructible. After “death” the person continues to live on somewhere. The unsaved sinner can’t die. So people believe that when the sinner is cast into hell fire, he must live there forever.
He can’t die. And do you know that 95% of all Christian Churches, yet to this day, still believe it?! They have accepted the counterfeit. Why do I call this “fake fire”? Because -if- the fire of hell can’t do its job in a million years or more then it is lukewarm fire!
How does the Bible describe hell fire? II Peter 3:10-12 – “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief… The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
Next delusion: When Adam and Eve were created from the hand of God, their first full day was spent in worship on the holy Sabbath Day. This brings us to the next counterfeit:
The 7th day is the Sabbath
(4) – Sunday is the Sabbath. A gigantic perversion of Bible truth in religion today, involves the question of which day is the true day of worship. Sunday observance has its roots back in the days immediately after the flood (Genesis 10 and Nimrod) In that time, Sun worship was conducted on the day of the sun, that we call “Sun-day.” As sun-worship began to increase, God decided to give to his people a written copy of His law. In the heart of it is His Sabbath commandment.
Exodus 20:8-11 The longest commandment is the only one with the word REMEMBER! If there was not a counterfeit in the making, why do you suppose God would say that? And so today there are many Christians accepting this counterfeit as the genuine article.
But fortunately today there is a movement in the world to get back to the real thing. The Seventh-day Adventist church is basically a call for a return to the truth as it is in the Bible.
Sunday keeping is a counterfeit of God’s Bible Sabbath. God says: Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy!
The counterfeiting continues. The devil needed a logical event on which to base a reason for first-day observance. And so today we have good Christians keeping Sunday because of the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week. This is not a Bible reason for Sunday worship. We certainly believe in the resurrection of Christ. But this is not a reason to switch from keeping Sabbath.
Now because one lie leads to another, the need arose for a counterfeit Baptism.
(5) – Is Sprinkling Baptism: Baptism under the water is God’s true symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Sunday is not the symbol to honor His resurrection. The new life of the new Christian is! And so if you take Sunday keeping as the symbol of the resurrection, you must introduce a counterfeit baptism that does no require this three fold symbolism. Hence: sprinkling! And so the large majority of Christians today accept this counterfeit baptism and don’t know why.
Ephesians 4:5 speaks of one baptism. Matthew 3:16 tells of Jesus baptism; going down into the water, being buried in it, and coming up out of the water renewed.
(6) – False Christs Matthew 24:24 – “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible.”
How many Redeemers do we have? One! Who is that? Jesus Christ. Any other is a false Christ. However, it seems that the Papacy is about to establish an additional redeemer. The over 400 apparitions of the “Virgin Mary” in the last 100 years are shaking the Roman Catholic Church to its core. During just the last four years Pope John Paul II has received over four Million signed petitions to name Mary as CO-REDEMPTRIX with Jesus Christ.
The Pope is considering naming Mary also as the “Mediatrix of All Graces and Advocate for the People of God.” This means that all prayers must flow through her as the ONLY channel of grace from Jesus Christ.
This would in essence elevate Mary to a place in a new “Holy Quartet” of the Godhead!
[for more information see Waymarks, a pamphlet published by the Southern Union Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, Volume 2, # 4, October 1997 issue.]
In John Paul II’s own words, “the new Eve beside the New Adam [Christ] in the Redemption.” Thus Mary would be the daughter of the Father, the mother of the Son and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
see Freedom Alert a periodical published by the Council on Religious Freedom, Vol. 13, Issue 4, 1997, E-mail address: page 8.
So you can see there are apocalyptic counterfeits currently in the making. If and when Mary is made a God, it means the World is racing inexorably towards a prophetic date with destiny! You have heard of these little books: God’s Little Instruction Book and etc. Now there is a Mary’s Little Instruction Book.
(7) False Church: God has a true church. She is described as a woman who is in deadly combat with a devil like dragon. Revelation 12:17 – “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring–those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
Lutherans and Calvinists are adopting common communions. [AP, 8-18-97]. A public announcement was made in Chattanooga, TN on Sunday May 4, 1997 by an archbishop of the Episcopal Church stating that Protestantism has all but died and that will leave only the Roman Catholic Church to represent Christianity. “God’s church is catholic,” he said. see Chattanooga Free Press, May 10, 1997 p. B1.
Ralph Reed, the director of the Christian Coalition in 1996 said: There is a growing strength of evangelicals and their Roman Catholic allies. “Dark distrust about popery has been swept into the ash heap of history. John F Kennedy’s election in 1960 buried the Catholic bogeyman forever. No longer burdened by the past, Roman Catholics, evangelicals, Greek Orthodox and many mainline denominations are forging a new alliance… See Freedom Report April, 1996, Clifford Goldstein, Editor.
“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of Doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees, sustain their institutions, then protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” – EG White, Great Controversy p. 445
(8) A COPIED COMING Prophecy warns that in the last days Satan would attempt to impersonate Christ’s second coming. II Thess. 2:3-4 That day shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed as God showing himself to be God. II Thess. 2:8-12 That wicked shall be destroyed by the brightness of His coming. Even him (Satan) whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. With all deceit (many counterfeits).
Luke 21:8 – “many shall come in My name.” II Cor. 11:14 (KJV) – “Satan, himself, is transformed into an angel of light.”
“in the last days he will appear in such a manner as to make men believe him to be Christ come the second time. He will bear the APPEARANCE OF CHRIST IN EVERY PARTICULAR…” – EG White, Vol. 5, Testimonies for the Church, p.698
Back in the 1970’s a rare discovery was made. It was called a pathological phenomenon. Scientists in China discovered a lady actually growing horns out of the top of her head. The written account said that she looked “like the Devil.”
For years the devil has sought to teach a false-hood here. We picture him as a red skinned imp with a tail and horns, and a pitchfork in his hand. This is a false picture. A trick. He has thrown this dust in the eyes of most in the world so that when he comes as an angel of light no one will recognize him and his coming will be accepted as the coming of Christ, Himself. What a counterfeit!
Speaking of Christs second coming: I Thess. 4:16-17 states the correct manner of His coming in the clouds of glory, and in the air.
Every Eye will see Jesus coming
Rev. 1:7 – Every Eye will see Jesus come!
Very soon, Satan will appear as the true Christ “He will be clothed as an angel of light…The apostate churches unite in the exaltation of Satan…” – EG White, Testimonies for Ministers, p.62 “Disguised as an angel of light, Satan will walk the earth as a wonder-worker. In beautiful language he will present lofty things. Good words will be spoken by him, and good deeds performed. Christ will be personified, but on one point there will be a marked distinction, Satan will turn the people from the LAW OF GOD. – EG White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 471-472.
“He will declare that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week and that he is the lord of the first day.” – EG White, Maranatha p. 205
“Satan, surrounded by evil angels, and claiming to be God, will work miracles of all kinds to deceive. God’s people will not find their safety in working miracles, for Satan will COUNTERFEIT the miracles that will be wrought.” – EG White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 16.
