Tag: Faith
How to have True Faith
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is giving by God to all His children but some of us have more faith then others. The Bible tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. You must believe in order to have faith, I find by reading about other men and the trails they went through but they never lost the faith. Wow that also helps me to be strong and it increases my faith know God is right there with me and helping me through my trails as well.
*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: The Prophet Elisha
There was a King who had a Problem
2 Kings 6:
17: And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
There was a King trying to trap the King of Israel, but every time his plan failed and he did not know why. Then he found out that every plan he made this prophet Elisha would warn the King of Israel about. So he had planned to go after Elisha instead of the King of Israel. One day this King found out that Elisha was staying in a nearby town, so he sent his army to bring Elisha to him.
When Elisha woke up the next morning he opened the window for a breath of fresh air then went to wash up some. Right about then Elisha servant went to the window but as he looked out he seen the city surrounded by this army, and he cried out oh my lord how shell we do.
But Elisha prayed that God would open his servant eyes, and when he did he saw angles all around them waiting to protect Elisha. God is always there in our times of trouble.
1. Sometime we get discourage when we don’t see things going like we think they should. If I can’t see it with my eyes I don’t believe it
2. Sometime we are discouraged when other Christian judge us by there standard of Christianity even Seventh-day Advertises Remember satin also goes to Church, all Churches.
3. Many of time we are surrounded by the enemy and satin brings sickness into our life, don’t let it get you down, let it be a tool to draw you closer to Jesus.
4. What about other problems in this world.
5. Don’t give up Faith, but pray and ask God to open your eyes so that you might see the Angle standing next to you to protect you and take care of you.
Fall on your knees and pray for God to open your eyes and you will see a host of Angle round about you to keep you from falling
*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: “ Moses crossing the Red Sea”
God gave a Man a Mission to lead his People and that man was “Moses”
We meet him by the Red Sea with his Church group complaining “You have brought us here that pharaoh may kill us. Remember the Story, the army was right behind them.
Exodus 14:
21: And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
I have heard many of people try and explain what happen and how the water naturally dried up for the Children of Israel to cross over
But then there is this one little scripture that said
22: And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
It is proof that God can not only Walk on Water but he can also make it stand Vertical if he so needs
There way a young Man reading his Bible and he was at the part where Moses was crossing the Red Sea and he was so excited about how God would deliver his people.
Then a Man came up to him and asks what he was so excited about. So he told him, and he said O that, yes but you see there was a strong Earthquake that day and the water just ran out some. And so there was still about 6 inches of water left so that was no real miracle.
As the man was walking away, the young man started jumping up with even more excitement, when the Man asks what was it, he said “God just drown the entire Egyptian Army in 6 inches of Water.
If I had learned anything in Life; I have learned that if God said it, Believe it!
*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: “David and Goliath”
Israel was at war: Both armies were camp on a hill with a Valley between them.
David found himself bring supplies to his Brothers, when he saw what
1 Samuel 17:
23: And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24: And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
We are no different; we run and forget about God who is fighting on our side, when we see how big the Mountain is that satin laid before us.
26: And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
1. How big are the problems you face everyday in Life? We all look at the little things in life that make us afraid. Because out problems look so big.
2. None of us fight the same battles, because we are all different, what’s a problem to you is child play to me; and what’s a problem for me is silly to you.
3. We aloud satin to put a magnifying glass in front of our eyes to make us fear the things we have no control of.
4. We need to learn the lesson of True Faith in God
5. The Bigger the problem the bigger the Miracle, What is too big for God
*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: A young man by the name of “Stephen”
who was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was brought in for what he believed
Act 7
55: But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56: And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57: Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, (People will do the same today)
58: And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
59: And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60: And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
1. People today still don’t want to hear the Truth. They will do all they can to keep from hearing and not believe the Truth. Why does it always seem easier to believe a Lie then to believe the Truth, because satin make it that way,
2. There is a time coming when again they will want to stone you for telling God Truth. So don’t be afraid when it come; Jesus told us it would happen, Be Faithful.
*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: “Sharack, Meshack and Abednego.”
It is very importance when you are in a leading position to be true to what you believe. Because you may be called in to account for it someday
Daniel 3
12: There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13: Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
The King told them look I understand about this thing you have of worshiping your God, but right now you don’t need to worry about your God you need to worry about Me. Because I am fixing to do you a lot of harm
Look at what they said to the King
17: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19: Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
1. When the going gets hot will you be there for Jesus.
2. The hold world will be falling down on there knees paying honor to someone other then Jesus, Will you follow.
3. You won’t need to go all the way down just a little bending over to make it look like you are bowing, a little faking it so to say.
4. After all Jesus won’t want you to get in trouble The Bible said you can’t serve God and man
*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: “Daniel and the Lion Den”
He too was in a leading position, but his pure heart made him stand out among all the other. So they trick the king
Daniel 6
18: Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
21: Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22: My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Gods commandment
1. When the going gets tuff will you be able to stand for Jesus all by your self.
2. That’s right no Mama and Daddy there, No Brother or Sisters There, No Husband or Wife There, No boy friend or Girl friend there to help you make it.
3. Just you all alone. Most people fail because they have never put Jesus First
4. Do you have the Faith in Jesus that will secure you a place in Heaven?
*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: Noah
He had the faith that can build when everyone else was in doubt
Geneses 6
7: And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
I am happy for us today that there was a Man like Noah then
Again the Earth is Filled with Violence and again it will be Destroyed
The Ark Represented Jesus, all who would go in could be Saved and it is no different to all who come to Jesus he will again save them.
1. It may not be easy to go and do what God is telling you to do.
2. But if you put the little Faith you have in God you will be like Noah. “How” Everyday he drove a nail into the Ark every time he put a board on the side his Faith Grew and Grew until he could see the plan God had in mind for him
It happen only by Faith When you are obedience to God word he will save you
*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: Elijah “Choose ye this day who you will service”
Did the people forget who there God was, who brought them through the Red Sea, Who provided for them for 40 years in the wilderness, who defender them from other invading tribes.
1 Kings 18
21: And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Yes they did forget, and so do we, when we put other things first in our Life before Jesus.
One of the Most Dangerous things that we as Christian can do it to put Religion before God, it happens when we believe more in the rules then the rule maker.
Jesus said I am the truth the light and the way, no man comes unto the Father but by Me. Remember that It is by Faith that we server him; and because we Love him that we keep his Commandment.
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*** What Gives me Faith is Stories Like: Creator who became his Creation
“ Why? to Save Them from there sins”
John 3:16
16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
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*** Now my Question is; What are you doing for Jesus?
What’s your Christian Experience like lately, are you kind of Plateau, or maybe on a down ward trend.
If you leave her today and get nothing else out of this Sermon except what I am going to tell you right now you will have understood what other before you have giving for Jesus.
Today; there is a knock on your Door, you open it up and there are 6 Police Officers and 4 Army Men come to take you in for a hearing.
You say, what have I done, (Know one say’s a word more to you except that they have a warrant for your arrest).
You are hand cuff and lead out of your home, you look back and see your kids crying, the neighbors are all out watching you being lead away because of the commotion in the neighborhood.
You are brought in and told to wait, you look and see a group of people some you recognizer as former Church members other you have no idea who they are.
You ask a guard standing near-by, where are my Children, and my Family; he only looks at you and said “TRADER” and turns and looks the other way.
Now you are brought in before this council, and they ask you question about your family, your place of work, and finally about you Church.
You are accused of crimes against the State; you have broken the Civil Laws, and can no longer be trusted worthy of your Freedom. You have been told and warred about your failure to keep the secular day of worship and about you’re spreading lies about Jesus coming back to this earth.
You have been tried and convicted for your crimes,
Do you have anything to say for your self before sentence is passed on to you?
The Judge picks-up his gravel and say “you are hear-by sentence to Death”
Every Eye will see Jesus coming
*** HOW WILL YOU STAND?
There will only be two Choices “Faithful or Faithless”
How is your walk with Jesus today, it is not enough just say that you love him, we must do as He commanded us to do? John 14: 15 “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.
You must have a daily living relationship with him if you will be able to stand for him when the time comes. Remember you will not be alone Jesus will be there just like with Stevenson, giving you a Standing Ovation
Don’t trust to yourself, Peter denied Jesus three times before he learned one most importance lesson and that is just three little worlds
Just Have Faith………
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth
SAVED by GIFT CERTIFICATE
I like when people give me Things, especially things like Gift Certificates, because it mean I can get something for free, I can go and eat and it don’t cost me nothing or I can go to the Home Depot and get things I need and it too don’t cost me anything.
I believe we are Saved this way, “Because someone else has already Paid the price”
Back about 2300 years ago the folk who lived in Alexandria in Northern Africa could not grow enough food. They were totally dependant on Eastern Mediterranean lands (Phoenicia) for their grain, their wheat.
They called it “corn” in those days. They would die without outside supplies. Their life totally depended on the arrival of the food from somewhere else.
About a certain time of the year when their supplies began to run out they would be waiting hoping that the ships would appear over the horizon soon, bringing the great supplies of wheat that had been grown.
People would keep a look-out. They didn’t have very good communications and so they would just watch for the ships.
When they saw those great grain ships appearing over the horizon they were just thrilled. There food was coming! What a great day that was! As the heavily laden ships came closer the good news spread quickly that food was coming.
The Greek-speaking folk living in Alexadria coined a special word just for that event; to announce the good news that the grain ships had arrived in port.
You can read this word in your New Testament. It’s in the book of Mark, chapter sixteen, you can find this word, this special word announcing the good news that the grain had arrived, that it was coming, it was on the way.
Here it is in Mark 16:15(NIV)- “And He said unto them ‘Go into all the world and preach the GOOD NEWS to all creation.’
” What is the “good news”?
The good new is that Jesus Christ has come, that He is our Savior. Of course the word we’re defining here is “the gospel“, evangelion in the Greek. Basically that means good, merry, glad, and joyful, tidings that makes a man’s heart glad.
The gospel is the good news that Jesus has come. He has brought life for a dying race. Without Jesus coming we were all doomed.
Romans 1:17(NIV)– For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, …. the righteous will live by faith,” he concludes in that verse.
The three angel’s messages of Revelation 14 is vital to us as a people.
The very heart of those messages is the everlasting gospel which will be proclaimed to every nation and kindred and tongue and people Rev. 14:6. When that happens then Jesus will come…as told in Matthew 24:14.
Now, there’s a lot of gobbledy-gook about how we are saved and what the gospel really is. Before we can preach the gospel we must know in our hearts what the gospel is.
If I asked ten people what the gospel is, I would probably get ten definitions. What is the gospel?
Here are two views about how we are saved:
1. We are saved totally by believing in Jesus. Works do not have anything to do with our salvation. Therefore, we can live however we want to live because works has nothing to do with salvation. Some people call this the “New Theology”, although it is thousands of years old.
2. Some people believe that we are saved by faith plus personal works. And Jesus saves us, that’s true, but we must manifest good works and we must grow more and more like Jesus toward perfection of our soul. And some people call that “legalism”.
Now I believe there’s a third way. And I believe that is brought by the gospel.
3. Jesus saves us. We’re saved totally by believing in Him. He totally provided righteousness for us, AND He provides the power to live the Christian life. We are not saved by our works: we’re saved by His works, and He empowers us to live the Christian life.
The first of these three views I would call cheap grace.
The second I would call legalism!
The third view, I believe, which is a balanced view where we ought to be today, and this view is what we want to focus on today.
Now I want to define the “Gospel” for you. What is the GOOD NEWS? What is the GOSPEL? The Gospel is what tells us that we are saved by a GIFT CERTIFICATE!
You are not saved by going down and securing salvation for yourself.
It is not a “do-it-yourself” thing.
Salvation is provided by somebody else that has gone down to the store and totally paid for your salvation long ago; and made it so that I can go down there to the store and trade your gift certificate for Eternal life.
We all want something for nothing. We shop for juicy bargains. We mail in the coupon for free drawings.
I had a Friend who one day showed me over 150 scratchy off Lotto tickets she got. She told me that she won all of these it just cost he $75.00. So I as her how much did you win, she just looked at me like “what do you mean” I got to play all of these over a 150 tickets. So I said OK I understand that you got to play all of them, but how much did you Win from playing all of them. She again just said I won all of these, so I told her you mean you lost your $75.00 bucks, She then told me that I did not understand anything about playing scratch-off. I told her all I understood is that She lost her Money.
People spend a fortune trying to win the lottery.
Shame on them!
