06-27-2010

               Behold, I Make All Things New

The Book of Revelations has clearly been miss named and leads the believer to loose the focal point of the book. It has been clearly spelled out in the very first paragraph of chapter one. I quote,

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which GOD gave Him to show His servants what must take place. He made it known by sending His angel to John, who testifies to everything he saw- that is, the Word of GOD and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take it to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

The correct title of this prophecy is, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ...

Jesus Christ is the focal point of the prophecy. Most Christians, who have been walking with the LORD for a while, tend to skip over the opening remarks of the books of the Bible and get right to the meat of the Book, much as we do when we receive a letter. We already know whom it is from and whom it is for. We read the address and return address on the envelope so nobody actually reads the salutation. Most people also skip the opening pleasantries. What’s this all about? Skip to the second paragraph and find out. Well this is not a letter from the bank or junk mail. This is God’s Word to the Church. Every word is GOD breathed, useful for, (2 Timothy 3:16). This includes what we call the hello.

          Look at it again. “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which GOD gave Him to show His servants what must take place. ...” As I have already stated, Jesus Christ is the focal point of the prophecy. The source however is stated as GOD. Jesus Christ is GOD, but I believe Jesus is speaking of His Father GOD. The father reviled this prophecy to His Son.  The purpose for the prophecy is declared in the very next phrase, “...to show His servants what must take place.”  The next sentence reveals the method of delivery.

“He made it known by sending His angel to John, who testifies to everything he saw- that is, the Word of GOD and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

          Did you notice that Jesus Christ has an angel? His angel delivered the prophecy to John. John did not merely read the prophecy but viewed it happening. John here, warranties that this is the testimony of Jesus Christ.

          Forgive me, I have fallen into my own trap. In a rush to get to my point, I skipped over some GOD breathed words. “...to show His servants what must take place.” We, the Church are the servants and GOD want us to know what must take place. It’s going to happen. Be ready Church. There is no excuse for ignorance. We have the true revelation of Jesus Christ, “that is, the Word of GOD and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

          Are you ready to move on?  Here goes.

“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take it to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” Let me turn this around if I may without changing the meaning. Because the time is near you the reader will be blessed, if you take it to heart. Read it. Hear it in your mind and spirit. Take it to heart.

What I’m trying to say here is, Wake Up” You have fallen into the daze of being so focused on your own life, that you have forgotten what this whole thing called Christianity is all about. Yes, God cares about you and the life your living but at the same time you are an important part of the epic, mind-blowing experience, GOD calls, The Kingdom of GOD. Don’t see it happening all around you? Perhaps you are too engrossed with your own bellybutton, ...your thing. Life is not about you. There are some unheard of, unbelievable, worldwide happenings on the very horizon. God does not want these events to crash over you like a giant tsunami.

God always tells His people before He takes action.

Remember Noah and the flood; the prophecies of the coming Messiah? That’s what prophesies are all about. God is not just doing heavenly I told ya so’s. Here’s a promise from GOD. You will be blessed if you heed the warnings and prepare for the events spoken of.

Well, let’s say you have read the Book, heard the warnings and message, and have taken the necessary corrective measures to prepare yourselves for the last days of mankind on this planet earth. Does GOD require anything else of you? Yes! Read the closing remarks. GOD is not just saying goodbye for now, the words are useful, important, even critical.

          Chapter 22:7 “Behold I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this Book.” GOD will bless you!

Last words; “The grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with God’s people. Amen.”

You will go through the terrible days blessed with the blessings of Jesus Christ. Amen! That’s the TRUTH!

With All That is Within Me

It occurred to me either by the inspiration of GOD or by the natural turning of the wheels in my head, that God created us with the full range of emotional feelings for a reason. It also occurred to me that most of the time our emotions are a response to something happening around us. So often we think of GOD creating us in the physical ways, knitting our bodily parts together. If we are triune creations as GOD is triune in His being, then it goes to say we each have an array of good things created in us that is bodily, mentally and spiritually unique while all falling into the framework of created in His image.  I wish Jesus had more of what he was feeling written down in scripture. The scripture reading for today is one of a very few emotions of Christ that the Bible records. Jesus wept. Anger is implied when He cleared the temple. And when he called the Pharisees snakes and vipers, He must have been angry.