Matt. 24:24 (KJV) “..shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, in so much, that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” – Revelation 16:14 (KJV) says “for they are the spirits of DEVILS, working miracles…”
“Before the end of time he (Satan) will work still greater wonders. So far as his power extends, he will perform ACTUAL miracles.” – EG White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol 5, p.698
(9) – Hoax Healings – these miracles are another great counterfeit of Satan.
Revelation 13:13 – “And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.”
Revelation 16:14 – “They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs…”
EG White – 2SM51 – “He is to work miracles; and this wonderful, miracle-working power is to sweep in the whole world.”
EG White Testimonies t the Church, Vol 1 – “The sick will be healed before us. Miracles will be performed in our sight. Are we prepared for this?”
Have you ever thought about why it is that we seem to be seeing less and less true miracles of physical healing from God? Could it be that these things will fade in importance in the last days, because Satan is counterfeiting so many of them. The devil knows his time is short and these miracles and the imitation of Christ’s Second Coming are his trump cards. As we hear more and more about these false healings and false Christ, we should wake up to the fact that the real genuine article is almost here. How often the fake just precedes the real event.
EG White Great Controversy, p. 625 – “Satan is not permitted to counterfeit the manner of Christ’s advent.” …. “only those who have been diligent students of the scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive.”
(10)-His counterfeit of the Bible– There are so many books out there claiming to contain the truth. The Koran, the book of Mormon, the new age writings, … the list could go on and on.
But there is only one Bible and It is hard to know which Bible is the Real Bible.
I stood at a Bible Book store and saw a
• Bible for Men with nuts, bolts, gears on the front cover.
• I saw a Bible for Women.
• A Bible For Mothers.
• A bible for Fathers.
• A bible for Students.
• A bible for Teenagers.
• A bible for Boys.
• A bible for Girls.
• A bible for Parents.
• A bible for New Converts.
• A bible for hillbillies.
• A bible for African Americans.
• A bible for Catholics.
I wanted a copy of God’s real word for me!
(11) –His emulation of the church-fellowship…
“The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit that there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His people. It’s an imitation dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is a permissive, accepting fellowship. It is a place where you can tell secrets and they usually don’t want to tell others. The bar flourishes not because many people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and to be known, and loved, and many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers and are led into the devil’s trap and barred from eternal life.”
(12) –His backward millennium with its deadly second chance after seven years of tribulation AFTER the second coming. Revelation 20 does not indicate there will be a second chance after the rapture. Jesus will come at the beginning of the 1000 years. All the righteous will be taken to heaven and all the wicked will be left behind dead and unburied.
(13) — TANGLED TONGUES:
There is a movement today in religion that says unless you speak in tongues you are not saved. Yet Jesus never spoke in tongues or David or John or hundreds of other Saints. Most of what is claimed as Bible examples of speaking in tongues is actually the gift of another LANGUAGE.
Listen to Acts 2:2-6 (Living Bible) – “Suddenly there was a sound like
the roaring of mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the
house where they were meeting. What looked like flames or tongues of fire
appeared and settled on their heads. And everyone present was filled with
the Holy Spirit and began SPEAKING in languages they didn’t know for the Holy
Spirit gave them this ability.
And when they heard the roaring in the sky above the house, CROWDS CAME
RUNNING to see what it was all about and were stunned to hear their OWN
LANGUAGES being spoken by the disciples.”
That is how the Holy Spirit came to them. The same could and must happen to each of us today. The time is here. The Spirit is even now being poured out. Are you receiving it yet? If we are not filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be filled with another spirit.
I would like to share with you something that I will never forget. It happened when I was about 11 years old. A young lady about 26 years old had been suffering from cancer for eight months. She was paralyzed and wasn’t able to walk. One Saturday night she asked her husband to take her to the Holy Ghost Pentecostal church. He did and carried her in through the door. The group there were with the spirit that night and excitement was high. Immediately that paralyzed lady began to preach and pray. She started talking in an unknown tongue. “I couldn’t understand her,” her husband said.
But in a few minutes she stopped, and then, as if a hand had raised her to her feet, she stood up and began to walk around. (Remember she had been paralyzed.) They were all praising the Lord about that time. Suddenly she darted from the church with her husband trailing behind her; but he couldn’t catch her. She kept running until she reached the highway, where upon she immediately jumped in front of a passing car. She was killed. (Newspaper- Houston Press, Nov. 17, 1952)
Here was a woman who went to a Holy Ghost meeting. She started speaking in tongues. She apparently seemed to be healed and then was lifted out of her seat and ran out and flung herself in front of a speeding car.
Could that be the Spirit of God? I can’t believe it. The spirit of the DEVIL leads to self destruction as in the case of the swine that ran into the sea. If the Holy spirit takes charge of our lives, then he will lead us to life in Christ. If the Evil spirit takes charge, he will lead us to the road of destruction. Let us make sure that we have the Holy Spirit in control of our lives. The Devil is now trying to counterfeit every truth of God. “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14.
Our only safety is to be led by the Holy Spirit. I want to be a son of God. Don’t you?
The best way to detect a counterfeit twenty dollar bill is to KNOW THE GENUINE. To avoid being taken in by all the falsehoods and videos and cassette tapes and mimeographed sheets that come in the mail, what must you do? Must you wade through all that stuff? NO! You concentrate on knowing Jesus Christ. He is the truth. Study your Bible. Focus on Jesus. And someday when the counterfeit is placed in your hands, you will instantly know it is a fake. I saw a counterfeit bill one day and it only took a glance and I knew it was bad.
Sometimes I wish Jesus would keep the counterfeits of His truth out of circulation like the Bank tries to do with the bad money. You can’t go to the Bank and get any counterfeit money. So do your spiritual banking with Jesus! Invest in the truth. The truth is Jesus.
Jesus said: “I am the way the Truth and the Life.”
Stick with Jesus and you will not be deceived.
Sermon from McDonald Road SDA Church
A light unto my Path!
Do you know what a Compass is, and what it is used for.
A Compass has only one purpose and that is to point to North.
Where would the world be with out something to guide man to North?
Story: All Ships use a compass for Navigation.
And all Air Planes use a compass. Now they have GPS or DGPS
They all do the same things telling you where you are, and show you the directions you are going.
I am the way the truth and the Light
John 8: 12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jesus is just like a compass he is shining his light on the path we need to be traveling on and if you are looking unto Jesus he will guide you safely home.
I love pictures of old light houses.
As a boy growing up on an Island we would sometimes go to the hill where the lighthouse was to camp out. The lights on that Island were turned off at 10pm and everything was in completed total darkness. The only light you could see was the light coming out of the lighthouse.
When it would light up, it lit up everything around it, that’s how bright it was. It had to be bright because ships far out at sea needed to know where they were. The only thing they had was the light from that old lighthouse to guide them to a safe shore.
Thats how the song goes “Jesus is the lighthouse” it is he that will lead us to the safe shores of heaven!
