Tag: Church Leader
Truth about Lot’s Wife
Luke:17: 32: Remember Lot’s wife.
What was it about Lot’s Wife that Jesus would tell us to remember?
The world sometimes seams up-side down, so before we begin we need to ask Gods Blessing on what is the true meaning of what He said about Remember Lot’s wife
First we need to understand the story about Lot and his family so let’s go to the book of Genesis and start with Chapter 13:
7: And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8: And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9: Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
Abram was Lots uncle and together God had blessed them to the point that everything they had was too large for them to dwell together. So Abram said to Lot choose where you want to live, how wonderful was Lot’s uncle to give him first choice of all the land before them.
10: And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11: Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12: Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Here we are told that Lot decided that he would dwell close to the big City of Sodom, but what did God say about Sodom.
13: But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Lot seen and knew about how wicked that city was but he believed that he could gain advantage by living there and maybe convert some of the people as well.
Sometime it’s not good to live in or near a big city, why because little by little Satan will use the things of pleasure to lure you or your family away from God and away from the truth.
Now understand that it is not Gods will that any should die but there are times when God must put a check on sin or it would destroy the world before its time. The City of Sodom was known for its wickedness and the time of probation for that City was drawing to and end. They were giving time to repent of all the Evil that was done in that great City, but there passion for sin was great.
Genesis: 18
16: And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17: And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
20: And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21: I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22: And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
We are told that these men were Angles that were with Jesus; they went on there way to Sodom while the Lord and Abraham stayed behind.
Genesis: 19
1: And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2: And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
God will never force His way into your home, he comes in only when He is invited into your home. Lot did not know at first these men were angles, he like many good men in his time, it was customary to watch by the gate for strangers coming into the city and invite them in to his home. Lot also knew the wickedness in the city at night and did not want these strangers to meet any harm, so he invited them into the safety of his home.
12: And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
The angles reveal to Lot there mission and give him warning to get out of the city because it will soon be destroyed. God will again in the last days give his people warning to get out of the Cities to a place of safety that He will provide for all who put there faith in him.
14: And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Lot returned sorrowfully to his home and told the story of his failure. Then the angels bade him arise and take his wife and the two daughters who were yet in his house and leave the city. But Lot delayed.
Though daily distressed at beholding deeds of violence, he had no true conception of the debasing and abominable iniquity practiced in that vile city. He did not realize the terrible necessity for God’s judgments to put a check on sin. Some of his children clung to Sodom, and his wife refused to depart without them.
Lot like all true Christians did not loose his faith or belief in God even surrounded with all the evil and sin, he kept his eyes on God; but he did became unalarmed by all the vice in the city. By beholding we become changed, this is why we must guard the avenues of our minds, we must be carful of the things we watch and do as they will change us. Lot had hopped to turn others in Sodom to the one and true God, but in fact he ended up loosing his own family to the pleasure of Sin. We need to be carful of what we let our Children do and see as it will someday make a difference in there life, if they will or will not obey God and live or serve Satan and die.
17: And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
Is it importance to listen when God is giving instructions, when he tells you to do or not to do something in a cretin way. We might not understand the reason why God said to do something, but we need to make sure we do precisely to the T on how God said to do it. Remember Adam & Eve it was just a piece of fruit that’s all, but it was a piece of Fruit that God said don’t eat it for in the day you eat of it you will die. When God tells you to do something, do it according to His very word, when God says to remember something make sure you never forget it, it could save your life.
24: Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25: And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
The thought of leaving those whom he held dearest on earth seemed more than he could bear. It was hard to forsake his luxurious home and all the wealth acquired by the labors of his whole life, to go forth a destitute wanderer. Stupefied with sorrow, he lingered, loath to depart. But if it was not for the angels of God, they would all have perished in the ruin of Sodom. The heavenly messengers took him and his wife and daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.
26: But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
So here is the reason Jesus said remember Lot’s wife. She was instructed like Lot and his two daughters not to look back. God did everything He could to save her; all she needed to do was to obey His command. But the question is why did she looked back, did she for get something. In fact she did she left her heart there in Sodom, even thro her body was safe and on the outside of Sodom, her heart was on the things she left behind.
While her body was upon the plain, her heart clung to Sodom, and she perished with it. She rebelled against God because His judgments involved her possessions and her children in the ruin. Although so greatly favored in being called out from the wicked city, she felt that she was severely dealt with, because the wealth that it had taken years to accumulate must be left to destruction. Instead of thankfully accepting deliverance, she presumptuously looked back to desire the life of those who had rejected the divine warning. Her sin showed her to be unworthy of eternal life, for the preservation of which she felt so little gratitude. We should beware of treating lightly on God’s gracious provisions for our salvation
How sad when the children of the Father loose there hold on faith because of the trinkets of this world. When they would rather choose the pleasures of Sin for a season rather then eternal life with the God who loves them enough to die for them. Lot did all that a Father could do for his family, he was a man of faith, a man of purity, a man of prayers; but to his children and Wife he was only a foolish old man. To the world God people will look like foolish people because they will be different, they would choose the things of heaven over the pleasures of Sin in this world. They would choose to server God rather then Satan, they will be the ones doing what God said to do, John:14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
We must learn that there is nothing in this life more important then to serve the God who created us. Adam lost his grip on faith when Eve sinned and he chose to Sin with her rather then to be separated from her. He could not see Gods divine plan for mankind with out Eve, so rather then wait for God he too decided to join Eve in her act of rebellion and disobeying Gods divine instructions.