          The one clear take away lesson I get from all this is that Jesus Christ experienced emotions but His emotions did not dictate to Him how He reacted to life around Him. Yes Jesus wept but He didn’t quit. Yes Jesus became angry but in His anger He sinned not. Jesus set this example for us the Church. You will experience a full ranger of the emotions you were created with but in your experiences, sin not. Do not go outside the boundaries GOD has set in His Word. Be like Christ. Be Christ like.

          Now many people are ruled by their emotions and become what their emotions dictate. Do you know people who are defined by their emotions? In the world this can be expected but not so for you. The opposite is just as bad. To be stoic, unfeeling, withdrawn is just an admission that you do not want to feel things because you don’t think you can handle your emotions.

          The revelation I had, if that is what it is, is this. GOD gave us a full range of emotions because He wants us to experience them all. From Joy Unspeakable to utter despair, we can and will experience them all.

Learn this lesson. You cannot handle these powerful created gifts from GOD alone. Even when Jesus felt utterly abandoned on the cross, He was still calling out to GOD His father “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” What we do not see is Jesus responding to these emotions by abandoning the plan that had been agreed upon before the foundations of the world was laid.

So what’s the deal? How do we work through these powerful potentially shipwrecking emotions and still stay on our Godly preordained course for our lives. Lean on GOD. Over simplistic as that sounds it is the only method that works, ...because that is how GOD designed them to work. Emotions were never designed to be experienced as a private thing. The old saying that we should not wear our emotions on our sleeve is true. But true also the fact that were are not internalize our emotions until they drive use crazy or numb. John Wayne was a fictitious character that could only exist on a movie screen.

          GOD created each of use with the potential to experience all human emotions because in a lifetime, it is probable that you will experience them whether you want to or not. To stay mentally and spiritually healthy you must call out to GOD. Whether it is mountain top joy or the deepest valley of despair, GOD wants to be a part of it all. He will celebrate with you and sit and cry with you even after you have cried all your tears. GOD has not made a mistake here. He has given us free choice to include GOD in our emotional lives or to exclude Him; your choice. Choose wisely.    

05-23-2010

The Lord’s Prayer 101

In the Book of Acts 2:42, we are told that the first Christians devoted themselves to fellowship, the breaking of bread together and to prayer.

For American Christians, a Prayer meeting is on the bottom of desirable activities. It’s right down there with fasting and public confession of personal sins.

          How did this happen. Prayer was a vital part of the Church before it truly understood what it was. Now the church limits itself for the most part to private prayers and Clergy lead prayer in our worship services.

 This has happened for the same reason people don’t like week old bread. It has become stale and tasteless. This has not always been the case.

          Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer to His disciples when they asked the question, “How shall we pray? John the Baptist taught his disciples. Teach us.”

Verse 9 of Chapter 6 begins like this, “This then is how you should pray.”

These words of Jesus were spoken as a part of the foundational teaching we now call The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus knew that how the believers prayed was part of this foundation needed by believers.

Here we go, The Lord’s Prayer 101.

Our Father in Heaven

This answers the question of to whom we are to pray and where the prayer is going.

Our Father; we are to pray to God the Father. We are not specifically told not to pray to His Son, Jesus nor to the Holy Spirit of God,, but we are repeatedly instructed in the New Testament to pray to the Father in Jesus name being lead by the Holy Spirit as to what to pray about and to receive direction and answers to our questions and requests made to the Father in Prayer.

          Touching here on the Trinity, I understand it this way. The Holy Spirit of God points to and lifts up the Son, Jesus Christ. The Son, Jesus Christ reflects the glory of His Father in Heaven. Christ now is resident in Heaven seated at the right hand of the Father from where He intercedes for the Church. The Holy Spirit of God dwells with Believers as a small still voice leading and guiding the believers and the Church corporately, in perfect agreement with The Word of God.

          This is an incomplete understanding and scholars superior to my training and understanding have written volumes on the subject of the Triune God, Father Son and Holy Spirit. I hope what I have just shared with you works for you otherwise please read the volumes of your choice for a better understanding.

      Where was I? Oh yeah Our father who art in Heaven.