********* If you were rich what would you do with all your Money? ***********
There was a very popular song many years ago recorded by a group called the Beatle. While; I never like the group, I must also admit that they did have some truth in there song. Money can’t buy me Love.
Money can buy a lot of things; many people are all trying to get something that can’t buy everything, and they think money will make then happy.
Do you realize that there are more rich people killing themselves than any-other people group! Why is that?
They have all the money in the world why then are they killing them self…. WHY?
1. Money can buy medicine, But not Health
2. Money can buy a house, But not a Home
3. Money can buy companionship, But not True Friendship
4. Money can buy entertainment. But not Happiness
5. Money can buy food, But not an Appetite
6. Money can buy a bed, But not Sleep
7. Money can buy a crucifix, But not a Saviour
8. Money can buy the good life, But not Eternal Life
9. Money can buy anything on this Earth, but not Jesus
That explains why we are told in this section of the Scriptures that it is God (alone) who is able to supply us “with all things to enjoy”
(Charles Swindoll once said, “Money has never made anyone rich”)
Can you believe that MONEY has never made anyone rich….Do you believe that only rich people have money.
I know a lot of people who are rich but have no money, because they are rich in Faith.
****** ******* ****** ****** ******** ****** *********
When I worked in a shipyard, sometimes I work on yachts and these rich people had signs that said. “He who die’s with the most toys Wins” If only they knew the truth…
Toys in this world don’t make you a winner. Faith in Jesus is what makes a person a winner.
Money can’t buy the love light that shine from Jesus nailed to a Cross dying for you and me.
****** What is Gods word to his children? *******
Ps:119:105:
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Isa:42:6:
I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
The Biggest problem with our world to day is we are LOST.
The Creator has giving us a compass (The Bible) and we refuse to use it. It kind of like going on a road trip, not know how to get where you want to go, and not believing in any of the Maps that tell you how to get there.
It just does not make any sense does it to try and get someplace with out using something that tell you how to get there safely. We will stay Lost all our Life, never getting to the heavenly home God has prepared for you.
***********************************************************************
Have you every been in a cave “It’s Beautiful”
**** Story of Caves
In most Caves you will always have a rope to show you the way out if you get lost.
Now if we are lost in a cave we can look at the rope and say, I don’t believed in you, I don’t believed you are there, and I don’t believed you will lead me out of this Cave.
Here is a choice you have to make. Follow the rope out of the Cave, or stay Lost.
Many people stay Lost!!!
You see the Bible, cannot be just simply a good book. It is either true or it is not. It cannot be a good book if it is a book of Lies. It is either the Word of the Living God, as it claims to be, or it is not. One or the Other.
If there is no Creator there is no Redeemer it is as simple as that.
So how do you know that Jesus is real? How can you believe in someone you can’t see? Easy, all that is needed is for you to get to know him, how do you do this, only by studying in his word.
I hear people say that Jesus was nothing more then a another good Prophet, that he was not the Son of God but like John the Baptist and another good Man trying to lead his people back to there former God. What does the Bible say about that!
John 1:
1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2: The same was in the beginning with God. Who are we talking about?
3: All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4: In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5: And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There is no doubt that we are talking about God the Son here “Jesus Christ”. We know that God the Father and God the Son existed long before there was anything. We know from reading that God the Son was the one who did the Creation part. Verse #3
6: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Who was John, just a good man? John was not the Light; he was more like a mirror just a reflection of the Light that had come into our world.
7: The same came (Here God the son Jesus is now called the Light. He it is that will light your way in the world of darkness. No man that sets his faith in Jesus will ever be in darkness, for darkness can’t overcome light) for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8: He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9: That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
So who is the Light?
10: He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
I am almost ashamed of this statement, Jesus said he came unto his own and his own knew him not. Was he just talking to the Jew’s of his time or was he also talking to us today.
How many religious leaders proclaim to know God but refuse to teach his true words. They rather hold to there traditions then to God’s doctrines. They have turned away from the truth of Gods light so many times that they have become blind, and seek to hold others in the darkness of this world that they have become so accustom too.
But God is not slack in those who Love him and want to follow his true teaching.
12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
If Jesus came today how many would receive him as the Saviour. Or would we all just nail him back on the cross. Would he come the way we expect him to come, if not would you be disappointed.
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.
Before creating this world God the Father and God the Son knew that sin could spoil his creation. If that happen all of Gods creation would have to die forever. Because the law said that the wages of sin is death. The sole that sinnith it must die. This was just not acceptable to God. He would put himself in place of mankind if man would fall to sin and die in his place.
15: John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16: And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18: No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Now we find out who this John was. The word said he was a witness, a witness to what?
19: And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20: And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21: And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
22: Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23: He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
We like John are to be a witness, a Voice crying in the wilderness of this world of Sin. Get ready; for you know not the time of his coming. As his faithful witnesses we must sound the alarm of his soon coming. Will the world hear our warning, or will it say, ever since the days of out Fathers all things have been the same. Will the world look onto us as a Fanatic? The prophet John stood in the mist of all these Pharisees to give account as to who he was. He was not the Christ but only the Voice crying to make ready his coming.
If we do not warn them then they will die in there sin, and there blood will be required at our hands for keeping silent. We must point them to the Light that is our job as Gods people: “Christians”
24: And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25: And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
26: John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
27: He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
************* ****************
I am amazed at Evolutionists. You know why. They are people of Faith. Did you know that?
Anybody that can believe BANG and it all began. Is a man of Faith to me?
**** But none can come up with what we call First Cause ****
****Do you know the Key element that all things are made of? (Atoms)
A Chair, Wood, cloth, People, Brick’s, All different, But All the same “Atoms”.
An Atom is the smallest elements know to man. Except for the Electrons that Orbit the Atoms
Billion all over us the very building block of our solar system
One day Man found a way to split the Atom. It gave us then the H Bomb…
Never would our world be the same again.
Listen to this
Splitting of the Atom is in reality creation in reverse. Can you see how this breathtaking discovery makes belief in the Scriptural record of creation, not at all difficult?
For if man can turn matter into energy, could not the Creator have turned energy into matter.
Sr. Albert Einstein
Sometimes is seems so easy to be lost in our world, why because people don’t listen.
They choose not to here
They choose not to learn
They choose not to see
They choose not to do
And when they choose not to, Gods Spirit can’t work with them. He comes to them who are waiting for him. He doesn’t force himself on us. Those who choose to follow him, he lights there path that they may see and those who choose not to follow him He respects there discussion and leaves them in the dark. Because they have no light they stumble and fall and soon die.
God has giving us a way to know him “His Word” His Word is a guide in our life showing us the way, pointing us to God. With out his word we are all lost.
Thy word is a light unto my path
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.
Today Not Tomorrow !!!
Sunday night, October 8, 1871, Dwight L. Moody was preaching to a large congregation in Chicago’s Fairwell Hall.
The text of his sermon was “What shall I do then with Jesus?”
At the close of the sermon he said: “I wish you would take this text home with you and turn it over in your mind during the week, and next Sunday we shall come to Calvary and the Cross, and we shall decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth”.
