Get out of the River by Pastor Ernest Fink

We were blessed to have Pastor Ernest Fink speak at King's Fire in Lake Katrine. Pastor Fink spoke some one line wonders that I have placed in all caps.  Some statements are so incredible that they are well worth noting. His whole message is well worth hearing - for he has shared truths so valuable for these end times.

2 Chronicles 20:20c Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.

Pastor Fink spoke about how he needed to learn how to fight like a Christian.  He met his wife when she was 15, she prevailed over him, and they have been married for 39 years.

He told us that FAITH WITHOUT EXPRESSION ISN'T FAITH.

God is a family man, and we need to be tougher sheep - Lambos (rhymes with Rambo).

The river is refreshing and many love to be in the river, but we need to be harvesting the minerals from the river and all the good stuff in the river and taking it out into the world.

When Pastor Fink was younger he met Jesus, but from the age of 16-20 he spent some time doing what he calls "stupid."  This gave him a testimony, and fortunately for him there was a person in his life who kept praying for him and helping him to come back to the Lord.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO HELL IF WE DO NOTHING. The Gospel is about people.  Pastor Fink praised God for those who prayed for him when he was in rebelion.  When he was 17 years old a friend of the family cornered him in the kitchen and spoke with him.  This man had prostrate cancer, but God would later miraculously heal him. This man told Pastor Fink that God had a call on his life.  The man's words were like deep calling to deep in Pastor Fink's life.

There is a difference between Facts and Truth. The facts were this man had cancer, the truth was that Jesus died for us 2000 years ago and the man was healed. We need to believe the truth, not look at the outward facts of our circumstances. This person who spoke into Pastor Fink's life was miraculously healed.

We can get into a dangerous place if we are not careful what we hunger for.  YOU HUNGER FOR WHATEVER YOU FEED ON.

There is nothing like the Church when it works.
There is nothing like the Church when it doesn't work.

It is good to spend time in the River, but we need to get out of the River.  Often we use our reasoning to make excuses for why we are not doing what God has called us to do. We need to discern the difference between good and evil, and the Bible will help us to do that.

The Spirit of God speaks mysteries to us, and these mysteries are not always completely revealed.  Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We need to remember the lyrics - Great BIG God, little bitty devil.  God wants to touch you.  We need a paradigm shift, asking for greater grace to expedite the transition to greater glory. We need habitation from God, revival.

He had us laughing about a dream he had as a child about a witch flying around on a hot dog.

Then Pastor Fink told us how one night he was tired and went to bed and had a dream about being in a hotel room with 2 Godly men and a prostitute. He knew that the 2 Godly men had partaken of the prostitute, and he could feel her trying to seduce him as well. She was trying to pull him into her spell. But he knew to resist the devil.  James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. He resisted, but there was shame on the other two men. He woke up thinking that it was time for revival.

At 5 AM when he woke up thinking about revival, he looked up the etymology of the Word revival and saw:  from Latin:  revivere "to live again," from re- "again" + vivere "to live". It comes from the root of the word for VITAL, as in revitalization.  In revival, those who are dead become alive.

Pastor Fink prayed about the meaning of the dream and God showed him that the prostitute was some of those in the Church who have been seduced by things of the world, the lust, pride, etc. 

We want to be the generation of the Church that is revived, alive, ready for the rapture.  WE WILL NOT GO UP UNTIL WE GROW UP. In the last days the elect will be revived.  If it isn't broken don't fix it.  Stick with the foundations of the Church.  God wants us to take the resources He has provided for us and use them.  We are called to occupy until He comes.  We are to become equipped and then go out and reach the nations.  Take the Gospel into the market places.  To use our resources wisely, not just financial resources.  But remember, IF IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOUR NEED, IT IS YOUR SEED.  Make your calling and your election sure.  The 5-fold ministry will help to mold you.

There is a shifting and movement in the Body of Christ.  Some of the church splits are of the devil, others are of God.  IF THE CHURCH IS NOT OF ONE VISION THAT BRINGS DIVISION. 