Only twice does the word WIN appear in the Bible. PHILIPPIANS 3:8(KJV) Paul speaks of gaining – or winning Christ. “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. I have suffered the loss of all things…that I may WIN Christ.”
How do we get Christ?
By winning Him, not by purchasing Him.
If you want to win something win eternal life because you will Win every time.
It is a gift. Salvation is gained by accepting a Gift you have already won, not by our efforts; But because we have chosen Him. “Jesus” as our Savior
If you choose Jesus you are an instant winner. If you choose the world you are a big looser.
Salvation is free! But salvation is not a cheap commodity!
Jesus achieved my eternal life through sweat, tears and blood. What a high price! Today, Jesus simply gives it away to His friends who then possess perfect righteousness through their faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, on the cross Jesus said a very important statement: three little words. He said, “It is Finished!” (John 19:30)
What was finished?
The word Jesus used is a Greek word … Tetelestai, which in our version of the Scripture is translated, “It is finished.”
Archaeologists have repeatedly found its Latin equivalent, consummatum, scrawled across ancient tax receipts, indicating it also meant “paid in full“.
What Jesus was saying on the cross was, “This debt is now paid in full. I completely paid the price.” Sin’s account was settled on the cross. Our debt and guilt were wiped out! You can’t add to it. All that I can do is accept it.
So I obtain salvation by gift certificate that has been paid in full by Jesus.
I can’t purchase eternal life, by a whole life full of doing good works.
But I live a life of good works in response to His gift. Jesus gives me eternal life. But, the good news is that it does not stop with the gift certificate. When I take my salvation home Jesus comes home with me to help me apply my gift and to use my gift in my life. And that is very much UN-like cheap grace.
Years ago I purchased a gizmo for my children. It came in a box and said “some assembly required“! It was some assembly alright! After an hour or so and a long struggle with plastic parts and instructions written by some Japanese person who had probably had a one hour correspondence class in the English language, the thing finally worked!
The truth is that Jesus not only provides our salvation, but Jesus comes with the gift and helps us assemble the gift and use gift as the Christian life. Jesus creates within our new heart a dislike for sin and a deep love for good things.
The truth is that we are saved totally by Jesus’ blood, not by our own blood. And that same blood also has the power to enable us to live a changed life. That doesn’t mean that we won’t make any mistakes. We may make mistakes but that same blood also has the ability to blot out our sins and give us complete forgiveness.
Blood is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. It lies at the very heart of the Gospel, for it is through “the blood of his cross” that Jesus reconciled us to God. (See Colossians 1:20-23).
Some years ago a terrible railroad accident occurred, killing many people. A commuter train had stalled on the tracks just a few minutes before a fast freight was due to arrive.
A conductor quickly sent to flag down the approaching “flier.” Being assured that all was well, the passengers relaxed.
Suddenly, however, the speeding freight came bearing down upon them. The crash left a ghastly scene of horror.
The engineer of the speeding freight train, escaped death by jumping from the cab. He was called into court to explain why he hadn’t stopped.
“I saw a man waving a flag,” he said, “but it was yellow, so I thought he just wanted me to slow down.”
When the flag was examined, the mystery was explained.
It had been red, but because of long exposure to the sun and weather it had become a dirty yellow.
Just think of the lives eternally wrecked by the ‘Dirty yellow gospels’ that we hear today in many Churches — the bloodless theories of the gospel that send their hearers to their doom instead of stopping them on their downward slide!
Cheap grace will lead to certain doom. Legalism or perfectionism will not save. I’ve never met anybody that is totally perfect. I don’t think any of us could ever equal what Jesus did for us.
Jesus Christ can give you His righteousness and you can stand truly perfect right now by his Free Gift of Salvation to everyone who believes.
Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross can redeem your soul (see Romans 5:8,9). Don’t be deceived by a weak “dirty yellow gospel” of human works that is powerless to save you from everlasting destruction.
The wonderful truth is that we are truly totally saved by Jesus.
Jesus the Son of God is our Saviour. Jesus Himself will set us free. Jesus said in John 8:32 (KJV) “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” This is an interesting statement and many Christians do not apply this text correctly.
What is it that we have to know? The doctrines? or What is the truth?
Jesus explains this in the next verses: John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Notice what sets us free… The Truth in verse 32: And the Son of God in verse 36. Jesus is the same today as when he said that 2000 years ago…
In John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, life...'” It is knowing Jesus that totally sets us free. Jesus paid for Salvation with His perfect life. It is not the belief in certain doctrines that will save us. We do not have to earn heaven. Eternal life is a gift, free, it had already been paid for with your Gift Certificate Jesus gives you.
I am not saved because I keep the Sabbath or because I keep all the others Commandments, Why because the Law can’t save me, the Law can only convict me. We are saved by Jesus.
Matthew 19: 16: And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? What did Jesus tell him, you know the Commandments
20: The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
If just keeping the Law could save you them this young man should be saved; correct
Look at what Jesus said to him
21: Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22: But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
He was a Good Man, but being good what not his problem, He keep God Commandments, but just keeping the Commandments, was not his problem was it.
The real problem was, he was trying to save his self; by his works and not by his Faith. He did not have the Faith that if he gave away all that he had, God would give him ten times more back
But let’s understand Doctrines…..
Doctrines are important, and that’s where people call us a sect, they have almost stopped calling us a cult.
But they still call us a sect: they can’t understand how we can believe that we are totally saved by Jesus and yet it is also important to keep the Sabbath.
Because I am saved by the Blood of Jesus I do what he told me to do. If you Love me keep my Commandments John:14:15:
We keep God’s Commandments because we love him not because we are saved by them.
Never forget one thing, There is a different’s in keep God’s Law to be Saved; and keep God’s Law because you are Saved.
I will tell you this, I am married to a wonderful woman and I don’t help her do the dishes because of some law, I do that because I want to, I want to do something to make her happy.
I keep the Sabbath because I want to do what makes God happy. It’s a response to Him. So we’re saved by gift certificate. Eternal life is given by a gift.
How do you get the gift? You have to know the Giver.
Let me ask you a question– Have you ever received a major gift in your whole life from a complete stranger?
That has never happened to me.
We almost always receive gifts from people that we know. Our friend Jesus, because we know Him he wants to give us His Eternal life.
The Gospel is all about our wonderful loving Friend, Jesus, standing with outstretched arms wanting to share His eternal life with you.
I believe the only way anyone will ever be lost is if that person willfully and consistently rejects Jesus and reject His free gift of Eternal Life.
Otherwise, we’re going to be saved.
Legalism is like a body without a soul. It is a corpse.
Cheap Grace is like a soul without a body. It is a ghost.
Neither one of them work.
Only Jesus could live the perfect life in both body and soul. He became a Saviour.
Jesus, lived the perfect life and paid a big price for complete salvation for each of us. Then Jesus gives this expensive rescue to us as a free gift if we love Him.
Where do you pick up your gift certificates?
John 3:36- “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life!…”
You get it from Jesus.
You know there is only one thing about a Gift Certificates; It is no good unless you use it.
My friend we are told that we are saved by grace through out faith in God. Put your faith in Jesus and what He has done for you, it is free for the asking just trust Him and see.
God Bless you all is my pray in Jesus name.
Elder Tim Mc Nab
Bible for Truth Ministries & McDonald Road Church
It will never Happen
Luke 17: 26: And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Have you ever heard someone say! “Don’t worry that will never happen”
And the very next day there it is right in front of your face. And then you say to them I though you say this could never happen? and they look back at you and say “Well it not suppose to happen!
Our world today is a different place then it was just 100 years ago,
Some of you sitting here today can say yes that is true. I can’t say that because I was not here 100 years ago. But I was here 50 years ago and I tell you our world is a different place then it was just 50 years ago…so what happened?
I hear people saying things like what is going on; is the world coming to its end…..
When you say the end what does that mean?
Well most of the time it is the way we say the last part, its over, There is no more!
Well I am happy to say that with God the end mean just the beginning. For you see it is the end of sin but the beginning of life.
The 6000 thousand year old controversy over sin will soon be over and all who have put their trust in Jesus as their savior will live forever with him in a paradise home that he has created for all of his children
When you look all around and see so many things occurrence, one right after the other it really makes you wonder what’s Next!
Well let see what is in God’s word, and let him who is the Creator tell us what is next !
Let us Pray!
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History has always repeats itself; it is like an old broken record that is played over and over again.
So if we are going to try and find out what is going to happen next we must first go to the passed and see what happened before, in order to know what will happen now.
Our God is not a God of confusion but a God of perfect order; let’s go to the Book of Genesis for starters.
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.
Things must have been really bad for God to want to destroy all of his creation. For sin had filled the hold world and it had corrupted everyone, everyone except Noah, he like Faithful Job stood alone with only his Faith and integrity in the God of his Creation.
Now I want you to imagine for just a moment God telling you something like this
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 think I would be about as dumb founded as I could. Lord you are going to do what? Destroy everything what precisely do you have in mind when you say that.
12: And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
What a sad day it must have been for God to look at the world he had just created about 1,400 hundred years before and see the corruption sin had caused. How the un-falling worlds must have also looked in dismay at those who rebelled against such a loving Creator.
13: And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14: Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
Would it sock you, would you say well it’s about time, what would you do?
God told me to build a really big boat and get in it, so I will be safe.
17: And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
If you were Noah what do you think you would be doing?
Obeying right!
I want us all to look at what God said in Genesis 6: 8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
God knows each of us by Name, there is nothing that happens by chance. It is either God’s will that it happened or God removed his protection from us because of sin and lets us have our own way. And the natural result of sin is the destruction of a person life.
Luke 17:
26: And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27: They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Almost 4,500 years ago God told Noah that the End was coming, he told Noah to build a boat a really BIG boat to hold all living creatures.
Noah himself did not know what a flood was he too had never seen a flood. But by Faith in God he knew if God said it, it was going to happen..
God loves and forbearing with mankind to repent and turn from sin and his sinful ways had reached its limit. The yard stick of sin was at last to its full mark about to run over.
No longer could God hold back the storm that was coming upon this world. Mankind had rejected God as there lord and Savior and in his place made gods for themselves of the wood, stones and the metal.
While faithful men preached to this world about the creator God who in 6 days made the heavens and earth, by the word of his power and rested on the seventh-day.
Who created our firth parents that had just died no more then a few hundred years earlier, even with the Garden of Eden still in mans sight, mankind rejected the God of his Creation.
It was not multitudes or majorities that were on the side of right. The world was arrayed against God’s justice and His laws, and Noah was regarded as a fanatic and a fool.
Satan, when tempting Eve to disobey God, said to her, “Ye shall not surely die.” Genesis 3: 4. Great men, worldly, honored, and wise men, repeated the same. “The threatening of God,” they said, “are for the purpose of intimidating, and will never be happen..
You need not be alarmed. Such an event as the destruction of the world by the God who made it, and the punishment of the beings He has created, will never take place.
Be at peace; fear not. Noah is an extremist.”
The world made merry at the folly of the deluded old man. Instead of humbling the heart before God, they continued their disobedience and wickedness, the same as though God had not spoken to them through His servant.
But Noah stood like a rock amid the tempest. Surrounded by popular contempt and ridicule, he distinguished himself by his holy integrity and unwavering faithfulness.
A power attended his words, for it was the voice of God to man through His servant. Connection with God made him strong in the strength of infinite power.
For one hundred and twenty years his solemn voice fell upon the ears of that generation in regard to events, which, so far as human wisdom could judge, were impossible.
The world before the Flood reasoned that for centuries the laws of nature had been fixed. The recurring seasons had come in their order. Heretofore rain had never fallen; the earth had been watered by a mist or dew every morning.
The rivers had never yet passed their boundaries, but had borne their waters safely to the sea.
Fixed decrees had kept the waters from overflowing their banks. But these reasoners did not recognize the hand of Him who had stayed the waters, saying, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” Job 38:11.
As time passed on, with no apparent change in nature, men whose hearts had at times trembled with fear, began to be reassured.
They reasoned, as many reason now, that nature is above the God of nature, and that her laws are so firmly established that God Himself could not change them.
Reasoning that if the message of Noah were correct, nature would be turned out of her course, they made that message, in the minds of the world, a delusion–a grand deception.
They manifested their contempt for the warning of God by doing just as they had done before the warning was given.
They continued their festivities and their gluttonous feasts; they ate and drank, planted and builded, laying their plans in reference to advantages they hoped to gain in the future; and they went to greater lengths in wickedness, and in defiant disregard of God’s requirements, to testify that they had no fear of the Infinite One.