Now let’s look at the words of Jesus in the book of Luke
Luke:17:
28: Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29: But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
God is telling us that this world is becoming a city of sin just like Sodom and soon his judgment will fall on all who have choosing to disobey His Laws His Commandments. It is not His will that any should be lost because He paid the price for all by His death on the cross. To be lost in Sin is a personal choice, it is a choice you make to turn your back on the truth and be lost in this world of Sin. Just because you go to Church does not give you a free ticket into heaven, remember Lot’s Wife. She was safe outside but her heart was still there in Sodom.
Let’s look again at the story Jesus was telling in the book of Matthew
Story about 10 Virgins Matthew 25:
1: Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2: And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3: They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5: While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Now let’s understand the setting of the story, this illustration is about Gods Church. Why I say that is because it is about Woman who are Virgins. A woman in the Bible represents as a Church, and a Virgin Woman would be GodsChurch.
6: And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
The Bride Groom represents Jesus coming back for His people
7: Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8: And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9: But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
What does oil represent in the Bible, Gods Holy Spirit that is correct.
10: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
So here we find only half of God Church were keeping His laws and commandments and so they had more of the oil that only God can supply, His Holy Spirit. The other half of the so called Christians had some oil but when the time came they ran short on the oil that would keep there light burning. That light my friend is Jesus as long as we are looking at Jesus and keeping His word that light will guide us safely to Him. John:17: 7: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Psalme:119: 105: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
All who will have the Oil of the Holy Spirit will have enough that there light will keep burning and keep them on the right path to Jesus. But we must learn now that we need to Obey Gods and do what he told us to do. It is very important to follow Gods word and do as He told us to do and not the world. Isaiah: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. The only truth there is, is in God word, don’t let someone fool you and say it is OK to forget what God say to remember.
11: Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12: But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Friend the story here in not about people who do not know Jesus, the story is about God Church. The problem again is those who believe and do what God said to do; and those who believe and do what the world said to do.
There is a danger and Jesus is giving us a warren that we will become like Lots wife. When the time comes and the message to leave our homes and things of this world, will you be lost or saved. Will you be one of the Christians who keep the commandments of God, or the traditions of your Church, there is a big different.
Do not let the things of this world keep you from eternal life with Jesus, when he said to remember Lot’s wife He was telling us to take care and listen to the Holy Spirit. Read everyday in Gods word; asking for God’s Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth. Obey His commandments not your Church doctrines. The Church doctrines will lead you to disobey; but Gods Word will supply you with enough oil to get you through the night and into the Wedding feast. Obey and don’t look back at the cities when God is telling you to get out.
Exodus 20: 8-11 Again God says to remember, but many of the Churches today say it is OK to forget.
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Right in the middle of Gods Ten Commandments we find the word REMEMBER. And who is telling us to remember God is, and what is He saying to remember, His Law His commandments. When God said to remember he was telling us to look back at the past to find out what He said to remember.
Genesis: 2:
1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Right there in the very beginning of creation, God did something wonderful, He blessed the last day of creation and made it holy. Then He tells us to Remember what He God did in the beginning, so you would have no drought of where you came from.
Look at how the Bible describes the Church at the end of time, he calls it Laodiceans and says it is in a Luke Warm stage Revelations: 3:
14: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16: So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
With God there is no in-between, you are either all for God or you will be all against God. There will be no one sitting on the fence with one leg in both sides.
Matther:6:
24: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The Truth is that many Christians today are no different then Lot’s Wife. They have a form of Godliness on the outside but want the goods of this world on the inside. They are not cold but they are not hot either; they are kind of right there in the middle, (Luke Warm). That my friend is a dangerous place to be in the present of the almighty God of all creation
In the end time there will be only two choices to make; those who keep God Commandments, and those who do not keep God commandments. What side will you be on?
Revelation 14:
12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Who is Satan persecution, There will only be two choices.
Revelation:12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
God is telling us by His prophet John that Satan will be angry with the small group (remnant ) of true Christians who refused to disobey God. Then Satan will make war with Gods true Christians and persecute them through the others so called Christians who have compromised with the world and trample down the truth of Gods Word.
But I tell you a truth my friend, don’t be afraid, just have faith because God will be with His true people. He will lead them through time of trouble just like He did for the children of Israel. For 40 years God provide everything they needed in the wilderness and God will again provide for His end time people who have left Sodom for the safety of His provisions.
Don’t take lightly what God is telling you to do, and don’t think because some Church tradition or big religious leader is saying it is OK to do contrary to what God said is OK.
Out of all of Lot’s family only He and two of his children were saved, everyone one else was lost.
Remember also Noah, God gave him a massage to preach to the world of the soon coming destruction, but no one believed him. It did not stop Noah because he believed Gods word and when the time came to make a choice to enter into Gods provision of safety only 8 people were saved Genesis:7: 16: And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
God shut him in and probation for this world ended. God will again shut His true believers in and away from the destruction that is coming upon this world. Because they will be the ones who made the choice to do according to His commands and to keep His word as a light unto the path that will lead to salvation.