The Baptism of Fire is one of the 7 baptisms in the New Covenant.  It is a type of Christian Experience.  John the Baptist preached a Baptism of Repentance - he totally immersed those he baptized, he didn't just sprinkle them.  Where did we ever get the idea of sprinkling?

We need to realize both the goodness and the severity of God.  God does not want adultery either toward the Church (wrong teachings), Himself, or your wife. 

The great revivals were brought into being because of repentance.  We need to repent of sin, a sin consciousness destroys our sense of righteousness. The war with sin is over - we need to wake to our awareness of rightstanding with God.  We have a new freedom IN CHRIST. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

People need Jesus to find their freedom, and there are so many that do not have Him. Every 90 seconds a teenager takes their life by suicide, the elderly are also alone and many take their lives as well.  We need to get out of the river and take Christ to the people who need Him so badly. Eighty percent of those who come to Christ come to Him because they were brought to Him by a friend or relative. 

The Holy Ghost gives us power so we can be a worker in the field.  The fruit of a Christian is another Christian.  We need to be discipling people and bringing them to Christ. Take the anointing - revive and refresh ourselves in the river, and then take it back into the world to reach others for Christ. Our financial lack is often indicative of a lack of evangelism.  Sheep reproduce sheep - they don't reproduce shepherds. 

The things we know, the Word of Knowledge, and the other giftings are not for ourselves, but to be used to reach others.  We are not to be a dry boat rider, but a wet road worker.  Jesus came to bring people to wholeness.  Take what God gives you.

There is Davidic worship which is uninhibited worship.  We have the things in the Spirit, but lately we have gotten in the habit of worshipping worship.  We are washed in the Word, and need to bring this out into the world.

1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. We have the anointing from God, and do know all things.  This gifting is for the revival, and using of the Word of Knowledge to reach others.

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

There are two different words for "knowledge" in the Bible.  Gnosis -which is informational and epignosis - which is experiential knowledge.

All the patriarchs died in faith, having seen the promises from afar off - they knew them, but did not experience the promises.  They believed them BY FAITH.  They went beyond feeling.

We need to go beyond the need to just feel good about ourselves. Don't define our life by our circumstances and environment.  There is a difference between happiness (circumstantially related) and joy (the joy of the Lord).  We are on a Christian journey - some things will seem good to us, others challenging, but we want to savor the JOURNEY, not the circumstances.

Pastor Fink spoke about his time in the Pentecostal Holiness church, and how people would come up to him and tell him the things that he needed to do to be holy - things like read 10 chapters of the Bible a day.  This seems like good advice, but what if he can only read 8 chapters a day?  Does he feel condemned for lack of two chapters?  There were laws about fasting and clothing styles, haircuts, etc.  Because of the legalism, the laws, sin abounded. 

We need to remember that we are no longer under the law, under sin.  Every sin we committed in the past, in the present, and will commit in the future is covered by the Blood of Christ.  Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

The shed Blood of Jesus speaks better than Abel, for there is redemption through Jesus, and that gives us access to the Throne of God. Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Colossians 1:12-14 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,  in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

We are qualified and accepted in the Lord.

Pastor Fink reminded us of the song lyrics:  He paid a debt He did not owe; I owe a debt I could not pay; I needed someone to wash my sins away; and now I sing a brand new song; Amazing Grace all day long; Jesus paid a debt I could not pay.

There is potential for your life.  We don't want to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and tell Him why we did not use the resources He provided for us.  We seem to think that we will be totally happy in Heaven, but the Bible tells us that He will wipe away our tears.  He will wipe away the tears that we will shed for all the opportunities we have passed up to serve Him here on earth, where we were just splashing around in the river, having a good time, playing games, but not reaching out with what we acquired in the river to reach souls. 

God is not interested in us feeling good about ourselves. Yes, we have the joy of the Lord, but there are times when things will not "feel" good on earth as we go about doing His business. Pastor Fink was poisoned 2 times serving God, attacked by the Hindus, and had challenges in his ministry.  He kept reminding himself.  1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

The Patriarchs in Hebrews 11 viewed the promises afar off.  REVELATION IS CAUGHT NOT TAUGHT.  We have to have an open spirit.  All revelation is from the Word.  ALL WORD - NO SPIRIT = DRIED UP.   ALL SPIRIT, NO WORD = BLOWN UP.  THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD ARE NEEDED TOGETHER AND MUST AGREE.