Hallowed be your name. Names are important to God. God was not being cute when He told Moses that His name was I Am. Her God the Father was speaking to his eternal existence. We are to hallow His Name. God is not hollow like an old tree trunk. God is to be honored above all things. God is to be glorified above all other things in Heaven or on earth.

          When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive The Ten Commandments, The mountain shook and there was fire and smoke. The people waiting at the bottom of the mountain were afraid to approach the mountain. Today we understand that we can boldly approach the Father as in a Father / child relationship, but Our Father is in no way diminished in His awesome power. Father, Hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

Why do we need to say this? We must take our will off the throne and say amen to God’s will, God’s plans even when and especially when our will does not agree with His will.

          The next phrase we are asked to pray is one that I hit on in my sermons a lot. ...on earth as it is in Heaven. Are we to ask God to change Heaven to match what we want here on earth? No! The changing must be done by the Church and by the individual believer. I am a firm believer that God has a four dimensional model of every aspect of our individual lives, the life of the Church and the rest of creation. Four-dimensional, length, width, height and spirit, all set in motion. He has the very best outcome for all parties involved, the very best outcome for all of creation. I have a lot more I could say on this but segment of the prayer but we must move on.

          Now Jesus encourages each of us to ask for our individual needs.

Give us today, our daily bread. It’s OK to ask for individual needs as well as hearts desires. Bread is not the only thing on the menu. The skies the limit. Be bold! Ask in Jesus name and you will receive. Am I in theological trouble here? Let me add this then. Don’t get greedy. God can answer all you needs and give you all your hearts desires. God is not having a financial shortfall. However a five pound box of chocolates every day is not a good thing to ask our Father for in Jesus Name and the Holy Spirit of God will be cautioning us to reconsider our request.

          Janis Joplin should have known that before she sang, “Lord wont ya send me a Mercedes Bends.” She got what she was singing about but forfeited her life.

Forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors. 

There is a God created chain linking the two together. You need forgiveness. Everybody does. Jesus provided forgiveness for you as well as every other created human soul. Want some? Give some. Need a lot? Give a lot. Is you need for forgiveness on going? Do not set boundaries on your forgiveness.

...and lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from the evil one.

God wont lead you into sin. He will lead you out! He will equip you with the armor to stand against the Devil and all his schemes in the day of evil, The Word of God has much instruction and encouragement on this subject. Find them and apply them.

That’s it. Jesus has concluded instructing the Church as to how we should pray. It does however seem right to add an Amen to this model of how we are to pray. The Church has added a doxology;

For thine is the kingdom

and the power

and the glory forever

 Amen.

Can you say amen?

Pastor Jim Sweeney

Before we sing our last hymn and leave this place this morning, I need to tell you one last thing. The Lord’s Prayer is for believers. If you are here this morning and you have never bowed you knee to Christ, then the prayer God is waiting to hear you pray is John the Baptist’s  prayer. He cried out in the wilderness for all to hear, “Repent of your sins.” You must do this first before the Lord’s Prayer can apply to you. Let’s stand and sing Just as I am, and if you need to pray the pray of forgiveness, join me here in the front of this church and settle the matter with God.

05-02-2010

             Live as a Free man; a Free Women

What exactly does FREE mean? Easy answer is, “Ya don’t pay for it!”

Does that work for you? It works for me. Free is not a tax credit or a rebate. Not limited to the first couple months. Free to me is, No strings attached, full ownership.

We are at the very first verse in The Book of Romans. Eight chapters of the Holy Spirit of GOD, pouring the Word of GOD through a saved lawyer named Paul. We are dropping into Romans at the good part, the high point. Boys and girls, it don’t git no better than this, so sit back and let these beautiful words wash threw your mind into your spirit and be assured.

Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

.....because; ....don’t ya wanta know why? Here it is! ...because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life, set me free from the law of sin and death.

Free!!! Free from sin!!! Free from the law of sin and death. Free from the sinful nature that still continues to dominate your life. This Law of sin and death, is not an evil thing. It is Gods way of allowing us to see the consequences of sin.  God created a mirror He calls the Law. Now we can accurately see how we measure up to a Holy GOD. God  is Holy and we by our own attempts can not be Holy. It’s called The Law of Sin & Death for a reason. First comes sin and it brings about our death. Sin is, me first, I want, I don’t care who it hurts, it’s all about me. Well, if you eat to much candy it will rot your teeth. If you indulge yourself in a lifestyle of sin, it will cause your eternal death. This death is not like earthly death, where you fall down and assume room temperature. Eternal death is forever separation from your loving GOD. Your choice, you decide. What do you want to do with your God given life?