Luke: 21:
25: And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26: Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27: And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28: And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
My friend what side will you be on, I pray that you will choose to keep Gods Law and His commandments all ten of them and not the 9 that the Churches of this world are saying it is OK to keep.
Revelation:14:7: Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Right there in the last book of the New Testament it is telling us to Worship the God who back in Genesis Created this world, the same God who in the 4th commandment made the made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. What should you be doing, what God said to do, or what your Church is saying to do. Remember Lot’s Wife and obey the command of a God who loves you so much He came to die in your place in order to give you eternal life with His in a paradise kingdom that He is preparing for all who by faith believe in Him.
Matthew: 7:
13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Read and understand what Jesus was saying, He is giving us a warning. The path that will lead you to Him is narrow and only a few only the remnant will find it.
The path that leads to Jesus is not the one that the large Churches are teaching. Remember Revelation 12: 17: The dragon went to make war with the remnant of her seed. The few that will find the straight path will be the ones keeping Gods Commandments, God’s Law, and God’s testimonies. We must learn that in order for anyone to be saved we must do what God is telling us to do and not the Church or the Church traditions. We will all stand before Jesus one day and be judge for what we know is the Truth. How will you fair on that day if you are doing something other then what Jesus has told you do.
You see we live in a World today where people say oh I am OK I am a good person I don’t hurt any one or do anything wrong. But is that enough my friend to get you in to Heave when the time comes or will you refused to leave your Sodom home.
We do things at home and watch things on TV or at the Movies, but I ask if Jesus came to live with you today would you watch them in His presents; or take Him to see that Movie. Would you say those things to your neighbor or take that thing that is not yours if Jesus was standing right there next to you.
My friend the Bible said in Proverbs:14:12: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. We think we are OK living the way we do but we would not live that way if Jesus was standing there with us or living in our Homes. And in this scripture it is telling us that these little things may someday be the difference between us wanting to leave or holding us back in this world of Sin.
God is a God of love a God of mercy a God of justice, but you can’t disobey what He is telling you to do in order to be saved and expect to be saved. If you do; wend the time comes to leave this Sodom world you too will look back at all the treasure and things you had to leave behind and find yourself a pillar of salt outside of the Kingdom of Jesus.
We must learn to put our faith in God and God alone. You can’t go by what your Church is teaching or by what your pastor may be preaching. You must study the word of God for yourself day by day and let His Holy Spirit guide you into all Truth. As you read and pray little by little the Holy Spirit will open your understanding of Gods word. As we get closer to the time of the end there will be many deceivers in the all Churches. This is why you must know the word of God for yourself and what is says.
Yes I know what you are thinking, I can’t read that well or I can’t remember what the Bible says. That is no excuses, just believe and let God lead. Maybe you will not remember now but when the time comes God will bring back everything you have been learning to safely guide you out of Sodom. Daily Bible studies are very importance even if it is just 5min a day, devote that time and be alone with God, just obey His voice and do the things He said to do.
Look at the Bible from cover to cover and read, it is all about a God looking for a people that love Him and want to show it by doing what He God say to do. Salvation my friend is just that simple obey and live disobey and die, the same test that Adam & Eve was giving is giving to each and everyone of us today.
1Kings:18:21:How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him
I pray that today you will choose to follow God and His truth.
God Bless you my friend and may we meet someday in God kingdom
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth Ministries
Truth of Obeying God
Scripture: Matthew: 7:21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
To Obey and Live or Not to Obey and Die which will it be?
There was once a Church in a small town that had a problem, a saloon open upped across the street. Church members were very angry about this and tried to get the Owner to close it or move somewhere else.
They appealed to the city official, who because of taxes reused to do anything about it.
So the Pastor called on the Church to Pray that God would shout down the Saloon, They meet at the Church everyday in special prayer meetings asking God to intervene in there behalf and help them to shut down the Saloon.
Sure enough about a month later during a very bad storm lightning struck the Saloon and burned it down to the ground.
The Church was delighted until they got served with a legal suit.
The owner of the Saloon was suing the Church, Claiming that their Prayers had resulted in Lightning striking his saloon, and so he held the Church responsible and was suing them for damages
The Church Lawyers claimed that the Church and there prayers were in no way responsible for the saloon keeper’s damage.
The judge decided in favor of the Church!
But the judge said; it is very confusing to find that the saloon keeper arguing in favor of the power of prayer and the Church arguing against it
Let us Pray!
===========================================
God is a God of love so why not serve Him instead of serving the World (Satan)
People think that God is a God of revenge, a God that will get you if you don’t do what he says; nothing is further from the Truth. God is a God of Love and all he asks is that we simply obey what he tells us. Why because He knows it will keep us happy and in good health.
Don’t you as good parents tell your children things not to do because you know it will not be in there best interest. When a child reaches to touch a hot stove, don’t you stop him because you know it will hurt them. God is no different, He knows what is not good for us and what will hurt and maybe kill us; so He tells us what to do and not to do. For all who wants eternal life must learn to listen to what God said and no one else, for He is our creator.