The devil used to make Pastor Fink nervous, now he makes the devil nervous. He uses the gifts, the power of God, and the Word to get people saved. Many in the Body of Christ accept Jesus' death on the Cross for our sins, but are not receiving ALL the promises He has to offer.  We have the answer to what this city needs.  We do not need to all remain within the walls of one church - we need to be equipped to be scattered. 

Pastor Fink spoke about the vision of Jacob's ladder where the angels ascended and descended. Jesus saw Nathaniel under the fig tree and told him John 1:50-51 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” The angels are already here. 

God told Pastor Fink that the greatest sin he has ever committed is the sin of prayerlessness.  If we ask we shall receive.  John 14:13-14 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. Luke 11:9-10 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

If we ask we shall receive, we can't use finances as an excuse or a problem to keep us from doing what God wants us to do.  If we ask we shall receive. We will receive enough money to scatter it. Joseph sowed seed in a time of famine.  There are the principles of seed time and harvest.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF 12 MONTHS FROM NOW?

We are YO-YO CHRISTIANS - if things are going good we say, "Hallelujah."  If they are going badly we back away. 

We need another paradigm.  Once we have become born again, as the scriptures tell us old things have passed away.  2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Pastor Fink started telling us at one point he said things like, "I try to do things like Jesus. I got knowledge. I this and I that."  He said that when he realized that what he was doing in his legalistic way of pursuing Christ was focusing on himself - me, me, me, - it caused him to become all puffed up. He had to change what he was saying about himself, focusing on God, not on himself.

As a Pentecostal Holiness believer - he did not watch TV - considering it the one-eyed devil, or called it DevilVision.  But he found recordings of sermons - at one time it was reel-to-reel, then cassette - and he listened to all the teaching of Alexander Scourby, and started listening to the Bible all the time.  Much of what Pastor Fink did at that time was to say, look at me. But then he got convicted when he remembered: Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Pastor Fink realized he had to get out of the river and do something.  He shared about a man who came to Christ two years ago.  This man was an addict and his addiction had destroyed his family, all he had was the church.  He came to a point where he decided that he did not want to follow the "rules and regulations" of the church, and withdrew.  He came back to the Church and Pastor Fink told him that if he went back to his sin of addiction, that God was going to remove his hand of protection from the man.  The man took drugs and died of a massive heart attack. It really hurts us when we see people withdraw from the church and turn back to those things that once bound them, and then proceed to destroy their lives. We would rather they take their freedom of choice and choose to stay close to Jesus.

When we fall back under the law it is demonic, and makes it hard for us to get free.  Christ came to fulfill the law, and it is through Christ that we gain salvation.  No one can keep the law in their own power.  We need to get back to what is foundational in our faith, to use everything Christ has made available to us to reach people for Christ.  Let our lights shine before us.  Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Get refreshed - renewed - encouraged - equipped - and then get out of here to reach others for Christ.

We are all aware of man's inhumanity to man, without Christ it becomes quite barbaric.  But Christ came to bring peace, and we have wonderful visions of that peace - Isaiah 11:6-8 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.

We want to live in righteousness, not iniquity.  Now is the time to occupy, to anoint with oil.  THE DEVIL IS A DREAM THIEF.  WHATEVER HAS HURT YOU CAN HEAL YOU. WHATEVER YOU HAVE SHIED AWAY FROM, DRAW CLOSER TO.  WHATEVER YOU HAVE SEEN FROM AFAR OFF, YOU NEED TO LAY CLAIM TO.

Paul speaks to Timothy and tells him 2 Timothy 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

We need to stir ourselves up, encourage ourselves, pray over ourselves, so that we do His will on earth. Philippians 3:12  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

We will face challenges as we go forward to do good in Christ - for the devil will check us out to see if what we say we believe in, we really believe in our heart, not just our head.  We can do warfare by proxy.  Pastor Fink told us his father told him, "Son if you think you are going to hell, you're in the wrong family."  We need a sense of destiny.  When we look at someone who is hurting, we need to see them differently than what appearances show - we need to see them as Christ sees them. 