Now ai’nt this a happy feel good message?  Stick around it gets godder; much gooder.

Paul recognized that there seemed to be a war going on inside him; the age-old struggle between good and evil. He admitted what you know in your heart. Nobody is good enough in and of themselves to win the struggle to be good all the time. Only GOD is ....good all the time. So where is the celebration, where’s the party? Go back to the verse.

The good new is ...in Christ Jesus.

Somebody get up and dance, shout Halleluiah and get happy! If you are in Christ Jesus it’s party time. Put a big smile on your face a tell somebody, “I’m in Christ Jesus. He set me free.

That Law of Sin & Death no longer applies to me. A new law is at work in your being. It is the Law of Grace. You may still fall into sin but you do not need to lay there and whallor in the mud. Admit you chose to fall into the mess and ask the Father to forgive you because you are sorry and especially because you are in Christ Jesus. The Father will forgive you and the stench and filty of sin will not stick to you. It will not stain your clothes nor your relationship with The Father or the Son and the Holy Spirit of the Living God that works within you will continue to lead you and guide you away from sin and towards good works in the kingdom of God. The Law of Grace is at work within you!

Somebody get up and dance, shout Halleluiah and get happy! If you are in Christ Jesus it’s party time. Put a big smile on your face a tell somebody, “I’m in Christ Jesus. He set me free.

Some people sneer at this kind of theology. They call it cheap grace. If you can find any other way to have this kind of peace in your life tell us.

There is just one way, one GOD, one Law of Grace. It was bought at a horrific price, by Christ Jesus on the cross. It was not cheap. It was so costly it is enough to cover the sins of all the world for all of time. The Law of Grace was not put in place by silver or gold. No, it was purchased with a blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus. Somebody say amen!

If you truly have said Amen in your heart, then you are ready to go higher up this mountain we call Romans chapter Eight.

If you continue on, searching out truth, examining each statement, applying them to your lives, you will soon arrive at this resting place; verse 28. You have traveled up and around many of God’s wonderful truths and promises. Now here at verse 28 is a statement to which you should be able to joyfully bend your knee and confess with your mouth.

And we know that in all things God works for good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

There are only two qualifiers here. The first is, ...to those who love Him.

So...do you love Jesus? Remember last week’s sermon? That’s the same question Jesus asked Peter after Peter had denied Him three times just before Jesus was crucified. The love Jesus was asking for was a heart love that comes from within a person’s spirit. Do you qualify? If not get qualified. Tell God you want to be in Christ. Tell Him you are tired of trying and failing to be a good person. Ask for forgiveness and turn your life over to Christ. Only then will you be able to conquer the Law of Sin and Death and come under the Law of Grace. Are ya there yet? Great if you are because we can’t move on until you are.

One down and one to go. Now listen closely. You do the first one and God does the second. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Once you turn your life over to God the Holy Spirit begins to work in you to bring about the very best outcome for your life. The Holy Spirit has always been calling you. Now, once you have bent your knee to Christ, you are in Christ, and all the good God has for you will begin to flow from Heaven and no matter what the enemy or life in general comes against you with, you will be, ...more than able to conquer it!

Somebody get up and dance, shout Halleluiah and get happy! If you are in Christ Jesus it’s party time. Put a big smile on your face a tell somebody, “I’m in Christ Jesus. He set me free.    

05-02-2010

             Live as a Free man; a Free Women

What exactly does FREE mean? Easy answer is, “Ya don’t pay for it!”

Does that work for you? It works for me. Free is not a tax credit or a rebate. Not limited to the first couple months. Free to me is, No strings attached, full ownership.

We are at the very first verse in The Book of Romans. Eight chapters of the Holy Spirit of GOD, pouring the Word of GOD through a saved lawyer named Paul. We are dropping into Romans at the good part, the high point. Boys and girls, it don’t git no better than this, so sit back and let these beautiful words wash threw your mind into your spirit and be assured.

Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

.....because; ....don’t ya wanta know why? Here it is! ...because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life, set me free from the law of sin and death.

