Acts 10:1-8

1 Timothy 3:1-9

1st Pslams Again we thank you for these good songs and music and your presence here. I’m going to read from 1st Psalms the First Division of Psalms this morning the entire chapter. Beginning with the first verse “blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel [...]]]> The Blessed Man: Download Sermon

1st Pslams
Again we thank you for these good songs and music and your presence here. I’m going to read from 1st Psalms the First Division of Psalms this morning the entire chapter. Beginning with the first verse “blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of the water that bringeth for his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” That’s reading from the entire first chapter of the Book of Psalms this morning and for my subject this morning I’m going to speak to you on “The Blessed Man” and the word man used in this sense is used for both men and women. The Lord blesses alike both men and women. Before I begin to address that question I want to say to you that the Psalmist David contrasts the righteous and the wicked and I think there is a lack of contrasts in the righteous and the wicked in these times even with ministers and churches. There is so much difference in them. The bible said the righteous is as bold as a lion and that means they are not afraid of today and they’re not afraid of tomorrow they are not afraid of death the judgment and eternity because the Lord has settled their peace with them and they have peace with God through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But the wicked is very different. He said with the ungodly are not so and they are not as they seem to be. The ungodly sometimes seems to be having a good time they seem to live a very pleasure filled life and a very productive life but they are not the real thing they are counterfeit and so the ungodly are not so. The truth is the simple truth is the saved is prepared for heaven and the unsaved is going to be turned into hell with all nations that forget God. So having said that I’m going to begin to address my subject this morning “A Blessed Man”. The Lord wants to bless all of us and I’m glad that he does and I think all of us wants to be blessed. And I’ll ask the simple question n who wants to be blessed of God to this large congregation of people this morning is an indication to me that everyone present wants to be blessed by the Lord. You believe in God you believe in Jesus Christ and you believe in eternity and we’re all going to live somewhere in eternity when we’ve passed from this life. We are all who are here this morning is blessed of God I myself feel very blessed of the Lord I won’t take any time to numerate all of my blessing of the Lord but I am blessed in a very great way. The first step in any person’s spiritual life is to be saved. You cannot be blessed of the Lord without being saved. So through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we are blessed of the Lord. There is no formula or prescriptions in the bible that prescribes the blessings of God without first having faith in God and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I’m glad that when we trust in the Lord with all of our hearts we receive our very first spiritual blessing. I believe our first spiritual blessing is salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and Paul said it’s not of yourself it’s a gift of God. So God blesses us with his holy spirit in salvation. And I believe we remember that blessing all the days of our life. There’s just something about it some people are not satisfied with what they receive and some people do not immediately testify to that which they received but 40 or 50 years down the road when they are down in the gulley or on the rock they go back to that which they received earlier in their life and say the Lord blessed me right here. Jacob continued to say that the Lord blessed him at Bethel you remember when he trusted in the Lord when he and Joseph were together and Jacob was on his dying bed and it was his privilege to tell Joseph’s sons his grandsons that the Lord blessed him at Bethel. So we can tell our children and grandchildren that the Lord blessed us but we probably none of us were at Bethel but at church or wherever that we were but we can tell them the Lord blessed us there. The Psalmist in these first few verses assumes that the people he is writing to are all saved I think sometimes it’s a mistake for us to assume that everybody is saved because everybody is not saved. Ms. Barbara McDonald expresses to me on occasion and says that everybody I’m preaching to is not saved and I hope you don’t assume they are all saved. Preach to us like there are people in the congregation that’s not saved and I have taken thought on that. A blessed man will meet some detours on the way every one of us a man or a woman. The Psalmist listed three things here in this chapter concerning this detour. He said “a blessed man a saved man wouldn’t want to walk in the council of the ungodly”. Now I’ll say to you that it is human nature for the ungodly to take his stand he will be quick to give advice or show examples and we have that every day that confrontation in our life. But we ourselves don’t want to walk in the council of the ungodly or be found giving ungodly advice or being ungodly examples to the lost and dying world. Secondly he said for the detour he said “we would not stand in the way of sinners”. The cruelest thing a Christian could do is stand in the way of a sinner. People are watching us let me remind you this morning people are watching us and we need to be careful in what we are saying  and what we are doing less we lead somebody in the wrong direction. The first defense of a sinner when you go to talk to them about trusting in the Lord they’ll say “well I better than so and so who is your church member” and I’ll say “you may be on the outside but the least saved person is better off than the unsaved”. And when I use the word least everybody gets the same when they are saved but sometimes because of the slackness or unused of our abilities or talents do not shine as they ought to then we put them in the category of small Christians but really there are not any small Christians. But we are all big Christians in the Lord and we ought to let our light shine and let the people see something in what we profess to be and glorify and worship the Lord. The second thing I said to you about standing in the way of sinners and sometimes Christians become a stumbling block to sinners and they will use the expression if that’s Christianity I don’t want any of it. I had a friend a kinsman in the flesh who said of his brother and he said if that’s Christianity I don’t want any of it. We don’t want to be standing in that place when people don’t want any of it. We want people to have a desire to be the children of God and to be the servants of God and let their light shine out in the world so people might see what they profess to be. The final detour he said “or to sit in the seat of the scornful.” You all grab hold of the back of the seat and hold on for just a minute this morning you all know who the scornful are those that are saved the scornful are those who are members of the church and the scornful are always finding fault with their brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. I might say to you that it’s not any trouble finding fault with the other person it’s just not any trouble you can find plenty of fault with you pastor this morning find fault with his preaching find fault with his living and his life and find fault with his family that’s not hard to do. But the scorner will go outside the church with it and will scatter his opinions his feelings with everybody else. Let me say to you that is a no-no a no-no and I’ll say to you this morning that being a scorner only leads to disaster for you as a Christian. It may hurt the person you are speaking of it may hurt the church you are speaking of but in the long run it will hurt you more and you know what it will do? It will rob you of the joy of your salvation and you’ll find yourself outside the blessings of God and you won’t enjoy the fellowship of the church and you won’t the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and you’ll be like David was when he said “Lord restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.”  So in simple it’s about controlling our tongue. But a soft answer turneth away wrath but a grievous answer sirreth anger and this is so all of the time. The delights of a blessed man is this he delights in the law of the Lord. Are you glad this morning that you can come into the house of God. The Psalmist said “I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord.” There was a time he said when he couldn’t go the doors weren’t shut or barred shut or locked but he was afraid for his life. Saul the King of Israel was threatening his life and he said the birds can go and build their nests around the house of God but it’s a sad thing when the birds can go but it’s a sad thing when God’s people can’t go or won’t go into the house of the Lord. But let us delight in the law of the Lord and let us be glad to go into the house of God. In the house of God is strength in the house of God is fellowship in the house of God you’ll be able to find the blessings of the Lord. I’ve observed people who’ve come and for some reason forsake the assembly of their self in the house of God but when trouble comes you’ll find them coming back into the house of God. And when they come back do you know what they find? They find the same word being read the same message being preached like before the same songs being sung and it brings a delight to their soul and it brings blessings upon their life. And they ask themselves without saying so why have I neglected so long my duty my obligation in the house of the Lord. So the Psalmist said “his delight is in the law of the Lord” and then he said “doth he meditate day and night”. Honey it’s a wonderful thing to meditate in the law of the Lord for you and for me. We can take God’s word early in the morning while the dew is on or in the evening when the lights are burning we can sit with our bibles in our laps and we can read from our bible and the word of the Lord. It renews our strength in the law of the Lord. It renews our faith in the Lord and it’ll bring blessings to our life. Warm tears run down our cheeks sometimes as we meditate in the word of the Lord and as we read from God’s holy word. It is a blessing to be able to do that. Now to some people and I want you to listen to that but to some people the word of the Lord is boring. They don’t find any joy and they don’t find any satisfaction and I hope that’s not anybody here this morning. I hope you find strength satisfaction and hope in the word of the Lord. To some they seem to find no entertainment and joy in the word of the Lord. Bro. Cornwell uses this word and when he comes he usually sits on the back seat and he’ll say I sit back her where I can watch him it is not dull there is some life and some strength and some will say it is fantasy and there’s nothing too it. You ought to say as far you know there’s nothing to it because there is something to it there is something to it. Bro. Jack and Sister Carolyn are on vacation this morning but when he came to seek the Lord from another faith and that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t saved but he wasn’t saved and he came right down to the front seat and after a while Bro. Brooks said to him “and you do believe there’s something to it don’t you” and it wasn’t long until he got saved and he could testify there was something to it. It was real genuine a blessing. So a blessed man will delight in the word of the Lord and then he turns the page to the destiny of the ungodly. And before I talk about the ungodly one more word about the blessed man he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. You may have stood on a bank or a river or stream and looked at a tall oak tree. Its roots grow deep and it branches grow tall. You admire the strength and the beauty of the tree. You see the stream here is a relative synonym of the spirit of the Lord and the roots draw water from the Holy Spirit tall Christian draws strength as he comes to church and worships the Lord as a tall oak tree. People who come regular to church are rooted and grounded in the word of the Lord and they grow tall and exemplary people in the house of God and people begin to notice their lives and sometimes people come so far in such a short time. It delights me to see younger people and older people who are being saved grow simply grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This tree will bring forth its fruit in due season. We don’t have to worry about that it will just happen. Its leaf will not wither that is your testimony your life will be your testimony the words of your mouth will be a testimony and then he said “whatsoever you doeth shall prosper.” Isn’t that good? And then he said “the ungodly are not so”. I watched the ungodly I do I was called to do the funeral of a man and his family said “don’t read any bible verses and don’t say anything about the Lord.” I said you’re making a hard request I’m supposed to represent the Lord I’m supposed to talk about the Lord and we did the best that we could. I did read some verses of the bible and I did say a few things about the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I don’t know if it was satisfactory or not but the simple truth is it doesn’t matter how much a man or woman may prosper and it doesn’t matter if they have a tall stature in the community but if they are unsaved then they are not so they will be turned into eternal night and darkness forever and forever and forever more. The bible said they are like the chaff. Have you ever watched the chaff or the husk when you have taken it off the wheat or the grain or the corn and when the wind blows it just goes everywhere and so it the ungodly there is no stability about them. But the Lord knoweth the way of the ungodly the bible said the ungodly and sinners shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous. Now I’m going to take the last one first we encourage and welcome the sinners to come into the congregation of the righteous here and we know it’s an advantage for them to come and they have an opportunity to be reminded how bad they need the Lord so they can come and we welcome them to come into our church but there will be no unsaved not one in heaven there will not be one saved person able to get in the door of the kingdom of God. So he said they shall not stand in judgment the judgment of Jesus Christ will be fair the most fair judge in the world. But if you have not been saved and your name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life he’s going to give you this judgment “depart from me I never knew you into everlasting destruction” that’s sad that’s hard and that’s a terrible defining moment but the truth is that you have willingly come there in that condition. People do not have to stand in judgment without the Lord they can be saved. They do not have to stand and hear that sad denunciation “depart from me I never knew you”. You can make preparation while you live to meet the Lord. So sinners will not be able to be in the congregation of the righteous when we depart from this life to be with the Lord. And finally the Psalmist said in the last verse of Chapter 1 “the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous” and he does. Every name is written down on the Lamb’s Book of Life and every grain – and I think I used this other Sunday and he’ll gather every grain into his garner. You’ll be safe in the fold of God but the way of the ungodly shall perish. There will not be one sinner get into the kingdom of God to live there forever and forever and forever. While me may not contrast here the righteous and the wicked and we may not separate the righteous and the wicked God Almighty is going to separate them out there in time to come. I’ll give you this example and then I’ll close my message. My dad while he was up at New Macedonia up on Pea Ridge and the revival was going on and the pastor said I’m going to divide this congregation tonight. I want you all to pay attention and follow as instructed. I want all the saved people to come to the front and the unsaved to stay in the back and when everyone had divided, he asked the saved to turn around and look and they got a glimpse of what a division would take place. Son, wives, husbands, daughters, daughter in laws, and a great revival meeting broke out because they saw the need of it. It was their own people they were going to be separated from and many got saved. Maybe sometime we need just divide and see who’s on that broad road that leads to destruction. The subject of my message is a “Blessed Man”. You are blessed I am blessed. Thank the Lord that we are blessed but there will be some that’ll be on the other side and let them know they are in a dangerous position and on a dangerous road to destruction. A man said to me the other day that people are not making any distinction about hell and hell is real and I said “amen”. Hell is real and we need to tell people about it and our people are going there and it ought to be an awakening for us and when we come to church we should tell our people who are unsaved if they don’t trust in the Lord they’re going to Hell. Jesus said “if you believe not that I am he then ye shall die and will be turned into hell with all nations that forget God.” It disturbs me when I read I was joking with a fellow yesterday and he asks if the bible said anything about liars going to hell? I said yes it said “all liars” it did “all liars and ungodly” and I can’t mention them all but they’ll be turned into one nation that forget God. Honey there won’t be any unrighteous there, there won’t be any holiness there, there won’t be any songs of the church there, there won’t be any preachers preaching there, there may some preachers there because of their false teachings and every one of them who are there will be and I expect that to be true. But every one of them professed falsely and was not saved by the grace of God.