Then, as usual, he turned to Sankey and asked him to sing a hymn. Sankey’s strong tones rang through the hall.
“Today the Savior calls;
For refuge fly;
The storm of justice falls,
And death is nigh”.
The hymn was never finish, for while Sankey was singing there came the rush and roar of fire engines on the street outside, and the heavens suddenly turned crimson with the reflection of the great Chicago fire. In the morning Chicago lay in ashes.
To his dying day Moody was full of regret, because he had told that congregation to wait until next week to decide what to do with Jesus.
“I never dare”, he said, to give an audience a week to think of their salvation. Settle it in your heart what to do with Jesus today, because tomorrow may never come.
KNOWING GOD RESULTS IN TRUSTING GOD.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW HIM, YOU WON’T TRUST HIM.
IF YOU DON’T TRUST HIM, YOU DON’T KNOW HIM.
The best blessing God ever gave me was Cancer, you see while I was physically strong I was Spiritually weak. God new that he had to do something so he made me Physically weak so that through Him I could become Spiritually strong.
Was it not Job who said; throw he slay me, yet will I serve Him.
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the
“Peanuts” comic strip.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and
actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
They are the ones that care.
Jesus Cares; he proved it by dieing for you.
John 8: 12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Listen to words of this song.
The Lord is my light; then why should I fear? / By day and by night His presence is near;
He is my salvation from sorrow and sin; / this blessed persuasion the Spirit it brings in.
The Lord is my light; though clouds may a rise, Faith stronger than sight, looks up to the skies; Where Jesus for ever in glory doth reign: Then how can I ever in darkness remain?
The Lord is my light, the Lord is my strength; I know in his might I’ll conquer at length; My weakness in mercy He covers with power, and walking by faith, He up-holds me each hour.
The Lord is my light, my all and in all; there is in His sight no darkness at all; He is my Redeemer, my Savior and King; with saints and with angels His praises I sing.
The Lord is my light, my joy, and my song; by day and by night He leads me along;
The Lord is my light, my joy and my song; by day and by night He leads me along;
Make a decision in your heart to day to follow Jesus for he and he alone is the Light that will guide you through the toughest and most difficult times in your life.
Just put your trust in Him and believe. May God bless and lead you with the light of his love.
Holiness unto the Lord
Story: Noah
God called a man named Noah Why? The Earth was full of SIN and Evil
Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD
Genesis 6: 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD
• Doing something that everyone thinks you are crazy
Did you know that Noah preached the same sermon for 120 years: If the Pastor preached the same sermon for two or three Sabbaths in a row what do you think will happen?
Time to get honest here Everyone will start complaining right.
Noah was giving a Warning to the people of his day, Why because the cup of evil was full to the rim and running over
God did not just zap everyone out, He sent Noah to warn them and give them time to make a choice and save themselves.
Everyone had time to make ready, Everyone had time to study, Everyone had time to change their life style. But no one took the time to do anything but laugh at this crazy old man
The Garden of Eden was still on the earth and people could still go and see where it was and to know that it was because of Sin that they no longer had access to it.
One day something strange started to happen, Animals started to walk two be two out of the forest right into the Ark.
Sign after sign was giving but still no one believed
Till the great door of the Ark closed and probation also closed for the World
In everything Noah did he honored God and gave God the glory by his obedience and love for his creator, it was just too bad no one listened to what he was preaching
Let us Pray!
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Thousands of years ago, God gave a vision of what His people could be in contrast to the rest of the world around them.
In the book of Leviticus we see a holy God and we see what he thinks of all the evil around us and we find out what His plans are for His people.
Can God’s holiness give us hope? I’d like to share that message of hope with you today.
I invite you to open your Bibles to the book of Leviticus and we’ll look at a couple of Bible texts that emphasize God’s holiness.
First of all we’ll look at chapter 20, and I’d like to direct your attention to verses 22-23 and 26.
Verses 22-23 “You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them.”
Let me explain what the problems was with the other Nations (The Sins of the others Nations has reach their limit and probation was fixing to close for them)
Now verse 26: “And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”
I would also like to point your attention to chapter 11.
Leviticus chapter 11:44, 45. “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
If you were to sum up those verses, what would you say the message is?
I believe we could summarize it this way:
The book of Leviticus is about the holiness of God versus the ugliness of Sin.
In fact, God’s holiness is a way to describe His pure loving character which is totally good and entirely separate from evil in any form.
And the more exalted our views about God’s holiness, the more we will not want to disgrace our holy God. Because the more we know Him, the more we will want to be like Him.
Now I’d like for us to look at Leviticus 19 for the sake of asking ourselves, “What is the holiness of God and what does it mean for us?”
Chapter 19, along with the other places it stresses that God wants us to be holy, because the Lord our God is holy. That’s in verse 2. I want us to notice how that theme is developed in this chapter.
In verse 3 it tells us that God wanted the Israelites to hold in the highest regard their mothers and fathers. To respect their mothers and fathers.
Gods commandment
If fact the 5th commandment in the book of Exodus 20: 12 tell us: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Have you ever seen a child treat his mother or father with disrespect? Yep
We all have! This is a day and age when there is very little cross-generational respect. We hear stories of parents killing their children and children killing their parents.
In Leviticus19: 3 God also says “Keep my Sabbaths.” Most people don’t even know what “rest” is, much less the Sabbath experience. (God gave Man rest) Man is Over Worked today!
Verse 4, Don’t turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods. They Can’t see, hear or walk.
Verse 11: You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. Stealing these days is a common thing to do, dealing falsely as well, and lying is easy for anyone.
Verse 13: You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him Not very many people care about their neighbors these days.
Verse 14: You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind.
You shall not hate your brother in your heart. And it goes on to tell us that there should be no grudges against people, but we should love our neighbors as ourselves. (19:17, 18) Forgiveness that’s a rare thing today It is one thing to forgive and another to forget.
Some of the things have changed since the days God spoke these words to Moses. Lev. 19:27, for example, tells men not to shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard.
The SDA Commentary is helpful for things like this. It tells us that at that time it was a common practice, as a sign of devotion to one’s pagan god to shave off some hair and offer it to his gods.
So shaving off the sides of the head or disfiguring the natural shape of the beard was a symbol for all to see that a person was devoted to a certain pagan god. So that’s not quite the same today, or maybe it’s in another form today, I don’t know.
Other things are still relevant, however.
Verse 31 says Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits. It’s common to hear of people that claim they can speak to your dead family member. Fortune tellers and channelers seek to give you extra-terrestrial wisdom. They claim they can give that.
• Have you notes that today more so then ever in the History of man, all the people who clime that they can speak to the dead.
That also clime they can tell the future: But they can’t tell what the lotto number will be next week.
Gods says don’t believe them, and don’t play on Satan’s ground
Verse 33 says Don’t mistreat strangers. In today’s society of suspicion and prejudice, do we really care about people we don’t know?
Leviticus 19:34 says “The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
Verse 35: You shall do no injustice in measurements of length, weight or volume. Don’t steal or cheat someone.
