THE SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL STRENGTH

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So, David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:1-6). The Hebrew word "encouraged" in verse 6 is often translated "strengthened" and on other occasions "hardened". In contemporary language we might call it "battle hardened". Life can make you hard in a bad sense of the word (insensitive or uncaring", but God can make you hard so that you can withstand whatever trial comes your way, Our only source of strength is in the Lord and so we are admonished in Scripture to, " Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually" (1 Chronicles 16:11). Life can wear you down, but God can lift you up! Call upon him now in the time of your need because he delights in showing himself strong in behalf of those who love him, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). 

God bless, 

Pastor Tom

GOD ALONE!

Have you ever sunken down into the pit of despair? One man called it, “shadow-lands”.  In that dark place he sought comfort from a friend. His friend’s response went like this, ““My first matter of prayer for you is that you will see God in the shadow-lands; that even without good times, good feelings, and showers of blessings you will be satisfied with just Him, Himself ... for however long God purposes to be the sole encouragement you have”.[1]

Friends, there are times in life when God will be the only one you have. In those times there will be nothing good to feel good about, no blessings that you can ascertain, no counselors with the right words to encourage you, nothing to ease the pain or the loneliness, nothing to replace the loss – just God alone.  But you will find, if you are content with God alone, His grace will be sufficient, and in His time, the darkness will give way to light, the despair will give way to joy, the loneliness to the comfort of a friend who is closer than a brother, and you will again praise Him from whom all blessings flow. Weeping endures for the night, but joy comes in the morning, (Psalm 30:5). The “shadow lands” is the place where God grows his children up into the likeness of Christ. The “shadow-lands” is the crucible of a fiery suffering from which emerges the purest gold.  

- Pastor Tom

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[1] From the IFCA News Connection, March 2018, Vol. 10, No. 3

DAILY OPPORTUNITIES

... let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:9,10).

Each new day we have opportunities to do something for someone else. However, we often become so preoccupied with our own concerns that we fail to see the needs of others. Examine the life of Jesus in the gospels and take notice how often he saw things that others didn't see.  That is because he came to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:45). Don't let the opportunities to do good to others pass you buy. "Travel slowly" someone once said, and you will things you never saw before.

God bless,

Pastor Tom

GIVING, NOT LOSING

A chaplain was speaking to a wounded soldier in the hospital. “Bless you son, you saved a fellow soldier’s life — and lost an arm in the great cause doing it,”. The soldier corrected him. “No,” said the soldier with a smile. “I didn’t lose it … I gave it.

What we give, or do for others is never a loss if we give it, or do it, as unto the Lord.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9).


Be constant in prayer.

Pastor Tom

PRAYERLESSNESS

While Christian churches have shut down their mid-week prayer meetings, and the average Christian typically finds no time to pray, prayerlessness is not the case among Muslims, and in their mosques. By 2020, estimates are that the number of [UK] Muslims attending prayers will reach at least 683,000. The devout Muslim prays five times a day: at dawn (Salat al-Fajr), at noon (Salat al-Zuhr), in the afternoon (Salat al-Asr), at sunset (Salat al-Maghhrib), and at night (Salat al-Isha).  Prayer for the Muslim is his spiritual diet. Sadly, Muslims pray to a false god who can neither hear, nor help them. But Christians who know Christ as their Lord and Savior, have the wonderful privilege of coming to a throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). I am convinced from Scripture that prayerlessness in the Christin life is not a symptom of laziness, or neglect; prayerlessness is symptomatic of an attitude that says, “I can do without the help of God”. Harold Vaughn wrote, “there can be no real prayer without humility. … Prayerlessness is the very first sign of pride. It has been said, “God’s power will never fall until we do.” Proud people don’t pray. In fact, the only people who pray are those who need God, know they need God, and can’t go on without God. Humility is the altar on which God wishes us to offer Him sacrifices. Dear brethren, let us go frequently to the throne of God’s grace in the name of Jesus Christ who delights in our dependence upon him.