If you buy a brand new car right off the showroom floor what is the very first thing you do. That’s right look for the owner’s manual because it will tell you how to take care of the new car, when to change the oil and what type of fuel to use in it. You don’t want to put Diesel in a Gas engine or Gas in a Diesel engine do you. The One that made the car knows what is best to keep it running in perfect condition. God is the same He knows what is best for us and that is why He gave us His laws to live by.
Did you ever hear the quote “It was an act of God” why does God always get the blame when something bad happens?
I have a friend who Son died of Cancer and he blamed God for it. God did not ordain that Sin should come into this world. Sin was mans act of not obeying and trusting God Word, not obeying His Laws, His Commandments.
Obedience is all that God has asked from the beginning and still requires from His true people today.
Adam & Eve failed the very first test of obedience
Everything was Good
Genesis: 2:
15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Here is God giving instruction to His Creation, telling them what is best for them and how to stay happy and live forever. God has created our first parents and has giving them everything that they needed. He created a beautiful paradise home, and decked it with all kinds of delicious tasting food. He made the climate just right not to cold and not to hot; there was no sickness, no pain, no suffering, and no Death.
The only condition was one simple test of obeying what God said not to do. Why because God knew what was best for His creation and God wanted Man to server Him out of love. So God gave Man the freedom of choice, and put one tree in the mist of the garden as a test of Man Obedience and love for his creator.
This one tree and only one tree was off limits to Adam & Eve, there were hundreds of others trees with many many different kinds of Fruit. But this one tree was to be man test of loyalty and love to his creator.
One day while busy with the day’s activity Eve found herself by the forbidden tree. And as she looked at it there was a serpent in it, and the serpent questioned her about what God said.
Genesis: 3:
4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Now Satan comes into the picture, his main goal if to put doubt into the mind of Eve as to what God said and the reason He said what He did.
Simply put it was a test of obedience, who do you believe is telling the Truth. God said if you eat it you will die, and Satan said if you eat it you will not surely die.
This is the first and biggest lie ever told and it is the same lie we hear being told to many of God people by men who clam to be Gods representative. But just who are they truly representing God who said you will die or Satan who said you will not surely die.
The Bible says when you die you do not go on living in some spirit world; when you die you go to sleep until Jesus comes. Who do you believe Gods word or Satan?
Let’s look at what happens when you obey what God says. The Bible says that Noah and only Noah found grace in the eyes of his God.
Genesis: 6:
7: And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
11: The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12: And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
God had giving His Law to our first parents who passed it down to there children by example. There were to believe what God said and follow His direction, but as the Bible says “for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth”. No one was trusting God or believing what God said. That sounds a lot like our world today, everyone wants it there way and then they expect when they die to go to Heaven.
Only Noah and his family found grace in the eyes of God, why because they were obedience to the Laws of God. Noah found grace in the eyes of God because Noah believed in what God said and Noah lived by what God said word by word. So when God looked down upon this sinful world He saw Noah a faithful man and so Noah found grace in the eyes of his creator. Because he was Obedience to Gods Law and lived his life in doing what God said to do. His standards were in doing Gods will, man standards are in doing what the world said to do.
The Children of Israel wondered for 40 years in the wilderness, why because they refused to listen to what God was telling them to do and doing it exactly as God told them to do it.
Numbers: 14:
35: I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36: And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
Men who saw the goodness of the land that God had promise, but instead of looking at the land they were looking and the problems that stood in the way. God said go, but Man said stay. They did not believe God could deliver them. Even those He parted the Red Sea for them to cross on dry land and did many of miracles right in front of them, they did not believe.
30: Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
God will take care of those who put there trust and faith in Him and are obedient to His will.
Again those who were supposed to be the people of God were complaining about God and Gods servant Moses. So God withdrew his protection from them
Numbers: 21:
5: And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
Here again we find Gods people disobeying and speaking against God.
Did they not know who it was watching over them day and night, to protect them and keep them safe?
6: And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
God withdrew His protecting and now they could see what was all around. And when they realized it they went back to Moses and said we have sinned
8: And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9: And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Look at what God told them to do, look upon the brass serpent and live. Did the brass serpent have any power to heal, no, it was only an object that God said to do if you wanted to live.
There is nothing impossible for God to do, for 40 years God provided food and everything needed for over a Million people in the wildness. God will once again at the time of the end provide food and everything needed for His people who by Faith will trust and believe in Him.
Here again we find, when we do what God said to do, and do it the way God said to do it we shall live. Why because we are obeying the word of God.
All God is looking for is a people who will obey His word, no matter how simple it might be. You have a choice; do what God said and live or not do what God said and die.
Elijah Choose ye this day who you will serve, God or Man
We find again the people of God who clamed they knew Him were not obedient to His Laws and Commandments. They believe there idols of wood, stones and gold over the word of the one true God.
1 Kings: 18:
21: And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
The World today is no different then it was back in History. We today want it our way we want a little of God and a little of the good thing of the world. But God say you can’t sit on a fence you can’t serve God and Man, there is a wide gap between them that will only lead to disobedience and destruction of the soul.
Satan wants only one thing and that is to keep as many people as he can out of Haven. Why because he knows it hurts God to see His creating reject Him and he knows it hurts God not to have someone that He gave His spirit to die and not have eternal life with Him.
When mankind sinned God did not leave us to just die He made provision even before He created this World that if man sinned He would make a way to bring him back into communion with his Creator.