So what is God saying to us here? All of these admonitions, all of these commands, reflected God’s extreme dislike of the practices of society around us. Why would that be?
Because God is holy, and by nature hates anything having to do with the ugliness of sin. You see, God is not an arbitrary God.
God does not tell us not to do these things just because He doesn’t think we should do them, but because He doesn’t want those things to damage or kill us.
God wants His people to be different from the sinful society around them. He says You shall be holy, for I am holy.
Can you imagine living in a society in which
1. No one Cheats each other
2. Doors wouldn’t need to be locked because you could trust people.
3. People wouldn’t have to be scared of walking all alone in the dark.
4. People wouldn’t get kidnapped.
5. Kids wouldn’t become the victims of incest and abuse.
6. Women wouldn’t get raped.
7. Stores wouldn’t be robbed.
8. No one would have to go hungry.
9. People would care for each other.
10. There would be no adultery.
11. There would be no child pornography.
12. There would be no bribery.
13. And there would be no more politicians who care only about campaign contributions and saving their own jobs.
14. There would be no more deal-making behind closed doors of government
Why does all that sound so good? Is it perhaps because that picture, that dream, is so unlike our present reality?
The picture in our minds is what we want because we’re hungry for something that isn’t. We’re starving for a taste of what isn’t true today.
We’re so accustomed to most of the evil in society that we are unaware to the not-so-good that exists inside each of us.
Leviticus tells us that we have a God who is holy. He hates evil and sin, but He graciously loves us. He’s a holy God who cares so much for us that He wants to bring us from that evil, and save us from that and from the damage that sin brings to us.
Leviticus is about a God who cares enough about us to take us out of the dirt and the grime. To pick us up, dust us off, wash us and cleanse us, and polish and shine us with his love.
He is a God who wants us to be separate from the garbage that exists around us, garbage that is offensive, ugly and hateful.
I am thankful today that God’s plan is to restore us to His image so that we do what’s right because it is right. So God takes us out of the garbage of sin and tells us, “You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.” (Leviticus 20:26).
You know that tells me that God values us.
I never used to think about God’s holiness as giving me hope that’s often because I don’t feel holy. Do you know what that’s like? Do you ever feel unholy? Maybe 10% of the time, or 5%? Or maybe rather it’s 99% of the time.
It has always been the love of God, God’s forgiveness, God’s patience, God’s grace and mercy that has meant a lot to me.
But after studying the book of Leviticus, I see it very differently. And I see that there is a purpose and a message behind it all. And God’s holiness is that message.
In all of God’s pure, loving goodness. God can’t stand evil in any shape or form. And even though evil exists inside each one of us, God has His plan to get rid of that evil.
The sacrifices in the book of Leviticus communicated that. Jesus’ death was the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan to cleanse us from evil so we could be His people. And we could be His people in complete freedom once again.
God’s call to His holiness gives me hope because it means that we are all valuable to Him and He has a plan to heal us from the damage of sin.
He calls us to escape the sin and corruption that is in this world, because we are valuable to Him. God really does have something much better in mind for us.
STORY: Imelda Harrison and her sisters had made reservations to stay in a motel in the town of Yulee, Florida, in a very out-of-the-way place.1
Instead of rooms, it had cabins set way back from the highway. Imelda had an uneasy feeling about the place, but they had already taken care of their luggage, and her sisters were lying on the bed, resting.
It had been a long day, and all they wanted to do was to stretch out and relax. Soon, however, they heard a lot of cussing and swearing coming from the other side of the duplex cabin.
There was a door going from their side of the cabin to the other, with only a slide lock on the door. They could not hear every word being said, but they heard enough to know that the man was talking about them!
When they had first arrived, a car had been parked on their side of the cabin, and her sister Arlene had gone to knock on the door to ask the man to please move his car out of their way.
He had been sleeping and was wearing only his under garments when he came to the door, cussing and swearing at her.
Well, he got dressed and moved the automobile. But Arlene noticed a pistol on his night stand and mentioned it to the others.
Yet she still felt as if they would be safe enough with the doors locked. Imelda didn’t share her feelings, and was sure that they could be murdered if they didn’t get out immediately.
She eventually tried to talk her other sisters into packing up and getting out of there, but they just didn’t seem to want to be bothered at eleven o’clock at night.
She started to pray for something to happen to change their minds. Suddenly she heard them both scream at the top of their lungs.
She looked and saw something green in the middle of their bed! A lizard had jumped from the windowsill onto the bed, leaping right between them.
They packed up and were out of there in twenty minutes. They went ten miles down the road and rented another room at a motel that appeared much safer.
As they were registering at the desk, the woman said to them, “At a motel about ten miles down the road, there have been several unsolved murders committed in the last few months.”
When she mentioned the name of the place, it was the same motel they had just left. So Imelda thanked the Lord for sending the lizard to drive her sisters out of there.
God wants us to escape the corruption in the world, the evil. He has something better in mind for us. He has a better “hotel” for us to stay in.
And He will use whatever is necessary to motivate us to leave our ugly world of sin.
He offers you and me an escape from evil! With His loving holiness God rescues us from evil.
My prayer is that we may all choose to be, by God’s grace, His holy people.
One thing I have always found is that History repeats it’s self, time and time again, why because God keeps giving mankind chance after chance.
But like in the days of Noah time is running out and the great door of salvation will soon once again close forever
Those who Honor and give God the glory by doing what He said to do, and Keeping his words and Laws and taking on Gods Holiness will be saved.
Why because God is Holy and like Noah, we can find Grace in the sight of a Holy God.
A Leap of FAITH!
Once upon a time, two acorns were born in a big Oak Tree in a forest. Their names were Albert and Amanda Acorn.
Picture taken by Benjamin Bruce
Albert and Amanda lived in their shells side by side. It was springtime and they enjoyed the bright green foliage around them. They liked to gaze at the wide blue sky. Albert especially liked this.
They were intrigued as they watched the forest floor far below. Little green plants poked their shoots out of the soil. Tiny flowers poked their purple and red petals out of the leaves, Amanda especially liked this. Albert and Amanda became friends. They were happy in their big Oak Tree in the vast forest.
**** Spring turned into summer ****
Albert and Amanda planned for the future every day. They talked about important things.
Amanda: Ask “Albert? Where do Oak Trees come from?”
Albert: said “Well…..The other day I overheard wise old owl talking about acorns becoming Oak Trees!”
“You mean acorns like us?”
“Well yeah, acorns like us.”
“You mean we might become oak trees?” Albert: replied “Wow! I sure hope so!”
Albert and Amanda both decided they would be oak trees. Day after day Amanda thought about oak trees. One day she blurted out, quite unexpectedly…..
“Albert! How do trees grow? What keeps them from falling over?!”
Albert: said “They have roots, silly!”
“Roots?” Albert said “Yeah, roots. You know, down in the ground.”
Hmmm.. Amanda said. I wonder what it’s like down there.”
