The Power Of Being Still

Exodus 14. 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” This is going to be a difficult message for all of you who are people of action, those who continually feel the need to do something. Those of you who have hard time waiting. This is very difficult. If you are lacking patience. If you have a “Type A Personality” this is going to be a brutal message, necessary but brutal. There is power in action. Many movements have brought about change. Recently I have written some emails. I have suggested things. I feel there is a need for some reform. When my Superintendents (District and General) were older than me I willingly submitted. I felt they knew best. The elders are to be listened to. However now that I am an elder in the truest sense of the word, my superintendents are all younger than me. It is a bit strange. I have experience that they do not have. This has happened without me being fully cognizant of it. This message is like that. I could have given it years ago but without the experience of it. But now I have lived it. I remember a time when someone said to me, “ There’s not a thing you can do. There’s nothing you can say.” Whew! Being still and silent frightens the best among us until we come to know its power. How do we do this? 13….Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Two times the LORD is mentioned, 4 times, “you.” * Do Not Be Afraid 365 times in God’s Word we are given this: Don’t be afraid, Fear not One for each day of the year. What is fear? Dread Terror President Donald Trump is safe after a gunmen entered the Correspondents Dinner last night in Washington, DC. It was a frightening scene seeing gunmen in full Body armor at the head table as he and the First Lady and others were whisked out to safety. We are being told Do not dread things. Most will never happen Even if they do happen, God will be with you. We cannot stand still if we are afraid. Shaking in our boots makes us unable to stand still. Fear can absolutely cripple us. It makes our faith ineffective. It dominates our thinking. Fear can make a person negative. Look at the spies. Look at the Israelites and Goliath. Look at the nation of Israel when the spies come back with a bad report. They spent 40 years in the Wilderness and died out there due to believing the bad report of the ten. Another example of the minority being right. I Corinthians 10. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Fear can make a person unsettled. Often we say to those like that, “Calm down. Relax.” God is speaking this Word through His servant Moses in Egypt, 1,200 years before Jesus came. I am standing on that Word and giving it to you today. God does not change. Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and forever! Hebrews 13.8 Genesis 46.4 Fear not to go down to Egypt. I will go down with you. The LORD to Jacob when he found out Joseph was alive. Psalm 46. 1  God is our refuge and strength,     an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way     and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, To know the Power of Being Still you have to have faith and not fear. * Stand Firm Place or station or set yourself Stand with someone That Someone is Jesus Standing somewhere in the Shadows You’ll find Jesus Stand together with the LORD His Army The Heavenly Host The Great Cloud of Witnesses If the LORD would just peel back the sky what we would see! We have His Word to stand on. We have His Will to stand firm. Ephesians 6.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand your ground After you have done everything, to stand. The Power of Being Still Standing… The Christian soldier Paul is describing in Ephesians 6 is not marching. He is standing. That is all we can do at times. That is huge. Years ago, when my Aunt Dot sent me this word in a note, I would pull it out and read it over and over again. Stand firm… Having done everything, STAND!!! * The LORD Will Fight For You The Battle Belongs To the LORD The Chariots of Fire and Horses II Kings 6. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. 16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. They did not have to fight. The LORD delivered them. He had already surrounded them with Heaven’s Army. Then the LORD blinded the whole army. Elisha and his servant led them back to the King of Aram. Moses’ words Be still and see the salvation of the LORD. Earthly hope and help must be cut off to see the deliverance of the LORD. So often we are thinking, “Oh no! What are we going to do?!” The LORD has this. He will fight for you. * Be Still You are not going to have to do anything. Just stand firm and wait. So often I am told, “Pastor, I have to do something!” Are you so certain? There is power in being still. More power than you can imagine. Don’t complain: 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. Psalm 46.1 Trouble= straits, distress A tight spot Between a rock and a hard place Breathe Breathe Your strength is in sitting still. Think of the past times when God came through. Read the accounts in the Scriptures when He came through, like in the crossing of the Red Sea. Recalling God’s past help can encourage you as you face future challenges to your faith. How did Moses cross the Red Sea? Got Any Rivers?

Why The Firstborn?