All through the Old Testament we are told of how God will send His Son to come and live in this world of sin to help man learn how to live in Obedience to Gods law. To show mankind that God is not a God of hate but a God of love.
He came to reconciled man back to his creator back to the God who at any cost would save man from his falling state. Even if God had to die in order to give man life. How by believing in His Son Jesus John 3: 16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God knew the only way for man to have life again was by faith in Him providing a way to be brought back in to a relationship with Him. And so God gave His Son, His only Son to be man savior. God would take our sins upon Himself and die the death we deserve in order for us to have eternal life with Him.
Jesus said; and if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me. All he asks is if we love Him to show the World, by doing what He asks us to do “Keep my Commandments”.
The 7th day is the Sabbath
If you Love me, keep my Commandments
Jesus told us to do only one little thing to show the world that we are not of the world and that we have choosing to be Gods people, Gods true propel. He said John: 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The only hope that there is in our world is as it was in the beginning. To obey God; it is not some hard thing to do; a simple test of who you obey, God or Satan.
As Elijah said Choose ye this day who you will serve God or Satan.
Choose God and keep His commandments or disobey and choose the World and die.
Sinners can not live forever they will someday die an eternal death, why because God knows that to give someone eternal life in heaven would be nothing more then Hell to them
Revelation:20:
14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Death, Hell, and Satan will all one day be destroyed according to Gods word. God is a God of mercy a God of compassion a God of love; he will not let people who sinned for only a short 100 years burn forever in Hell as told by some Churches. God said that one day Death and Hell will all be destroyed, it will come to an end.
After God has made an end to Sin it will never happen again.
Nahum:1:9: What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
This is why wend mankind sinned through disobedience to His Law He did not destroy us right there and then. He let us live in order to show the many other worlds that He has created what sin will do. It will destroy; it will make misery, sickness, hate, envy, destruction, and finely Death. This is why we live in a world of sin and why God has aloud it to continue
God had allowed this world to become a testing ground after it had sinned, He could had just wiped it out right then and started over, but He did not. Instead he made a way that man could be saved and not have to die, by believing in Him and obeying His Laws, his Ten commandments Law that He God wrote on stone with His own finger.
Exodus:31:18: And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
People please understand, God is not a God of hate and vengeance as Satan would have you believe. He is a God of love, He is the creator of all things, He made us to be happy and to live forever in a paradise world. To never see or have sickness, pain and to never see death, those were the results of our disobedience to our Creator God.
All this mess we live in is of our own making, but God loved us still and gave us one simple test to show that we love Him John14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Don’t believe what the world says about God and don’t believe when some big Religious Leader or Church Pastor tells you it is OK to forget what God told you to do and remember.
In God simple Ten Commandments Law is all the attribute of Gods love to His Creation. God know the only way for man to be happy and live in harmony with one another is to be Obedience to what He has told us to do. In His Ten Commandments Law the first 4 commandments tell us how man should Worship his Creator God, and the last six tell how we should love one another and be happy.
Mark:12:
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.
33: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Serving God is not easy in a world of Sin and to people who don’t believe and know God. Look at Gods own Son, He was marked, beaten, spit on, made fun of, laughed at, condemned, and crucified all because He loves each and everyone of us. That is true love, a love that the world can’t understand, why would a Creator God come and Die for His Creation. All because of His Love for you and me.
May God bless you and open your understanding of His great and endless love. Remember what Jesus said in John: 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The Truth of Obeying God is in doing what He has told us to do and not what the big Religious Leaders or Churches are saying to do. It is simple just like the test back in Eden If ye love me God said then show it to the world by keeping My Commandments.
All Gods wants now is the same thing He wanted back then in the beginning. A people who will love Him and are willing to obey His word; Salvation my friend is just that simple
33: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
In the End times there will be just two categories of people. Those who believe in God and Keep His Commandments and those who believe in God and don’t keep His Commandments.
Revelation:12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Satan is mad but not at the world, he is mad at the people which keep the commandments of God. They are the remnant the few true believers that Obey Gods word.
Revelation:14:12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation:22:14: Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Every Eye will see Jesus coming
My Friend I hope and pray that you are one of them that will stand in the last days for Jesus by obeying His word and what he tells you to do and not the world. Satan is a liar and the father of it, all he wants is to keep you out of heaven and he made all kinds of deception just to do that very thing. But God has warned us about him just like He did to our first parents. Don’t believe the serpent in the tree, turn away and do as God has told you. If you love me keep my commandments.
Salvation is Free but not cheep; it cost the life of Gods only Son Jesus.
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods truth Ministries
What’s between you and Jesus?
Prov:14:12: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
When Joshua and the people of Israel were headed toward the Promised Land, right in the middle of their path was a huge obstacle, it was called Jericho. Jericho was a large, fortified city. It had huge walls surrounding it. The Israelites couldn’t go around the city; they had to go through it.
Between you and your destiny, there will always be a “Jericho” or something that you cannot go around. You have a choice either defeat it, or it’s going to defeat you.
God told Joshua to tell the people to march around the city walls one time for six days, and on the seventh day, they were to march around it seven times. They were instructed not to say a word. No talking. No whispering. No complaining. They had to March perfectly quiet. But on the seventh day, and on the seventh time around, God said, “This time I want you to do something different. As you march, I want you to let out a shout of praise.”