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:16-18).

God bless,

Pastor Tom

HOW STRONG IS YOUR FAITH?

After the miraculous feeding of 5,000 men, women, and children as recorded by Matthew in chapter 14 of his gospel, (verses 13-21), one would think that the disciple’s faith in Jesus would be unshakable. Such was not the case. Jesus sent them by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, while he went into a mountain to pray (22, 23). In contrast to the time of peace and serenity Jesus was experiencing, the disciples found themselves confronted by a violent storm.

Matthew reports on what happened, “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary” (Matthew 14:24). Life is just like that at times. It seems as though we find ourselves rowing against the wind while the circumstances surrounding us are not letting up.  But lo and behold, in such times like that, Jesus manifests his presence with us. Not in a visible way as he did that night to his troubled disciples, but in way which assures us that he is the good shepherd who cares for his sheep. Therefore, we are told what to do in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water his faith was strong and he petitioned Jesus to allow him to go to him (Matthew 14:25-28). Now Peter, seasoned fisherman that he was, had never walked on water before, so this was quite an amazing request. What is even more amazing is the fact that he got out of the boat and began to walk on the water.  How many of us would have even left the boat? What was Peter thinking as he began his walk toward Jesus, “so far so good?” Whatever positive thoughts may have crossed his mind suddenly vanished when he began to look at the water and started to sink. In this case, it took something quite disturbing to get his eyes off Jesus, and get himself into trouble. Usually it doesn’t take such a dramatic event before our faith starts to fail us and we, preverbally speaking, “begin to sink”. Let’s return to the narrative. “And he (Jesus) said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased” (verses 29-32).  A few things can be seen here. First, Peter obeyed the Lord’s command. He started out strong in faith. Second, as long as his eyes were on Jesus he was doing fine. Nothing should have changed because he saw Jesus standing on the water, proving that Jesus had the power to do as he willed. Third, doubt and fear quickly set in when Peter looked at the angry waves. Circumstances prevailed over faith. The Lord’s words to Peter, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt’? (31b), give us an insight into the nature of the human condition. The best of men are men at best! By nature, we are all men of little faith and prone to doubt the wisdom, power and love of God. Such doubt is even more apparent when our personal or family welfare is at stake. The little faith we have must be constantly nourished and strengthened to become unshakeable faith. Time spent in God’s Word, time spent in prayer and praise, and time spent with one’s brothers and sisters in Christ is a sure means of building the Christian up in faith. Don’t think you can stand on your own two feet in the storms of life. You can only stand by the grace that God supplies which comes through Jesus Christ. There are no self-made men in the kingdom of God. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Pastor Tom

 "A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough today to last him for the next 6 months, nor can he inhale sufficient air into his lungs with one breath to sustain life for a week to come. We are permitted to draw upon God's store of grace from day to day as we need it."

- Dwight L. Moody

THE CURE FOR WORRY!

What is the antidote to worry? People have many ways to help them cope with the stress of life and the worry that accompanies it. For the Christian, there is no trick to master. The answer lies in the simple word trust.  Not trust in yourself, or other human beings, but trust in God. A synonym for trust is faith and there are many examples in the Bible to illustrate the power of faith in God. One that immediately comes to mind is Noah. Here was a man who walked with God (Genesis 6:9). His close walk with God led to a heart of obedience and his willingness to do the seemingly impossible. Genesis 6:22 reads, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. This was a big step of faith by Noah; to build an ark on dry ground believing that God was going to bring a world-wide flood.  As Hebrews 11 states, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (verse 7). Despite the difficulty of the task in the face of opposition, Noah did not give in to worry or despair. He persevered for one-hundred twenty years, looking to the Lord for strength and courage to face each new day. If we want to be “worry free”, we must walk with God just like Noah did, obey his Word, and believe that he will take care of us in every situation, just as he promised, “ Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

THE CHURCH WAS BORN ON PENTECOST

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:16-18).