They asserted that if there were any truth in what Noah had said, the men of renown–the wise, the prudent, the great men the great Religious leaders –would understand the matter.
Had the antediluvians believed the warning, and repented of their evil deeds, the Lord would have turned aside His wrath, as He afterward did from Nineveh.
But by their obstinate resistance to the reproofs of conscience and the warnings of God’s prophet, that generation filled up the measure of their iniquity, and became ripe for destruction.
The leave walls of this sinful world could only withstand so much sin before breaking the banks and flooding the world.
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.
Our world is again becoming ripe for the destruction that destroyed the antediluvians world. But this time not by water but by Fire, men again will turn from truth to believe a lie
I have no idea how much Faith Noah had, but I tell you this every time Noah drove a nail into the Ark his Faith grew. It is today no different with us only as we exercise our faith in Gods power will we be like faithful Noah one nail at a time.
Can we trust God? Let’s look at where we are today
We are told of a time of trouble that is coming upon this world we live in. A time that we who are God people will not be able to buy or sell, a time when the whole world will hate us and blame us for the problems that this old world will be going through
Can you believe the things that are happing in our world today!
This world is saying don’t worry; things are going to be just fine there is no need to be alarmed, your government will take care of everything and take care of you.
Do you believe that? What is going to happen when you find yourself all alone and the whole world against you?
When the day comes and its seam like everyone has turned agents you, even your own Brothers, sisters, Mother, Father, your own Children and husband or Wife. Where will you go what will you do, who will help you.
You will not be able to look to man for help, they will be the ones condemning you.
Soon very soon there will be a time of trouble that the world has never seen. When God’s people will be persecuted because of what we believe and who we believe in.
The Bible said that we won’t be able to buy or sell, how are we to live! What shell we eat what shell we ware, what shell we drink.
Look at how God lead in the pasted and you will see how he will lead in the future
Look at Moses 40 years he lead the children of Israel, did they want for anything
So what did they eat ?
Exodus 13:
14: And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
15: And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
God gave them what they needed not what they wanted, there is a big different between what we want and what we need. But it all takes Faith; we must learn to walk by faith and faith alone, relying upon God to lead and only upon Him.
Those who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions; and the decree to compel the conscience.
Even if they endure the test they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the time of trouble, because they have never made it a habit to trust in God.
The lessons of faith which we have neglected now we will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement.
We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises. Angels record every prayer that is earnest and sincere.
We should rather dispense with selfish gratifications, than to neglect communion with God. The deepest poverty, the greatest self-denial, with His approval, is better than riches, honors, ease, and friendship of this world.
If we allow our minds to be absorbed by worldly interests, the Lord may give us time by removing from us our idols of gold, and of fertile lands he may even allowed sickness or disease to come in and open the channel of communication again that was lost but only for a time.
The young would not be seduced into sin if they would refuse to enter any path except for that upon which they could ask God’s blessing.
If the messengers who bear the last solemn warning to the world would pray for the blessing of God, not in a cold, listless, lazy manner, but fervently and in faith, as did Jacob, they would find many places where they could say: “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Genesis 32:30.
They would be accounted of heaven as princes, having power to prevail with God and with men.
The “time of trouble, such as never was,” is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too laid-back to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us.
The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God. “Though Noah, Daniel, and Job” were in the land, “as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.” Ezekiel 14:20.
So now the Future !
We are just in the beginning of the little time of trouble; we are just starting to see strange things that are happing in our world today.
It is not going to get better?
Sorry things will only get worse !
Will the Lord forget His people in this trying hour?
Did He forget faithful Noah when judgments were visited upon the antediluvian world? Did He forget Lot when the fire came down from heaven to consume the cities of the plain?
Did He forget Joseph surrounded by idolaters in Egypt?
Did He forget Elijah when the oath of Jezebel threatened him with the fate of the prophets of Baal?
Did He forget Jeremiah in the dark and dismal pit of his prison house?
Did He forget the three Men in the fiery furnace? or Daniel in the den of lions?
“Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?
yea, they may forget, but I will not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands.” Isaiah 49:14-16. The Lord hosts has said: “He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye.” Zechariah 2:8.
Though enemies may thrust Gods Children into prison, yet the dungeon walls cannot cut off the communication between their souls and Christ.
One who sees their every weakness, who is acquainted with every trial, is above all earthly powers; and angels will come to them in lonely cells, bringing light and peace from heaven.
The prison will be as a palace; for the rich in faith dwell there, and the gloomy walls will be lighted up with heavenly light as when Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises at midnight in the dungeon.
The people of God will not be free from suffering; but while persecuted and distressed, while they endure hardship and suffer for want of food they will not be left to perish.
The same God who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of His self-sacrificing children. He who numbers the hairs of their head will care for them, and in time of famine they shall be satisfied.
While the wicked are dying from hunger and pestilence, angels will shield the righteous and supply their wants.
To him that “walketh righteously” is the promise: “Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.” “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.” Isaiah 33:15, 16; 41:17.
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls;” yet shall they that fear Him “rejoice in the Lord” and joy in the God of their salvation. Habakkuk 3:17, 18.
“The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
He shall preserve thy soul.” “He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust:
His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” Psalms 121:5-7; 91:3-10.
God will be there as he is here with his people now, to guide, to lead, to save.
We have nothing to fear but that we forget how God has lead in the passed he will again lead in the future.
Put your trust your faith in him he will not leave you.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
God Answers Pray
James: 5:16: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. 
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
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 refused to do anything about it.
So the Pastor called on the Church to Pray that God would shut 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 as 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.
Do we really believe in the Power of Prayer?
Let us Prayer!
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Have you every prayed for something and it came true, How do you know it was not just a coincident that it happened
I have seen many of prayers answered in my life that there is no possible explanation for; Except God answered pray
What is Prayer and why is it important in a Christian life.
Prayer is the act of addressing God for the purpose of worship or petition. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting guidance or assistance, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one’s thoughts and emotions.
The words used in prayer may take the form of intercession, a hymn, words of gratitude, or a spontaneous utterance in the person’s praying words. Praying can be done in public, as a group, or in private.
What does Jesus tell us to do when we pray?
Mt:21:22: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
What ever we ask in prayer believe and you shall receive
Believe is another word for Faith and the Bible tells us what Faith is
Heb:11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
James tells us when we are praying we are to ask in Faith believing that we will receive what we have prayed for.
Jms:1:6: But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Many times we pray but don’t really believe God will answer our prayer, Why because it may take too long or our prayer don’t get answered right away we think God does not hear us.
Some prayers are not answered right away and other prayers are answered in different ways that we are not aware of
Jms:5:15: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Question: is God a respecter of person
The answer is no, God treats everyone the same; we are all equal in Gods eyes. What God does respect is a person Faith in Him.
God has used Men and Women of Faith through history to foster his plan for mankind’s salvation
Jesus tells us what Faith can do.
Lk:17:6: And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
This is why; Jesus said when you pray Believe
Story: of the King who was Sick Hezekiah
2 Kings 20:
1: In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2: Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,
3: I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4: And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
5: Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
6: And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
God hears our Prayers always
Story: Zacharias
There was a man by the name of Zacharias who prayer asking God to give them a child, but for years his Wife remained barren. He is now in his late 70 and so is his wife.
It was his duty to go into the Most Holy place of the sanctuary and minister before the Ark of the Covenant.
There he sees and Angle, and the Angle tells him something wonderful, his prayers have been heard and that his wife was going to have a Baby
But he questions this is not possible because I am now too old and my wife is passed the age of life
That is unheard of, Old women having children They do when God answers pray.
He must have prayed for many years, until his wife was well passed the years of child bearing, but God heard his prays, and in God’s time he answered this old mans pray.
Lk:1:13: But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Here is a lesion for all of us We must learner to wait on God’s timing.
If we would learn to wait on Gods timing we would find life so much easyer.
God does not promise that when you become a Christian you will not have problems. What he tells us to do is to pray and he will give you the strength to overcome your hardship, your difficulty, your danger, your misfortune, and your hard times.
Zech:2:8: For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
Jesus prayed for each of us, that our faith in him in times of trouble would not fail, for He tells us in John
Jn:14:1: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
What did we say belief was, Belief and Faith are the same.
So if you have Faith in what you are praying for then you need to start getting ready to receive your request.
Acts:12:5: Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
What happened to Peter, an angle came by night and loose his chains and walked him right out of prison.
Why because the Church was praying for him.
You know you might say, Good Stories Tim, I like them all,
But does God do anything for His people today like he did for those in the Bible..
First thing; There is a big different between the Church of the 1st and 2nd century and that of today
People then were willing to Die for what they believe, rather then enjoy the pleasures of Sin for a season.
Today it is hard just getting Christians to come to Church if they are not mad at the Pastor or someone else in the Church.
Sometime God does not answer us because we don’t really believe that he will bottom line
I really can’t speak for anyone else but this I can tell you; and that is what God has done for me
Story: Me and the Truck
I was on call for work one night many years ago and had to drive a fuel truck into some plants to fill up the air compressors that were keeping the plants running. While driving the truck I notices that the light were not very bright, but did not think too much about it till the engine died coming off a bridge and all I could do was to cost all the way down. As I came off the bridge I pulled over and then tried to restart the engine, but all I could hear was clicking under the hood. Oh no I said the battery is dead, that is why the lights were getting dim on me. I tried everything but no luck is was 1:30am and I called all the emergency contact numbers for my company and no one answered.
Oh no I said I just started this job a few months ago and knew I needed to get fuel in the Air compressors or they would soon start shutting down. I called my Wife who was at home sick and told her what had happened and how I could not get anyone at the office on the phone, I also knew she could not help me being as sick as she was. I was just a new Christian believer at the time and all I could do was to think why don’t you just pray about it. Yes right like that is really going to start the engine, I got out the truck again and did everything I know but nothing worked. I was stranded all alone and in a very bad part of town. Again my thought went to just pray, ok what do I have to lose, so I did I prayed. Not long after praying I got a feeling to try and start the engine, I flagged it off because just a few minutes before I already tired that. But again the feeling came try the engine. OK I will try it, and as soon as I turn the key the engine started, I could not believe it. I put the light switch on and the light were brighter then I ever seen. So I made my run that night and filled all the equipment and drove back to the shop parked the truck. Wow I could not believe it then I thought to my self maybe it was just a bad connection after all. But when I went to try and start the truck again it was dead and I mean completely dead. The next day I came in to work and one of the mechanics was working on the truck and so I ask him what was he doing. He said do you know who drove the truck last night I said yes it was me. He looked and said boy you are a lucky guy I said why, he told me the alternator was out and the battery was totally dead. I knew then for sure it had to be an angle help me that night, all because I prayed in my time of need.
I believe we all sometimes ask God for things we don’t need or for something that is not good for us.
God in his Mercy understands and sometimes said no, it is the same thing that any good parent would do for Children you love.
One time my son Patrick came home with a big fish tank full of Tarantula (Spider) and he said Look Mom Dad can I keep them in my room.
Do I need to tell you what our answer was NO
God is the same way; sometime things are not going to be good for us so he just said NO
I was in Love with a girl once when I was 16 and remember praying asking God to help me to marry her.
I event went as far as telling her we could get married and no one will ever know.
Then one day God let me see something in her I never seen before, and right then I realized why he said no. Then I prayed and said God thanks you for not answering that prayer of mine.
So the next time I prayer about getting married I ask God to provide me a Women to be my Wife.
About a year later, guess who came into my Life. She has been so much more then I could have ever asked or even hoped for, why because she was Gods choice for me. This year we will be married for 39 years, God is so very good
Phil:4:6: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Eph:6:18: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Col:4:2: Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Only God could have lead her into my life and on Gods time not mine.
2Tm:1:3: I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
1Pt:3:12: For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Have you ever wonders where your prayers are kept.
The Bible tells us that God has a special place where are kept the prayers of all his People.
Rv:5:8: And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rv:8:3: And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rv:8:4: And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
There is nothing that is impossible for God to do; God hears the prayers of his children, He longs to talk to each and everyone one of us.
Sometimes we are too busy, sometimes we just don’t have time to give to God because we have so many things going on in our life.
Have you every wondered where do all these things come from, these time takers. They are all a vice from satan to do one thing, keep you away from God.
One of the best time taker satan every invested in was Music
Here he enter the ear and mind of many people, but that was not enough he wanted more so he invested in a tube we call TV
Now he has the ear, mind, imagination of the people all at the same time and he has them doing nothing.