Free!!! Free from sin!!! Free from the law of sin and death. Free from the sinful nature that still continues to dominate your life. This Law of sin and death, is not an evil thing. It is Gods way of allowing us to see the consequences of sin.  God created a mirror He calls the Law. Now we can accurately see how we measure up to a Holy GOD. God  is Holy and we by our own attempts can not be Holy. It’s called The Law of Sin & Death for a reason. First comes sin and it brings about our death. Sin is, me first, I want, I don’t care who it hurts, it’s all about me. Well, if you eat to much candy it will rot your teeth. If you indulge yourself in a lifestyle of sin, it will cause your eternal death. This death is not like earthly death, where you fall down and assume room temperature. Eternal death is forever separation from your loving GOD. Your choice, you decide. What do you want to do with your God given life?

Now ai’nt this a happy feel good message?  Stick around it gets godder; much gooder.

Paul recognized that there seemed to be a war going on inside him; the age-old struggle between good and evil. He admitted what you know in your heart. Nobody is good enough in and of themselves to win the struggle to be good all the time. Only GOD is ....good all the time. So where is the celebration, where’s the party? Go back to the verse.

The good new is ...in Christ Jesus.

Somebody get up and dance, shout Halleluiah and get happy! If you are in Christ Jesus it’s party time. Put a big smile on your face a tell somebody, “I’m in Christ Jesus. He set me free.

That Law of Sin & Death no longer applies to me. A new law is at work in your being. It is the Law of Grace. You may still fall into sin but you do not need to lay there and whallor in the mud. Admit you chose to fall into the mess and ask the Father to forgive you because you are sorry and especially because you are in Christ Jesus. The Father will forgive you and the stench and filty of sin will not stick to you. It will not stain your clothes nor your relationship with The Father or the Son and the Holy Spirit of the Living God that works within you will continue to lead you and guide you away from sin and towards good works in the kingdom of God. The Law of Grace is at work within you!

Somebody get up and dance, shout Halleluiah and get happy! If you are in Christ Jesus it’s party time. Put a big smile on your face a tell somebody, “I’m in Christ Jesus. He set me free.

Some people sneer at this kind of theology. They call it cheap grace. If you can find any other way to have this kind of peace in your life tell us.

There is just one way, one GOD, one Law of Grace. It was bought at a horrific price, by Christ Jesus on the cross. It was not cheap. It was so costly it is enough to cover the sins of all the world for all of time. The Law of Grace was not put in place by silver or gold. No, it was purchased with a blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus. Somebody say amen!

If you truly have said Amen in your heart, then you are ready to go higher up this mountain we call Romans chapter Eight.

If you continue on, searching out truth, examining each statement, applying them to your lives, you will soon arrive at this resting place; verse 28. You have traveled up and around many of God’s wonderful truths and promises. Now here at verse 28 is a statement to which you should be able to joyfully bend your knee and confess with your mouth.

And we know that in all things God works for good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

There are only two qualifiers here. The first is, ...to those who love Him.

So...do you love Jesus? Remember last week’s sermon? That’s the same question Jesus asked Peter after Peter had denied Him three times just before Jesus was crucified. The love Jesus was asking for was a heart love that comes from within a person’s spirit. Do you qualify? If not get qualified. Tell God you want to be in Christ. Tell Him you are tired of trying and failing to be a good person. Ask for forgiveness and turn your life over to Christ. Only then will you be able to conquer the Law of Sin and Death and come under the Law of Grace. Are ya there yet? Great if you are because we can’t move on until you are.

One down and one to go. Now listen closely. You do the first one and God does the second. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Once you turn your life over to God the Holy Spirit begins to work in you to bring about the very best outcome for your life. The Holy Spirit has always been calling you. Now, once you have bent your knee to Christ, you are in Christ, and all the good God has for you will begin to flow from Heaven and no matter what the enemy or life in general comes against you with, you will be, ...more than able to conquer it!

Somebody get up and dance, shout Halleluiah and get happy! If you are in Christ Jesus it’s party time. Put a big smile on your face a tell somebody, “I’m in Christ Jesus. He set me free. 

                                                                                                                                    04-11-2010
                                            Where Are You Looking?