Blog Post 071110 – The Blessed Man – 1st Psalm – 3650 Words

Proverbs 14:33-35 I invite your attention to the reading of the scripture Proverbs Chapter 14 and verse 33. The wise man Solomon said “wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known. Righteousness exalteth a [...]]]> Righteousness Exalteth a Nation: Download Sermon

Proverbs 14:33-35
I invite your attention to the reading of the scripture Proverbs Chapter 14 and verse 33. The wise man Solomon said “wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known. Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. The king’s favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.” That’s reading the last three verses of Chapter 14 of the Book of Proverbs for our devotional this morning. The subject of my message is from verse 34 that I read in your devotional. “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” This ought to be good instruction to us on the birthday of our country in that the best way that we can being a righteous nation exalting God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ. Before I begin my message this morning I want to read you something from the Constitution of the United States but before I read that I am glad to be an American this morning and I hope that you are. We have the most religiously free country in all of the world, I don’t know if we really appreciate it but I hope that we do and I hope that we walk and live as such as to keep it in the condition as good as it is or better it if we possibly can. Other than Brother Richard this morning I don’t know how many of you know what the First Amendment of the Constitution is. The first 10 Amendments are known as the Bill of Rights and most of us at some time when in school studied the Constitution which is the Bill of Rights. These first ten were adopted December 15 1791 and that’s before the Declaration of Independence and it has stood good for us all of these years. The First Amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Thank the Lord and I hope you are thankful this morning there are a lot of countries bound by religious ties and dictations and there are some that are religious dictations that are absolutely foreign to the word of the Lord. I think it’s important for us to meet here this morning at the North Carthage Baptist Church without fear of being molested by somebody and this First Amendment gives us the guarantee of that right. We can come here and sing and pray and preach according to what we believe the bible to teach and I think that’s a wonderful thing. “Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of press or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” We can also petition God Almighty on how we want him to bless us and help us in our services and in our lives. Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. I’ve said to you over the years so many times only God and the Lord Jesus Christ are righteous. Our righteousness comes from them. The country, the nation itself are in some ways like a church. The church is not a building but it is made up of members of that church. A nation is made up of its people so its people for us to have a righteous nation a nation that keeps the commandments and statutes of the Lord why its people must be righteous. We believe in the separation of church and state however let me just emphasize to you the importance of Christian people well established honored and honorable people taking part in the governments of our cities our states and our country that we may have a degree of righteousness in our country. Righteousness does not come from the land it does not come from the trees but the righteousness of our country comes from the people that make up this country and so our peoples righteousness comes from the imputed righteous of Jesus Christ and the involvement of our people in making laws and keeping those laws and statutes of God Almighty are really important. While righteousness exalteth a nation it means it elevates it and it raises it up. In respect sin is a reproach to any people now I’m not always right and I hope I’m wrong about this but as I see it in these times that sin is more of a priority than it ever has been in the history of the world. Now I know that from the very beginning people have been sinful and I acknowledge that and perhaps because we are more sinful is because there are more people and there are more people in the world. From the beginning God Almighty chose a nation of the world to represent him now in the New Testament time Jesus organized a church and the church was to be the light of the world. And now Jesus has gone back to his heavenly father to sit in his mediator office and not with us in person therefore he organized the church to be the light of the world having the responsibility to preach the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. But in the Old Testament there was no church and so God called Abraham from the Err of the Chaldees and asked him to leave his father’s house and his people and to come out and be a light to the world. God told him in Genesis Chapter 12 and verse 2 he said “ye are a chosen nation and in being a chosen nation I’ll bless you and you’ll become a blessing to all nations or to all people in all of the world.” And so that was true for a long time in this world people were born and born and born and Abraham passed away and so did many more people that didn’t know the Lord and didn’t care anything about the Lord corrupted the nation of Israel. Now I don’t have time to go through all the scenes of that but I’ll say to you that after a period of leadership under David and Solomon people forsook the Lord yes forsook the Lord. They began to worship Bail and Bail is a false god and he cannot hear he cannot see and he cannot help in any way. He is if you will a little god and we need to see him in that light. In Elijah’s time he said “let it be known today as he prayed to the Lord who is God in Israel.” This morning we as a church and as a people of this nation should pray to the Lord that all of America and all of the world would know that God is God. He is the everlasting eternal almighty and all wise God. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He is from the beginning to the end. He is the only one that keeps promises as we spoke about a few minutes ago in a song as we sang. As long as the people walk in the commandments and statutes of the Lord they will be blessed by God Almighty but when we begin to turn aside out of the way and walk in our own ways and worship idol gods which brings idolatry to us why we get in trouble. So after a period of David and Solomon and actually before that Samuel was the last judge before Saul was King of Israel and the people of Israel came to Samuel and they said “Samuel make us a king so we can be like other people.” Now I want to say to you this morning that I think we have a pattern or tendency to want to be like other people. Now the want to be like other people may be all right and if it is I say Amen to that. But to be like other people just to be like other people doesn’t accomplish a thing in this world. In this case they were turning away from the leadership of God Almighty and his servant Samuel and turning to idol gods. So they said “give us a king so that we may be like other people”. And so Samuel cried and cried and he cried because he thought they had rejected him and the Lord said “Samuel they have not rejected you but they have rejected me.” So it was on a much bigger scene and a much larger scale if they had been rejecting Samuel. However the Lord said to Samuel “give them a king but tell them they’ll be giving parts of their means to the government tell them that this will lead to no good for them.” During the reign of Reoboam who was King Solomon’s son the nation of Israel divided and here was a people representing God Almighty to the whole world and they divided do you know why the became divided? It was not because of righteousness it was because of sin. Jeroboam came up out of Egypt to take the ten tribes and the bible said of Jeroboam that he was the son of Levate who caused Israel to sin. This man cause Israel to sin but before I go on with that I want to say to you that a king or a queen or a national leader or a president and even a pastor of a local church can lead people to sin against the Lord and cause them to go astray from the ways of God. What did Jeroboam do to cause Israel to sin? The first thing he did was to forsake the true and living God. He told the people of these ten tribes we’ll be places of worship you see in those days they had two places of worship and the main place of worship was Jerusalem were the house of God the temple was and when the people went back to Jerusalem to worship Jeroboam was afraid that the arks of the ten tribes would be turned away from him and turned back toward Jerusalem. And so he said we’ll build some false places and put some calves in there for the people to worship. Can you imagine our people worshiping a calf this morning as a god? I can’t envision that in my small mind this morning yet I know there are thousands and millions have worshiped calves and things made of stone. Not only did he build idol gods he built places of worship. I need to say to you this morning that not every house that has the name of church over the front door is the Lord’s house. There has been a direct line of descent from Jerusalem to now that represents the Lord’s house. The house of God is the foundation of the truth the preaching of the gospel the upholding of the truth is not left to government or to governments but is left to the New Testament Church to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we let down the gap or let the gate open then our people will go astray so it’s important that we know that the church of the living God is the pillar and ground of the truth here in this world and we here at this church do our part to uphold it and not only to uphold it but shall perpetuate it as long as this world shall stand. So the people of Israel forsook God and they forsook the house of God. The third thing they did and I think is prevalent in this world you see the tribe of Levi represented the Priesthood it began with Aaron and his son and no persons from other tribes were to be ordained but in this rebellious nation they began to ordain priests the bible said of the lowest degree and they began to lead them in the direction of away from Go d rather than toward them. Now I want to say to you this morning that I think we are falling into this category you see this church believes in a divine God called minister and I don’t think there is a substitute for Paul said it pleased God who separated him from his mother’s womb and called him by his grace to deliver the message of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.  