One thing is certain about the words of Jesus to Peter in the above referenced Scripture. The one who would build the Christian Church was Jesus. My personal belief is that it would was built upon the sure foundation of Peter’s confession that Jesus was the anointed one of God, the promised Messiah who would come to save people from their sins. This building process was still in the future when Jesus spoke to Peter in Matthew 16:18. Jesus must first die, be raised from the dead, and ascend to heaven before the church could be established and begin to grow. This is seen in Christ’s statement that the gates of hell would not prevail over the church. The gates of hell speak of death, man’s last and greatest enemy. Since Jesus conquered death by way of resurrection, all those who believe in him (the church), will also prevail over death. Furthermore, when Jesus ascended to heaven the Scripture says that he gave gifts to the church which were of vital necessity: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11.12):  After the death of the apostles and prophets, the gift of pastors-teachers continues throughout the church age. The starling event which ushered in this age, and the birth of the church was Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon one-hundred twenty believers in an upper room in Jerusalem (Acts 2). This was the fulfillment of Christ’s promise, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). When the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentile household of Cornelius in Acts 10:44-47), Peter recounted to the church of Jeruslaem, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). The question we could ask is, “the beginning of what?” The best answer that I know to that question is, “the beginning of the church Jesus promised to build” which was conditioned upon the dynamic ministry of the Holy Spirit. The church was not instituted in the Old Testament. It was the body of Christ (Colossians 1:18), Jew and Gentile described as “one new man” (Ephesians 2:14). This truth was a something hidden by God until the time of its disclosure (Ephesians 3:1-6). Praise Jesus, the head of the church, who brought into being, sustains it, and will present it to the Father as a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish’ (Ephesians 5:27)

Pastor Tom

I AM RESOLVED!

A brand-New Year was ushered in a few days ago, and with it an annual self-check accompanied by personal resolutions. Gym memberships soar to a yearly high as multitudes of couch potatoes decide to do something about their poor physical condition. Others, who won’t hit the gym are resolved to avoid hitting the refrigerator as much. Still others decide that it’s time to stop spending more than they are earning. The sad news is that most of these the attempts at change will fall by the wayside before January runs its’ course.  Be that as it may, I would like to suggest a resolution, which if followed will bring about positive improvements in all the areas I mentioned and many more, particularly one’s spiritual condition. The one simple resolution that could accomplish this has two parts. The first entails a devout study of Holy Scripture each and every day. This provides the right direction for a godly life. The second is harder, it involes submitting to the Word of God (obedience). The apostle James taught that Christian’s are to be obedient “doers of the Word”,  not “hearers only” (James 1:22). Peter also wrote about God’s expectations for his children:“Therefore, having the loins of your understanding girded with temperance, wait perfectly in the grace that is presented unto you when Jesus, the Christ, is manifested unto you, as obedient sons, not conforming yourselves with the former desires that you had before in your ignorance, but as he who has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (1 Peter 1:13-15). What about you? Do you desire to see God work to bring about lasting changes in your life? Changes for your own good, and the good of others whom you will affect, by the example of your Christian walk. If so, dive into the Word of God and dig out the precious truths you will discover there. Then, as you rely upon the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to put them into practice, you will press on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ (Philippians 3:14).                                                                                                                                 

I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight,
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.               

I am resolved to follow the Savior,
Faithful and true each day;
Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,
He is the living Way.