Why The Firstborn? Exodus 12.12-42 The Tenth of the Plagues. Ten is a number of completion. All the digits have been used by the time you get there. A tenth of our income So the last of the plagues, the tenth is about the firstborn. It is both judgement and deliverance. Egypt would be judged. Israel would be delivered, both the firstborn and the whole nation. What was it about the firstborn? First, they got the parents to themselves. First fruits belong to the LORD Proverbs 3. 9 Honor the LORD with your wealth,     with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,     and your vats will brim over with new wine. You cannot serve both God and money. Those who think they can are deceived. First fruit of the womb Exodus 13.1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me.” Why? 13.13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. 14 “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’ 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with His mighty hand.” What about today? The Majority of Pastors are firstborn males. The firstborn belongs to the LORD. Birth Order Book by Kevin Lehman Firstborn Second Born Third Born Key Personality Traits of First-Borns: * Leadership & Assertiveness: First-borns are often dominant and comfortable in positions of authority. They are natural leaders who excel in school and career environments, often dominating leadership roles, as shown by their high representation among U.S. presidents and astronauts and pastors. * Perfectionism & Achievement: They are highly driven to achieve, largely because they are often held to higher standards and are "guinea pigs" for parental rules. They tend to be perfectionists who want to be the best at everything. * Responsibility & Reliability: They are typically reliable and conscientious, often taking on a "parental" role, especially with younger siblings. * Risk-Aversion & Structure: First-borns prefer structure, routines, and rules over surprises. They are cautious, compliant, and often conformist. There is something instinctive in the first born male to take care of the family in the father’s death. When that is supplanted conflict arises. * The Firstborn was a sign that the whole family belonged to God. Consecrated to the LORD It was done through families. Passover was and is a family dinner. It involves the whole family. It is about the firstborn being spared for Israel. The death of the firstborn of Egypt caused them to drive Israel out. * The Firstborn was a symbol that the LORD deserves our best. The best of our increase, giving to the LORD. The best of our lives… first hours of the morning. Proverbs 8. 17 I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me. First order of the day * The Firstborn pointed to Jesus Christ. Luke 2.7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord” 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” So in Jesus we have the fulfillment of the ages. term "Fulfillment of the Ages" refers to the culmination of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Scriptures. I Corinthians 10.11 Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. What things? vs. 1-10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers , that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killedby the destroying angel. CHRIST JESUS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE AGES This goes back to Abraham and Isaac Take you son, your only son It is spelled out once a year in the Passover Celebrations Christ is our Passover Lamb, the God Man Who fulfills the Passover by dying Himself! * The Firstborn Points To Us! Romans 8.29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. Family traits Tristan and I Friday Evening to the Marina Photo. People saying we look alike. People seeing Jesus in us. Loving, kind, gentle, meek, humble, patient Revelation 1.4 Grace and peace to you from Him Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Jesus Christ is the Pioneer, the Trailblazer of our faith. He is the firstborn in the Family of God He is the first be raised from the dead. All of the Old Testament points to Christ. He is our Passover Lamb Let’s worship Him