He went on to say that “I went not back up to Jerusalem” which meant he did not have to go back up there to ask the home church if he was called to preach he knew he was called to preach. He didn’t have to ask them about the revelation of Jesus Christ when he got saved he did leave Damascus and he went into the desert and stayed for 3 ½ years perhaps preparing for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he said “neither did I receive it of man, neither was I taught it of man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Now I believe in education and I’m not against that but honey you can’t put enough education in a man to make a preacher out of him. He must first be saved and then called by God Almighty and then have some study time and then he must have some time for meditation and prayer with God Almighty in order to be an effected minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So what I think we’re in today is we are in a time when thousands of people have chosen the profession of preaching instead of being called by God Almighty. I think maybe ministers ought to give more time to it but it is looked at in these times more of a profession than a high calling of God from on high. The Lord told Jeremiah during these difficult times now I want you to listen he said “Jeremiah you go and stand in the gate or in the door of the Lord’s house” in other words when you get them in stand in the door so they’ll hear what you’re saying. You know it would be awful this morning if I went back and preached from the door and I didn’t let you out of here but what I’m saying is that would probably be awful. But the Lord told him to go and stand in the door of the Lord’s house and speak to these people and proclaim to them the word of the Lord. He said “tell them to enter in to the house of the Lord and you stand in the gate and proclaim to them” what was he going to proclaim? The first thing he was going to say to them was to trust not in lying words in the temple of the Lord. In other words they were coming into the temple of the Lord and it was all mouth worship and their heart was not in it. We must when we worship God worship him in spirit and in truth it always has been that way. Just being in the temple was not good enough. We could come into this church house until we are dead with old age and go the way of the earth and die a sinner person so it’s important when we come in that we come in that we come in to hear the word of the Lord. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of the Lord the Apostle Paul said. So we open our eyes and do you know what the Lord did to Israel? Now I’ll get back to it in just a minute. But the Lord gave them eyes but they could not see and he gave them ears so they could not hear so in simple he gave them the spirit of slumber. In fact they went so far off in sin that he turned them off cut them off but that doesn’t mean they can’t be saved but it means that the truth of the gospel is not as abundant to them as it was in their earlier days of their history. And the scripture said “he grafted in a new people” and do you know who got the blessing of that? We did we did this country got the blessing of that but let me remind you that Paul said in the Book of Romans how much easier it would be the Lord cut off those that were grafted in and re-graft the old people of the nation of Israel. I’ll ask you this morning what this means and what caused him to do that, sin sin sin. Sin is such a reproach God will just not accept sin and he frowns upon that. Jesus came to forgive us of our sins and transgressions but we must make some good choices for the Lord. The bible said of Mary that she had chosen that good part and that no man can take from her. And so as he spoke to them about lying of words and he said the temple the temple and he said Jeremiah stand in the gate and say to the people of Israel to amend your ways. I want to say to this people and our country that I think we need to amend our ways and we can begin to amend our ways by coming into the Lord’s house on the Lords day. The Lords day is no more as sacred and sanctified and set aside as God meant for it to be at the beginning of time. We ought to take heed of this he gives us six days and one day is his day and we ought to respect that as God made it. We ought to come into his house to worship Him the God of all creation. Moses was called up into the mountains to receive the Ten Commandments and he was gone forty days and do you know what happened in forty days? The Israelites said “this Moses we don’t know what happened to him and he’s been gone to long and so they said Aaron make us another God” and you know we’re the same kind of people aren’t we? We are we’re the same kind of people and we’ll say Lord that can’t happen to us and that can’t happen to our church honey you listen to me I’m nearly sixty eight years old and it won’t be long before I’ll be gone and some of the people will say I remember when old Bro. Gentry was telling us these things in 2010. And so he said “amend your ways, amend your ways.” We need to abstain on non religious things on the Lords day. I said to the people the other night in Goodlettsville where I was in revival and I said to them I like the TN Titans and every now and then I’ll watch them and sometimes Chuck will go to one of their games but you know what I despise what they do and you say what do they do? Honey they set their playing and scheduling on church time you watch and read their schedule is on church time they have no regard for God Almighty or his house. Why do they do that? It’s all about money it is it’s all about money yes I know we all have to have money but honey the love of money is the root of all evil so you need to lift up your eyes. Jeremiah said amend your ways and if you amend your ways God will stand by you and if you don’t you’re going down the drain as it was. So this morning I’ll say to the people of our country I’m just one and I’m just a little ol’ preacher from Carthage Tennessee but our country needs to amend their ways. I went to LaVilla one day last week for lunch at the round table and a fellow who’s a candidate for the State House came in and I said “come here I want to talk to you a minute and I knew he was going to be unimpressed about what I said and he said what did I want to tell him and I said people are tired of all the bickering and backbiting and arguing and back and forth. Our people want somebody to represent us and get something done for the good of the people” well I don’t think it absorbed too good but at least I made him aware that the people of Smith County is tired of all this selfishness in their hearts and there are two things about it number one they are all party party and I guess that’s the thing to be and the other thing is it’s all about money. It is if you’ll vote for mine I’ll vote for yours and somebody will pay us for our vote. I’ve got two more things before I’m through with my message this morning. Jeremiah said “the Lord said my people have committed two evils”. Think about that my people not the sinners out there and not the synagogues of the devil but my people. The first one is they have gone after strange gods and I’ve already talked to you about that but in going after strange gods they have committed idolatry. God Almighty in the first commandment that he gave to the children of Israel he said thou shall have no other Gods before me and then he said thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images or any likenesses thereof. In other words God is God serve him and worship him all the days of your life. The second thing he said they have hewn out broken cisterns that can hold no water. Now you know what a cistern is back in the old days they built cisterns that caught the water that ran off the roof but if the cistern is broken and leaks out the water it’s not worth a thing to have it and catch the water. What in the world is he talking about? He’s talking about this simple thing he’s saying people say trust in the Lord trust in the Lord and being saved but he says they are like empty cisterns empty cisterns. Let me say this morning brothers and sisters is the most important thing in this world is getting our people saved and getting them prepared for the judgment and live in the glory land. If we just teach them to come into the house of the Lord and that they don’t have to trust in the Lord and be converted it’s an empty cistern for them. And you know what an empty cistern is like. Jesus said it’s like building your house on the sand and when the storms come the house is swept away because it’s built on a faulty foundation. There’s only one foundation for you to build your life and hope on and that’s the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus said he that heareth my sayings and doeth them I will like unto him a wise man that build his house on a rock and the storms come and the winds blow and the house fell not because it was founded on a rock. I can tell you that the old time religion will be good for you in life it will be good for you in death it will be good for you in the judgment the foundation will not fall from under you it has stood the test of the fiery furnace it has stood the test of the Lion’s den and it will stand before the final judgment when we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and he tells us to go on it that you’ve been faithful over a few things and I’ll make you ruler of many things enter now in to the joy of the Lord and we’ll be glad. I’ve got to close my message my time is gone but thank you all for hearing me this morning and I hope when we have gone from this place that we’ll think of these things and not apt to be in an uproar and tossed to and fro in an evil wind of doctrine. I’ll say this before I close this morning it scorches me when I see somebody burning the flag it scorches me when I see somebody trampling on the flag and it also scorches me when I hear somebody talking derogatory about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our spiritual mother is the church and she has bore the pain and the burden of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we can be born the children of God.