God bless,

Pastor Tom

THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING

Mankind is drawn to things that are new. It's how advertisers make their living. Look at the world of technology and you can see how quickly what you presently own becomes out of date. Today's cell phone is tomorrows dinosaur. Thankfully their is nothing new about the matter of the salvation of sinful men. Paul stated, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21). The "foolishness of preaching" is the old fashioned gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3). Knowing that this was the focus of his message, we should not be surprised that Paul also wrote, "And how shall they preach, except they be sent as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of great joy'" (Romans 10:15). However, preaching the gospel is not just the privilege of full-time Christian workers such as pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, it is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian. As we therefor have opportunity, let us go and tell the world the good news of the gospel so that they might have the forgiveness of their sins, through faith in the sacrifice for sin that Jesus made on the cross. This is the foolishness of preaching by which men, women, and children are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness, and into the kingdom of God's own dear son (Colossians 1:13,14),

God bless,

Pastor Tom

THE ELECTION RESULT

This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget

That thought the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.

My daughter sent me a text this morning with the words above reminding me of the great truth that God rules overall. 

May Christian's across this country pray that President-Elect Trump will govern in the fear of God.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Pastor Tom

CHURCH GROWTH METHODS

The following comments are taken from Archibald Brown's, sermon, "The Devil's Mission of Amusement: The Church's Task-Entertainment or Evangelization?  Brown was the successor to Charles Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.  We don't have to agree with all that Brown wrote to appreciate his concern that the church's mission of proclaiming the gospel would be weakened by making the church a place of entertainment. Brown wrote:

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in Holy Scripture as one of the functions of the church.  What her duties are will come under our notice later on.  At present it is the negative side of the question that we are dealing with.  Now, surely, it our Lord had intended His Church to be the caterer of entertainment, and so counteract the god of this world, He would hardly have left so important a branch of service unmentioned.  If it is Christian work, why did not Christ at least hint it?  "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," is clear enough.  So would it have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the Gospel." No such addendum, however, is to be found, nor even an equivalent for such, in any one of our Lords utterances.  This style of work did not seem to occur to His mind.  Then again, Christ, as an ascended Lord, gives to His Church specially qualified men for the carrying on of His work, but no mention of any gift for this branch of service occurs in the list.  "He gave some, apostles;. and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers - for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," Where do the "public entertainers" come in?  The Holy Ghost is silent concerning them, and his silence is eloquence.

Pastor Tom

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with charity,

WORRY DOESN'T CHANGE THINGS!

I sometimes wonder how much time I have wasted, and how much energy I have spent worrying about things which never came to pass, or things I could never change. Looking back, worry hasn't accomplished one positive thing in my life. Looking forward, I pray that the Lord will strengthen me in my faith through His Word so that I can trust Him even in life's darkest hours. In the midst of the ups and downs of daily living one thing is certain, God never changes. He will always be as He has always been, which means that I can always depend upon His faithfulness. Theologians call this "immutability." I call it peace. The peace which comes in knowing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). John Newton said, “We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.” Jesus put it this way, "Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought of the things sufficient of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matthew 6:34).

Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Additional thought taken from William MacDonald’s Believer’s Bible Commentary:

“Worry is unnecessary; there is no need for us to bear the burdens when He is willing and able to bear them for us. Worry is futile; it hasn’t solved a problem yet. Worry is sin. A preacher once said: ‘Worry is sin because it denies the wisdom of God; it says that He doesn’t know what He’s doing. It denies the love of God; it says He does not care. And it denies the power of God; it says that He isn’t able to deliver me from whatever is causing me to worry." 

Pastor Tom

READINESS OF MIND

What is your attitude toward the Holy Scriptures? 

I have shared many different truths from the Bible with many people in the past 40 years of my life and they have reacted in several ways’. First, there are those who are completely indifferent. They usually don't express direct opposition, but spiritual matters don't matter to them at all. They would rather talk about earthly things. Like politics, sports, or the weather, Second, there are those who are irritated, upset, and even hostile. They simply do not want to hear about sin, salvation, God, or Jesus Christ. The Bible is a fool's book to them. Some of them were atheists, others identified themselves with a particular religion, or spiritual viewpoint, but all of them in this category had negative feelings about "Bible Christian's." Finally, there were the few among the many who were eager to hear what God revealed in His Word. We find the latter crowd in the book of Acts, chapter 17. 