The Prayers of a Father:
A minister concluded his sermon one Sabbath by saying, “If there’s someone here who wants help in getting to know God, and you would like me to pray for you, please raise your hand.” A young man stood up and said, “Please pray for me, sir. The burden of my sin is too heavy to bear.”
After the service the minister talked with the man and led him to faith in Jesus. The young man had been wandering around the country for 8 years without contacting his parents, so he decided to write to them and tell them about the change in his life.
Several days later, a reply came from his mother: “My dear son, you must have accepted Jesus Christ at the same hour your father went to sleep in Jesus. He had been sick for a long time, and that day he was very restless. He tossed from side to side on his bed, crying out, ‘Lord, please save my poor, wandering boy.’ I’m sure that one of the reasons you became a Christian was Dad’s unceasing intercession.”
A praying father will “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” in behalf of his children, persistently trusting his wise heavenly Father to do what is best (Matthew 7:7-11). Let’s thank God today for faithful parents who never stop praying for their children.
Parents never stop praying for your Children, It is never too late to pray for them and never to early to start praying for them
Jesus said in Jer:1:5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
God bless and remember God knows what you need He is just waiting for you to ask, then He will provide it at the right time in your life; not too early and never too late.
Elder Tim McNab
Don’t give up!
John: 15:12: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
There was once a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition.
The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants…
The race began… Honestly: No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.
You heard statements such as: “NO, WAY it’s too difficult!!”
“They will NEVER make it to the top.”
“Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!”
The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one…
Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher..
The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!”
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up… But ONE continued higher and higher and higher…
This one tiny frog however wouldn’t give up!
At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog, who after a big effort, was the only one who reached the
top!
THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal.
It turned out… That the winner was DEAF!!!!
Let’s Us Pray!
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Whatever you do Never listen to other people’s tendencies to be negative or pessimistic
Because they take your most wonderful dreams and wish them away from you–
the ones you have in your heart!
Always think of the power words have before speaking.
Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!
Therefore: ALWAYS be… POSITIVE!
And above all: Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams!
Always think: God and I can do this!
Most people walk in and out of your life……but FRIENDS leave footprints
in your heart!
We all need to have some encouragement at time in our life.
We all get Tired, we get Lazy, Wore out, Burnt out, even feel Defeated at times.
Especially when we hear people telling us, you can’t do that! It’s too much for you! No one really expected you to complete it!
In our weakness, we find strength only in the Lord.
When all the world seams to be against us, we know that He is right there, He is there to give guidance, to give instruction, and to give us consul when needed.
God’s love is forever with His people who have put there Trust, there Faith, there very Live into His hands. He never gives up on you.
In the opening story what made the difference between the frogs who did not finish and the one who did. Being —- Deaf to what people were saying.
Sometimes we too need to learn to shut the world out. Don’t listen to what others are saying to us, or about us. Just continue doing what Jesus said.
Do what God is telling you to do, and go where God is telling you to go.
What do you think would have happened if Jesus listened to what others were telling Him, that He was not the Son of God! That He was not the Savior!
When the world does not encourage or help you, remember God love never stops.
What would have happen if Jesus would have became discouraged? He almost did.
Turn to the book of Matthew chapter 3:
Look at the story of Jesus baptism, hear what His Father said.
- Jesus at His Baptism:
Matthew:3:
16: And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
All of Jesus life he heard only negativeness from people around Him. His own Brothers and Sisters, His Aunts & Uncles, the Religious Leaders.
They all thought Jesus had some loose screws in his head They failure to realize the what the Scriptures said about Him.
Do you hear the same things where you work, how about at Home, how about at Church? People telling you that you are not good enough, you are just not able to do this.
It is almost like they want to see you fail, They themselves can’t do it and they want to make sure you can’t as well..
Funny with Jesus it was only the Common people who heard and believed in Him, because He gave them hope.
Hope that there was something better for them then this life of pain & suffering. Hope of a place where there will never be Hunger, Sickness, or see Death again.
All through Jesus life He did only works of Good, He showed Love, & compassion, But the world hated Him all the more. Who Hated Him, The very people who he came to save.
- Look at what is said in the Book of Luke 22:
40: And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41: And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
“Tarry ye here, ” He told his disciples, “and watch with Me.”
He went but a little distance from them, but not so far that they could not see and hear Him as He fell prostrate upon the ground.
Why was He here, what was He doing, He was paying your death, all your sins and all my sins. Look now at what it was doing to Him.
He felt that by sin He was being separated from His Father. The gulf was so broad, so black, so deep, that His spirit shuddered before it.
But In this agony He must not exert His divine power to escape or save His self.
How many of us if we had the power in our hand, would not have freed ourselves and said tuff luck and walked away
But not Jesus: As a man He must suffer the consequences of man’s sin. As a man He must endure the wrath of God against transgression.
Christ was now standing in a different attitude from that in which He had never stood before.
His suffering can best be described in the words of the prophet, “Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zech. 13:7.
Holy angle spirit angel
As the substitute and surety for sinful man, Christ was suffering under divine justice. He saw what justice meant.
Hitherto He had been as an intercessor for others; now He longed to have someone intercessor for Him.
As Christ felt His unity with the Father broken up, He feared that in His human nature He would be unable to endure the coming conflict with the powers of darkness.
In the wilderness of temptation, when the destiny of the human race had been at stake, Christ was then conqueror.
Now the tempter had come for the last fearful struggle. For this he had been preparing during the three years of Christ’s ministry.
Everything was at stake with him. If Satan failed here, his hope of mastery was lost; the kingdoms of the world would finally become Christ’s; he himself would be overthrown and cast out.
But if Christ could be overcome, the earth would become Satan’s kingdom, and the human race would be forever in his power.
With the issues of the conflict before Him, Christ’s soul was filled with dread of separation from God.
Satan told Him that if He became the surety for a sinful world, the separation would be eternal. He would be identified with Satan’s kingdom, and would nevermore be one with God.
Again the Son of God was seized with superhuman agony, and fainting and exhausted, He staggered back to the place of His former struggle.
His suffering was even greater than before. As the agony of soul came upon Him, “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
The cypress and palm trees were the silent witnesses of His anguish. From their leafy branches dropped heavy dew upon His stricken form, as if nature wept over its Author wrestling alone with the powers of darkness.
A short time before, Jesus had stood like a mighty cedar, withstanding the storm of opposition that spent its fury upon Him.
Stubborn wills, and hearts filled with malice, had striven in vain to confuse and overpower Him. He stood forth in divine majesty as the Son of God.
Now He was like a reed beaten and bent by the angry storm. He had approached the consummation of His work a conqueror, having at each step gained the victory over the powers of darkness.
As one already glorified, He had claimed oneness with God.
He had spoken to His disciples in words of courage and tenderness.
Now had come the hour of the power of darkness. Now His voice was heard on the still evening air, not in tones of triumph, but in human anguish.
The words of the Savior were borne to the ears of the drowsy disciples, “O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.”
The first impulse of the disciples was to go to Him; but He had bidden them tarry there, watching and prayer.
But when Jesus came to them, He found them still sleeping.
Jesus longing for companionship, for some words from His disciples which would bring relief, and break the spell of darkness that well-nigh overpowered Him.
But their eyes were heavy; “neither did they know what to answer Him.” His presence aroused them.
They saw His face marked with the bloody sweat of agony, and they were filled with fear. His anguish of mind they could not understand. “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” Isa. 52:14
Turning away, Jesus sought again His retreat, and fell prostrate, overcome by the horror of a great darkness.
The humanity of the Son of God trembled in that trying hour. He prayed not now for His disciples that their faith might not fail, but for His own tempted, agonized soul.
The awful moment had come–that moment which was to decide the destiny of the world. The fate of humanity trembled in the balance.
Christ might even now refuse to drink the cup apportioned to guilty man.
It was not yet too late. He might wipe the bloody sweat from His brow, and leave man to perish in his iniquity.
He might say, Let the transgressor receive the penalty of his sin, and I will go back to My Father.
Will the Son of God drink the bitter cup of humiliation and agony? Will the innocent suffer the consequences of the curse of sin, to save the guilty?
The words fall tremblingly from the pale lips of Jesus, “O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.”
Three times has He uttered that prayer. Three times has humanity shrunk from the last, crowning sacrifice.
But now the history of the human race comes up before the world’s Redeemer.
He sees that the transgressors of the law, if left to themselves, must perish.
He sees the helplessness of man. He sees the power of sin. The woes and lamentations of a doomed world rise before Him.
He beholds its impending fate, and His decision is made.
He will save man at any cost to Himself.
He accepts His baptism of blood, that through Him millions may gain everlasting life.
He has left the courts of heaven, where all is purity, happiness, and glory, to save the one lost sheep, the one world that has fallen by transgression.
And He will not turn from His mission. He will become the propitiation of a race that has willed to sin.
His prayer now breathes only submission: “If this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, He said My Father Thy will be done.”
Having made the decision, He fell dying to the ground from which He had partially risen.
Where now were His disciples, to place their hands tenderly beneath the head of their fainting Master, and bathe that brow, marred indeed more than the sons of men?
Jesus trod the wine press alone, and of the people there was none with Him.
Please don’t think that the Father did not suffer with His Son for in that trying hour all of heaven was still as the Father and Son agonize over the one lost sheep.
Angels beheld His agony. They saw their Lord enclosed by legions of satanic forces, His nature weighed down with a shuddering, mysterious dread. There was silence in heaven.
No harp was touched.
Could mortals have viewed the amazement of the angelic host as in silent grief as they watched the Father separating His beams of light, of love, and glory from His beloved Son, they would better understand how offensive in His sight is sin.
The worlds un-falling and the heavenly angels had watched with intense interest as the conflict drew to its close.
Satan and his confederacy of evil, the legions of apostasy, watched intently this great crisis in the work of redemption.
The powers of good and evil waited to see what answer would come to Christ’s thrice-repeated prayer.
Angels had longed to bring relief to the divine sufferer, but this might not be.
No way of escape was found for the Son of God.
In this awful crisis, when everything was at stake, when the mysterious cup trembled in the hand of the sufferer, the heavens opened.
A light shone forth amid the stormy darkness of the crisis hour, and the mighty angel who stands in God’s presence, occupying the position from which Satan fell, came to the side of Christ.
The angel came not to take the cup from Christ’s hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Father’s love.
He came to give power to the divine-human suppliant.
He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings.
He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High.
He told Him that He would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved eternally.
Christ’s agony did not cease, but His depression and discouragement left Him.
The storm had in nowise abated, but He who was its object was strengthened to meet its fury.
He came forth calm and peaceful. A heavenly peace rested upon His bloodstained face.
He had borne that which no human being could ever bear; for He had tasted the sufferings of death for every man.
The sleeping disciples had been suddenly awakened by the light surrounding the Savior.
They saw the angel bending over their prostrate Master.
They saw him lift the Savior’s head upon his bosom, and point toward heaven. They heard his voice, like sweetest music, speaking words of comfort and hope.
The disciples recalled the scene upon the mount of transfiguration.
They remembered the glory that in the temple had encircled Jesus, and the voice of God that spoke from the cloud.
Now that same glory was again revealed, and they had no further fear for their Master.
He was under the care of His Father; a mighty angel had been sent to protect Him.
Again the disciples in their weariness yield to the strange stupor that overpowers them.
Again Jesus finds them sleeping.
That same night they took Jesus and place Him before a marked trial of Evil men. But he stood before then not as one having been defeated, But as one who has gained the Victory
3. Jesus at the Cross: Luke 23:
39: And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40: But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41: And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
On the Cross there was only one man who called upon the savior, Even while Jesus was suffering on the Cross Himself, His ears were open to hear the cry for help.
Have you become discouraged in your walk with Jesus, when we pass out literature and no one seams to accept what you have. When we have evangelistic seminars and no one comes. When we preach the word and there are no followers.
Do you get dishearten because no one heed the warning, and you feel like a failure.
We all need to be encouraged at time to complete the work giving us. Somehow when we have other pulling for us it makes the road easier to bare.
It can’t be explained and we don’t know why it is.
But pain and suffering somehow becomes bearable when we know you are not alone when we know others are praying for us.
A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled
with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to
do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained
that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the
man did, day after day.
For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set
squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing
with all of his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and
worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the adversary (Satan) decided to
enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: “You have been
pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t moved.” Thus, he
gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a
failure.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. Satan said, “Why kill
yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort;
and that will be good enough.”