Blog Post 070410 – Righteousness Exalteth A Nation – Proverbs 14:33-35 – 4193 Words

Galatians 3:6-9

As I mentioned to you in the preliminaries today is Father’s Day and last night before I went to bed I watched David Letterman and he talked about Valentine’s Day, Halloween and other holiday’s but said Father’s Day is a special holiday. I guess [...]]]> Abraham: The Father of the Faithful: Download Sermon

Galatians 3:6-9

As I mentioned to you in the preliminaries today is Father’s Day and last night before I went to bed I watched David Letterman and he talked about Valentine’s Day, Halloween and other holiday’s but said Father’s Day is a special holiday. I guess it’s because he has a son that’s about six years old and I’m also honored to be a father and a grandfather and I’m glad for being able to do that. And I think the Lord appreciates fathers being fathers and men being men and so I’m going to have a little something to say about that in my message on today. For our scripture reading we’ll read from the 3rd chapter of Galatians. The Apostle Paul was writing to the churches of Galatia and verse six he said “Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now I’m going to read some more verses but I’m going to stop right there. Abraham is an Old Testament person and people who think to be saved is different in these times from the early times just needs to read this verse. Abraham was saved because he had faith in God he believed God. And God Almighty accepted his repentance of sin and faith and awarded him righteousness through Jesus Christ who had not yet been born but stood as a lamb slain before the foundation of the world. In these times people are saved when they repent of their sins and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for it is accounted for them for righteousness. So we are certainly akin to faithful Abraham we are akin to him in the flesh and perhaps we are more akin to him thorough the spirit of God which brought righteousness to him and to us. “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same which are the children of Abraham.” Not really the children of Abraham but Abraham is the father of the faithful because he was faithful and because we’ve been saved and are faithful and he is our forefather in the Lord Jesus Christ and we are glad to count him as one of us. “And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel unto Abraham saying, “In thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed.”” I hope you understood that verse as I read. God foreseeing is that he was looking through time and looking through the future and knowing we would need somebody to save us, God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to save us and sanctify us and wash us in his blood. HE that is God preached unto Abraham the gospel, isn’t that something? Before the days of Jesus Christ before the days of Solomon God Almighty himself preached unto Abraham the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me say this to you early this morning that God Almighty also preached the gospel unto Adam and Eve the gospel, early in the Garden of Eden. “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” We’ll close our reading with these four verses in the 3rd Chapter of Galatians this morning. My subject this morning is “Abraham the Father of the Faithful.” We all who are bible readers, Sunday school teachers, church people we are all children of Abraham. I’m not going to start my message with Abraham but I’m going to start with something else and lead up to Abraham. We have one father as children of God and that’s God Almighty, God Almighty is our Heavenly Father. I should say to you at the beginning of my message the greatest example to fathers, the greatest example to all the earth is our Heavenly Father, God Almighty. He is the God of all creation and he’s the Father of all nations and he looks at all the people with the same eyes and they’re all judged by the same basis and I can say to you that he is fairer to you than your mother and that’s fair. In the New Testament the bible set forth the model prayer. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray and said “when you pray say, “Our Father which art in heaven”. He is our father if we’ve been born the spirit of God and we can address him as our father because he is in heaven and seated on the throne of his glory, the throne of grace, the throne of mercy where he can be approached. As I look at the situation this morning we have one heavenly father. Now there are many gods in this world but I can’t talk about all of them but you cannot worship many gods and be very successful. But you can have one eternal almighty God heavenly father that you can worship with all of your heart. You can pray to him, you can walk with him, you can live with him by your side and you will live the happiest life in all the world but it won’t be problem free. We’re in the flesh and we’ll be in the flesh until we die and in this flesh there are troubles and sorrows all the days of our lives but when we have trouble and when our families are filled with trouble we can take our trouble to our heavenly father and he is approachable, he is understanding, he is merciful, he is kind, he is the God of all grace and he will help you with these things. Simon Peter said “cast you cares upon him for he careth for you.” He is able to take your load and to bear your load. I’m not able to bear every load but I am appreciative of the opportunity to bear some loads for God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ. The bible refers to Abraham as the “father of the faithful.” Now Abraham is not in the same category as our heavenly father God Almighty but Abraham is an exemplary to all of us a long time ago and I’ll say to you that as he is the father of the faithful it is most helpful that all earthly fathers be men of faith. You need the Lord Jesus Christ and you need God that you may be a genuine head of your house and you may be a leader of your family and your children. If there are men here this morning that are not saved and you do not know the Lord in the forgiveness of sin it’s important for you, it’s important for your family but more important for you that you come to know the Lord in the forgiveness of sin that you may walk before the Lord and that you may walk before your family as a father is expected to do. Abraham being the father of the faithful obeyed the Lord and that’s important and I’ll say to you that it’s always important to obey the Lord. The bible tells us in Samuel that obedience is better than sacrifice. We can sacrifice our lambs we can sacrifice our money and we can even sacrifice our lives but to obey the Lord is more important and it’s more pleasing to God that we obey him than to sacrifice. God Almighty does not expect physical sacrifices anymore, they offered those in the Old Testament but he expects us to offer our bodies and our lives as a reasonable sacrifice unto and that does not require death. That requires us to using our physical talents for the honor and the glory of God. When Abraham was called out to a country of which he knew not of the bible said he went out not knowing of where he was going. Now most of us live fairly close to the community or to the communities of where we were born. But sometimes the Lord may direct us to go in a path that leads us from people that we know or churches that we know and go out somewhere else into the world. And when we do we go out by faith obeying the leadership of the spirit of God and going out and preaching and testifying to them that need the Lord. The bible said by faith he sojourned in a strange land as in the land of promise dwelling in tabernacles. That meant that he dwelt in tents or temporary places. This morning as fathers and mothers we too are dwelling in temporary places. We are blessed to have a nice home and a nice community but this is a temporary place for us. God has prepared for us who are saved a long home beyond this vale of tears where we can live with him and be with him through all eternity. The bible said that he dwelt with Isaac and Jacob heirs with him of the same promise. Our children that we brought into this world and born into this world are living with us in the same situations living in tabernacles or houses that are temporary and we are looking on to the end of this life where we’ll be with the Lord forever and forever and forever more. So concerning Abraham the bible said he obeyed the Lord and that’s important for us to remember. Now the next thing I want to say about him is the Lord said I know Abraham and I’m glad the Lord knew Abraham and I am more glad that he knows me in the forgiveness of sin and more than that I know him also. And then he said and he will command his children and the Lord had faith Abraham would command his children and his household. And then the bible said after him they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment. Solomon said train up a child in the way it should go and when it is old it will not depart from it. I believe in that and I believe we should start training our children when they are born and you know in many cases the girls will be tremendously similar to their mothers and the boys will be tremendously similar to their fathers. Now going away from some scripture reading here yesterday afternoon I’ve been real busy this week and I told Chuck and Ms. Puddin that I hadn’t had time to prepare my message for tomorrow as I ought to have and I asked them for some suggestions for my message this morning. When I asked Ms. Puddin she asked me “what is the best thing your father ever did for you? And what’s the best advice he ever gave you?” So I began to mull over those things and my father was a Christian man, a Sunday school teacher, a deacon in the church and faithful to attend and worship the Lord. But you know when I thought all of those things over and I have some things I’m going to talk to you about in just a minute but when I thought of those things it did not immediately come to me what was the most important thing but there are many things that are similarly important about what he taught me. I want to begin with some early things before I came to the age of responsibility and I think these things are important for our fathers to teach their children while they are young and their hearts are tender and they can remember and while they are willing to obey them. My father taught me early to show respect just simple respect to people around me now he would have given me a tremendous scolding for not respecting older people. We don’t see respect for elderly people now a man said to me not long ago about a person he said he didn’t have any respect for people he didn’t say anything but he observed and it showed this fellow didn’t have any respect for other people. And so people are looking and observing our lives every day when we were children we were taught to say Mr. and Mrs. and I think that is right. I saw a man the other night at the funeral home and I called a man Mr. Eatherly and he said to me “I’m not Mr. I’m just John” but I told him that he was Mr. to me because he was older than I was and I was showing him respect. I think we should teach our children to say Mr. and Mrs. and I know that’s not popular in these times and we were also taught to call our kinfolks by Aunt or Uncle and we that as long as they lived. He also taught us to love our neighbors just simply to love our neighbors. In these times we don’t know who lives next door to us and that’s just the way it is. But in some community’s people still get acquainted and have fellowship and things going on but we need to learn our neighbors and to show our love and respect for them. Jesus said in the second commandment to love your neighbor and he also said to do this and to do unto them as you would have them to do unto you. I think that is a wonderful teaching of the scripture don’t you? How would you like people to treat you when you are meeting them or engaging them in things and how would you like them to treat you as you would treat them likewise because the Lord said for us to do that. Thirdly this morning he taught me to be a leader. When I was a young boy my dad said “anyone can be a follower” you know anybody can be one of the crowd  but it takes somebody strong and well this may not be a good word but I’m going to use it on you but it takes somebody prideful and strong to be a leader. It means you’re not going to be pushed around with every wind of doctrine and every change that comes into the world and the community but just simply be a leader of your house and be a leader of the people around you and be a leader in your church. I can tell you that this country needs some leaders in almost every facet in this world and if our church people would become leaders in this world in these capacities we could influence this world we are living in. And so for the fathers that’s in this church this morning I want to encourage you to become leaders that you teach other men or teach boys to grow up and be men. That’s right for boys to grow up and be men. When we are children we speak as children and understand as children but Paul said when I became a man I put away childish things so we need to put away childish things. The most important thing he taught me about was when I came to the age of responsibility I needed to be saved. That’s important isn’t it? We’re not prepared as we are to meet the Lord. Jesus simply said “ye must be born again” and he taught me about being born again and I was born again when I was eleven years old I came to know the Lord in the forgiveness of sin and thus he became my Heavenly Father, my Savior and all of those things. Paul used these words “he” he was talking about a man who is responsible for his household. My dad taught me to work, Ms. Puddin and me got married on August 13, 1963 and when we got married because of what my dad taught me I felt the responsibility of the household. It was not her job, she could work if she wanted to, but as the head of the house it was my responsibility to make sure we had a home and the things we needed. Paul said this “he that provideth not for his own hath denied the faith”. That is strong teaching, if we are not providing for our household we’re not doing what is right and fulfilling our obligation. He said if a man provideth not for his own he hath denied the faith and is worst than an infidel. No person this morning in this building wants to be an infidel. We are people of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and God Almighty. In simple since I don’t have much time left I need to say my dad was an example for me as Abraham was to his family. He was so faithful to the Lord that when he called upon him he took his son his only son actually to offer him up on an altar on that hill. He even built the altar and tied him to it and the angel of the Lord said do not harm to him and he looked and a ram was caught in a thicket and he took that ram and offered him up. Finally this morning when we were talking Ms. Puddin said to me “tell the young people of this church” and I’ve had time to think about this but she said “tell the young people of this church especially the girls when they are looking for somebody to be their mate, their spouse to look for someone who will be a family person somebody to be a father to their children and somebody who will be faithful to them in that respect. You know this is a sizable thing to do especially in these times, you know you can say those marriage vows but there’s more to it than carrying them out till death do us part is a responsibility. Favor I tell the young people when I council them I tell them it’s one thing when their pretty or good looking it is. It’s one thing for a girl to pick someone who’s handsome but those things will wear old on you but there’s one thing that won’t wear out if it’s cultivated and that’s the root or it should be the root of all marriages that take place and that’s love. Paul said “love never faileth” if you love him then proceed but if you don’t love him because of his or her beauty or because of physical attractions the best thing to do is to cancel out right now. When we were having Elizabeth’s rehearsal the other night we were back in the fellowship hall and Patrick’s dad said to Elizabeth “you still have time to cancel this thing” you know the vows had not been read and there’s a lot of responsibility in this and it’s the responsibility for the boy becoming a man and taking the responsibility. When you are old enough to take a wife you should be old enough to take responsibility and be a man. When David was dying he said to his son Solomon “son be strong and be a man” and that’s what we should do. One other verse “favor is deceitful and beauty is vain” but Solomon said “a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised.” I’m going to paraphrase that a little and say to you that a man that feareth the Lord should be praised, you’ll be proud if your husband fears the Lord, you’ll be proud if your father fears the Lord and you’ll be rewarded when you grow up. Now when I was about 15 years old and going to high school and I thought I had become wiser than my father and you see he had an 8th grade education and in those days people would say a good 8th grade education. My dad had a good 8th grade education and I thought I had become wiser and time passed on when I was about 23 or something he was wiser than I first thought that he was. And then when I was about 28 years old I learned he was a scholar and a gentleman. He was filled with knowledge and beyond that he was a gentleman in every respect. So I challenge all of you men this morning to be wise in the things that you do and become a dependable head of your house. Accept your responsibility and in accepting your responsibility I need to say this don’t just send your kids to Sunday school but take your kids to Sunday school and take your kids to church and be with them as they learn about the Lord and get saved and when they grow up they’ll appreciate it all the rest of the days of their life.
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Blog Post 062010 – Abraham the Father of the Faithful – Galatians 3:6-9 – Words 3495

1 Corinthians 11:18-26

Every service of the church ought to be serious.  We ought to be inclined to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.  Today’s service is a special service, not only for this church but for every church as they observe the Lord’s Supper.  The Lord’s [...]]]> The Lord’s Supper: Download Sermon