When God tell you to do something, does it mean to do exactly what he says or is it ok to change it just a little.
I can imagine on that seventh day, there was so much excitement. They marched around once, twice, three times with great anticipation. They knew something big was about to happen. On that seventh time around, after the priests blew the trumpets, they let out the high praises of God. They began to shout and cheer and sing, “Hosanna in the highest! To God be all the glory!” so loud that people could hear it for miles and miles.
Then all of the sudden, the impossible began to happen. Those thick, fortified walls began to shake and rattle. In a matter of moments, those walls crumbled and came tumbling down! The Israelites were able to go in and take the city, and eventually, they made it into the Promised Land.
How often in life do we think, “I’ll shout after the walls come down. I’ll shout after my victory, after the promotion, after the breakthrough?” No, that’s backwards.
The shout is what activates God’s power. I realize God hears us even when we whisper, but I believe there are some walls that will not come down without the high praises of God coming out of your mouth. That’s why when you feel like you’re going in circles; you’ve got to turn up the praise! You’ve got to thank God in a greater way. You’ve got to declare His goodness over your life. And you need to do exactly what He is telling you to do.
Maybe you’ve been around that city once, twice, three times. God is saying, “You’re coming into your seventh day. Don’t give-up you’re about to enter into your victory lap.” Now here’s the question: What’s coming out of your mouth? Make sure you’re praising Him. Make sure you’re thanking Him.
Make sure you’re ready because those obstacles, those walls are going to come crashing down in Jesus’ name! Don’t let anything come between you and Jesus, If God say it, believe it, and let that settles it.
Let us Pray!
————————————————————
What is the only thing that can separate you from the Love of God? SIN
Turn with me to the book of Exodus: 31:
18: And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with Gods ball point pen, written in pencil by God, How then were they written; that’s right written with the finger of God.
Question: Why were there two tables of stone giving to Moses?
- The one had Mans requirement to God
- The other had Mans requirements to his brother.
Today we are going to look at mans requirements to God, what God told us to do
Exodus: 20:
First Commandment
1: And God spake all these words, saying,
2: I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Story:
A long time ago…in a country far, far away…there was a wealthy young guy. He had everything that he could ever want; all the stuff that anyone could ever want and more.
He followed the rules and was a good guy. He didn’t sleep with his neighbor’s wife, he didn’t kill anyone, he never stole anything, he wasn’t a liar, and he honored and respected his mom and dad. He was a wealthy man and followed the rules.
In case you didn’t catch on to the story…this was a brief retelling of the first half of the story of the rich young man from Luke 18. The man came to Jesus and asked him what he had to do to have eternal life.
Jesus told him to keep all of commandments, to which the young man responded, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.”
I can picture Jesus in my head smiling and nodding and then quietly saying, “Yea…but you have this one thing standing between you and Me. Your stuff.”
Jesus told the man to sell all of his stuff and give to the poor. Then he could follow Jesus. He made it very clear what needed to be done, and yet the man walked away from Jesus with sorrow. Jesus didn’t turn his back, the man walked away from Jesus.
The problem with the man was that he didn’t really want Jesus, all he really wanted was eternal life. He probably came to Jesus expecting to hear, “Hey good job, you’ve kept the commandments, you’re in good shape!”
But instead Jesus challenged him and said, “Hey…what’s consuming your life? Your stuff? Okay, now get rid of it and follow me.”
Jesus knew this man’s heart. He knew that his stuff consumed his life. If you aren’t willing to give up what’s most important to you in order to follow Jesus, will you enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
This man let his stuff keep him out of the Kingdom of Heaven. He let his stuff get between him and Jesus.
What stuff are you letting get between you and Jesus? What’s consuming your life that isn’t Jesus? If it were you that came to Jesus, what would he tell you to give up? Would you give it up…or would you walk away filled with sorrow?
Second Commandment
4: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6: And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
From the beginning mankind always worship something. Way back in time we see Man worshiping the Sun, Moon, Stars, Rocks, Trees, Animals why is that.
Satan wants to make sure you are worshiping anything except the real thing and that is the creator God.
Why do you think there are no true pictures of Jesus today, because there would people who would worship the picture more than the person in the picture.
We can see that in many of the world religions today, even in some Christian Churches we see people praying and worshiping statues or as the Bible calls them a graven image.
Inside of Man is the need to worship and that need is only fulfilled when we worship the Creator God.
*** STORY: The stature that was leaking Holy Water in Italy. Years later it was found that a bath room sink was leaking down a wall a few hundred feet away.
Third Commandment
7: Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
When my Wife married me, back in 1974 she took my name. At that time and in our culture, that was traditional.
She forsook her parent’s name, and took her husband’s name. The taking of the new name, reflected a change in life, and change in status and a change in priorities.
She was no longer a single woman, she was married. She no longer dated men, she was mated to one. She no longer was a young woman, she was a changed woman. She was now responsible for a family and a relationship that would last over 38 years (so far!).
If her lifestyle did not change from that day forward, she would have been disapprove of by her community. Few, if any, cultures or societies encourage their married women to live in the same way after the marriage as they did before they married
In other words, if my Wife had taken my name, but not changed her lifestyle, she would have taken my name “in-vain”. She would have had a ceremony, but not a new life, and boy would I have been upset, to put it mildly.