That’s what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a Matter of
Prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
“Lord,” he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all
my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I
have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am
I failing?
The Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when I asked you to serve
Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock
with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to
you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you
come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is
that really so?
“Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and
brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have
become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your
abilities now surpass that which you used to have.
“True, you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and
to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have
done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock.”
*At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect
to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just a simple
obedience and faith in Him.
At time we hear people telling us like satin you can’t do it.
You can’t Speak, You can’t Teach, You can’t Preach, You can’t, You can’t, You can’t.
When people are putting you down, when you hear the voice of Satan telling you what you can’t, we need to look to the word of God that tells us.
I can do, I can do, I can do…….
Phil:4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Don’t let the world stop you from reaching the finish line,
Sometimes all you need is to become Deaf to the world in order to hear Jesus.
Whatever you do always remember” Never Give Up”
Elder Tim McNab
Restoring Gods Truth
Believe also in Me
John 14: 1: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
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.
Total Trust is putting one foot forward and walking with both eyes closed
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
Faith still trusts 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.
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.
Let us Pray!
————————————————-
Several years ago some visitors to the US Mint in Philadelphia listened to a worker in the foundry area. The man said that if you first dip your hand into a bucket of water, a small ladle of molten metal could be poured over the palm of your hand and it would not burn you. The worker said, “Do you believe that?” Well, they all believed that. “Who would like to try it?” A man stood there and said: “Not me!” “I’ll take your word for it.” The workman turned to the man’s wife, and said: “Perhaps you would like to try it?” She said, “Certainly.” She put her hand in the bucket of water and calmly held it out while the hot metal was poured over her hand. And it didn’t hurt. I don’t think she held that molten metal very long. Now, don’t go try this. Both the husband and the wife believed. Was there a difference in their belief? Only the wife trusted completely. You may say she was a fool for doing that. If you trust Jesus completely you’re not a fool. That’s the type of trust that it going to take to be saved. That’s the type of belief that it take to be saved.
You’ve got to completely trust your life to Him and totally believe in Him; His perfect life will be accounted to you in place of your imperfect life. You will be saved by His blood. Jesus’ righteousness will be freely given to everybody who really and truly believe in Jesus. We are saved not by works but by faith, belief, and trust. This is called grace. That is called the good news.
John 14:
1: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2: In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
It is one thing to Believe something is going to happen, but quite another thing to totally put you Truth and Faith ahead of you belief and see it fulfillment
AFTER A FEW OF THE USUAL SABBATH EVENING HYMNS, THE CHURCH’S PASTOR SLOWLY STOOD UP, WALKED OVER TO THE PULPIT AND, BEFORE HE GAVE HIS SERMON FOR THE EVENING, HE BRIEFLY INTRODUCED A GUEST MINISTER WHO WAS IN THE SERVICE THAT EVENING.
IN THE INTRODUCTION, THE PASTOR TOLD THE CONGREGATION THAT THE GUEST MINISTER WAS ONE OF HIS DEAREST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AND THAT HE WANTED HIM TO HAVE A FEW MOMENTS TO GREET THE CHURCH AND SHARE WHATEVER HE FELT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE SERVICE. WITH THAT, AN ELDERLY MAN STEPPED UP TO THE PULPIT AND BEGAN TO SPEAK.’
A FATHER, HIS SON, AND A FRIEND OF HIS SON WERE SAILING OFF THE PACIFIC COAST,’ HE BEGAN. ‘WHEN A FAST APPROACHING STORM BLOCKED ANY ATTEMPT TO GET BACK TO THE SHORE. ‘THE WAVES WERE SO HIGH, THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FATHER WAS AN EXPERIENCED SAILOR, HE COULD NOT KEEP THE BOAT UPRIGHT AND THE THREE WERE SWEPT INTO THE OCEAN AS THE BOAT CAPSIZED.’
THE OLD MAN HESITATED FOR A MOMENT, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE SERVICE BEGAN, LOOKING SOMEWHAT INTERESTED IN HIS STORY.
THE AGED MINISTER CONTINUED WITH HIS STORY,’GRABBING A RESCUE LINE, THE FATHER HAD TO MAKE THE MOST EXCRUCIATING DECISION OF HIS LIFE: TO WHICH BOY WOULD HE THROW THE OTHER END OF THE LIFE LINE.
‘HE ONLY HAD SECONDS TO MAKE THE DECISION. ‘THE FATHER KNEW THAT HIS SON WAS A CHRISTIAN AND HE, ALSO, KNEW THAT HIS SON’S FRIEND WAS NOT.
‘THE AGONY OF HIS DECISION COULD NOT BE MATCHED BY THE TORRENT OF WAVES. ‘AS THE FATHER YELLED OUT, “I LOVE YOU, SON!” HE THREW OUT THE LIFE LINE TO HIS SON’S FRIEND. ‘BY THE TIME THE FATHER HAD PULLED THE FRIEND BACK TO THE CAPSIZED BOAT, HIS SON HAD DISAPPEARED BENEATH THE RAGING SWELLS INTO THE BLACK OF NIGHT. HIS BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED.’
BY THIS TIME, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE SITTING UP STRAIGHT IN THE PEW,
ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THE NEXT WORDS TO COME OUT OF THE OLD MINISTER’S MOUTH.
‘THE FATHER,’ HE CONTINUED, ‘KNEW HIS SON WOULD STEP INTO ETERNITY WITH JESUS AND HE COULD NOT BEAR THE THOUGHT OF HIS SON’S FRIEND STEPPING INTO AN ETERNITY WITHOUT JESUS…
THEREFORE, HE SACRIFICED HIS SON TO SAVE THE SON’S FRIEND.
‘HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE OF GOD THAT HE SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR US. OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SACRIFICED HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WE COULD BE SAVED.
I URGE YOU TO ACCEPT HIS OFFER TO RESCUE YOU AND TAKE A HOLD OF THE LIFE LINE HE IS THROWING OUT TO YOU IN THIS SERVICE.’
WITH THAT, THE OLD MAN TURNED AND SAT BACK DOWN IN HIS CHAIR AS SILENCE FILLED THE ROOM.
THE PASTOR AGAIN WALKED SLOWLY TO THE PULPIT AND DELIVERED A BRIEF SERMON WITH AN INVITATION AT THE END. HOWEVER, NO ONE RESPONDED TO THE APPEAL. WITHIN MINUTES AFTER THE SERVICE ENDED, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE AT THE OLD MAN’S SIDE.
‘THAT WAS A NICE STORY,’ POLITELY STATED ONE OF THEM,’BUT I DON’T THINK IT WAS VERY REALISTIC FOR A FATHER TO GIVE UP HIS ONLY SON’S LIFE IN HOPES THAT THE OTHER BOY WOULD BECOME A CHRISTIAN.’
‘WELL, YOU’VE GOT A POINT THERE,’ THE OLD MAN REPLIED, GLANCING DOWN AT HIS WORN BIBLE. A BIG SMILE BROADENED HIS NARROW FACE. HE ONCE AGAIN LOOKED UP AT THE BOYS AND SAID, ‘IT SURE ISN’T VERY REALISTIC, IS IT? BUT, I’M STANDING HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU THAT STORY GIVES ME A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR GOD TO GIVE UP HIS SON FOR ME.
YOU SEE… ‘I WAS THAT FATHER AND YOUR PASTOR IS MY SON’S FRIEND.’
I WOULD RATHER LIVE MY LIFE AS IF THERE IS A GOD AND DIE TO FIND OUT
THERE ISN’T, THAN LIVE MY LIFE AS IF THERE ISN’T AND DIE TO FIND OUT THERE IS.
Several years ago two ships collided. It happened far out in the calm quiet Atlantic Ocean on a dark foggy night. The smaller ship with two hundred and six people on board sank within thirty minutes. Immediately the larger ship put out life boats to retrieve the passengers who were floating in the calm sea.
Only thirty four were found!? They were all picked up and saved. At first it seemed a great mystery why a hundred seventy two people were lost and so few were saved. The problem was not a lack of life jackets or life boats.
** I don’t know if any of you have ever been in a collision, things happen so fast that you don’t always get time to think about them or think about what to do. You just do them.
I was once on a ship that had a collision with another ship many years ago. We too did not have time to think, We knew that our ship was going down and we needed to get off and off fast. So when the Captain gave the order to abandon ship that is what we did, with in fifteen minutes the ship sunk, but all of our lives were saved, only because everyone followed the Captains orders.
But there was a different problem here on this ship, the people heard the Captain order, but many did not want to go when the call to abandon ship was giving. Why?
What in this world would keep you on a sinking Ship? The order is giving get off, Abandon ship and save your life. What’s keeping you from getting in the lifeboat?
Later it was found that the primary reason so few were saved was that most if not all of them had busied themselves during those last thirty minutes in seizing their gold and silver and securing it to their clothes or belting it around their waist.
They were weighted down and unable to remain afloat until the rescue boats could reach them. They lost both their life and their money. They were Jeopardized by greed.
What hinders you today from giving Christ your all?
Cast off the carnal things that weigh you down. Many of good Christians are like a waterlogged raft, they are just barely afloat. They have soaked up so much worldliness and are so absorbed with little sinful traits that it is almost impossible for them to be towed into the heavenly harbor.
Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Sorry: but you can’t have your pie and eat it too. No heart can mature two crops at the same time. We must decide which is more important.
Immerse yourself in Jesus. Lighten your load of temporal doodads. Give Jesus your total heart and sole and stop living your life in a world that is dying because the temporal reward looks great.
Just remember the word temporal means just that. “temporary, brief, short lived”.
When an immigrant comes to America, before He or She can become a citizen they must renounce all commitments and allegiance to their former homeland and pledge one hundred percent allegiance to America. Then and only then will the U.S. Government grant citizenship.
That’s the way it is with Jesus. When you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, you renounce Satan completely. You can’t “split time” by serving Satan part-time and Christ part-time.
For a Christian there can be no moonlighting with the world.
It is impossible to have one foot in the world and one foot in the church. Very quickly you would have to do the splits because the path of the church and the world are zeroing in at two very different destinations. One is eternal Life the other is eternal destruction.
Like a boat leaving the dock, you can’t have one foot on the boat and one foot on the dock for very long or you will end up in the drink.
An individual who divides his heart between God and the world will eventually be wholehearted for the world and fainthearted for God! You can’t dine at the Devils table on Friday and at the Lord’s table on Sabbath. You can’t sing “All The Way” in the pew and swear at the fax machine at work.
Luke 14:33: In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
We must be willing to give up everything. You can’t hold onto the world and its knickknacks with all your strength and equally hold onto Jesus.
You can’t get your high from Jesus on Sabbath and get your “High” from drugs on Saturday night.
Brown-nosing with Satan when you are with the crowd and pretending at church makes you a hypocrite!
1 Thessalonians 5:23: May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus wants us one hundred percent, Completely, Totally, All or nothing
I remember as a boy in Honduras we drove across the country to visit some friends, I reckon we hadn’t gone a stone’s throw before we came to a vacant lot. The problem was that it had not been empty long, just a few days before a family had lived there in a home. My Uncle said, “Boy, they moved out fast and took everything!” The clothes-line was gone, the mail box, and even the dog house was gone they were out of there completely. I said man it looks like they took the very dirt.
Then I came here to the US and found out that when people here move out they take the Very light bulbs out before leaving.
Look what Paul said, I can do all things through Christ who strength me.
Isaiah 29:13: God says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me
We sing songs like “I’ll go where you want me to go Dear Lord… I’ll do what you want me to do…
But don’t ask me to sing in the choir or play the hand bells, or teach in the little kid’s department or help with VacationBibleSchool or sit on a committee. I just want to sit among the saints. I don’t want to be involved to much, I just don’t have the time!”
God’s yardstick is total devotion or none at all. We modern Christians come to the celestial check out lane and when we reach the cash register we say,
“I would like to buy about three dollars worth of God please.
- I don’t want enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep.
- I don’t want enough to make me love people I don’t like.
- I want gladness but not transformation.
- I want the warmth of the womb, but not the new birth.
- I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack.
- I want a sprinkling but not an immersion.
- I want a taste of God but not a total meal.
- I want to sample Jesus but not be over involved.
- I want to do God’s will as long as it doesn’t interfere with what I am doing.
David eventually became a man after God’s heart by going all the way with total commitment.
Psalms 119:2 David says: Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
Those who seek him with all their heart!