We can have a thought that is not of God, but it doesn't have to take root  in our lives.  A bird can fly over our heads, but we don't have to let it nest.  Some will die and not get the revelation by faith.  Others will hold to the promises that the scriptures give us. Don't say anything different from what the Scriptures tell us.

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Pastor Fink shared about how he and his wife went through a rough spot in their marriage, and he almost left her - reminding us how wives seem to "change" after the marriage. (this made us laugh) He and his wife went into separate rooms and prayed, and he came out realizing that the devil was the one trying to rip apart their marriage - his wife had already told him that, but it confirmed what was happening.  They made a decision to not give into the devil and they are still together 39 years later. 

YOU NEED TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STOP YOUR DEVIL. 

Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

We need to get equipped and submit to God.  The principles of Christ create peace, give prosperity, but it can also mean sacrifice. 

We need to begin to meditate on the truth, on the Word of God. It all starts with a seed thought.  It is not like the meditation of the buddhists, where they seek nothingness, we meditate by taking the Word and the promises of God and reflecting on them.

Pastor Fink prayed for Haiti, and saw it in prayer, before he ever went to the country.  He saw it afar off, and knew that he had won the victory for Christ in Haiti. 

When God gives us instructions to go into the world, we need to know that we have the revelation to do what He says.  We do not come out of the river dry.  We embrace the vision for God, confess it before we ever see it.  We see it before we do it.  We need to stir ourselves up.

Speak in tongues, pray in tongues for that builds us up.  Tongues will help us to battle whatever satan throws at us.  James 4:2c Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

Prayer is the key to Heaven.  At one point Pastor Fink was under spiritual, demonic attack, and he prayed in tongues - loudly.  He asked in tongues what he didn't know how to articulate in English.  He prayed with groanings and utterances in tongues. The demonic fled.

Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Pastor Fink closed by praying a corporate prayer with us, equipping us to go and do Christ's work in the nations, to step out in faith.

Praying your day is blessed!

Heather

Atonement for Sin by Pastor Don

Below is the transcript for the Say Amen TV Show on TBN East Coast. Remember what is in [brackets] is what the congregation says.  This is typed verbatim.  Praying your day is blessed.

Say Amen
Show 132
ATONEMENT FOR SIN
9/27/09

Tonight when the sun goes down I will enter into the fast for sundown to sundown.  So, Pastor Don won't be eating.  Is it required of you Gentiles, those of you that are Gentiles?  No, it's not required, but why do we do the Jewish holidays when we're not Jewish?  We do them because the Bible tells us that these Jewish things, the feasts and the holidays, were sent to the Jews as a tutor.  They're to teach us something.  Therefore, when a Gentile comes and knows that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah.  Whoa!  What a novel idea.  Jesus was Jewish.  [hallelujah]   Whoa!  What a novel idea.  Ought not we then know some Jewish stuff?  [right]  It is required of us to understand that if our Savior was Jewish, and lived in the Jewish land, and ministered to the people through the Jewish text, and revealed and then fulfilled the feast holidays, if He was the fulfilling of all the things that were Jewish, then we ought to know some Jewish stuff. 

It doesn't make us a Jew because it says that we are grafted into the tree.  Which means that originally we were something else.  And then we were joined to someone else and we became a new creature in Christ.  Didn't we?  [yeah]  Didn't we?  I said, "Didn't we?"  [yes]  And so I ministered to you from 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if you are in Christ, you are a new creation, old things are... [passed away]  ...passed away, and behold, [all things]  not a few things, how many things?  [all things]  All things become new.  Therefore, we have to understand, what is this newness that God has given us, and why has He given it to us? 