When we put on a uniform, we take the name of those whose uniform it is. Whether it is a sports team uniform, a work uniform for that employer or a military uniform.
When we choose a career, we take the name of the best of everyone in that career field. When we take on a title, we take the name of the best of everyone with that title.
If you take the name of God, at a ceremony, and tell the world that you are now part of the ‘bride of Christ’ as the church is called, yet you do not live like a ‘bride of Christ’, you have taken His name in vain, and you will not be considered guiltless.
Live with Jesus as if you are committed to Him for life, not as if He is a friend. A spouse is supposed to be an intimate friend, companion, confidant, friend and a lifetime commitment.
To treat Jesus as anything less than that, is to take His name in vain. Ouch. Are you ‘guilty as charged’?
You get the picture!
** Thou shalt not take
The true meaning of that phrase is made clear if we substitute “bear” for the word, “take”. We would then have this for our scripture from Exodus 20:7: “Thou shalt not bear the name of the Lord in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who bears His name in vain.”
Jesus told Paul that he was to “bear His name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel“ (Acts 9:15). Bearing the precious name of Jesus with integrity, faith, and charity, Paul turned many to righteousness in the ensuing years.
He did not bear, or take the name of the Lord upon himself, in vain. As Paul later testified, “His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all.” (1Cor.15:10).
After Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, he took them to Mount Sinai, to enter into a covenant with the Lord. First though, God sent Moses down from the mountain to deliver His “proposal” to Israel: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.“ Exodus.19:4-6.
When we as Christians don’t live up to that name before our friends what are you really telling them. When we don’t live by the standards that God told us what is that really saying about your relationship with God?
Are you beginning to understand what the 3rd commandment is really saying. It does not mean just using the verbal word or expression about God. It means more; it means your marriage relationships to God.
Don’t treat God any different then you would your spouse next to you.
Fourth Commandment Exodus 20:
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
We are told to Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy if we search the Bible no where can you find where the Sabbath was giving to just Abraham or his children only.
So we must go back further in order to find where did the Sabbath that we are told to remember start.
Genesis: 2:
1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
So where did the Sabbath come from, the book of beginning, better known as the book of Genesis says at Creation.
Maybe this is the reason why only the fourth commandment starts with the word
Remember.
God is saying to Remember because it was giving at the beginning
Let me tell you something; I would fear to be the minister or preacher who would tell you it is OK to forget something that God wrote with his own finger and said to remember; Especially if there were no scripture to back up or to say otherwise.
The Word Christian what does it mean:
Acts:11:26: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Why were they called Christians? What was it about them that people seen that they gave them that name. They were all doing the same things that Jesus did, so they call them Christians, Christ Like people.
What are you watching is it parsing God?
What are you saying is it praising God?
What are you listening to is it parsing God?
You see these are the things that tell you just how close to Jesus you really are, if they don’t bring honor, glory or praises to Jesus maybe you need to change what you are doing.
It is the little things that we do that keeps us away from fully knowing Gods love. Those little things that come up and get right between you and Jesus; I pray that each of you here today will examine your life and see what is there.
Are you willing to give Your Stuff up for Jesus?
Romans: 8:
35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1John:5:
3: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
John:14:
23: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John:15:
10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Friend I pray that there is nothing standing between you and Jesus today and if there is go to him and ask forgiveness and decide in your heart to change it today, not tomorrow, change it today. We are not giving tomorrow we have only today.
There is no sin in your life that He is not willing to forgive.
He loves you how much, enough to die in your place so that you will not have too. But if you don’t love Him, if you are not faithful to Him, do you expect Him to be any different then you would be if your spouse was unfaithful to you.
Don’t let this world or the things of this world stand in your way to the only one who really love you.
Rv:12:12: Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Satan will stop at nothing to keep you out of heaven, why because he hates Jesus and he hates all who follow Jesus. We as Christians will always have problems in this life, why look at Rv:12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Remnant is not the Majority or large groups; it is the small little groups who follow the truth. Not because it is popular but because it is what God said to do.
The closer you get to Jesus the more problems you might be in for because there is always a Jericho in the way. It is how you deal with that Jericho that really matters.
If you Love me just keep my commandments Jesus said and show the world that you and I have a covenant relationship with each other. I love you and want you to live with me for eternity in a home I am building just for you.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
In the Eye of the Storm
I met a man many years ago who in fact changed my life.
He turned my life from a Church back pew warmer to a Church Leader.
But the thing that amazed me most about him was his Faith.
No Matter what happen to this man, he always had a smile and always said thank you Jesus, whether good or bad…
Daniel 3:17 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”
STORY: Pastor Frank
—— ——–
We must understand that the King of this world is Satan, and he has only one aim and that is to
keep you from Jesus, by letting little things get in your way and become an obstacle between you and salvation.
Don’t let the little troubles in life get you down. Jesus knows what you are going through, He knows your problems. He says “just put your truth in Me and I will take care of you.”
There are many Storms in life that we fight everyday, and if we try and fight them with our human strength we will fail, it is only as we depend on Jesus and put our trust in Him that he will enable us to meet the trial ahead and in His name be Victorious!