I Never Thought I Would See Your Face Again

I Never Thought I Would See Your Face Again John 20.24-29 What happened the week after Jesus rose from the dead? The Empty Tomb spoke volumes. He was not there. Matthew 27. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the Holy City and appeared to many people. This must have caused quite a stir! The statement of the one on the Road to Emmaus: Luke 24.18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” Jerusalem knew. The Cross and the Tomb were empty. Palm Sunday was two weeks ago. The disciples were nowhere to be found! It appears, by and large, the 11 stayed in that room, behind locked doors during that week, although we know that there was some coming and going… the women, the two, Thomas, early in the morning, later after darkness (7 miles from Emmaus back to Jerusalem, the sun was setting as they arrived) Genesis tells us the story of Joseph “I never thought I would see your face again.” - Jacob to Joseph Thomas had similar thoughts. He did not believe until he saw Jesus’ hands and side and from the sounds of it he did not believe that would ever happen! Btw… the two on the Road to Emmaus… when He broke bread… could it be they saw His nail scared hands?! Jacob is Lost Hope Revived. So is every follower of Jesus that first Easter. Soon it will be Thomas’ turn. Have you lost hope this morning? Lost hope in someone changing? Lost hope in your future? Lost hope with change within you? Jeremiah 29. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Opposition can be disheartening Opportunities and Oppositions I Corinthians 16. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me. Blessed is the one who sees both! Are you overwhelmed with the many who oppose you but not seeing the great door for effective work opened? Not seeing God’s provisions? Are you in a rut? Are there some things going on and you are over your head in them. Jacob who said that he would go to his grave in mourning. Believing the unbelievable is life transforming. Jacob, who for 21 years believed Joseph was dead finds out he is alive and is the governor of Egypt! News that is amazing and shocking in a good way! Jacob believed something that was not true. Some say, “I don’t believe that!” Others say, “I am not sure who is telling the truth.” Genesis 45. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. It is very hard to suddenly snap out of grief for over 20 years, only to find out that a person is alive. Remember the movie, Cast Away? Remember Helen Hunt’s words to Tom Hanks? “I always knew you were alive but people kept saying that I had to let you go.” * We Are Seeing A Stubborn Refusal To Obey My Intellect is greater than the Truth. My intellect is greater than those I know well. Others can believe what they claim to have seen. I will not believe them, only if my eyes see and my hands touch Him. I wonder what side Thomas leaned to That is never going to happen. I will never see His Face again! Thomas was not the only one to stubbornly refuse to believe. Even after all the appearances… Mark 16. 14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. We have all been there. His rebuke often comes when we are faithless. II Timothy 2.13 if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself. Photo Bricks Bonface in Uganda/ children yesterday Karachi Pakistan Friday * We Are Seeing Conditions Set Down By A Follower For The LORD. Not a wise Decision, but the LORD obliged. He heard Thomas’ words. They were inappropriate but they were his heart. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. Peace be with you… Thomas What would you have said? I know what I would say and it wouldn’t be, “Peace be with you.” It would have been more along the lines, “You guys! You were going to die with me?! You all fled! And Peter you denied knowing me! Even though you said you would not!” See how that would have changed the mood that evening?! Instead Jesus comes in with overwhelming forgiveness and grace and mercy. The Amazing Grace of our LORD We see it in Joseph. He forgave his brothers. They had to be forgiven before they could go back to Jacob. Forgiven people are the ones who tell of the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth! * The Greater Blessing Is For Us! John 20. 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas got what he asked for. Our faith is strengthened when we do not see. When I do not see how all the needs that are coming in from all over the world will possibly be met and I explain we are a little church, I am reminded we serve a great God! When I see what some of you are facing, I pray and wonder how you will make it but here we are today! When I see young people starting out, my heart goes out to them. Then I remember times in my own life when I suffered and we had nothing and God came through in amazing ways. As the Father send Jesus, so Jesus is sending us… with no resources, money, schemes… just His Spirit! We have been handed the baton. Pass it on. Hymn #641 Pass It On