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few (verses 10,11).

The key words in this story are the words "received the word with readiness of mind" (verse 10). Readiness (prothumia in Greek) denotes a disposition toward, and eagerness, or a willingness to hear. The result was that "many of them believed" (verse 11).  Those who come to accept Christ as their Savior are those who have a willingness to hear "thus saith the Scripture." It all begins with a positive attitude toward God's Word. The Holy Spirit will then take that Word to bring conviction of sin leading to salvation (John 16:8; Romans 10:17). Don't be indifferent or cynical toward the Bible. Be eager to receive it and you too can be among the noble Bereans. God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).


Pastor Tom

WHAT REAL CHANGE LOOKS LIKE

Yesterday I preached a message, "What Real Chang Looks Like." I would encourage you to listen to it by going to www.faithsd.org. Click on "Hear a Sermon" in the quick links section. I pray that you are blessed by it. My outline consisted of the following points:

INTRODUCTION: Real change is possible because of the Almighty power of God

I. REAL CHANGE IS CHANGE WHICH PLEASES GOD

  

Romans 12:1,2; 2 Corinthians 5:8,9; Ephesians 5:8-10; Colossians 1:9,10; 11

II. GOD IS AT WORK TO BRING ABOUT REAL CHANGE IN OUR LIVES

Philippians 2:12,13

III. REAL CHANGE REQUIRES HARD WORK                                                                                                 

Philippians 2:12; Ephesians 6:14-18; 1 Timothy 4:7,8                                                      

IV. REAL CHANGE IS VISIBLE CHANGE

John 13:35; Ephesians 4:21-24; 2 Corinthians 7:1

V. REAL CHANGE IS LASTING CHANGE

John 15:7; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

VI. REAL CHANGE GLORIFIES GOD

1 Corinthians 10:31; Habakkuk 2:14

Close: Are you resolved to make real changes in your life for God’s glory?

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY

"God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, 'What doest thou?' Man’s will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so." - A.W. Tozer

THUS SAITH THE LORD

Leviticus 18:22  You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination

Mark 10:6 But at the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall join to his wife;

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals.

10 nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 6:7 Do not deceive yourselves; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows that shall he also reap.

THE EYES OF THE LORD

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him....(2 Chronicles 16:9, NKJV).

 What a blessing it is to know that God is on our side when we seek to be faithful to Him. The Lord also sees when we are not faithful to Him. As it says in Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”

Whether we do good or evil there is nowhere we can go where God cannot see us. J.R. Miller said, “We are in reality just what we are before God, nothing less, nothing more.” The most marvelous testimony to God’s omnipresence is seen in the 139^th Psalm. I am inclined to think that this should be read by every Christian the first thing in the day.  It would, no doubt, keep us ever mindful of God’s presence and be a strong deterrent to sin: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me” (verses 7-10a, NKJV).

Paul told the citizens of Athens, "(God) is not far from each one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:27b-28a, NKJV).  The universal presence of God is a biblical fact. God destroyed the whole world in the days of Noah because He knew that the hearts of men everywhere were intent on doing evil. The earth was "filled with violence" (Genesis 6:11).  Sounds exactly like where we are today. Only Noah and his family were spared, because “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

Dear Christian, hide yourself under the shadow of God’s wings; don’t try to hide from Him, because you cannot.  Your sin will always find you out.  Adam and Eve tried that and it didn’t work: “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou”? (Genesis 3:8, 9). This reminds me of the many times when I was little and getting into something I should not have been getting into, and I would hear my mom say from the other room, “Tommy, what are you doing?”  How did she know? Because she knew that when I was really quiet it usually meant I was up to no good.  Have you ever noticed that when your testimony of God and His word goes silent it usually means that something is wrong in your spiritual life?  When you're walking close to God, you cannot help but praise Him, and you delight to share the joy of the Lord with others.  “Walk with the King and be a blessing” was the favorite exhortation of the late Dr. Robert Cook.