   This message has been stewing in me for some time. It has just come into sharp focus this year. Now it is screaming to be heard. Two weeks ago I preached a message entitled, A Most Excellent Way. It should have been entitled, The Most Excellent Way.

The message hopefully clearly stated that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have, The Way, The Truth or the Light. Only GOD has those areas covered. All other, man-made attempts to meddle in God’s sworn areas of responsibilities will result in Losing Our Way, a Corrupted Truth, and Darkness. I ended that message with the following statement.

What do you believe? This is not a political decision. It is a very personal eternal decision. Your time. Your choice. Your consequences. Choose wisely. Chose The most Excellent Way. Choose Jesus!

I know this may either sound like severe oversimplification ...or the words of a mad man. The apostle Paul got the same response from Festus, when he was brought in chains before King Agrippa. “Your great learning is driving you insane.” Well, I do not have any great learning, but I do cling to the Scriptures that tell me, and anyone who will listen, that if I trust in GOD, it will be well with my soul. GOD will take care of me, my family, and the universal church. That’s it, End of sermon. Lock me up if you think I am a danger to society.

 But wait. It’s turned cold out, and it’s warm in here, so let’s sit a little while longer. I would like to share a Psalm with you. It was Psalm 121. Now it has become a psalm of man 121-402 revision M. The details of this psalm are amended daily, as needed.

I lift up my eyes to Capital Hill From which my help comes!     My help comes from Congressional bureaucrats and my government, et al.

They are the makers of laws and policies                                                                                                         And only they know how to give us clean air and can save the earth.

They will provide a safety net to keep me from falling below the poverty line.

They watch our every move both day and night.                       HIPA  guarantees that only the government will know all our secrets.

The government will keep you from all harm- It will socially engineer all the days of your life

 And tax you both now and forevermore.

When did, we the people, begin to look to our government to take care of us? A new phrase has emerged in recent days. It is being said that we have become the Nanny State. Man cannot take care of man. Only GOD can and is able to take care of you. Government programs that are not spelled out in our constitution trespass on GOD’s holy ground. Mankind is now, and since the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, engaged in a turf war with GOD. It is a war we will surely lose. In the ever-expanding Nanny State, all aspects of your life will be monitored and controlled by the government regardless of what party is in control.

 Let me tell you a true story from way back when I was a baby Christian. A good friend of mine, who was also a fairly new Christian, asked me to go to an argument. Why he asked me to go I still do not know. There were these two groups of people, that were going to have a meeting, to debate which had the correct religious expression. I’m trying to be careful here, not to identify just who these groups were, and still are today.                After a few pleasantries they got at it and voices and blood pressures started rising. By now everyone has literally moved into one camp or the other; only my friend Ted and I we standing in the middle.

At one point in the argument someone noticed that we had not taken a stand on either side and point blankly asked us which side we were on. Ted, being smarter than me, just stood there with a blank expression. I however had to say what had become blatantly obvious to me ...but seemed hidden to everyone else. I told them that neither side cared about the people on the other side. Each side only wanted to prove they were right to the others on their side. Everybody knew that no matter what was said ...by anyone on either side, ...no one was going to change sides. The groups were a perfect example of polarization. Nobody could even hear, ...what the other side had to say. They were just waiting to say their talking points.

Well the group was stunned by my statement and for what seemed like a full minute there was absolute quite in the room. Then they went right back to arguing and Ted and I left.

     I have for some time understood, that nomatter what political party is in control of our government, that they cannot solve the human need problem. That’s GOD’s responsibility. We can elect morally driven individuals to represent us in this republic ...and hold them accountable, with our vote and strict adherence to the laws of the land,                                                                                 with the constitution being the base document of the nation, from which and by which all other documents and laws come forth.

We can and must elect Godly people ...or we will continue to have what we have right now, ...an ungodly government trying to act godly ...if only for window dressing. Each party is demanding they are right and are demanding that you choose a side. A new party is now coming forth, that a lot of Americans are pinning their hopes on. It’s the Tea Party. If they become just the third group of debaters in the room, America will be even more fragmented and unable to govern itself. Stop looking to parties of mankind to solve your problems. All aspects of government care have strong bonds that bind and control the recipient. America is voting itself into universal slavery.