Why can't we just stay the same old person, doing the same old stuff?  Well, the reason is, we'll get the same old results.  [come on]  And if we keep doing, it's a definition of insanity, if you keep doing the same thing, you think you're going to get a different result, you're crazy.  If you keep doing the same thing, the same way, you're going to get the same result.  But in Christ, He has come to us as a Jewish Messiah, trying to give us, through the Jewish law, an understanding of what He was really about and what His goal was, and what was He trying to accomplish.  So, let's do a little bit of basic, basic little mind game here and see if we can't go all the way back to the very beginning and understand a few things.  Are you ready?  [ready] 

Eternal God who sits in Heaven is a supernatural being.  He is a spirit being.  And in our understanding, God knows that we couldn't fully understand Him.  There is no way that the creature can understand the Creator.  That's a basic principle.  The creature cannot understand the Creator.  Ladies, if you make an apple pie, the apple pie has wonderment as it bathes in it's juices and sauces, and it looks up at you.  It goes, "What is she?"   The apple pie only knows about apple seeds and trees.  It has no comprehension of the wonder of the creator of the pie. 

Therefore, you as a created creature, how dare you think that you can understand and define God.  [amen]  So we have to realize then, that the reality is that we don't understand everything.  [amen]  We only understand what God reveals to us at the time that He reveals it to us.  Can you live with that?  [yes]  Obviously, some people cannot...

Some people's faith stop at their level of knowledge... I'm going to let that just sink in for a minute.  Should I say it again?  Some people's faith stop at their level of knowledge... They only have faith for what they know, the way they know it... And when they get into an area where they don't know everything, their faith is... weak.  Amen!  [amen]  Hallelujah!  [hallelujah]  Praise the Lord.  [Praise the Lord]  Glory to God. 

So, God steps out into space, or wherever He steps, whenever He steps.  We don't know where He steps, because no man has really, truly seen God.  So we don't really know where He stepped to, when He stepped out in space.  [laughter]  And He gets a great idea.  He says, "Let Us...make man in Our own image."  We can't really wrap our heads around that.  We are a Spirit  being who lives in a physical body.  That's a problem.  Because our physical body then tries to comprehend and understand the Spirit.  Problem.  God though, doesn't have that problem. 

So God gives us a little information when He says, "Us,"  He is talking about this triune being.  He's talking about this great Spirit, the Father, who also has a Spirit, the Son, who also has a Spirit, the Holy.  [Spirit]  Right, no I'm just calling Him the Holy, He's just the Holy.  The Holy Spirit.  And then we find out that there are seven spirits of God.  That's Isaiah, Chapter 11 if you want to look it up.  So, now, what does God say?  He says, "Let Us make man."  And then He says, "Okay, we're going to make man.  Good idea."  And He makes man. 

Only difference is that man is a spirit who is in a physical body.  God is a Spirit, but He's not in a physical body unless He wants to be.  [right]  Come on, somebody.  I said, unless He wants to be.  [amen]  So, God is a Spirit, who can be in a physical body, if He wants to be.  But His general condition is God is Spirit.  The Son of God, is a Spirit.  He is a Spirit who chose to be in a body. 

Now we have to ask ourselves, why would the Son of God, who is a Spirit, He is the Word, the Logos, that's His real name.  His real name is the Logos.  He is the Spirit or the voice of God.  He is the Angel or the Messenger of God.  In the Old Testament, that's what Jesus is described as.  But Jesus doesn't exist until Jesus goes into a physical body.  Therefore Jesus technically, watch out now.  Let me shake you up.  Jesus is not the direct definition of who the Logos is.  [right]  The Word.  It says the Word was God, the Word was with God, and the Word is God.  Well, wait a minute, if the Word is God, who's Jesus?  Jesus is the Word who came into a physical body  [right]  2000 years ago...  He put on a man suit, for a reason, 2000 years ago. 

We would be more appropriate when we pray to pray to the Word... Or to pray to Adonai, or Elohim.  The old Jews knew that there was a problem because the word, "Us," is multiple as opposed to a singular.  So God expresses Himself as a singular God, multiple manifestations.  So we run into a problem when we, the created one, wants to understand this sovereign God.  And so great debates, great theological debates are raged over who is God, what is God, how are we going to define God?  And we're going to reduce God down to something that we can comprehend.  You cannot comprehend the Creator of the universe.  [right]  How are you going to do that?  How in the world are you going to understand the multi-faceted, supernatural, all powerful, omnipotent, omniscient, gracious, holy, merciful, great, expansive, all knowing, super ability, super power, unlimited capability.  How are you going to grasp that?  How are you going to wrap your brain around that?  You don't even understand your wife.  [laughter]  How can you understand God. 