Albert said ” “Well, I don’t know.” “I’m just glad we’re up here where it’s nice and snug.” and warm.”
Amanda said “The tree does give us all our food.” Albert: “And we’re getting fat!” Albert and Amanda smile at each other.
**** Summer turned into Fall ****
One day, Albert knew that something was bothering Amanda. <>
“What’s bugging you Amanda?” She said “Remember when we talked about roots?
Yeah.
Do all trees have roots?” “Well…. I think so. Why?” Amanda “And trees grow from the ground up?”
“Yeah. So?”
Amanda was thinking: “And we’re wanting to be Oak Trees.” “Yes Amanda! So what’s your point?” “Albert, maybe we have to start on the ground!” So you think we should jump?”
“Well…..I don’t know…I…”
Amanda “You’re actually thinking about it?” “Sort of… I don’t know…It’s a long way down…But it’s the only way…” “That’s foolishness. You’re nuts! Don’t do it Amanda! Please…” Albert pled with Amanda not to do it.
But one day in late Autumn they said their goodbyes and…Amanda Jumped.
**** Autumn turned into winter ****
Albert spent a lonely winter. And he didn’t feel very well. But he was safe and secure in his shell in the big Oak Tree in the forest. He thought of poor Amanda. She was dead by now. But he, Albert, would still be a mighty oak! And so he dreamed…..
But each day Albert felt worse and worse and he shriveled up more and more. It was too late when he discovered…..He had rotted from the inside out!
**** Winter turned into spring ****
And in the very spot where Amanda had fallen into the ground, a little green sprout poked up out of the soil. The acorn shell was now empty and Amanda grew, and grew, and grew until she became a towering Oak Tree. She provided branches for many bird nests and shade for many weary travelers. Many small acorns began to form on her branches.
She was so happy that she had learned a simple rule:
******A fruitful life comes only through death to self. ******
Our life is all about choices that we make everyday, it is only when we put Jesus first and self last and believe in what he done for us that helps us to make the right choice in life.
Let us Pray!
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There was once a tightrope walker who was crossing Niagara Falls. After he had held the crowds spellbound with his daring act, he asked, How many of you believe I could cross the tightrope again, this time Blindfolded and pushing a wheelbarrow with someone riding in it.
The crowds applauded.
They were sure he could do it. But then he said, Who will volunteer to ride the wheelbarrow?
There was a vast silence.
The audience had just been reminded of the vital difference between belief and trust! It’s one thing to believe that the wheelbarrow would make it safety across the Falls. It’s quite another thing to put your own life on the line.
James 2:19 draws the same distinction: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
In order to have saving Faith, you need more than simple mental assent. The devils have that much and they tremble as a result. The devils believe – but they don’t trust.
And that my friend is the crucial difference.
There are three words that best describes the dependent relationship of the Christian to God:
Faith, Belief, and Trust.
In modern usage, belief often carries with it the idea of only a mental assent.
Faith is sometimes confused with positive thinking.
But the word TRUST probably comes the closest to describing the biblical dependence upon God.
Wherever you find the word belief or faith in Scripture, you can substitute it for the word Trust, and perhaps understand a new dimension to a familiar word.
For instance Act 16: 31
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Would read
Trust the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved
Faith includes not only belief but trust, “ Faith is Trusting God “.
Faith is dependence upon another, It is probably the closest word to surrender found in the Bible, for it carries with it the idea of giving up your life into God’s control.
Hebrew: 11:1:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
So we see that faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things we have not yet seen. But we believe and Truth that we will receive them.
So how do we get Faith, just where does it come from
- Remember the story of Noah:
God told Noah to build a Boat and really big Boat. Why because It would need to hold two of every type of creature on the earth, soon a Flood was coming to destroy all things
Now understand something about the time Noah lived in
It had never rained,
It had never flooded,
And there were no large rivers where Noah lived
So perhaps Noah made a mistake in what he heard God telling him to do.
It happen everyday people making mistake in what they hear, in what they do, in what they feel, and in what they say.
If Noah lived in our days he would surely have had to go back and ask God to explain exactly what he means by Rain or Flood. Because scientist can prove today that it is impossible for the world to be completely flooded
They said the same thing to Noah but it did not faze him one bit.
Noah knew what God said, he did not understand how God was going to do it and he did not question how God was going to do it. He just believed what God said.
And every time Noah drove a Nail into the side of the Ark he believed, every time he install a plank he believed, His faith grew each day because the Trusted in what God had said.
Faith is Believing! “If God said it, believe it”
- In another story we find Jesus and his Disciples taking a little trip on a Boat.
Matthew 8
The Jesus Film
23: And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24: And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. Who was asleep “Jesus”
25: And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
How is that possible How is that possible to perish when the giver of life is with you.
26: And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27: But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Here we find the disciples just like how we are at time, believing but not Fully Trusting.
Faith is Trusting !
A little more then a 100 years ago there was a Sea Captain who heard the call to be a Missionary his Name was Mc Cleane
- Story: Capt Mc Cleane Island of Cannibals
Faith & Trust is going beyond understanding to do what you know is right!
- Story Joshua 3: Story about the Priest going over Jordan
13: And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
Faith & Trust is putting one foot forward and walking with both eyes closed
The Bible said if you have Faith so much as a grain of Mustard seed “you could do what”
Faith is like thread
One peace all by its self can not do much, but each time Faith is used it becomes stronger Until that thread becomes a rope, a life line to Jesus
Whatever happens in your life never get positive thinking confused with Faith!
Positive thinking does not produce genuine faith, but faith will produce positive thinking.
John Huss and Jerome were heroes of the Reformation years.
They worked in Bohemia, and their witness preceded that of Martin Luther in Germany.
The writing of Wycliffe influenced both men. Not long after John Huss began to preach the gospel with great power, he was joined by Jerome, who had been in England.
As the preaching of John Huss became more widely known, he was summoned to Rome to give an account of his teachings.
Huss was given a safe-conduct, but after his hearing he was thrown into prison anyway. He was offered the opportunity to recant, but he refused, and before many weeks had passed, he was burned at the stake.
His persecutors scattered his ashes in the Rhine Rive and hoped in vain that they had silenced his Voice.
When Jerome heard that his friend was in peril, he hurried to Rome, not waiting even for the safe-conduct that had proved so ineffective for Huss.
Upon his arrival, he too was thrown into prison and kept there for many months. His courage failed, and he accepted the opportunity to recant.
Then he discovered an amazing thing. There is something worse than being burned at the stake! And that is not to be burned at the stake and to live with the remorse of having denied the Lord.
Jerome recanted his recantation and went singing to his death.
When the executioner stepped behind him to kindle the flames, he cried, Come forward boldly, apply the fire before my face.
Had I been afraid, I should not be here.
The Bible position is that not every promise is for you at this time and under these circumstances.
There may be a times when God will call you to give a testimony of your life before Men, how will you fair.
“When thou walkest through the fire, Thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Huss and Jerome went to the stake not because they lacked faith, but because of their faith.
Faith still Trust God even when things don’t work out the way we want them to.