What The Gospel Does

What The Gospel Does Acts 26. 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ Romans 1. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. We can attest to this happening in our lives. We are saved. We are being saved. Hebrews 7. 25 Therefore, He is always able to save those who approach God through Him, since He lives forever to make intercession for them. Let’s look at what the Gospel does. * It Opens Our Eyes the eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowingly Until the Gospel comes we are blind to the eternal things We are not able to see things truly as they are. We are spiritually blind. We really cannot understand the Eternal Word of God until we come to know Christ, the Living Word. The Spirit draws us. We receive Christ through repentance and faith. His grace for you. You believe and suddenly you see things Eternal. Life can be understood as we read the Proverbs. Learn and Live. It is amazing to me that years ago when I read Proverbs I read without a lot of examples, kind of this is the way life is. Now as I read them people come to mind, both righteous and wicked and what they have sown and are reaping. The Proverbs are in a way a commentary on life. The Gospel opens our eyes to good and evil, right and wrong. We see things in life in focus. There is a clarity in relationships. Our eyes are opened to Eternity. There is a Heaven and Hell. The gentleman in Florida reading his Bible who said to the LORD in his Convertible on his way home from work, “God if You are real, will You show me?” He got home and began to read the Bible critically. He said to his wife, “Where is my Bible?” She said, “That is your Bible!” He went on to explain that this one was making sense and was not like the other one. Then he remembered his prayer. His eyes were opened. He surrendered his life to Jesus. Elisha and his servant. II Kings 6.17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. The Word of God is about Light shining in the Darkness. Genesis to Revelation If the Gap Theory is true (That there is a gap between Genesis 1.1 and 1.2 and Satan fell from Heaven at that time) then this fits perfectly. There was a recreation of the original creation. And that is what happens when a person is born from above. * It turns us from Darkness to Light. Ephesians 5:8-14 ESV / For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. John 3:19-21 ESV / And this is the judgment: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the Light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” 1 John 1:5-10 ESV / This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ... Before we hear the Gospel and believe we are in darkness, sin, wandering spiritually. That darkness is deceptive. We stumble over things we do not see. When we come into the Light we can see where we are going. We have compassion on those walking in darkness. It is pitiful. It is heartbreaking. When we do this we are following Jesus. Matthew 9.36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Sheep must be led and cared for. People without the LORD are not being led, not having the deep needs of their lives met and will make bad choices. * It breaks the Power of Satan and Turns Us to God. If you are under the power of Satan, you have no choice. You obey him. Romans 6.16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? We are born children of the Devil. Sin is inherited from our parents. We choose Christ and He frees us. We become children of God. A whole bunch of things happen among which we are adopted. That makes us children of God. Now we have a choice: to serve Him or to resort to sin. When we are children of the Devil we have choice. This breaking of the power of God continues to this day in lives. It also happens in nations! Pastor Daniel from Kenya, who is a dear friend, has a friend serving in Haiti on the Police Force sent in there to fight the gangs, the Kenyan Police Force. These are the ones who fought and won against ISIS in Kenya. Last evening I was speaking with him, felt led to call him, and he has a desire to come to the United States for a visit. He would like to be at my Mom’s Celebration of Life and Burial in June. He asked if I thought we could go to Haiti from here. At first I was going to say, “That would be impossible.” Then I heard the LORD say in my heart, “Nothing is impossible with God,” so instead I said that would take a bunch of miracles! But God works miracles! So we prayed at the end of our conversation for God to do that! Remember that Word given to Habakkuk, “Look at the nations and watch, and be utterly amazed, for I am going to do something, in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.” Haiti being set free would be wonderful! Freedom from Voodoo and oppression. When Jesus sets us free we choose each day to serve Him. Pastor Faisal in Pakistan yesterday. Electricity out. Very upset. Asked me to send a link so he could play the video recording. I did. He wrote back, “Brother I'll arrange many meetings and your all records message we'll plan via laptop or LED.” Told him we would be praying. As for the enemy he meant it for evil, but as for God He meant it for good to the savings of many lives! Let’s pray! For Haiti and Pakistan right now. * We receive the Forgivness of sins This means freedom from the guilt of sin, from the penalty of sin. It means no record of sins! The slate is wiped clean. The Prodigal Son and the Waiting Father Luke 15 * We receive a place among the Sanctified By Faith In Him. This is such a blessing I Thessalonians 5. 23 May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. 24 The One Who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. Set apart for God For His Possession For His Service For His Glory Being like Jesus Receiving the Gospel Open our eyes Turns us from darkness to light Breaks the power of Satan