We can only go by what He says that we can kinda, kinda hope we can understand.  [that's right] ... You know, one of the greatest men that ever lived was Job.  And Job goes through all this wonderful, great wisdom, and talking and God finally interrupts the conversation, and says, "Hold on a minute."  He says, "Now I will question you.  I will question you.  How did I put the stars in the sky?  How did I make Leviathan, and Behemoth?"  And He starts asking Job these questions that he can't answer. 

So, when you listen to the radio and TV to these guys who wax eloquent about there is no God, and they understand God, and whatever.  You need to laugh.  I just laugh at them.  I mean, I laugh at them.  They don't even know how their bodies work, let alone they're going to understand God.  But we can understand what God has said in His Word that He wanted us to know.  And here's what He wanted us to know.  When He stepped out on space, He decided He wanted to make man, cause He wanted to hang out with us.  [amen]  That's about as far as you can get to the purpose of God making man. 

Because God, unto Himself, is fully complete.  He needs nothing and no one else.  He is El Shaddai.  He is Jehovah Rapha.  He is Jehovah Tsidkenu.  He is all of those Jehovah's, but even before we found out about all the Jehovah's, He said, "I AM THAT I AM."  [amen]  And that means He was the all-sustaining One who needs no one and needs nothing else.  He always was, always is, always will be.  He is the great I AM.  He is the ever present, all powerful One.  I could go on for hours, and still not define Him.  [bring it on]  Not even touch Him... But for some reason, the great I AM said, "I want some idiots to hang out with."  [laughter]  "I want some prideful, obnoxious, stiff-necked people, that think they know everything, and don't know nothing.  But I'm going to surround myself with billions of them, for some reason." 

God has to do something about our sin, about our uncleanness, about the way we talk, about the places we go to, about the things that we do.  He's got to get rid of that so He can hang out with us.  [yeah, hallelujah, applause]  He can't take us the way that we are because sin is in our nature.  It's what we do.  It's what we think about.  Our minds are in opposition to God.  We live a mental life of unbelief and doubt.  When God says you can do it, we go, no we can't.  When God says, it's yours, you can have it, we go, no, I'm not worthy of it.  When God says you're mine, I love you, I'll never leave you or forsake you, we go, oh no, I don't believe it.  I'm not ready for that.  [Jesus] 

He's got to get rid of all of that, so He can hang out with us.  Because, given an opportunity between choosing right and choosing wrong, we just gravitate over and we'll pick the wrong thing.  We'll just go over there and then we're so smart, we'll justify it.  We'll make excuses for why we did it.  And we'll blame somebody else.  The wife will blame the husband.  The husband'll blame the wife.  The kids'll blame the parents, and everybody's a mess.  There aren't enough shrinks to fix all of our stuff.  At some point it has to be atoned for.  At some point it has to be forgiven.  At some point we have to turn it over to God because He can fix it because He knows what has to be removed. 

Therefore, Jesus says to the Father, I will go down on the earth.  I will put on a human suit.  I will pay for their sin.  I will pay the price to remove the packaging so that we can get to the good fruit.  Somebody that understands that, say, "Praise the Lord."  [Praise the Lord, applause]  We're not all that. 

The only thing that you have control over in your body is your blood... [thank you Lord]  God created everything else and He maintains control over it.  But God gives you blood, which is the life force.  And the life force runs through your body...  And what you do, while you live in your body, concerning your blood, which is the carrier of life.  It carries life, throughout your body, or it carries death throughout your body... That's the only real thing that you have to control...

But God, since He has given you the life force, and He has declared that life is in the blood.  When He gave that blood to you, that blood was holy.  That blood was clean.  When you came into the world it was only carrying disease if you were born of a parent who was a disease carrier... And that's why things are moved from the first generation to the second, to the third, even unto the fourth generation.  So the life force is in the what?  [blood]  The life force is in the blood.  The blood. 