It’s easy to trust God when life is going smoothly. The real test of faith comes when our prayers seem unanswered.
The Lord would have you trust in his love and mercy amid clouds and darkness as well as in the sunshine.
To Know Him is to Trust Him
Today we have a choice; remember the Story of “Albert and Amanda Acorn”
You can take a leap of faith in Jesus and live forever, Or you can stay in your nice warm spot thinking you are alright.
But when the time comes and you are not feeling too good it might be too late to find out you have rotted from the inside.
**** Remember this. ****
KNOWING GOD RESULTS IN TRUSTING GOD.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW HIM, YOU WON’T TRUST HIM.
IF YOU DON’T TRUST HIM, IT IS BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW HIM.
Do All to the Glory of God
There were two Families who lived across the street in this particularly neighborhood.
One day they got in an augment over some little foolish thing that happen and vow to never speak to each other again (As long as they would live)
A few years would go by and both couples started having children.
One day they notices that there children were playing together in the fount yard.
This infuriated the parents to see there children playing with those people across the street.
They would go and get the children and tell them they were never to play with the People across the street again.
Only to find the children in the front yard playing again with the children across the street.
The Parents knew they needed to do something to stop this with those fitly no mans who lived across the street.
So the parents on the right side of the street started to build all kinds of play things in their back yard for there children
The parents on the Lift side of the street saw what the pigs across the street was doing and started doing the same in their back yard.
Never would there children play together again!
Time went on and the children grew-up and were ready for School. The parents on both sides of the street made sure that there children would not attend the same school so they all went to a different private school.
Time again moved on and the oldest of these children now made ready for collage.
At Collage both of these young adults met many of new friends, one day the Girl from the right side of the street met a wonderful boy who she fell in Love with.
And the Boy from the Left side met a wonderful Girl who he fell in Love with.
They Loved each other so much they did not want to even go home when the semester was over, So they decided to register and go to school all year long, studying and cramming there curses so they could both finish get Married and start a life of there own when School finished
Funny neither of them every talk much about there family back home.
But the day came and they graduated; now they planed to get married. They were surprised to learn that they both came from the same state, and even more surprised to learn that they lived in the Same City.
What a coincident they said to each other.
The Girl told here Boyfriend the street she lived on and the Boy said why my parents live on that same street.
He told the girl his parent house number and she said why that is not far from where her parent live
They just could not understand how they had never met before, living so close to each other all this time.
Until they drove down the road and seen that they were neighbors across the street.
***********
How many of us today go to Church and never talk to each other. How many times do we pass each other by with not so much as a smile, a hello, a good-by, or a go and drop dead.
We are supposed to be representing God on this Earth, but some times we tend to represent only Satan in Christ clothing.
God said in all that you do, do it to the Glory of God!
Our Question today is “How do I give God the Glory”?
Let us pray !!!!!!
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The Sermon today will be taking from the Scripture found in 1 Corinthians: 10:31:
The King James Bible:
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Twenty Century New Testament Bible:
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to the honor of God.
Bible in Worldwide English:
So, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to bring praise to God.
Do all to the glory of God.
Point #1 Is it possible to honor God in how or what we eat?
The Bible says yes it is possible!
In the beginning God created everything Good; it was perfect just out of the creator’s hands
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.
We don’t 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 of the earth, it was the fruit that grew on trees, God call it meat.
For this reason you will find many Adventist who are vegetarian and not meat eaters. Not that there is anything wrong with eating Clean Meat.
The diet of man was altered after Sin entered into the Human family.
In the scripture we are told; God said I have given you every herb bearing seed & and every fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for Meat.
When God uses the word Meat; is does not mean animal flesh.
When I was growing up sometime we would get a young Coconut to eat and cut them open, and eat the Meat of the coconut on the inside, the fruit inside was conceded the meat of the Coconut. It is no part of any animal but the Meat of the Fruit that God had giving this is what God was saying
So where did Man start eating Flesh or animal protein.
Let go back to the Book of Beginning and see what happen
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.
I am glad we have men Like Noah / even though he was called a Fool by the World Standards He Remained Faithful to Gods Laws. Out of the hole World God found only Noah righteous
We are not going into the story 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 animal and they are going on 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 dig a little deeper here into what is happing and see if we can shade a little more Light on this subject
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.
God say to Noah Clean beast by sevens and un-clean by two. That is 14 of every clean the male and female and two of every un-clean one male and one female.
Did God make a distinction between what animals were clean and unclean back in the time of Noah?
So why do we hear men preaching today and telling us we don’t have to worry about those Jewish 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, because those Law’s were for the Jews only.
Were those laws for the Jew only and not for us today? Was Noah a Jew?
Do you know there are a lot of similarities between Jews and Muslim?
One similarly is that neither one will eat Pork,
Do you know why?
Because they both had the same great Grand Father, the patriarch Abraham who taught his children of Gods Laws!
Not because they were Jews or Muslim but because they were his Children; and Gods Law was the delight of his Life.
The Jewish line came from Abraham Son Isaac who begat Jacob now known as Israel, The Muslim line came from Abraham other sons Esau & Ishmael
Now if it is understandable to be able to Give God Glory in what we eat, it is also understandable to believe we can Dishonor and not give Him Glory in what we eat and that is by eating what God said is an abomination to Him.
Isaiah 66:
16: For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17: They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
If you have any drought as to what animals are Clean or Unclean just go to the Book of Leviticus and read in chapter 11:
1 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?
20: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Where now is also the augment for abortion?
When is the Woman that said it is my body and I can do what I want with it. WRONG, God said your body belongs to him, he bought you with a price whether you like it or not. Now he will not force his way on you, but he will let you choose to do right or wrong that is a choice he has giving you.
Point #2 Can we Honor God in our Relationships.
Christ and Family
1. Life is built on Relationships
Can we bring Honor to God by having friends?
Yes we can, God did not create us to be independence of each other, we were created to be social, in other words to have relationships with other.
One of the worse things that can happen to someone is to be totally isolated, put away from everyone else. We were not made to be alone; we need the fellowship of others in our life to be totally happy. When we are a Friend to others or as Jesus said a neighbor to others we give God the Glory.
Mathew: 22:39:
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Why?
Because It give Glory to God.
Just the opposite is true if you do not love your neighbor, you do not bring Glory to God
► God holds the Marriage relationship as a Most Holy Thing.
It was giving to mankind in the garden before Sin, when God took the one Man and one Woman and joined them together, and they two became one flesh.
What God has joined together let no Mankind separate or come between.
Let me ask you a question? Can Sex bring Glory to God ?
When in the confines of the Marriage relationship even Sex can bring Glory to God. It was Gods way of forming the bond between the Man and the Woman, for God said and they two shall become one flesh
The Intermit relationship between the Man and Woman forms a strong bond and holds them together, but even it is not complete!
There is one missing element, and that is the need for his creator to be part of that relationship. That brings Honor to God in the Home and the Children of that Home will also bring Glory and Honor to God.