I pray that you will have a closer and closer walk with God, like Noah, and that you will be a blessing to others. Don’t be a follower of men; be a follower of Jesus. Live like the Christian that God called you to be. If you don’t know Christ as your Savior, the first step in following Him is to ask Him to forgive you of all your sin and to be your Lord and Savior.  Find a good Bible-believing church and talk with the pastor if you want to know more.

Pastor Tom

THIS IS YOUR LIFE

This morning I did my day hiking in Proverbs and pondered verses 10-14: "Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life." Dear friends, the Bible is not like any other book.  It contains the mind of God revealed so that we might know how to live and obtain eternal life. Not long after reading Proverbs 4, I came across an article by the late evangelist Lester Roloff.  It was a sermon he once preached title, "THIS IS YOUR LIFE"!

I pass it on to you as an admonition and exhortation to take heed to the things God has revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures.  I hope you enjoy it.

In Jesus name,

Pastor Tom

THIS IS YOUR LIFE, by Lester Roloff

"But stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the Word of God," I Samuel 9:27. "Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord," I Samuel 12:7

"Our Father, we commit our mind to Thee for the thinking, our ears for the listening, our tongue for the speaking, and our pen for the writing. Give us a sermon from heaven and bless every reader and may we completely commit our way to the Lord, trust also in Him that He may bring it to pass.

We dedicate and pray that Thou shall consecrate every word of this message for the glory of Christ and the blessing of the people. Prepare every heart for the reading and let these words fulfill the very purpose of God. In Jesus' Name, Amen." Today, I would like to share with you the last message of the greatest man of the Old Testament.

He was the meekest man on earth, yet he was the greatest leader, the greatest deliverer. He was born to die and yet he lived. He was hidden, haunted, hated, hunted and hungry. He literally lifted millions of Israelites out of a four hundred and thirty year bondage. In Deuteronomy, chapter 32, we have the last message or sermon that this unusual man delivered. He waited forty years in Midian, wandered forty years in the wilderness, and at the age of a hundred and twenty, he walked up a mountain to his own funeral. With God as his Undertaker and Uptaker, he died according to the Word of the Lord and his strength was not abated, neither was his eye dim. Listen to Moses as he gains the attention and arouses the interest of those that have traveled with him under the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

"Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth." He wasn't ashamed for heaven to hear his final message and he knew the people of earth ought to listen to it. "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew. . ." He's going to preach a moist message and a purifying sermon. Before we give the sermon, let me give the six characteristics of Moses that made him such a great man (from Hebrews 11:24-27)

First, he refused to be called the Son of Pharoah's daughter.

Second, he chose the afflictions with the people of God rather than the pleasures of sin for a season.

Third, he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.

Fourth, he endured.

Fifth, he saw Him who was invisible.

Sixth, he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

In Deuteronomy 32, he gives a hundred and twenty years of accumulated wisdom and his first statement is, "I will publish the Name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He." Amen! Think of it, my friend. After all of the experiences of opposition, misunderstanding and criticism, he stood at the end of life's runway to brag on the Rock and had reached the conclusion that He is "just right"! Then he bears the testimony of God's goodness and reminds all of us that we were found in a desert land, in a waste howling wilderness and like an eagle stirring up her nest, fluttering over her young, spreading abroad her wings, we've been taken and have been borne upon the wings of the Saviour.

We've been made to ride in the high places, eat the increase of the fields, suck honey out of the rock, and been in the heavenly oil business. We've eaten homemade butter and drunk the finest milk and pure grape juice. But sad to say, Moses had to remind the people that they had waxed fat and kicked, grown thick, had forsaken the God which made them, and lightly esteemed the Rock. They had become unmindful and even forgotten God who formed them and had lost faith in the Lord. Impossible, you say? After the tremendous experiences of crossing the Red Sea dry-shod, seeing Pharoah's chariots go down, the miraculous provisions of the wilderness for forty years?