Innocent Before The Court

Innocent Before The Court Acts 25.24 Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. As followers of Jesus we obey the law. Those who break the law are not good examples of His followers. I Timothy 1. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me. There are some who keep the law of the land and think that is going to earn them a place in Heaven. My goodness is not enough. I have never murdered anyone. I do not steal. I give to a charity. Paul, the apostle, kept the law. In his own words, Romans 7.7b For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. In the present case here, Paul, like Jesus, had done nothing deserving of death. Jesus was sinlessly perfect.. Paul was not Neither are we. Before the Sanhedrin different Jesus Paul Jesus was silent. Paul was not. Acts 23.1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!” 4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!” 5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people. What Paul said was true. The way he said it to the High Priest was not respectful. Probably because of his eyesight problem he didn’t realize it was the High Priest. We misspeak. We ask forgiveness. We ought to seek to be blameless. An overseer must be. This is a message on us being citizens of Heaven being good citizens on Earth. Paul, the Apostle, was a Roman Citizen. He also was a citizen of Heaven. Philippians 3. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, We have duel citizenship. We are American Citizens. Wherever you are around the world, you are a citizen of that country. You see this plainly when you show your Passport. We have an obligation * A Good Citizen Keeps the Law of the Land In Which He lives As we get our taxes done… Been told twice now by preparers, “You don’t have to report this income.” To the one 35 years ago I said, “Oh yes I do.” To which he replied, “I knew you were going to say that.” Our church buildings are in code. We cannot, as Christians, violate Town of Islip codes. That would be so wrong. I know of one church that did, flagrantly, and their building was condemned. They violated, among other things, the Fire Code, endangering children. Horrible. Very unlike Jesus. They lost the building. Paul did not violate the code of the Temple. He kept it carefully. He tried to win his enemies over. He had Timothy circumcised as a young adult man. He made a vow and kept it according to the law of Moses. He learned that if someone hates you or a group hates you and they cannot find grounds to have you arrested they will make up false charges. Learn a lesson here. If you try to make friends out of your enemies you will get beat up sometimes. Mrs. D’ Nofrio in Bellmore. My Mom showed us how to love her. What do we, as followers of Jesus, do? Those who falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. * You do not respond. I know what it is to have people say, “You have got to defend yourself!” “You need to say something.” No we do not. We know what the truth is… and far greater than that so does God. Years ago the Word of the LORD came to me in such a situation, “The Battle belongs to the LORD.” At first I had to endure. However right up to this day, the LORD is setting the record straight without me saying a thing. * You rejoice. If it is difficult to keep your mouth shut, this is even more difficult. Rejoice?! Be glad, Be well, Thrive From your heart. If you are not there yet, keep seeking to obey. The sinful nature dies slowly. But what freedom when you count it dead. * You realize you are in good company. The prophets Your own self respect Jesus Jeremiah 38. 7 When Ebed-melech the Cushite, a eunuch who was in the house of the king, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the pit —now the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin— 8 Ebed-melech went out from the house of the king and spoke to the king, saying, 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, in that they have thrown him into the pit, and he will die there because of starvation, for there is no longer any bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, saying, “Take with you these thirty men and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the pit before he dies.” I am not up to Jeremiah yet. They haven’t thrown me into a pit. I could have fallen into a pit of despair. It is hard to get out of that. On Tuesday I shared with a group of pastors in India who are suffering persecution there. You do not do that lightly. Only a few among us know what that is. * A Good Citizen of Heaven Keeps the Law of Love Love the LORD with all your might and all your soul and all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself. -Jesus Matthew 22.36-40 Our lives are witnesses to the love we have for Jesus. I have a habit of greeting people. I did this way back at three years of age. I held the door for people at the Dining Room at the headquarters of the church where my Grandmother worked. I greeted them with a cheerful, “How are you today. Good Morning!” My parents told me later I made my Grandma shine with joy. The other day I was with my friend, Ray Toca. We were outside. A young lady walked by where we were standing and I greeted her with, “Good Morning! What a beautiful day!” I waved and she ignored me. Then she began to let out a string of obscenities. Whew! At first I thought she was talking into the phone she was carrying but after she passed she let us know it was me. I was really surprised. Then I remembered the words of Jesus, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Who can live like that?! You say that is impossible! Yet it is what Jesus calls us to. Not some wise comment. Pray for them. Obviously something was wrong in this poor girl’s life. She has some deep issues that are manifesting in anger. * The LORD has promised to stand with us in Trials Whether it is before the court or in life itself. II Timothy 4. 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. We ought to live lives that if we ever have to stand in a court nothing could hold up. I like what an old Preacher I knew used to preach, “If you were put on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you? We are on trial. We say we love Jesus. He is our LORD. From time to time we will be falsely accused. Other times people will see we are not perfect and will call us on it. Humble yourself. Be a peacemaker. Learn the discipline of being like Jesus. Learn to not respond in the flesh but in the Spirit.