I’ve had a lot of people come and say, I just can’t get victory over sin. I’m trying to be a good Christian and I just can’t do it. How do I get strength to live the Christian life?”
( Stop Trying )
I’ll tell you how to get Christian strength. You seek it with all your heart. You’re going to get what you’re really seeking.” If you go at it with all your heart you will find it.
God is there waiting, reaching out to take your hand.
Pray and when you finish praying pray somemore. Jesus is not tired of hearing your pray, or your request, he is willing to do what every it take to help you, he proved it by dying for you on the Cross.
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.
God wants your heart, the whole heart, and nothing but the whole heart. He wants all of you or he doesn’t want you at all. Lock, stock, and barrel commitment is what God is looking for in His people in these last days.
Unless you love Him totally, you do not love Him at all. There is no such thing as lukewarm commitment. If you don’t crown Him Lord of All, you really do not crown Him at All.
Notice that our heavenly Father does not expect what He is not willing to give. Does God give totally? Does He? Yes, He does.
Does He give half-way? Do we have a part time daddy? Our awesome God gives totally! The bible is full of examples of how God give totally.
Let’s look and see!
Luke 8:48: And He said unto her, “Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (NIV)
Does God heal us half-way? No. He heals us all the way. Her faith had made her whole. She was not healed half- way she was healed completely by her faith in the one who could give healing.
When Jesus died on the cross, He totally paid for all my sins. His forgiveness is absolute. God’s healing power is unbounded. When we all get to heaven, we will be given access to the immeasurable universe.
He’s not going to say,
“Well, I’ll just give you a little bit of heaven.
I’ll give you just a touch of it.” No!
Does He give us just a sample of heaven? No!
He gives us the whole thing. It’s ours completely, all of it!
We will be able to fly. We don’t need to have reservations. We just go to all these other worlds. Every corner of the universe is yours to explore. He doesn’t hold back. Total freedom to go and come, to observe all that He has created.
We can obtain a knowledge that exhaustively takes in the alpha to the omega of the universe. We can fly at more than the speed of light and picnic in a far off corner of the universe. We have unlimited access.
But to completely experience the joys of heaven then, you need to be totally committed to Jesus Christ today. Without that total commitment you won’t be there.
Now you could say, “Well, I attend church on Sabbath morning. I’m here. I’m sitting in the pew. But when I go home, I don’t dress like I dressed here. In fact I put on some of the world, you know. I start acting like the world. Swear words occasionally come out. That’s not total commitment is it. When you are total committed you are committed 24hr a day.
Let’s suppose you are going to get Married but before getting Married you’re soon to be tell you
“I’ll be true to you ninety nine percent of the time.” That would be pretty good, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t that be great? “Ninety nine percent of the time I’ll be true to you. I will.” How many of you would accept that? And yet we expect God to accept that, don’t we?
What does the Scriptures say we need to do:
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the partial armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Is that what it says? “Put on the whole armor of God.” Partial of anything may not be sufficient to keep you safe.
The young David was able to slay Goliath because the giant did not use the whole armor. Where did that little stone find its mark? It sank into his forehead.
Where was his shield that came over his face, or his helmet? Where was the shield that his shield-bearer should have had? They were missing.
He was not wearing one, he did not feel the need to put it on, after all Davit was just a little small boy, not very big at all, what could he do to a Giant like Goliath
Goliath didn’t have the whole armor and so he died, you cannot become a Christian today without the whole armor of God or you too will die.
One little loophole was all it took for David’s stone to transform the mammoth monster into a dead dwarf.
Don’t ever think satin is not taking aim! He wants nothing more then to keep you from a total commitment to Jesus. Satin does not care if you have a 70%, 80%, 90% or even a 99% commitment to Jesus. He just wants to keep you from having a 100% commitment
There is no such thing as half-and-half unless you get it at Wal-Mart. In Christ there is a hundred percent or nothing.
STOEY: A Hog and Chicken sets a good example.
Visualize a chicken and a pig vacationing together. They travel for many miles and many hours. Finally they get hungry. The sharp-eyed chicken spots a restaurant. Approaching the door, they read a sign which says, “Ham and Eggs: Our Specialty!” “Hold it!” oinked the pig. “What’s the matter?” clucked the chicken. “Plenty,” said the hog. “All they want from you is a little compromise. They are asking me for total commitment!” That’s exactly what God wants.
How do you have a great marriage? You are totally committed to it. These are marriages that last seventy-five years, those people are committed to it. Commitment! That’s what we need to pray for.
When a little trouble comes to a great marriage, when both of them are committed to it, they’re going to stick with it. They’re not going to run.
Mark 8:34–36 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
A few years ago a super fast concord jet was zooming off the runway in Paris, France, with its load of passengers. Everything was going fine. Do you realize that the pilot of a jet aircraft comes to a point of no return on that runway.
It gets going so fast that you cross a line where you have to decide to “fly or stop”. Once you cross that line you have no choice but to fly or to crash. The pilot of that fast jet came to that line. It seems that when he came to that point, a tire blew out and large chunks crashed into the fuel tank. The plane took off in a fireball and crashed in an explosion.
Unfortunately, churches are filled with many members who have never left the ground. They have been sitting on a spiritual runway for years and years gunning their spiritual engines but they never really reaching the point of total commitment, that line that you must cross as a Christian or you are not going to make it.
You cannot stay on the runway and reach heaven at the same time. You’ve got to get committed and get off, take off.
Philippians 3:7,8. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Praise God for Paul! That’s beautiful!
What is man’s greatest possession? I would submit to you that man’s greatest possession is a relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s the greatest thing you can have all else is rubbish.
Jesus wants you totally: Hook, Line, and Sinker and that is another Sermon.
Do you want Him with all your might? Just pray this little prayer: “Dear God, you be the needle and I’ll be the thread. You go first and I’ll follow wherever you may lead.” That’s what thread does.
***In the beginning of this sermon I ask you a question!***
What in this world would keep you on a sinking Ship? The order is giving get off, Abandon ship and save your life. What is keeping you from getting into the gates of Heaven?
An old song goes like this: “I Surrender.. how much? All.” Yielding totally to Jesus. Another song says – “All The Way My Savior Leads me!” Are you willing to go all the way with Jesus?
The ship is sinking and there is not much time left, what are you going to do! The longer you wait the lest chance you miget have.
I pray that today you will give Jesus a chance, a chance to save you from a sinking world. Jesus said in Matthew:11:28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
In Noah time only he and his family were saved God was giving a warning to the people of Noah’s time for 120 years, telling them the ship was sinking. Get into the safety of God provision but no one believed what the man of God was preaching. The same is with our World today, God has done all he can do to save you, but the choice is your.
I pray that God will be with you as you decide today if you are staying on board this sinking ship or if you are following the command to get off this sinking World and into the hands of a God that loves you.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
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!
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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
Truth about God!
We live in a world that is up side down, everything that was once right is now wrong and everything that was wrong is now right. We live in a world that you have to watch what you say because you need to be politically correct or you might offend someone. A would where people want to do as they please, watch what they want, eat what they feel like go where they please and in the end go to heaven. Never do they for once give thought about God until something bad happens in there life then they all want to blame God for it.
What is wrong with out world today where did we go off track, what happened to a Country that was founded on the very principal of God truth to believe that there is no God? How did we get from blessed to this moral decay; did you even wonder where did we go wrong.
Maybe just maybe we can find the Truth about all this in the Word of God in the book call the Bible
The Bible says in the beginning God! If the Bible said nothing else that would be enough, in the beginning God created, let’s read Genesis 1.
Genesis 1:
1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Please understand the Bible is a small book, if it contained every detail of every act of God there would not be a library big enough to contain the material written about God. So we have only to go by what we do have.
The Bible says that the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. The Earth was probably here many, many millions of years before God started His wonderful work of creation upon it. As we view out into our solar systems today we can see many of worlds in the very form of being made. God created this process Billions of year’s before God ever decided to create man. When He was ready to create this world He just took one of the planets and moved it to where He wanted it and started His wonderful act of creation.
Once God was finished creating everything else it was time for His crowning act of creation. Genesis 1
26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Here we have the answer to man age old question, where did we come from, and how did we get here. God created us and created us in His very image and in His likeness that is why Man is different from all the other living created things. We were created by God to look like Him so we could communicate to God and show our love to God for what He has done for us.
We were made perfect direct from His hands of God.
Gen:2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Here we are told that God breathed into mans nostrils and he man became a living soul. We are a living soul of flesh and blood.
Gen:1:31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Gen 2:
1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
God finished His wonderful work of creating our World, and in it He put everything we needed to stay healthy and happy. There was no sickness, no pain, no suffering, no dieses, and no death, for all good came direct from the hand of our creator.
Gen 2:
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.
Here God blessed and sanctified or made holy a day, only one day, the day that came at the end of the other six days He blessed the Seventh day.
So what happened where did God go wrong, everything He did was perfect, how did we go from perfect to bad.
God gave to man the freedom of choice the same that God gives to all His living created beings, the freedom to choose to Obey and love Him God or not to Obey Him. So God put in the mist of the garden one tree, only one tree and told our first parent that everything He created was there to keep them happy and live forever. The only thing he asked is that they not eat of this one tree, why because it was there test, one simple test of obeying His commandments, and showing there love for Him. If they passed they would live forever but if they failed, well we know the rest of this story.
Gen:2:17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Our first parents were warned about Lucifer the falling angle, they were told to be carful and not to depart from each other, but stay together. One day Eve busy in the day’s activity found herself alone and by the forbidden tree, and when she looked there was a serpent in it, how sneaky that Satan would take the form of a snake to disguise himself from what he really was.
Gen 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.
6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
How crafty the old serpent, he told them just the opposed of what God said. God said you Will Surely Die the day you eat of this tree, and serpent said you Will not Surely Die, what; not surely die. Here our first parents sinned because they disbelieved what God told them and the curse of death came upon all that would live after them.
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.
Man does not have a living soul man is a living soul; remember man became a living soul. And God said that all souls are His they belong to Him because they came from Him, it was the breath of God in the dust of the Earth that made us into living souls. And God said that if we sin we shall die, we shall not continue to live in this world or in the spirit world, we Shall DIE, that is God’s word not Satan or mans word.
So what is death, it is creation is reverse, when we Die we do not go on living in some other spirit world in Heaven or Hell or some where in between as it is said by many of the Great World Religions today. They are telling the same lie that Satan told to our first parents back in the beginning. Our first parents believed it and so do they, that is why we are in this mess in the first place, no one believes what God said.
Eccl:12:7: Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
So the dust that God created man from returns to the ground from where it was taking, and the spirit or breath of God goes back to God who gave it. No where does it say we go on living, take a look with me to the book of First Corinthians.
First Corinthians: 15
51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Here Paul is telling us that he is going to show us a mystery, what is that mystery it is about Death. He says we shall not all SLEEP, or die, and we who have believed will be changed.
52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53: For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
What! This is not what the Big Religious Leaders and Churches are teaching, they are teaching when you die you go some place else, you keep living. But that is not what Paul is saying here. At the last Trumpet and the DEAD who had put there faith in the hands of Jesus will be raised from the dust of the Earth and will put on immortality. Right now man is Mortal that means that Man can Die, when Man puts on immortality that will mean that Man will no longer Die. Are you starting to see how Satan works, the same lie he told Eve is being is being taught by the Great World Religions today. Wow what a great Lie people still believe it today 6000 year later.
54: So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
All God ever wanted was a people who believed in Him and what He said, a people who would keep His commandments and not mans. God does and will always have true believers, but they are not the majority they are the few the very few.
Look at what Paul has to say about this in the book of First Thessalonians 4:
13: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Paul like Jesus called death a sleep, we sleep and we no nothing; until we who put our faith in God hear His voice coming for us who by Faith believed in Him.
14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Here Paul is telling us, all that sleep in Jesus, God will bring with him. Remember the breath or Spirit went back to God at death, so He brings the spirit or breathe of that person with Him to united back with the dust of the earth, so that Man can become a Living Soul again. But this time when he unites us back with Dust & Spirit we will be changed. No longer will we be Mortal when we change we will then become immortal accordance to the Scriptures.
15: For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
Here again Paul is saying we that are alive shall not go into heaven before the ones who are asleep
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.
18: Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
We must learn to walk by Faith in Gods word not by what we see or what the world tells us. There are many of so called good men preaching the word of God, but are they really preaching the word of God or that of Satan. Are they preaching what God said or what they were taught to say by man that God said.