And yet, I remind you, we have a repetition of the same thing in America. In 1620, the old Mayflower loaded with Pilgrims sailed a chartless sea and landed in this pioneer country. And on their knees they said, "By the grace of God and for the advancement of the Christian faith, we plant the first colony." The land's been cleared, railroads run, highways crossing the nation, we have airways and airplanes, schools, churches, cities, and thriving businesses with their skyscrapers.

But America has esteemed lightly the Rock of her salvation and has become unmindful of the Rock and forgotten the God who formed her. As we've said before, we're now sitting by the bedside of a dying nation, with all of its liquor traffic, its dope, immorality and homosexuality. Homes are broken, hopes are shattered, she is in the final stages of decay, and God has had to write malignant and terminal on her chart. Even as oses preached, "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." Deuteronomy 32:35.

When Moses finished this farewell sermon, he gave an invitation and said, "Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law." Deuteronomy 32:46. Oh, at the warnings Moses gave as recorded in Deuteronomy 4:40, "Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever."

"And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9.

Chapter 12, verse 28, "Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God." And now this old gray-haired general says, "For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life." Oh my soul, in this day when most Americans go to bed tired and wake up tired, go to sleep on sedatives and wake up on stimulants, when most people just exist and never live - listen to Jesus as He said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,"

John 10:10. "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life," John 6:63. "Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you." John 15:3. And as the greatest man who ever lived on earth brought his final message, as recorded in John 17:3 He said, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent."

And verse 17, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth." "But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have LIFE through His Name." John 20:31. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Verse 4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

I John 5:1a,4. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." I John 5:12. Even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and told the children of Israel that had been bitten by the serpent to look and live, and as Isaiah said, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else;" Even so, there is still life in the look and that look is aimed at Jesus. God told the Hebrews, in Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." If you've never looked, you've never lived. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. 

"It is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life."  Deuteronomy 32:47.

ARE YOU DRIFTING?

Every Christian must be on constant guard of drifting away from a close walk with the Lord. Leo Morris writes, "You can drift into sin, but not into righteousness."  How true this is, and yet how easy it is to neglect the things which matter most in life. We can become so busy with our daily responsibilities, pursuits and pleasures, that God is not at all in our thoughts. According to Psalm 10:4 this is the way of the wicked: "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."  When you woke up this morning what were you thinking about?  As you made your way through the day how often did you let your thoughts be set on things above, and not on the things of this world (Colossians 3:1)? Did you take time to pray? Did you feed on God’s Word that you might not sin against the Lord? “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Consider men like Daniel who prayed three times a day toward Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10) and Paul who encouraged the Christian’s in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Brethren, if we are not doing the things that build up our spiritual life we are our weakening it by default. Drifting requires no effort; it comes naturally in the spiritual realm. Also bear in mind that a drift is usually imperceptible, but the more we drift the further we move away from righteousness. The decline of the ungodly man in Psalm 1 probably started with a slow drift. He ended up sitting in the seat of the scornful.  I have known Christian’s who once had a vibrant walk with the Lord but no longer do. What are some tell tale signs of a drifting Christian? I have already alluded to some. Neglect of prayer and Bible study. Add to this a lack of desire for Christian fellowship, but increasing interest in worldly things. It’s hard to be around spiritually minded people when you develop a taste for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). One sure sign that you are drifting is when the preaching of God’s Word no longer moves you. If you can sit under the counsel and exhortation of the Living Word (Hebrews 4:12) and stay as you are, something is terribly wrong. If the sins that once bothered you no longer do so, you are drifting. Where will it all end? Where will the drift eventually take you? I can’t answer that question for everyone but it can only be stopped and lost ground regained by repentance. “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works”… (Revelation 2:4). 

Draw near to God,

Pastor Tom