Because they will learn of Him by the example of the Parents, Children watch everything there Parents do, and imitate there very actions and words.
If they are words of Love and cheer of compassion and Faith, they too will have the same. But if it is words of hate and violence words of markery and slander they will become exactly like the Parents and that brings dishonor to God.
Marriage is a commitment to each other a way of saying I love you and want to be part of your Life. It is a way of saying I Will Always Be There for You
That is what God is telling us; when he is part of that relationship he will always be there for you, if you accept him into your Life.
In the Marriage relationship; if Sex brings Glory to God, Then the opposite must also be true.
Sex outside of the Marriage relationship brings Dishonor to God
Adultery is when the Marriage relationship is Broken.
In other words when the Covenant, when the Agreement, when the Promise, is made Void by one of the parties involved in the Marriage relationship and that is by Sex whether Physical or Mental is committed our side of the Marriage Relationship the Vow is broken and bring dishonor to God.
Satan loves nothing more then to destroy the Family, because there are two things that came out of Eden, One was the Marriage; our relationship to Each Other, and the Sabbath; our Relationship with God.
Satin will stop at nothing to break our relationship with God and with each other.
He attacks our very Homes when we are the lease expected; so we can dishonor our Creator
We are attacked everyday by the T.V. in our Homes, every time you look there is a Sex seen on the tube. Just about every Movie you see will has at lease one seen with people having Sex.
Most of the time T.V., Magazines, and Movies don’t give Glory to God
You open the News paper and there are pictures of Woman in there undergarments, the same with a magazine from JC Penny or Sears. All to lead your Mind away, and into a place it should not be and to help you break that covenant relationship you made.
By Far the worse Magazine you can have in you Home if you have Men or young boys is a Victoria Secret magazine.
It is Pornography at the first stage (it opens the door to Sin in young boys)
Look at what Jesus said in Matthew: Matthew:5:28:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Please notice here there is nothing wrong looking at a beautiful Woman. That is not the problem; it is what a man does in his mind when he looks that is the problem.
There were a sect of Men in Israel that were called the Burse and Bleeding Pharisees. Why because they believed that to look at a Woman was Sin.
And so to keep from Sinning if they were walking and a Woman was coming down the other way, they would cover there eyes, thus running in to Buildings or in a Ditch
As Paul Harvy would say now you know the rest of the story… Burse and Bleeding Pharisees
To look at a Woman is not Sin but to “Undress her in your Mind is Sin”.
Because you have committed Adultery with her in your heart
That is what Jesus was saying, if you Lust after her, if you desire her, if you long for her, if you hunger for her you have committed Sin because you have broken the covenant with your Marriage Partner.
God also liked the Marriage relationship to Himself by the Church.
The Church is his Bride
He is coming back for a Pure and Holy Bride that has not committed Fornication or Adultery with the world.
But for those who have kept themselves as a Virgin awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom to give Glory to God
Phil:2:11:
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Rom:3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Jesus did say Be ye Perfect as I am Perfect, It is only as we are in Christ that we can become Perfect not in ourselves, In ourselves we are imperfect becuase we are sinners
We Glorify God in our acceptance of His Sacrifice on the Cross in Man behalf because we could not do it ourselves
The opposite it true we Dishonor God when we try to do it ourselves, it is like saying God I don’t need you
Point #3 Can we Honor God by keeping the day He blessed and said was Holy
Gods Holy Sabbath day
Can Worshiping God on the 7th day of the week the Sabbath bring Glory to God?
The Jewish people had a very big problem; they refused to keep Gods Law. Jesus said; If you Love me keep my Commandment. So we may say if keeping Gods Law shows that we love Him; then by not keeping them or braking even one of them shows that we don’t really Love Him; or at lease not totally; and if you don’t love Him totally, then you don’t love Him at all. And so Jesus has no choice but to let you have your own way
At the restoration of Jerusalem, in the days of Nehemiah, Sabbath breaking was met with the stern discipline “Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath. , “ Nehemiah 13:18
Christ, during His earthly ministry, emphasized the binding claims of the Sabbath; in all His teaching He showed reverence for the institution He Himself had given.
In His days the Sabbath had become so perverted that its observance reflected the character of selfish and arbitrary men rather than the character of God.
Christ set aside the false teaching by which those who claimed to know God had misrepresented Him.
The Sabbath was embodied in the law given from Sinai. The people of Israel had knowledge of it before they came to Sinai. On the way there the Sabbath was kept. When someone profaned it, the Lord reproved them, saying, “How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?” Ex. 16:28.
The Sabbath was not for Israel only, but for the world. It had been made known to man in Eden, and, like the other precepts of the Decalogue, it is of perpetual obligation. Of that law of which the fourth commandment forms a part, Christ declares,
“Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law.Matthew:5:18:”
So long as the heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue to be a sign of the Creator’s power. And when Eden shall bloom on earth again, God’s holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun. “From one Sabbath to another” the inhabitants of the glorified new earth shall go up “to worship before Me, saith the Lord.” Isa. 66:23.
In the days of Christ the Sabbath had become so distorted that its observance reflected the character of selfish men more than God.
They began to worship the Day, more then the Creator of the Day.
The Religious leaders virtually represented God as giving laws which it was impossible for men to obey. They led the people to look upon God as a tyrant, and to think that the observance of the Sabbath, as He required it, made men hard-hearted and cruel.
It was the work of Christ to clear away these misconceptions. The Religious leaders followed Him with merciless hostility because he did not keep the Sabbath by their traditions. He did not conform to their requirements (Traditions), but went straight forward, keeping the Sabbath according to the laws of God.
The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27″
Does the Sabbath make us perfect, No it don’t, but it does make us dependence on Gods Grace, for it is by Grace that we are Saved through Faith and not of our works.
So if keeping the Sabbath brings Glory to God, then not keeping the Sabbath brings Dishonor to God.
How did the whole thing get mixed up in the first place, look at the Book of Daniel?
Daniel: 7:25:
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
God knew these things would happen, because he knew Satan would stop at nothing to dishonor Him.
He knew Men would try and bring in another day; that He God did not bless and did not make Holy.
You must understand God did all He could do for Man
1. The Sabbath Came out of Eden,
2. Marriage Came out of Eden
3. The Food God gave us to keep us in good Health came out of Eden
God did all this to keep mankind happy and healthy, why because of His great love for his Creation.
Do you know who wrote the Bible, Men who were moved by the inspiration of Gods Holy Spirit?
Do you know the only part of the Bible God did not let man write?
His Ten Commandments, He God wrote them himself on stone with his own finger. Are his laws importance can man change something that God himself wrote. I don’t think so.
What every you do, ask yourselves this first
In what I am going to eat, will it bring Glory to God?
In what I think does it bring Glory to God?
In how I worship does it bring Glory to God?
If your answer is yes then you have no problems, but if it is NO I leave you with a Choice you need to make.
Give God the Glory by your obedience to his will and live forever or take your chances with the world.
To God be the Glory, Great things He has done so love He the world He gave us His SON.
D5 Creation