Look at 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.
If they are not preaching what is in the Bible and what God said in His word they are not preaching the truth, they are preaching the same lies that Satan told to our first parents.
Everything in our world is up side down all because people want it there way and not Gods way. They all want the best part of what God has to give but they want it at there convenes.
We cannot go by the world’s standards of God truth, or by people who tell us they are his representative. Look at them and see if they are following what the Bible says and preaching what the Bible tells. If so then they are preaching Gods word if not then they are faults teachers and representatives of Satan and his lies.
Look also at the day God blessed and made Holy.
Remember our walk with God is about a walk Faith, believing in what God said and not man. If we are to faithfully serve God then we need to be doing what God said to do, correct.
Look back again at Gen 2:
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.
Now look at Exodus: 20
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
What day is God saying to remember and why is this the only commandment that is telling us to remember something that God did. Why because back in creation God did something and He wants to make sure we do accordance to His word. Let’s take a look at the rest of the commandments.
9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
God has giving man six day with in to do all his labor, and God knew that man needed a day of rest.
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:
Here again we hear God saying the seventh day, we are told to remember the seventh day, why because back in the beginning God blessed it and made it holy.
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.
God wants us to be happy even in this world of sin; God wants us to remember Him and what He did at creation for all Mankind. It was not His desire that sin should come into this world, that was mans choice.
Now go back with me to Genesis there is something very importance we must look at.
Look at Genesis 3:
14: And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
God here is giving us a promise but of who is He talking about, who is her seed that it is said of; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Thy seed “Satan” and her seed “Jesus”; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
As it was written God would send His Son Jesus, it would be Jesus to bruise the head of Satan and to take back the World that Satan stole away from our first parents by deception.
I was raised in the Catholic Church, I went to a CatholicSchool, I was a alter boy and had the desire to become a Catholic Priest. But one day God lead me in a different direction.
One day I had my Mother come stay with me for a few weeks just before she died, she did not like the fact that I left the Catholic Church and that I did not become a priest but she excepted it for what it was, I was still her Son. One day while we were talking about God. She told me that my problem was that I never learned to Love the Church like she did; and I said yes I know I learned to Love Jesus more then the Church or anything else in this world. She was silent for a while and I said to myself oh no what did I do now. Then she said to me, you know I think you are right, I said what, what do you mean I am right. She said the Sabbath I believe the Sabbath is Gods true day of rest.
Wow that really blew me away to hear my Mother say that, if ever there was a good Christian Woman she was it.
Turn with me one more time to the book of Revelation 14:
6: And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
What is the Everlasting Gospel? The word Gospel means the Good News. So here is an angle saying that he has the everlasting Good news to tell to everyone on the Earth. And what is that he is proclaiming that is the everlasting Good News, look at Verse 7
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.
The angle is saying Fear God and Give glory to Him, because the hour of Gods Judgment is come. Then the angle is saying something very importance, the angle is saying Worship Him who made the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. When was this all done, let’s go one more time to the book of Genesis 1: 1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. God is the creator of all things, He was the one who made the heavens, the earth, the fountains water. The Angle that has the everlasting Gospel is pointing us back to the God of creation.
Now just one more thing Go to the Book of Exodus 20: and read the 4th commandment and notes verse 11
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.
Verse 11 of Exodus sounds exactly like Revelation14: 7 Worship the creator God and then do what Remember, Remember what God told us to do. Worship Him on the day that He said to Remember and worship Him on, the Sabbath the seventh day of the week.
What did Jesus say to do in John 14::15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
It was Jesus who gave to Moses the Ten Commandments and it was Jesus telling us if we love him to keep His commandments, why to show that we love Him. This is the Truth about God, this is the everlasting Gospel, the good news that the angle is telling the world
We don’t keep His Commandment to be saved we keep Him Commandments because we are saved, because we Love Him who died and took our place to give us eternal life.
Don’t be fooled by the deceptions of Satan and his false teaching and false day of worship, like he told Eve you will not surely die.
The Truth about God is that He loves us and wants us to be with Him forever and He gave us His truth to go by. All he asks is one thing, one simple little thing, that we Obey Him and do what He told us to do and believe what he has told us.
The truth about Satan is that he will deceive you no matter what it takes, because he hates Jesus. Satan knows that the only way he can hurt Jesus is by keeping you out of God kingdom. And he will do what ever its take to separate you and Jesus, no lie is too big a lie, no deception is too big a deception that he will not do just to hurt 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.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Satan does not want you saved, so stop believing in man made salvation and come to know the Truth about God.
1John:4: 4: Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
May the God of out Fathers who have believed and put there faith and there lived into God hands be upon you in Jesus name Amen
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!
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What is the only thing that can separate you from the Love of God? SIN
Turn with me to the book of Exodus: 31:
18: And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with Gods ball point pen, written in pencil by God, How then were they written; that’s right written with the finger of God.
Question: Why were there two tables of stone giving to Moses?
- The one had Mans requirement to God
- The other had Mans requirements to his brother.
Today we are going to look at mans requirements to God, what God told us to do
Exodus: 20:
First Commandment
1: And God spake all these words, saying,
2: I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Story:
A long time ago…in a country far, far away…there was a wealthy young guy. He had everything that he could ever want; all the stuff that anyone could ever want and more.
He followed the rules and was a good guy. He didn’t sleep with his neighbor’s wife, he didn’t kill anyone, he never stole anything, he wasn’t a liar, and he honored and respected his mom and dad. He was a wealthy man and followed the rules.
In case you didn’t catch on to the story…this was a brief retelling of the first half of the story of the rich young man from Luke 18. The man came to Jesus and asked him what he had to do to have eternal life.
Jesus told him to keep all of commandments, to which the young man responded, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.”
I can picture Jesus in my head smiling and nodding and then quietly saying, “Yea…but you have this one thing standing between you and Me. Your stuff.”
Jesus told the man to sell all of his stuff and give to the poor. Then he could follow Jesus. He made it very clear what needed to be done, and yet the man walked away from Jesus with sorrow. Jesus didn’t turn his back, the man walked away from Jesus.
The problem with the man was that he didn’t really want Jesus, all he really wanted was eternal life. He probably came to Jesus expecting to hear, “Hey good job, you’ve kept the commandments, you’re in good shape!”
But instead Jesus challenged him and said, “Hey…what’s consuming your life? Your stuff? Okay, now get rid of it and follow me.”
Jesus knew this man’s heart. He knew that his stuff consumed his life. If you aren’t willing to give up what’s most important to you in order to follow Jesus, will you enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
This man let his stuff keep him out of the Kingdom of Heaven. He let his stuff get between him and Jesus.
What stuff are you letting get between you and Jesus? What’s consuming your life that isn’t Jesus? If it were you that came to Jesus, what would he tell you to give up? Would you give it up…or would you walk away filled with sorrow?
Second Commandment
4: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6: And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
From the beginning mankind always worship something. Way back in time we see Man worshiping the Sun, Moon, Stars, Rocks, Trees, Animals why is that.
Satan wants to make sure you are worshiping anything except the real thing and that is the creator God.
Why do you think there are no true pictures of Jesus today, because there would people who would worship the picture more than the person in the picture.
We can see that in many of the world religions today, even in some Christian Churches we see people praying and worshiping statues or as the Bible calls them a graven image.
Inside of Man is the need to worship and that need is only fulfilled when we worship the Creator God.
*** STORY: The stature that was leaking Holy Water in Italy. Years later it was found that a bath room sink was leaking down a wall a few hundred feet away.
Third Commandment
7: Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
When my Wife married me, back in 1974 she took my name. At that time and in our culture, that was traditional.
She forsook her parent’s name, and took her husband’s name. The taking of the new name, reflected a change in life, and change in status and a change in priorities.
She was no longer a single woman, she was married. She no longer dated men, she was mated to one. She no longer was a young woman, she was a changed woman. She was now responsible for a family and a relationship that would last over 38 years (so far!).
If her lifestyle did not change from that day forward, she would have been disapprove of by her community. Few, if any, cultures or societies encourage their married women to live in the same way after the marriage as they did before they married
In other words, if my Wife had taken my name, but not changed her lifestyle, she would have taken my name “in-vain”. She would have had a ceremony, but not a new life, and boy would I have been upset, to put it mildly.
When we put on a uniform, we take the name of those whose uniform it is. Whether it is a sports team uniform, a work uniform for that employer or a military uniform.
When we choose a career, we take the name of the best of everyone in that career field. When we take on a title, we take the name of the best of everyone with that title.
If you take the name of God, at a ceremony, and tell the world that you are now part of the ‘bride of Christ’ as the church is called, yet you do not live like a ‘bride of Christ’, you have taken His name in vain, and you will not be considered guiltless.
Live with Jesus as if you are committed to Him for life, not as if He is a friend. A spouse is supposed to be an intimate friend, companion, confidant, friend and a lifetime commitment.
To treat Jesus as anything less than that, is to take His name in vain. Ouch. Are you ‘guilty as charged’?
You get the picture!
** Thou shalt not take
The true meaning of that phrase is made clear if we substitute “bear” for the word, “take”. We would then have this for our scripture from Exodus 20:7: “Thou shalt not bear the name of the Lord in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who bears His name in vain.”
Jesus told Paul that he was to “bear His name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel“ (Acts 9:15). Bearing the precious name of Jesus with integrity, faith, and charity, Paul turned many to righteousness in the ensuing years.
He did not bear, or take the name of the Lord upon himself, in vain. As Paul later testified, “His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all.” (1Cor.15:10).
After Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, he took them to Mount Sinai, to enter into a covenant with the Lord. First though, God sent Moses down from the mountain to deliver His “proposal” to Israel: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.“ Exodus.19:4-6.
When we as Christians don’t live up to that name before our friends what are you really telling them. When we don’t live by the standards that God told us what is that really saying about your relationship with God?
Are you beginning to understand what the 3rd commandment is really saying. It does not mean just using the verbal word or expression about God. It means more; it means your marriage relationships to God.
Don’t treat God any different then you would your spouse next to you.
Fourth Commandment Exodus 20:
8: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
We are told to Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy if we search the Bible no where can you find where the Sabbath was giving to just Abraham or his children only.
So we must go back further in order to find where did the Sabbath that we are told to remember start.
Genesis: 2:
1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
So where did the Sabbath come from, the book of beginning, better known as the book of Genesis says at Creation.
Maybe this is the reason why only the fourth commandment starts with the word
Remember.
God is saying to Remember because it was giving at the beginning
Let me tell you something; I would fear to be the minister or preacher who would tell you it is OK to forget something that God wrote with his own finger and said to remember; Especially if there were no scripture to back up or to say otherwise.
The Word Christian what does it mean:
Acts:11:26: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Why were they called Christians? What was it about them that people seen that they gave them that name. They were all doing the same things that Jesus did, so they call them Christians, Christ Like people.
What are you watching is it parsing God?
What are you saying is it praising God?
What are you listening to is it parsing God?
You see these are the things that tell you just how close to Jesus you really are, if they don’t bring honor, glory or praises to Jesus maybe you need to change what you are doing.
It is the little things that we do that keeps us away from fully knowing Gods love. Those little things that come up and get right between you and Jesus; I pray that each of you here today will examine your life and see what is there.
Are you willing to give Your Stuff up for Jesus?
Romans: 8:
35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1John:5:
3: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
John:14:
23: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John:15:
10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Friend I pray that there is nothing standing between you and Jesus today and if there is go to him and ask forgiveness and decide in your heart to change it today, not tomorrow, change it today. We are not giving tomorrow we have only today.
There is no sin in your life that He is not willing to forgive.
He loves you how much, enough to die in your place so that you will not have too. But if you don’t love Him, if you are not faithful to Him, do you expect Him to be any different then you would be if your spouse was unfaithful to you.
Don’t let this world or the things of this world stand in your way to the only one who really love you.
Rv:12:12: Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Satan will stop at nothing to keep you out of heaven, why because he hates Jesus and he hates all who follow Jesus. We as Christians will always have problems in this life, why look at Rv:12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Remnant is not the Majority or large groups; it is the small little groups who follow the truth. Not because it is popular but because it is what God said to do.
The closer you get to Jesus the more problems you might be in for because there is always a Jericho in the way. It is how you deal with that Jericho that really matters.
If you Love me just keep my commandments Jesus said and show the world that you and I have a covenant relationship with each other. I love you and want you to live with me for eternity in a home I am building just for you.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
It’s closer then you think
Scripture Mt: 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
STORY: Harley the Pit Bull,
Anyone have a Dog? Anyone have a Pit-Bull?