Government entitlements, not provided and authorized by our constitution, are the means by which we are voting ourselves into that sure slavery, ...to our government.

If I can not feed myself, house myself, educate myself or provide any other essential need for myself and my family, then I must look for help. If I need rebates to afford a car, washer or dryer, a check in the mail to retire, somebody to pay the doctor and pharmacy, then I must look for help.

I choose to look to God for my help.

I choose to look to God’s original Psalm 121. Listen to it one more time and we are done. Read Psalm 121

Amen.

Pastor Jim Sweeney

04-25-2010

The Gospel of Peter

(First preached 05-0102004)

If I were to ask you to give the definition of Redemption & Restoration, do you think you could give me one?

Now could you give sound scriptural working examples of each, from both the old and the new testaments?

First a caution: Restoration cannot take place until Redemption has been purchased. You would have a structure built upon sand.

Redemption: Full payment for violation of a guilty party by an innocent party.

Old testament: Genesis 2:16&17

Fair Warning           And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou will not eat of it: for in the day that thou eat of it you will surely die.

Violation:          Genesis 3:1-24

          And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, …..(and became wise….) and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Redemption:                    Genesis 3:1-24

          And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou will bruise his heel.

Redemption is a certainty from this point until it is fully accomplished at the cross.

Now I want to be very careful that I am not misunderstood. So listen; consider my words, and if we disagree we can reason with each other and hopefully arrive at the truth of God. It is of paramount importance not that I be right, or you be right, but that we agree that God is right.

O.K. here it is.

          Without diminishing Redemption one bit, Redemption must be followed by Restoration if Redemption is to have permanent effect in our lives. Redemption makes possible Restoration.

I tell you that to receive Salvation simply as fire insurance, and never to allow God to bring your life to a state of restoration, is like God letting Adam of with a warning.

Story of God and Adam if he had only received a warning.

Adam would still be Adam. Eve would still be Eve.

Adam had to die.

The Children of Adam must die.

The old self has to die.

A new being had to be born.

Born again, “not of water but of the Spirit.”

It is the work of Restoration, building upon the finished work of Redemption, that brings us to that  place, where we are like Christ. We have now become the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. The old man has died and the new man has taken the old mans place.

The first Adam had direct fellowship with His Creator. Adam & Eve lost that fellowship through sin. Christ paid the price for the whole Adamic race, making it possible for the Holy Spirit of God to bring about restoration.

Restoration: To put back into original condition. To simple? Sorry.

Adam and Eve had direct access to God. They lost it.  Christ restored it. That is an event. Redemption is an event.

Restoration is a process, a life long process, as the Holy Spirit of God working in you, brings you to full Restoration. But that is not the end all.

Every mother, has looked out the window to find their perfect little angel, playing in a mud puddle. You moms know the drill. You went out there and collared your little urchin, stripped off the filthy muddy clothes and plopped them into a tub of hot water. Then you scrubbed off the mud until they were squeaky-clean. What comes next? Did you put them back in the filthy clothes? No! You put clean clothes on them

This is a perfect picture of what God does for the human race. If we will cooperate with our creator, He takes us out of the mud, cleans us up. Now we are ready for clean clothes.

Scripture promises us clean clothes. Not just clothes that cover our nakedness as God did for Adam and Eve, but clothes fit for  Sons and Daughters of  God Almighty. When Jesus was transfigured, Matthew 17, His clothes were as white as light. That’s the kind of clothes I’m talking about. That’s the kind of clothes you will be wearing at the wedding banquet of the Lamb.

God takes what has been discounted, devalued, and discarded and pays full price for it and then restores it bringing back to full value.

Helen’s old dish.

Old Testament: Rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem 

Neh. 1:8&9    (Prophetic warning)

          If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

They transgressed.                   They repented.               God took them through a                                                                                   process of  Restoration.

New Testament:          The Gospel of Peter  (John 21.)

Christ prophesied: Before the cock crows twice you will deny me trice.

Peter had transgressed, Sinned.                He repented.               Jesus took peter                                                                                          through the                                                                                                  Restoration                                                                                                           process.

Judas did not repent, he ran away from God and tried to pay for his own sin. Peter repented and ran (swan) to Jesus.

Which way are you running?  Run toward Christ, allow the Holy Spirit to take you through the Restoration process.