1 Corinthians 11:18-26

Every service of the church ought to be serious.  We ought to be inclined to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.  Today’s service is a special service, not only for this church but for every church as they observe the Lord’s Supper.  The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the church in which Jesus commanded us to keep in remembrance of his death on the cross.  And in remembrance of his death, why, we become thankful, grateful and serious-minded because he did it all for us when we was without strength.  I’m going to read just a few verses before I speak to you this morning.  1st Corinthians chapter 11.  The Apostle Paul was talking to the church at Corinth and this was long after Jesus had gone back to heaven.  And this chapter he was telling them how they ought to observe the supper.  He said in verse 18, “For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it.”  A church should not be divided as far as things that cause divisions and animosities in the church when they come together to observe the Lord’s Supper.  Everything should be laid aside and come together in one accord and in prayer with our minds totally set upon the things centered around the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  He continued by saying, “For there must also be heresies among you that they which are approved may be manifest among you.”  I don’t think that there is heresies among us but if there is we need to remove them and be true to the bible doctrine and teaching.  “For when you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.”  What he’s saying is just because people gather in one place, why it’s not to eat the Lord’s Supper.  The Lord’s Supper is to be eaten in church capacity in the house of the Lord.  “For in eating everyone taketh before other his own supper.  One is hungry and another is drunken.”  What a shame these people were at the church at Corinth.  “What, have you not houses to eat and to drink in or despise you the church of God?  And shame them that have not.  What shall I say unto you?  Shall I praise you in this?  I praise you not.  For I have received of the Lord that which I also deliver unto you.  That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread.  And when he had given thanks he breaks it and take, eat.  This is my body, which is broken for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.  After the same manner he took the cup and when he had some saying this cup is the New Testament in my blood.  That this do eat as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you do show the Lord’s death until he comes. “I’m going to close my reading there because of time.  There’s some other things written there about the Lord’s supper.  But for a few minutes this morning I want to speak to you about the Lord’s Supper and the observance of his supper.  I think the first thing I should say to you that this is the Lord’s Supper.  It is not given.  We are not offering you the Lord’s supper today as food for your body or a drink because you’re thirsty but this unleavened bread and this fruit of the vine is offered as a remembrance of the crucifixion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross and that alone.  Jesus, the same night that he was betrayed, and he was betrayed by one of his own disciples, 12 disciples.  He was not anything but an apostle or disciple.  He had never been saved but has been numbered with them.  Judas Iscariot covenanted with the Scribes and Pharisees to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.  He betrayed him with a simple kiss.  The bible said that they came with swords and staves to arrest him as a common criminal.  It is berating to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ to be put in a circumstance where he would be seen as a common criminal.  He had broken no law.  In fact he had not even spoken gall out of his mouth.  But in every way he was sinless in his life, in his speech, in his actions.  And people should have respected that.  Nevertheless I’ll say to you that it was purpose of God before the foundation, the world, that Jesus Christ should come in the world and give his life as a sacrifice, as a ransom, for our sins.  And almost all of the actions of the Old Testament was leading up to the triumph moment when Jesus would be taken to the cross and give his life for the sins of the world.  I need to say to you this morning that the cross, which is an emblem of Christ, the cross that he was nailed to is the greatest emblem in all of the world of the Christian religion.  Do not be afraid to wear the cross.  Don’t be afraid to put it on your ring finger.  Don’t be afraid to put it on a pencil.  Don’t be afraid to display it anywhere because it is a simple reminder and testimony to other people of who you are and that you believe in the crucified and living Christ, the son of God.  Let me say to you today that Jesus himself observed the Passover with his disciples.  And somebody will ask what is the Passover?  The night that the Israelites left the land of bondage, the Lord told Moses to institute the Passover supper.  And so he instituted the Passover supper as a remembrance of that night when the Lord delivered them from the land of bondage.  And they said to them, He said; pick your lamb of the first year.  One without spot, one without blemish and offer that lamb and take the blood of the lamb and put it on the side post, both sides and on the
And on the door handle.  And at midnight the death angel is going to pass through.  That was to be the last of the plagues upon the Israelite people.  And Pharaoh was going to let them go.  Take these people and go.  And so the death angel passed through and the Lord said when I see the blood I’ll pass over you.  Now that was to be a forerunner of the Lord’s Supper.  There was to be a lamb in the case of the Lord’s Supper.  And the lamb was to be Jesus Christ the very Son of God.  The bible said that he stood as a lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.  But he was manifest in these last times.  Like the lamb of the Old Testament, they always slew him outside of the camp.  And the high priest would take the blood into the holiest of holies.  Jesus Christ was slain outside the camp.  That is outside of the camp of heaven.  They put him to death on a cruel cross on Calvary’s Hill.  And there he sacrificed his body and shed his blood for the forgiveness of sin.  And when he had finished that he ascended back to the Father and entered into the holiest of holies, which is heaven itself.  And in heaven itself he offered a sacrifice of his blood upon the altar of God for the sins of all the people.  The veil of the temple, the old temple was rent from top to bottom, which signified that all people everywhere had the right to come before the throne of grace for themselves and ask God to forgive of their sins.  And then saved you do not have to have a priest or a preacher or a deacon but you can for yourself go before the throne of God and ask him to forgive you of your sins and trust in him to do that.  And he’ll forgive you of your sins.  I talked to a man this week who moved across from Green Valley Church from the state of Florida.  He is a security man working for the United States Government.  And so the second night he came I asked him if he’d been saved and he said yes, sir, I have.  Let me tell you, he said I have been in security all my life.  And I got depressed.  He said when I got depressed I went and bought me a gun intending to commit suicide.  He practiced shooting with his gun.  It was firing just fine.  But he went out there somewhere by himself in the state of Florida and he put the gun up there and it didn’t fire.  It misfired.  And he said when it misfired, he said, it was as though the Lord spoke to him.  And He said I got a lot of work for you to do.  He mentioned some of the things.  And he said I began to think it over and I got serious and he said I knelt right there under a tree and I trusted the Lord and He saved me right there under that tree.  When the veil of the temple was rent that’s what it means.  That this man under a tree could go directly to the Lord for himself and trust in the Lord and be saved.  They came before Jesus came before, Caiaphas and Annas.  But they didn’t have the authority to sentence him to death because they were the judges of the Jewish people.  But then they carried him on before Pilate.  And when Pilate had tried him he said I find nothing wrong with this just man.  You know why he couldn’t find anything wrong with him?  There wasn’t anything wrong with him.  But they sought false witnesses.  And when they sought false witnesses they found none.  But then finally one man came forth and he said this man said that he was the Son of God.  That’s blasphemy!  That’s worthy of death.  They asked Jesus art thou the Son of God?  And he said thou are you sayeth that I am.  He did not deny but confessed that they said that he was the Son of God.  So Pilate offered to release him.  His wife told him not to have anything to do with this just man.  In fact he went and washed his hands.  And the Jewish people said let his blood be upon us and our children.  I’ll say unto you this morning that the blood of his crucifixion was not upon the Jewish people only but all people in all the world for all of our sins helped to hold him to the cross.  And so Pilate sentenced him to death because that he said he was the Son of God and thus blasphemed.  If he was not the Son of God then he did blaspheme.  But we know that he was the Son of God.  There are every indications that he was the Son of God.  I don’t have time this morning to take up the text that would prove to you that he was the Son of God.  I’ll just say to you if the spirit abides in your heart this morning, that’s enough proof that he is the Son of God.  When he came out of Pilate’s hall, the bible said they put a crown of thorns on him.  Why would they put a crown of thorns on his head?  Not because they believed that he was who they said he was but because they wanted to mock him, embarrass him as the king of kings.  And so they not only put a crown of thorns on him but they put a robe upon him that they might further embarrass him.  That they might tore in him they took a whip, a common whip with leather straps on the end that had either bone or metal.  And every time it hit him it cut the flesh and he bled.  They led him away to Calvary’s Hill.  He was carrying his own wooden cross.  But he went down.  The terrible affliction of his body had weakened him until he was not able to carry that wooden cross.  However they compelled a man whose name was Simon of Cyrene to take it on to Golgotha’s Hill.  And when they got Golgotha’s Hill they nailed him to the old rugged cross.  And they lifted it up between heaven and earth for the whole world to see that he, who said he was Jesus Christ, was nailed to the cross.  And so when they had nailed him to the cross he did one of the great works of his life for the manifestation of his purpose of coming in the world.  There were two thieves, the Old Testament had prophesied that he would be numbered with the transgressors and then fulfillment of that there was a thief on the right and one on the left.  If thou be the Christ, cast thyself down and us.  But Jesus listening to that, listen to the other thief who rebuked this one and he said we’re here justly.  But this man has done nothing wrong.  And he turned to Jesus and he said Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom now.  I have preached on the subject before to you about a sinner’s prayer.  Right here on this cross was a man who was dying that prayed a sinner’s prayer.  And God Almighty Jesus Christ turned away from his own suffering and death and paid attention to this sinner who was praying a sinner’s prayer.  Lord, remember me.  Don’t you forget me.  And Jesus said to him today shall thou be with me in paradise.  And so this man never came down from the cross.  I need to say something unto you about that.  I appreciate church membership.  I encourage people as they are being saved to unite with the church and to follow the Lord in baptism.  But this man never came down from the cross and yet Jesus said to him today thou shalt be with me in paradise.  So he never had the opportunity to come to church.  He never had the opportunity to observe the ordinances.  And it’s important for us to do.  But what I’m saying to you that it is not necessary for a person to be a member of the church or to observe their ordinances in order to be saved.  Our salvation is a separate thing.  Have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he’ll forgive you of your sins.  And so Jesus uttered some things while he was on the cross.  I want to mention first to you that he said Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.  Probably the greatest intercessory prayer of all time was prayed by Jesus Christ on the cross.  And do you know who was praying for him?  Not only the crowd that was there of witnessing him, but the people of Corinth, the people of Smith County, the people of Tennessee, the people of the world.  He prayed for us before we was ever born.  Father, forgive them.  And the truth is that they didn’t know what they were doing.  So he prayed.  The bible said they gave him vinegar mixed with gall.  And when he had tasted he refused.  The vinegar was supposed to be something that would be a mild sedative maybe and ease his pain.  But he refused that and he suffered and bore alone our sins on the cross of Calvary.  He could have come down but he didn’t come down.  When he went to the Garden of Gethsemane, he had fully submitted to the will of God to go to the cross.  And there had been agreement in heaven before the foundation of the world that he would go to the cross.  And so as he hung on Calvary’s cross between heaven and earth he bore the full load of our sins.  He may have went down as he went up Calvary’s Hill carrying that cross.  But when he was hung on the cross for our sins he didn’t come down.  But he bore all of our sins.  He paid the full price for our sins on that old rugged cross.  He despised the shame.  He despised the suffering that he was going through.  But the bible said for the joy that was given to him in bringing people to salvation he suffered on that cross.  In the book of Hebrews, Paul wrote, he said, “For by one offering he hath perfected forever of him that are sanctified.”  The one offering was Jesus Christ, his body and his blood on that cross for the sins of the world.  There was enough bloodshed to take away all of the sins that has ever been or ever will be in this world.  So if you’re saved this morning a part of that blood was shed on Calvary’s cross cleansed you from your sins and made you whole and a child of God Almighty.  Paul said “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”  So I thank the Lord for that.  He came and he said, “Father, it is finished.”  What is finished?  The work that God gave him to do was finished.  He had lived a sinless life.  He was made sin for us, not that he sinned, but in that he was made flesh like the sinful of men.  He was tempted in every way as we are yet without sin.  That we through him might be made the righteous of God in him.  So he said, “Father, it is finished.”  He kept the broken law that had been broken since Adam’s transgression in the Garden of Eden.  He had kept that.  And his sacrifice now had satisfied the Lord.  And the bible said in Isaiah chapter 53 right at the end of the chapter, maybe the last verse, “When the Lord saw the travail of his soul, He was satisfied with the sacrifice.”  He accepted that as payment for our sins and therefore we can come to the Lord and be saved.  When he had said it is finished he said, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”  Even though his body still hung on the old rugged cross the inward man of him, the God man left that body and went to be with the Lord.  Now there is something, I want to back up, and get while Jesus was hanging on the cross the scripture said there was darkness from the sixth hour unto the ninth hour.  The sun did not give its light.  That is a little bit unusual for us in these times if the sun went down at noontime and didn’t shine again until 3:00.  And there were no clouds, we’d think something was wrong and there would be.  What happened was Jesus was hanging on the cross God Almighty turned his face from him.  He turned his back upon him.  It was not that he forsook him but what it was that he allowed him to bear alone the sins of the whole world.  And so Jesus Christ bore our sins on Calvary’s cross.  It is this instance in the history of the bible where they carried him to Calvary’s cross.  And he was nailed to the cross.  And the soldier struck his side with a spear and forthwith came blood and water.  It is this incident that we are having a memorial service about today.  God has given us the privilege of pictorially setting forth to the world the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross.  Paul said I delivered unto you as the Lord delivered unto me.  That was the Lord showed him how to set the table at the church at Corinth.  And he said as you do this when you all come together in the church.  And they did come together in the church.  There was divisions among them.  There was heresies among them.  Some were drunk and some didn’t wait to eat with the others.  All of those things were not supposed to be taking place.  He said to take this bread, unleavened bread.  That is bread without any salt or seasoning just plain bread.  The just plain bread is a reminder of the sinless body of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And we break it and pass it among you that you may remember that his body was broken for us on the cross.  And then the bible said that he took the cup, the blood, and passed it, the fruit of the vine, passed it among them and said this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you.  Drink, eat all of it in remembrance of me.  So this is a special day on the day.  There are a lot more things that I’d like to say to you about this, this morning but time is gone.