Let us Pray!
When thing are going bad for you, can you still hold up your head and say Praise you Jesus?
Bad things may happen, but if a bad thing happens at the right time is it still a bad thing?
Story: The Van in Florida:
When God has His hand over His people there is no need to worry, He is taking care of the little matters that we forget.
Have you ever been between a rock and a hard place?
Where no matter what decision you make it is going to be the wrong one…
Look at what happen to Jesus:
Some of the leading priest of his times, who he came to save; gave Him the hardest times and made His life very bitter.
Mark 12:14 “And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”
What a deception, if they knew that he was a true teacher, why did they keep on him with their malicious hate?
Continually they kept-up with their words of hate and drought. Beating upon God’s dear Son for no other reason then because He was different.
His holy life made there sinful life all the more revealing; In the presence of Jesus they could not hide or cover up there Sins.
15: Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
Jesus fully understood their motive and read into their malice therefore He said unto them
16: Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.
17: And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.
Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He did not use any of His Godley power to withstand the attacks of satin,
He just like us today must fully rely on the protection of the Father.
We too, need to learn this lesson; many times we try in our ‘Human way’ of thinking to do it our own way, and it never works…
Too late sometimes, when all we needed was to trust in Jesus!
When in time of trouble, don’t worry about what you are going to say, just rely on Jesus, He will give you the right words to say that will convict the hearts of people who are truly seeking.
Hardly any stories in the Bible matches the Faith of three Hebrew young Men.
Story: One day a King made a decree, All he was trying to do is to get every one on the same playing field.
There were problems in the kingdom and so he made a plan to resolve it.
This is about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
All the King was asking for was a little compromise, a little helping out here, you scratch my back and I am going to scratch yours.
Was that too much to ask? He made this ‘decree,’ and it must be obeyed.
Everyone else was making a compromise, no one will care about you Hebrews, and you can go back to servicing your God tomorrow.
Daniel 3:16 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
Many times in our life we become entangle in a storm that seam like there is no way out.
If we would only trust in God and not in Man we too would say “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnaces of Life, and he will deliver us out of hands of the king’s of this world.
Jesus will take all who put their trust in him through the fire’s of Life.
Story: Fire at Sea….
It was just an ordinary winter day back in February 1976. The M/V Aleutian Island was loading up to make another run to an offshore rig that was a little over 100 miles out to Sea. She was loaded with Drill Mud and 48 inch Cashion and had a full load of Fuel, Water and other drill rig supplies.
The weather started out very nice but by the time the Aleutian Island made it out to the Field the weather started getting bad.
Little to the Knowledge the crew, it would be a night they would never forget.
It all started while in transit from one Platform to another the first of many problems started.
1. Port Main Engine Exploded and caught the Engine room on fire.
After the fire was put out, they continued to the rig on one engine.
2. The Starboard main engine exploded and it too caught the engine room on fire again.
3. All they had was the ship’s anchor while they waited on a rescue tug.
4. Weather was getting bad.
That night there was 70 mile an hour winds and 30 foot seas, the ships anchor was not designed to hold in weather like this!
The Anchor stopper plates were kicked out by the force of the waves, the electrical brake was burnt out, the manual brakes was all they had left and they were not holding. Little by little the chain was being pulled out.
But somehow with God’s help the anchor chain held until the storm passed and help arrived.
No one could believe that we made it through that storm on one little anchor.
God will keep you through the storms of your life if you will trust Him.
Story of Paul:
Paul was taken prisoner, but he did not fear. Why? Because he knew that sometimes, bad things happen to God’s good people. But he was not going to let it get in his way, or let Satan have the victory.
He was going to find a way to let the bad things praise God.
He was put on a ship to go to Rome where he was to answer to Caesar because of his faith in Jesus
Acts 28:3 “And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4: And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
5: And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
6: Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.”
Each and every one of us will have trials that come before us, there will be times when it will look like the whole world will be against you, and more then likely it will be.
Our Hope must be in Jesus
Look at Isaiah 54:13 “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14: In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.”
We have the promises of God that those who remain faithful that He will be their protector.
Psalms 91:5 “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6: Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7: A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8: Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9: Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10: There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11: For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12: They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
There is not a Christian today who can say he is not without trials in life. If you are having problems give Jesus praise for it.
Thank Him that you are counted as worthy to be tried
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
Satan is not seeking his own people to persecute, they are already in his bag, he my friend, is after God’s people. To try them and to make sure their life is as bitter as he can make it!
All he is asking for is a little compromise, you will not have to give up much and you can go right back serving your God tomorrow.
Look at what the Bible says:
Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
God’s people will love him so much that they would rather die then to sin.
Revelation 17:14 “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
While we may drink of a bitter cup now; the daylight of Christ’ return is coming. A day of hope and gladness for all who have kept the faith and put their trust in Him.
We are told by the Prophet John in Rev 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6: And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7: He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
Daniel 3:17 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”
Our God whom we serve will save His people from the fiery trials that Satan puts us through, because greater is He that is in us then he that is in this world.
So if your life is in the midst of a storm just remember Jesus, and like Peter, cry out from the bottom of your heart, Jesus save me, and He will be there to take your hand and lead you out of the fire, but only through your faith.
God bless and keep you my friend
D5 Creation