Pit-Bulls are about the most loving Dogs in the world, they are just giving a Bad name by people who miss-use them. Well I have a Pit-Bull named Harley; she was dropped off on my door step by my Children and never picked up again, but she is a very loving dog so she stayed.
Now and then she will do some of the strangest things, like getting in my way under my legs so I can’t move with out knowing she is right there. Then all at once she will be gone, now where did that crazy dog go I would say. So I would look all over the house for her and can’t find her, what is going on I would think.
I would start looking under the beds and no Harley; well I would say I know she did not just disappear. So again I would start the search room by room and then at last I would check the Bathroom, and when I pulled the shower curtain there she is right in the bathtub. Oh I would say you want aBathbut then I would notice in her eyes something strange. As I reach down to pet her she would be trembling and her tale between her legs in fear.
What is wrong I would say but just about then I would hear it outside. Thunder out side, I would go and look and see dark clouds with thundering and lightning. Where did this come from it was Sunshine just a little while ago. Oh that’s it she could hear and feel that there was a storm coming and did her best to warn me to take shelter in the bathroom. When I would not go she had no choice but to leave me and go her self. I would think that is remarkable that Animals know when something like bad weather is about to happen long before we ever hear or see it.
Let us Pray!
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Did you know that right before a Hurricane or an Earthquake Animals will start to act strange as if they somehow know something bad is coming!
Why is this, it is something left over from Noah days.
Let’s take a look at what happened back then in Noah’s time.
God told Noah that the End of everything was coming, to build a really big boat.
The question is why?
Genesis 6:
12: And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
The Earth was Corrupt with Sin and God told Noah to warned the people that the end is coming. Noah preached for right at 120 years, and what happened no one believed him.
Only the Animals believed and when the time came they went into the Ark and were saved while the world outside perished.
In the book of Matthew Jesus himself is telling us something very importance for the time we live in.
Matthew 24:
37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
It is sad but the Bible is telling us that our World today is no different then it was back in Noah’s time
39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Most of the signs about Jesus return have all been fulfilled except for a few.
Matthew 24:
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
What did Jesus mean by all this?
There is a time coming that people will not believe there eyes if it were told them, in fact it is told them and they still will not believe.
The end of Sin out of Gods kingdom is soon to be removed forever, never to rise again.
But listen to what Jesus is telling us about how people will feel about his coming.
2nd Peter 3:
3: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4: And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Are there scoffers in these last days?. There always has been scoffers but they are getting worse.
They are scoffing at everything including the nearness of the coming of Jesus Christ. You have seen scoffers. They are everywhere and complain about anything, listen to just a few
- “Everything that can be invented has been invented. I recommend that we close the US Patent Office.”– this was the statement of the director of the US Patent Office to President of the United States in 1889.
- Thomas J. Watson Jr. of IBM predicted in 1958: “There is a world market for no more than about five computers. There’s no future in it.”
- In 1896, one magazine author wrote: “The vast majority of people would prefer a smooth running, reliable steam engine . . . to the evil smelling dangerous, wasteful, and at best uncertain and unreliable gasoline engine.”
- In 1900, a spokesman for the granddaddy of the Mercedes Benz Co. said: “There will probably be a mass market for about 1,000 automobiles, that’s about it. And after all, there is a limit to the number of Chauffeurs who could be found to drive them.” And during the next seven years Henry Ford sold millions of Model “T”s.
- In 1903, a preacher predicted, regarding air travel, “it’s good for God and angels and the birds…”. – -his name? Bishop Milton Wright, father of Orville and Wilbur Wright.
- In 1948, radio pioneer Mary Summerville predicted: “Television will not last. It is a flash in the pan.” Newspaper editor C.P. Scott agreed: “Television? No good will come of this devise. For one thing, the word itself is half Greek and half Latin. Is isn’t going to amount to a thing.”
- In December of 1989, West German politicians confided to David Hasselhoff that the Berlin Wall would still be in place long after their children and grandchildren had died. Two weeks later it came down!
Scoffers! I tell you there are an abounding number of scoffers in our world today, scoffing, even in the Church, “you will hear people saying Jesus coming is a long way off. Don’t worry about it, just be cool we are all going to be raptured
The last days are not far in the future my friend; and I believe the last days are here just around the corner.
Scoffers are saying: the ground under Los Angeles is solid. We aren’t expecting any earthquakes in our life-time. We still have time to eat, drink and be merry.
But God says in Luke 12:40, “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
I think there are going to be many, many disasters in the last days, just before the coming of Jesus.
One type of disaster will be in bad weather. Look at Psalm 50:3 (NLT) Our God approaches with the noise of thunder and a great storm rages around Him..
Lighting and thunder.
- When God came toMount Sinaithere was a storm. Remember?
- When He appeared to Elijah there was a great storm.
- And just before the second coming, I think we are going to have great storms.
“Natural disasters, Ellen G. White says in Counsels on Health, “will be more and more frequence and disastrous.”
Come over here to Revelation 7 in your Bible. The first verse talks about the wind.
Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
In the last 20 years or so we have seen some of most devastating hurricanes ever.
Do you remember names like Mitch, Frances, Andrew, Katrina, Rita, Lili, Charley, Ivan, Jeanne. Those aren’t names that people are very happy with.
Those are big named hurricanes. Some of them coming and splitting and turning around and coming back again. We have the weirdest stuff going on. I think that eventually the angels will let go of the four winds.
What do these winds represent? They represent trouble, strife, wars, and all kinds of problems in the last days.
STORY: . **** Galveston Hurricane Report of 1900 ****,
In Galveston on the rain-darkened and gusty morning of Saturday, September 8, 1900, newspaper readers saw, on page three of the local Daily News, an early-morning account of a tropical hurricane prowling the Gulf of Mexico.
On the previous day Galveston had been placed under a storm warning by the central office of the Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service) in Washington, D.C.a one-column headline announced, “Storm in the Gulf.” Under that, a small subhead proclaimed, “Great Damage Reported onMississippi and Louisiana Coasts-Wires Down-Details Meagre.” The story, only one paragraph long, had been sent out ofNew Orleans at 12:45 A.M. that same day, but it added nothing to the information presented in the headlines. Additional details were unavailable “owing to the prostration of the wires.” Beneath theNew Orleans report appeared a brief local story: “At midnight the moon was shining brightly and the sky was not as threatening as earlier in the night. The weather bureau had no late advice as to the storm’s movements and it may be that the tropical disturbance has changed its course or spent its force before reachingTexas.”
This hurricane had been first observed on August 30 in the vicinity of 15° north latitude and 63° west longitude, about 125 miles northwest of Martinique, proceeding westward. Galvestonians had been aware of the storm since September 4, when it was reported moving northward overCuba. From the first, however, details had been sketchy because of poor communications. Ships at sea, where oncoming hurricanes built strength, had no way of telegraphing weather observations ashore, and other nineteenth-century technical shortcomings interfered.
Except for the rain and wind, Saturday began in the city of 38,000 inhabitants much the same as any other weekday. People prepared for another stint in the routine of six-day workweeks then common; not even an encroaching tide disturbed them greatly. Galvestonians had become used to occasional “overflows,” when high water swept beachfronts. Houses and stores were elevated as a safeguard.
The tide kept crashing farther inland, and the wind steadily increased. The Weather Bureau official in charge locally, Isaac M. Cline, drove a horse-drawn cart around low areas warning people to leave. Comparatively few people had evacuated the city, before bridges fromGalvestonIslandto the mainland fell, many of the people along the beach waited until it was too late to seek shelter in buildings downtown, away from the Gulf.
Houses near the beach began falling first. The storm lifted debris from one row of buildings and hurled it against the next row until eventually two-thirds of the city, then the fourth largest city inTexas, had been destroyed. People striving to make their way through wind and water to refuge were struck by hurtling bricks and lumber and flying slate from roofs. The greatest wind velocity registered before the anemometer blew away at 5:15 P.M. was an average of eighty-four miles an hour for a five-minute period, but gusts of 100 miles an hour had been recorded, and weathermen’s estimates later reached more than 120 miles an hour. About 6:30 P.M. a storm wave, sweeping ashore in advance of the hurricane’s vortex, caused a sudden rise of four feet in water depth, and shortly afterward the entire city was underwater to a maximum depth of fifteen feet. This storm wave caused much of the damage. The lowest barometer reading was 28.44, recorded shortly after 7:00 P.M. Around 10:00 P.M. the tide began to fall slowly, and little damage occurred after that.
September 9 dawned on desolation. Most of the city lay in shambles. Between 6,000 and 8,000 people in the city ofGalvestonhad died, and estimated casualties for the entire island ranged from 10,000 to 12,000. Property damage was impossible to estimate by current standards, but contemporary figures ranged from twenty to thirty million dollars.
A high-water mark of 15.7 feet and high winds had destroyed a third of the city, including 2,636 houses and 300 feet or 1,500 acres of shoreline. The sixteen ships anchored in the harbor at the time of the storm also suffered extensive damage.
More violent and costlier hurricanes have struck coastal areas of the United States since 1900, but because of the death toll the Galveston storm that year was in the 1980s still called the worst recorded natural disaster ever to strike the North American continent.
They had signs, they had reports, but no one picked up on them.
The worse thing that can happen is when the warning is giving and no one pays attention until it is too late.
If hindsight was foresight our first parents would have never sinned
I think we will have great storms in these last days and I don’t mean just Hurricanes. The winds of strife are beginning to blow, and in the last days there will be great trouble raging all over this entire Planet.
Take care because there is hope in Jesus
Revelation 7:
2: And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3: Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
God will take care of his people in these times, we have nothing to fear if we put our faith and trust in the hands of Jesus
Psalm: 91:
7: A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8: Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
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What are you doing to warn people of this soon coming End?
Look at what the Bible is telling us, we are the Watchman on the Wall we must tell the people. It is not our job to force them to hear or believe, but it is our job to let them know that it is coming and that it is closer then many people think it is.
There are many who have not heard, many who have not been told, many who have not been warned, and it is our job to warn them of what is coming.
Ezekiel 33:
6: But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
7: So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house ofIsrael; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8: When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9: Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
We must tell the world that Jesus is coming back soon, and not just soon but very soon. .
We are the Watchman on the Wall; every little thing you do will find someone who is looking for the truth.
Look at what Jesus is telling us in the book of Isaiah:55:
11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
We go not alone, Jesus is right there with us
Hope is in Jesus, we must tell the World that Jesus is coming
What are you doing oh Watchman?
Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.”
How can we sound the trumpet? How can we let the people know?
There are many ways to share the Gospel, the good news about Jesus.
Everything thing we do will fall into one of three categories.
1. Direct Contact:
- a. Face to Face sharing the good news
- b. Visiting the needed
- c. Bible studies
- d. Volunteering
- e. Missionary work
- f. Your personal behavior, and that effects people more then you think.
2. Indirect Contact:
- a. Mailing; this can be anything from sending a card to say Thanks, Miss you, happy birthday, hope you get well soon.
- b. Leaving literature behind, tracks, free Bible studies cards, Health booklets,
- c. Finding people who are in need and directing them to help
- d. Sharing your resources, Time or Money
There are a lot of Christian’s right here in our Church that I know who minister, through Indirect Contact; God bless you for what you do in His name.
3. Prayer:
- a. Just that on your knee interceding in someone behalf.
- b. Nothing will get you closer to Jesus then through Praying for someone else.
The gospel is going to the world. And, many Christian denominations are out there preaching about Jesus. We’re doing a lot, but we’ve got a lot more to do and we need to keep at it.
God has richly blessed the spread of His Gospel.
We need to keep something at heart, When the Gospel goes to the entire world, we go home!
Is it going to the world, I think it is and I think Jesus coming is a lot closer then you think
What are you doing personally to help other prepare for His coming?
Friends, the last days are an Opportunity.
It is the last opportunity for a dying world to know its creator, an opportunity for us to preach the gospel, an opportunity for you to give your heart to Jesus Christ
I wonder if there is anybody here today who needs a saving relationship with Jesus. Are you closer to Jesus today than you were last year?
Do you truly have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ? If not would you like to receive Jesus as your Savior all you need to do is to invite Him in to your life?
If you want to know more details of last day events, I highly advise reading a very informative book called The Great Controversy, by EG White, especially the last chapters.
Friend: It is closer then you think.
May the Lord our God guide and Bless you as you seek for His Truth
D5 Creation