Blog Post 052310 – The Lord’s Supper – 1 Corinthians 11:18-26 – 3579 Words

Luke 24:49-53

My reading this morning comes from Luke Chapter 24 beginning with verse 49; Jesus said “ 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. [...]]]> The Power of The Holy Spirit: Download Sermon

Luke 24:49-53

My reading this morning comes from Luke Chapter 24 beginning with verse 49; Jesus said “ 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. And he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.” That’s reading verses 49 through 53 of the 24th Chapter of the Gospel According to Luke. For a period of time this morning I’m going to try to speak to you on “The Power of the Holy Spirit”. I’m going to begin my message to you and ask you if you know the power of the Holy Spirit. And I should say all of us who are saved have the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and the witness of the Holy Spirit to an individual is some different than the power of the Holy Spirit which I’m going to speak to you about this morning. I don’t know if we have in our lives experienced the full potential of the power of the Holy Spirit. The truth of the business is that it’s beyond our imagination or beyond our exaggeration or our ability to conceive of the complete of the complete power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised this to the New Testament church while it was yet still young. In verse 49 that I read it said “behold I send the promise of my father upon you” he was talking to the little church at Jerusalem which was young and this is the promise of God that Jesus was giving to the New Testament church. But he said to them in order to receive this power you must wait in Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. When he had spoken those things he led them out to Bethany and the Mount of Olives the bible said where he blessed them and after he blessed them Jesus went away and he has been gone ever since to heaven to sit in his place at the right hand of the heavenly father where he makes intercession for all that will come to him. In the 10th chapter of the Gospel According to Matthew Jesus had given this same group the limited commission. And he said go not in the way of the Samaritans or the Gentiles but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The reason for that is they were not strong enough, didn’t have enough assets that they might reach on out beyond their borders. They did a good job inside of their borders and the church at Jerusalem came to have over 20.000 members we believe. In Matthew Chapter 28 Jesus gave the world wide commission when he said to the little church “go into all the world and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them all things that I have commanded you and lo I’ll be with you always even to the end of the world, Amen.” Having reminded you of the great commission and at the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit and even at this time the disciples had the witness of the spirit within them.  But Jesus was going to endue them as a church with greater power, power from on high that not only that they might not only have the responsibility but with the capability of the power of the Holy Spirit to make disciples in all the world. Acts Chapter 1 “they being assembled together he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem.” But wait saith he of the promise from the father. This verse is a reminder of them that they should wait right here in the city of Jerusalem until that promise that Jesus placed upon them of the Lord that should be fulfilled. Waiting for that promise Jesus said to them John truly baptized with water but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days sense. We know that John baptized with water that it was a literal baptism of a burial in a watery grave. But Jesus said ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. We are coming to the part of my message where I spake to you about the power of the Holy Spirit. We have some idea of the power of the Holy Spirit but you know it is only human nature when people are in the spirit to suppress the power of the spirit. It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul said “grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye are sealed until the day of redemption.” The disciples asked the Lord when he had spoken these things “will thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  You see at this time Israel had no kingdom, the land was there but it was not under their rule and they were looking for somebody to sit on the throne of David and re-establish the kingdom of Israel. The Lord said to these disciples “it is not for you to know the times nor the seasons which the Father has put in his own power.” And he went on from there and said “but ye, the little church, but ye shall receive power, that is the power to carry out, the great commission to make disciples and to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you.” The power of the Holy Ghost and the power of the Holy Spirit and the immersion of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was to be on the church literally, spiritually giving them strength and grace to go and preach the gospel and make disciples in all nations. And he said “and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the world or the earth.”  The scripture said when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all gathered together in one place and in one accord. They were waiting for the reception of this promise and waiting in prayer and in faith and waiting together. Acts 2 said when they were waiting together suddenly, quickly there came as it were a rushing mighty wind and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Now we can’t see the Holy Spirit with our physical eye but we can see the effects of it upon saved people and even upon unsaved people of them being brought to the conviction of their sins and coming and being saved. But we have seen people’s lives affected by the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon them and so he said that the whole house was filled with the spirit of God. I think at times in the past we have witnessed this whole house being filled with the presence of God and with people testifying and shouting and praising God and giving Him glory. As these people were gathered together on that day and the house was filled the bible said they began to speak as the spirit gave them utterance. I think we understand that. I know we have witnessed at times when people are a little bashful and maybe not outstanding speakers who had little confidence in themselves rise and give a testimony that was almost out of this world and it would literally ignite the whole congregation because of its spirits power. And so as they spake as the spirit gave them utterance it’s a wonderful blessing when we can be in church under the sound of peoples testimony speaking as the spirit gives them utterance to do so. And so as they spoke the bible said there were devote men from every nation they were come to Jerusalem for this feast day and there were a large crowd of them. And the bible said they began to speak in tongues and the reason for speaking in tongues was the Lord had endued them when the whole house was filled with the spirit of God to speak not really in unknown tongues but to speak in difference languages so that the 17 different nationalities of people could understand in their own language on that day. They were all Hebrew lineage, Jews, but not all of them spoke the same language yet the Lord enabled the disciples to speak in every language so they could understand. So the people that were there who were not blessed with the promise of God coming upon them began to say these men are drunk and these men are full of new wine and that’s a little critical statement by people who don’t understand the working and power of the Holy Spirit. But the Lord gave Simon Peter the strength to get up with the eleven and he began to speak and he said “but these men are not drunk as ye suppose it is but the third hour of the day (nine o’clock in the morning by our time) but they are not drunk as ye suppose but they are enjoying the fulfillment of the promise of God which ye first made by the Prophet Joel and Joel said it shall come to pass in the last days that God would pour out his spirit upon all flesh.” Isn’t that a wonderful statement? We are 2000 years nearly of this side of that first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and we are today worshipping God in the power that fell upon them on the day of Pentecost and I’ll say to you that that power is any lessen with our people than with those people. We have the same access and not only the same access but we have the ability to do as they did as they worshiped God. And Simon Peter spoke out listen this was a great sermon he preached on the day of Pentecost and after he said “the Lord’s spirit will be poured out upon all flesh” and the scripture said “that it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Isn’t that wonderful this morning? This has not lessened since the day Jesus Christ gave the Holy Spirit to the New Testament church. And then he said “listen ye men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man appointed of God among you and has been manifest by miracles and wonderful things him he has been delivered by the determinate council and the foreknowledge of God Almighty and the determinate council was the Jewish people and they said let Barabbas go and Jesus be crucified. And Pilate said His blood will be on you all. And they said let His blood be upon us but crucify him. The bible said “and God has raised him up from the death of the cross and not only has he raised him up but he has seated him at the right hand of God where he liveth and maketh intercession for us.” Therefore he said under them that the promise God swore to Abraham that somebody would set upon the throne of David has been fulfilled and that somebody is the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he spake of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and he said “therefore let this house of Israel know that God hath made this same Jesus that ye crucified both Lord and Christ.” And when they heard these things the unsaved portion of that crowd the bible said “they were pricked in their hearts.” Do you know what that means? We usually used a different word but it means the same thing. We use the word conviction and when they heard the great sermon of Simon Peter as he preached in the power of the Holy Spirit on that day they were convicted in their hearts and they said men and brethren what shall we do to be saved and Simon Peter answered them as frankly as he possibly could. He said to them “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Now this verse is some inverted but what it was simply saying was repent and ye shall receive forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost and then every one of you who have repented and received the remission of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. The bible said on that day they that received his word that was the unsaved they that gladly received his message and was pricked in their hearts and convicted of their sins they were added unto them about 3000 souls an amazing revival meeting on that day. I’ll tell you this morning right here in the city of Carthage it’s not impossible for our church to have such a revival as the church of Jerusalem had on that day. The church was fully, totally immersed in the baptism of the Holy Spirit honey when the spirit of the Lord is upon you, when the spirit of the Lord is around you, when  the spirit of the Lord is in total control of you then we’re in the condition for revival to break forth. Sinners will be converted by the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the church will be in revival and I mean in real revival. We say like the Psalmist who said “oh Lord wilt thou revive us again that thy people may rejoice in thee again.” Yes that thy spirit may come upon us and that we may exercise their abilities that their spirit may revive them then we can have revival meeting. In closing this morning what does this mean? What does all this mean? The Lord said I’ll send the promise of my father upon you. It means that the prophecy of Joel was going to be fulfilled and it also means that the promise of Jesus Christ to the little church would be fulfilled. And then it simply means to us that not only then but now and all time that the church New Testament church is immersed in the power of the Holy Spirit and we can have as much of it as we want or we can reject it and not ask for it. In closing of my message this morning I would tell you as members of this church that come here continue to ask the Lord to continue to send his spirit among us as he sends the wind and the rain. The spirit is much like the wind it blows but you can’t see it you can see the tree leaves as they move in the blowing of the wind and so the spirit goeth where it lissenth they hearth the sound thereof but can’st not tell from whence it cometh nor whereth it goeth so is everyone that is born of the spirit of God.

Blog Post 050210 – The Power of the Holy Spirit – Luke 24:49-53 – 2619 Words

John 10:27-30

I’m getting started a little late in my message this morning so if I run over a little bit I beg your patience and your endurance and I’ll try not to be too lengthy.  But I’m going to read three verses from Chapter 10 [...]]]> The Gift of Eternal Life: Download Sermon

John 10:27-30

I’m getting started a little late in my message this morning so if I run over a little bit I beg your patience and your endurance and I’ll try not to be too lengthy.  But I’m going to read three verses from Chapter 10 of the gospel according to John.  These are the words of Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish.  Neither shall any man pluck them out of my Father’s hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”  I read from Verse 27 through Verse 30 of Chapter 10 of the gospel according to John.
My message this morning I believe is Biblical.  I intend for it to be entirely Biblical.  However I want to say to you before I begin that this is a Baptist message.  There are times when we need to teach our people to identify themselves with what they believe about the Scriptures and about how that they feel and how to defend themselves.  Now I wish that all people would believe what I’m going to preach to you this morning but unfortunately it is a controversial subject; we know that.  Baptist people and Presbyterian people believe this and that’s about it.  Others believe something else and I’ll mention what they believe in my message this morning.
This is not a personal message, this is not a message to condemn somebody but just simply a message of truth.  In our Articles of Faith, number 5 says we believe that the saints shall preserve in grace and never finely fall away.  And so we believe that with all of our hearts.  Verse 28 is the foundation for my subject this morning.  Jesus said of the Disciples, the sheep, he identified the sheep in Verse 27, “I give unto them eternal life.”  In conversion what do we receive?  Eternal life.  That’s what the Bible says.
And there are a lot of things to be said about this.  Paul in writing to the church at Philippi said, “Being confident of this one thing that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”  The good work that he’s talking about is conversion, the gift of the eternal life.  And we believe that this begins in conversion not somewhere in the middle of our life’s journey or at the end of life’s journey.  At the end of life’s journey we just go to receive the full benefit of that which the Lord gave us in conversion, eternal life.
And so God Almighty is able we believe to perform it until the total end of our journey here on this earth.  Paul the Apostle said that we commit our souls to Him.  That is in conversion.  In Ephesians Chapter 4 Verse 30 the Apostle said, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed until the day of redemption.”  This word “redemption” is talking about the redemptions of our body when they come forth from the grave.  In conversion we receive eternal life, in conversion the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and in conversion we are sealed until the day of redemption.
I have spoken to you before about our mothers before the days of home freezers.  The fathers and mothers would raise the garden and the mothers would put up the vegetables and the fruit in cans and they sealed them.  I’ve seen my mother do it a thousand and more times.  The reason that she sealed them was that the air could not get to it and nothing would cause it to spoil or to sour.  It kept as though it were when it was first put in there good and fresh.  In conversion the Lord seals our souls until the day of redemption and we won’t need it any longer.
To go along with that in 1st John Chapter 3 and Verse 9, the Apostle John wrote these words and he said, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.”  Now that may be a little strange to you because we know as long as we live that we’re going to sin in this physical body but we must be able to understand that this body is physical, this body is born one time and that’s through the incorruptible seed of our parents.  But when we are born again we are born of the Spirit of God, the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever the Bible said.
So when he said, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin” he simply means that the soul of man that is born again of the Spirit of God does not commit sin.  And so since we do not commit sin there is no sin to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  However I need to address something here with you here this morning.  The majority even of the religious world believe that once a person has been saved and they sin naturally, physically that they go back into a state of separation.  Fallen from grace is the word that they use.
I begin this part by asking you, “Is it possible for a person to fall from grace?”  The answer is yes and the answer is no.  Yes, in that in the 5th Chapter of the Book of Galatians Paul was writing to the churches of Galatia and he said “Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free.”  In other words, be strong in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that has saved you from your sins and be not entangled again with the corruptible things of this world and the yoke of bondage.  And then he said, “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if you be circumcised, Christ profitith you nothing.”
You all listen to these verses this morning.  If you are depending upon being circumcised or if you are depending upon your lineage of Abraham, Christ Jesus profitith you nothing.  And then he said, “For I testify that a man who is circumcised is debtor to the law” that is, the Law of Moses. “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever be justified by the law is fallen from grace.”  Now let me explain that to you.  This is what that is saying.  If a person wants to be a Pharisee and try to get to Heaven by his own works of righteousness he or she has already fallen from grace because you are not putting any faith in the sacrifice and the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But on the other hand I said no as far as a person sinning and falling from grace after they are saved.  The Apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrews and he said, “For it is impossible…”; I believe the word means that it just can’t happen but as it goes, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and tasted of the good word of God, and of the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away”…listen to what he said, “…if they shall fall away, to renew them.”  That is for them to be saved from being separated from God again it would be necessary for Christ Jesus to be crucified afresh is the word that‘s used; it means again on the Cross of Calvary.
I can speak plainly to you this morning and say that Christ died once and for all and that’s all.  If you get saved and it’s possible for you to fall away there is no renewing you unto repentance and salvation for there is no more sacrifice for you who have fallen away.  So Jesus said, “I give unto them eternal life” and then the next phrase said, “And they shall never fall away.”  Honey I can’t say it any better.  I could use a lot of words but He said never, never.  I believe that He meant what He said when He said never fall away.  “My Father” He said, that is God Almighty, “which gave them…” that is the sheep “…to me He is greater than all.”  And He said, “No person is able to pluck you out of my Father’s hand for my Father and I are one and He is greater than all.”  The keeping of my soul was committed unto the Heavenly Father.  I’m in the power of His strength this morning and nobody is able to pluck you out.
Just a word or two here before I go on with my message.  Number one, we are all the children of our parents.  All, we are all the children of our parents.  Do you know how we got here?  By birth.  We were born into our families.  To be saved, to have eternal life Jesus said, “You must be born again.”  I’m going to say to you that there is nothing in this world that you can do that will make you anything else other than the children of your parents.  There is nothing.  You may defy them, you may embarrass them, you may be put in the penitentiary for the rest of your life but you are still their children as long as you live.  By the same token I’ll say to you that it is just as impossible to be spiritually unborn as it is to be physically unborn from your parents.  So that’s just a natural illustration that I was going to give you in my message this morning.
The Apostle Paul asked the question in the 8th Chapter of the Book of Romans, he said, “Who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?”  I’ll ask you to think about that while I talk about it for just a moment.  He began; he said, “…shall tribulation….” You know when we are being attacked and tried on every hand and we get disgusted with it and maybe sort of down and out you may say, “What’s the use?”  But he said that he was persuaded that tribulation would not separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  “…shall tribulation or shall distress…”
We all may have periods of distress.  We may be persecuted and tried to the extent that we’ll just say we’re going to give up on religion.  But even in our lowest and most distressful times it does not separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Miss Jeanette when she came into church this morning I said to her that one of our families at Green Valley is having a 50th Anniversary today of a man that’s just a little older than me.
When he got grown he got married and didn’t come to church.  He was just away for 45 years.  But his mother passed away and some flower money and memorials came and the church used it for something and I said to him, “I want you to come and see what the church did with the money that came from your mother’s funeral” and so he came.  And the first Sunday that he was there we had a Christian handshake and he come around and he said to me, “It was right there, right there.”  “Right there what?”  Right there where he got saved when he was about 14-years-old.
For 45 years he had been out of church but Honey when he came in the Spirit of the Lord was still in his heart and the Spirit of the Lord was still among the church and the Lord restored unto him the joy of his salvation.  And so he’s been coming every time since that time.  Yes he was cold, he was away from the Lord but not lost as lost when we say that people are lost and without God and going to eternal torment.
So he said, “…tribulation, distress, persecution…”  Ah yes, persecution comes.  When I was a young preacher and came to this church you all know of the persecution that was there.  As a young preacher I could have become discouraged.  I could have quit but that wouldn’t have solved anything.  But even if I had it wouldn’t have separated me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Paul said that “we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” but then he said, “Nay, in all of these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
How can you be more than conquerors?  Every general in the army that went into battle has lost soldiers.  There’s just one shepherd that I know of that has never lost a soldier and you know who that is?  The Lord Jesus Christ.  He used these words, He said, “Father of those that you have given me I have lost none but the Son of Perdition.”  And you know who he was?  He was Judas Iscariot who was never a son or child of God.  He fell from his apostleship but not from salvation because he was never converted.  The Bible teaches us that.
And then he said, “Neither height nor depth nor angel nor principality or any other thing” he said “shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus for I am persuaded that none of these things shall do that.”  And I am also persuaded that these things will not separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.  Now the Apostle John said, “If any man say that he have not sinned he…” does what?  Y’all listen.  “If any man say that he has no sin he deceives himself.”  Who?  Not the public out here; they see you every day but deceives himself and the truth is not in him.  If any man say that he hath not sinned he makes the Lord a liar.
So these things are all true but then in the 1st Verse of the 2nd Chapter 1st John he said, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not but if you do you have an advocate with the Father, the man Jesus Christ.”  Yes we all have these sins that are common to man in our physical body.  The blood of Jesus Christ, His son, continually cleanses us from these common sins that’s in our flesh and we have an advocate with the Father, the man Jesus Christ.
Now I want to give you two examples right quick and I’ll get through with my message.  Everybody knows the story of David.  He had such a lust that he took a man’s wife that was not his without being married to her and she conceived and bear a son.  It was so strong upon him that he sent her husband into the battle and got him killed.  So blood was upon his hands.  But in Chapter 51 of the Book of Psalm we know David was saved.  He said, “The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not want.”  In the 116th Psalm he gives us his conversion.
In the 40th Chapter of Psalm he talks about his conversion.  In the Psalms several times he said, “My heart’s fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.”  But Honey he was still a human being.  In this physical body he was a human being and all of us are too.  In the 51st Psalm he come before the Lord and he said, “Lord…” and he was broken-hearted because he was sin.  It caught up with him.  He said, “Create in me a clean spirit O God.”  Yeah, make me clean.  Forgive me of all these sins that are common to man.
“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.”  He did not ask to be saved again but to restore the joy of his salvation.  And he said, “Lord, if you’ll restore the joy of it then I’ll teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto the Lord.”  Isn’t that wonderful?  I’ll tell you what, that can happen to all of us, to all of us.  We need to daily ask the Lord to forgive us of our sins.  Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath and on your sins.
One other before I close my message this morning.  Jesus on Disciples, Apostles.  Jesus said to them, “I’m going to have to go to the cross” and Simon Peter said, “Lord be it far from you.”  In other words this can’t happen; you are our leader, you are our master, you are our shepherd.  And Jesus said to Simon Peter he said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to sift you.”  Honey he’s desired to sift all of us and he’ll probably sift some of us before the day is gone today.  Simon Peter said, “Not me Lord, not me.  If you die I die too.  I’ll give my life for you.”  He said, “Simon Peter, you’ll deny me before the old rooster crows three times.”
And so when Jesus was on trial, y’all remember he was on trial, Simon Peter was out there and they said, “This man’s one of them.”  He swore he said, “I don’t know him.  I don’t know him.”  Three times he said, “I don’t know him.”  And about that time you know what happened?  The old rooster crowed.  Yeah the old rooster crowed and Simon Peter remembered what the Lord had said to him but he had already been sifted, already been sifted. The Bible said he remembered.  You know what he did?  He went out and he wept bitterly because he was a child of God.
What happens to us if we transgress against the Lord?  The Bible said, “He that is without chastening is a bastard and not a son.”  If you have never in your lives felt the chastening of the Lord, Honey you better run the line back and check and see if you really got it.  All of God’s children have at some time, and some more than others, felt the chastening of the Lord.  And He said, “If you are without it you are a bastard and not a son.”  The Lord chastens all of His little children.  It’s not because He doesn’t love them but on the contrary it’s because He loves them.  When He chastens them He hopes that they’ll get back in line and be and do what they ought to do.
The last thing of my message this morning.  When a child of God…we’ll just use this for an example.  We know we ought to be in church but when we forsake the assembly of ourselves together and when we forsake prayer and fail to worship as we ought to, get out in the world, get entangled with the things of the world, what happens to us?  Paul said to the Corinthians he said, “You’ll suffer loss.”  Suffer loss?  Loss of what?  The rewards for the righteous deeds that you could have done.  All of those unrighteous things will be burned up.  He said that, “Our works will be tried by fire to see of what sort they are”  and every one of them down to a cool cup of water will receive a just recompense of reward.
We believe what?  That the saints shall preserve in grace and never finally fall away.  My life is not perfect you know; it’s just not.  I’m as human as you all are.  Most people look at the preacher a little different you know and they suspect that he ought to do better and live better and there’s some basis for that.  The more responsibility and the higher the office the more is required of you but I’m still in the flesh.  The Law of the Lord is perfect converted into soul you see.  The human body is not subject to the Law of God neither ending can be.  It is the soul that’s born of the spirit of God and in that we are committed to the keeping of the Lord.  We shall preserve in grace for as long as we shall live.
This is my message to you this morning.  There are a lot more verses but I don’t have time to bring them to you.  If you all are ready to sing why we’ll get ready to close our service with singing this morning.  Let the congregation stand while we sing.  Aren’t you glad that the Devil can’t get you?  Aren’t you glad?  Honey he can’t get you.  You know what?  If he could get one of God’s children he could get two of them couldn’t he?  If he could get two of them he could get three of them.  If he could get three of them Honey he could break that seal on all of them.  There wouldn’t be a single one.  But you know what?  We are kept by faith, kept by the power of God through faith because of what happened to us in conversion and nobody can break that seal.  Let us…

Blog Post 051610 – The Gift of Eternal Life – John 10:27-30 – 3590 Words

Matthew 19:1-9 Thank you for these good songs and thank you for the knowledge of our mothers who are asleep in Jesus and have died in the Lord of seeing and meeting them again in the morning of the resurrection. What a wonderful and joyful time that will be [...]]]> The Family: Download Sermon

Matthew 19:1-9
Thank you for these good songs and thank you for the knowledge of our mothers who are asleep in Jesus and have died in the Lord of seeing and meeting them again in the morning of the resurrection. What a wonderful and joyful time that will be when we meet them in the air to be with them and Jesus through all eternity. We all have a lot of precious memories and I’m glad we do thank the Lord that he has given us a mind to remember and a mind to think and we could all go back to our old home places and just reminisce for a little while on this morning and think about the wonderful times we had when we were growing up. The reunions we had on birthdays, Christmas and other times how much more it’s going to be when we meet our loved ones again to be with the Lord forever and forever. I’ll be reading this morning from the 19th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew beginning with verse one. “And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings he departed from Galilee and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan: and great multitudes followed him and he healed them there. The Pharisees also came unto him tempting him, and saying unto him, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and saith unto them, Have ye not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be on flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together let no man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife except it be for fornication and shall marry another, committeth adultery, and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” That’s reading the first nine verses of chapter 19 of the Gospel According to Matthew for our devotional today. For a short time left I’m going to speak to you on the family. I realize we live in a family oriented community and most of us have families and family members and extended families and all of this is good. But I think it’s important for us time after time to reaffirm our faith in the family. I don’t think there is anything in this world the devil is fighting harder against than the family. You know there is tremendous warfare. Right here in our community you don’t have to go to Nashville you don’t have to go to Texas or Oklahoma or California to find trouble that’s being made in the family. I believe that the bible teaches us that the family is a cornerstone of a honorable human society. And so if we are to remain a honorable human society we must encourage our young people to take their mates. In the bible to leave your father and mother and become one flesh, if it were not for the family we’d be just like the animals out in the field here. I don’t think any of us wants to lower our standards to be like the animals while at the same time we don’t want to do that we have a lot of people doing just that in our area. I’m going to talk to you from the first chapter and the second chapter of the Book of Genesis and other places in the bible. God made everything and he made almost everything in the first five days. But on the 6th day the bible said God said “let us make man”. The word “us” here implies more than one since it’s plural. But you may say there was no one there but God. But there was God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The bible said in the first chapter of the Gospel of John that Jesus without him was not anything made that was made so these are three distinct persons and they work in unison as one. And God said “let us make man in our image and after our likeness.” This is a big statement. “Let us make them male and female” he said. I’ll suggest to you this morning that he did not make them Steve and Bill as some suppose in these times. But he made them male and female after his own likeness and you’ll say Bro. Gentry how’s that? In the 2nd chapter of the Book of Genesis the scripture said “and the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed from his nostrils the breath of life and he became a living soul.” There is no other created thing even though other things have the breath of life they do not have a living soul. God Almighty placed within the man and the woman he was about to create a living soul and that soul is like God in that it’s to live on and on and on through all eternity. So when he had made him he put him in the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And He told him he would have dominion or control over everything and at that time God looked upon Adam and said it was not good for him to be alone. How would you men like to live in this world alone? This is what the family is about God said it was not good for man to be alone. And he made a help for him a help that was suitable for him a help that was compatible for him and he for her a help that was to be loving and compassionate and supportive and by his side all the time. My uncle Mr. Bart Croslin said to me not long before he died and he wanted to say this to me because I was going to hold his service; he said “Ivy Opal” Ivy Opal that’s what he called his wife and Ivy Opal was my Dad’s sister. He said to me “I thought Ivy Opal was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen”. Well you know God Almighty made the women to look beautiful and he created man to have a desire for them because they are to be a help mate for him. The scripture said the Lord took Adam and caused a deep sleep to come upon him and he took a rib from his side and then closed it up and made a woman. And He called her name Eve and she is the mother of all living. I’ll suggest to you that He didn’t take a bone from his head or a bone from his foot for her to be above or beneath him. But she took a bone from his side for she was to be by his side and to be a help for him. They were not to boss each other around and the man was not to be a wife beater and all of those things in fact now I’ll just give you the recipe for a good marriage. The Lord had the Apostle Paul write it down in the 5th chapter of the Book of Ephesians and this is what he said. He said “wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord.” Now you could say it’s a big order and it is a big order but do not we want to please the Lord and this was his directive and he said we’d be able to get along if we did this. So wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord he also said in these same scriptures that the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church. Now when we get to that it becomes a little more difficult you know for some of the women and I understand that but he went on and he didn’t leave the husbands without responsibility. He said “husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.” Now that’s a big order for the man and it’s not such a big order for the man to love his wife if she is attractive and compassionate. It’s only the nature of men to love their wives isn’t it? Now I must insert here that He didn’t say for us to love someone else’s wife and try to get her you know and that’s happening all over the world. But husbands love your own wives as Jesus Christ loved the church and Jesus gave himself for the church. He sure did and the bible teaches us that the family system that God Almighty set up will work to perfection if we cultivate it. I tell young people when I counsel them that when you put out a garden you’ve got to cultivate it or the weeds will grow up in it. I’ll say plainly to you all this morning when you have fallen in love and get married it’s important to cultivate your marriage. If you don’t cultivate it you’ll grow apart from each other. You may even fall out of love but that’s not the Lord’s fault and we shouldn’t charge him with that fault. But if we’ll cultivate it and a preacher said to me when I was visiting him and he said “my wife and I are going to take a little vacation and we’re going to try and get re-acquainted with one another.” And I said “that’s good.” You know he’d been out doing his duties and hadn’t been at home much so they needed some time together. Now I’m going to share something with you all that I probably haven’t before. I’ve been in the ministry for 53 years now and for the first 15-20 years of my ministry I had a lot of revivals and a lot of weddings. As many as 15 a year sometimes and Ms. Puddin suggested to me one day when we were going down the road and she said “we need to spend a little more time together” and I said “yes we do”. And I wondered how we might work that out but she said to me “what about you taking a day a week off and let that be my day” and I said “that sounds fine to me.” And so for many years I took off on Wednesday and it was her day. We would go out and eat and have fellowship with one another and she could shop or do whatever she wants too as most women like to do. But it was her day and she felt more esteemed because it was her day and she was getting the attention. Well Ms. Puddin is a loving and kind person, she loves the children and she loves the church, and she loves our children but Regina and Chuck are here and they can tell you that she the type of person who loves attention. She wouldn’t like for me to say that but it’s the truth so don’t you all go tell her. And she’s not in the category by herself because most of the ladies like the attention and they deserve the attention. So if your mother is alive today you ought to give her some attention and thank her for bringing you into this world through pain and sorrow and thank her for her love and affection. I have often said that Jesus Christ had the greatest love that there is and it never fails and the next greatest love is a love is of a mother for her children and her family. And I’ve said to you before that I’ve heard that a mother will go through fire for her children and I believe that a Godly mother will go through fire. Solomon said “who can find a virtuous woman and then he said for her price is far above rubies.” What is your mother worth to you? I can’t tell you how much my mother was worth to me but I can tell you when I was a little fellow beyond changing diapers and those things but she was interested in my well being in every aspect of my life. If I was outside and stubbed my toe well you know she could doctor it better than anybody. I’d soon get over it she would take me in her lap and clasp me close to her breast and hug me and sometimes sing to me a little bit. You know old fashion mothers use to sing those old fashion songs sometimes while rocking them to sleep. Bro. Driver from up New Macedonia asked me to go with him to visit a lady and we went up to the rest home and she was almost to the end of the way and about 85 years old. But when we got there I said “Ms. Dedmon I am Bro. Gentry” and she rolled over and said “I’ve heard of you but I don’t know you but I know you are from my community” she was from Chestnut Mound and I said to her “your people asked us to come and see you and they didn’t know if you’d ever been saved or not.” She said “well Bro. Gentry it was in the fall of the year the weather was hot and the men were cutting tobacco and the revival was going on at New Macedonia” and we were having morning and evening service. She said “I’d go in the morning and in the evening Mother would start a fire in that old stove” the stove was an old cook stove. And she said “I’d crawl over in the corner, I was sleepy and tired and I would crawl over in the corner and Mother always those old songs, In the Sweet By and By and I’ll Fly Away and What A Friend We Have in Jesus. Then she said “right over in the corner next to the cook stove is where the Lord saved my soul.” Well you know her mother didn’t know that happened but she was interested in her. And I don’t guess she realized when she was singing the value of those songs to her dear beloved little girl and they stirred up her heart. Those old songs stirred up the conviction in her soul and she trusted in the Lord and was gloriously saved. The bible said ‘beauty is deceitful and vain but a woman that trusts the Lord is worth everything. The wise man said “so we can count our blessings this morning that we have had a Christian mother to raise us in the home and would take us to church and if she didn’t take us to church maybe she would encourage us to go to church and sit under the sound of the gospel of salvation and be ready to go when that time comes. I was so blessed so blessed with a Christian mother and I have been blessed with a Christian life. Ms. Puddin’s faith is probably much deeper in the Lord than most of you would probably suspect.  I’ll just give you all a little instance about that before I close this morning. One of our preacher friend’s wife was dying and Ms. Puddin said to me “I don’t understand why he’s so upset about this because he’s preached for 50 years about how sweet it is to die in Jesus but his faith seems weak about this.”And she said “I know that death is bad but it’s not the worst thing in the world the worse thing in the world is for some person to die without the Lord and to go out into eternity and into a hot and burning hell.” And her faith was strong and she wanted his faith to be strong in the Lord. When we had her service I think his faith had increased. We mourn the passing of our loved ones from this world and rightly so. In this world we all live in physical homes but death separates us and as sure as we live we’re going to die. But Solomon talked about another home and he talked about that long home. In the 12th chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes he said “the mourners go about the streets but man goeth to his long home.” And he said the “silver cord will be broken and the cistrine will be broken at the well but man goeth to his long home.” Honey man goes on and death separates us but man goes to his long home. God has prepared a better home for those who are saved and he said to his disciples the Apostles “if it were not so I would have told you.” So I reiterate what he said “if it were not so I would have told you.” If it wasn’t so I would tell you that it wasn’t so but on the other hand I emphasize and re-emphasize that it is so and God has a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens that’s going to be our home someday and we’ll be there through the endless ages of all eternity. You see the doors won’t be screeching and the windows won’t be rotting out and the shingles won’t be blowing off but we’ll be in the city of God forever and forever and forever. You’ll say who will be there? Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and he said he’d gather everyone of them like the wheat and he said he’d gather every grain into the garner but the chaff I’ll burn with unquenchable fire. So in closing let me say again I appreciate these good Christian mothers and I appreciate your support in my ministry. The Christian women are praying women and I appreciate your prayers.

Blog Post 050910 – The Family – Matthew 19:1-9 – 3089 Words