And therefore, what happened in the Garden of Eden, wasn't that it was a physical sin.  As much as it was a sin against the life force.  For God designed your body to carry blood throughout your body to bring you health, to bring you repair, and it was supposed to remain sin free... And that's why throughout the Old Testament there is, when you kill an animal, you are to drain out it's blood before you eat the steak.  The reason is because, that blood is the domain of God.  It is the thing that he has given to the individual  animal and therefore, you have no rights over its blood over the life force that is in it, so the blood is to be drained out. 

Because the blood is the carrier either of the sin or it's the carrier of the blessing.  And you have no right over the authority of it to take another human's life because you are taking his God-given life force.  [yes]  And that's why murder is a sin.  Because you are not to kill and stop and destroy the blood of the life force that God gave that you could not create.  How many of you created the blood that is in you?  You didn't.  You only recycled it, by either eating healthy, you recycled it.  Your body made more blood, or it didn't.  You are a blood factory.  Your body is the only, your body replenishes the blood.  It moves good things through your system, and around and through your body. 

Therefore, when a man sins, and God is going to punish him, watch this now.  The only thing that he has to deal with is the life force is what you have corrupted.  Your sin has perverted and corrupted the life force that is in you, which is the blood... And therefore, God says, your blood will be required of you if you sin. Because why?  Watch this, it's the only thing that you produce that you can use as payment. 

Well you say, why, if I sin, why can't I pay with money?  Well, wait a minute.  That money didn't come from you... The money came from, maybe the sweat of your brow, but what did you do?  You grew tomatoes.  You took the tomatoes to the market place, but guess what?  You say you grew the tomatoes, but you didn't.  [yeah]  You didn't grow them.  God grew them by designing it so that that thing would reproduce.  So you say, "I'll kill a goat, and I'll sell the goat."  Wait a minute.  You didn't grow the goat.  I don't care if you even cloned him.  The cloning process is still something that we fell upon due to what?  Knowledge of science, of the process of life that God put here.  [amen] 

I'm trying to help you.  If you get this, it'll change your life.  Because most of us don't understand why God punishes us, why sin is a problem, and why we have to pay for our sin.  You have to pay for your sin with something that you produce.  The only thing in life that you truly produce was the blood system in you, that God designed.  But it's the only thing that you have total, absolute control over.  Therefore, it's the only currency that you can use to pay for sin, is your blood.  [come on] 

What are you going to do?  You sinned, you're going to go get one of your kids and bring them over there?  You didn't birth that kid!  That kid came from the process that God designed.  That's God's kid.  You can't take the kid over and say, UNHNN, take my kid to cover my sins.  And that's why God hates abortion.  That's why He hates human sacrifice.  That's why He hates, it's an abomination to Him, because you are taking something that is not yours and you're using it to pay for your sin.  [come on]  How are we doing?  Are we alright?  [right on] 

You are the only thing that you have to produce is your own blood.  And it came from God, but your body produces it, therefore, your blood is required of you when you sin.  [yeah]  So God says, if Pastor Don is mean to his wife, I sinned against my wife, I curse her, I abuse her, and whatever, whatever.  God then says, His blood is required of him.  What am I going to pay with?  Her car?  I'm going to take her car and give it to God?  God don't need her car.  And I get really personal, I go, I'll take my car.  God take my car.  Receive my car for payment of my sins.  God says, wait a minute.  That won't work.  The only thing that you have that you have full control over is your blood, Don.  Give me some blood, that'll pay for the sin against your wife... What else can you pay with?  What currency can you pay with?  You're going to do good works to pay for your sins?  I don't think so.  The only currency that you have is that which you really have. 

Cain slew Abel.  What was the problem.  Abel brought his sacrifice willingly to God.  Cain didn't want to bring it at all.  And so he gave God just some stuff.  And so, what did God say?  He says, "Satan is waiting.  Satan's waiting for you to slip up.  Guess what's required of you now?  Your blood."  It says that Abel's blood was crying out from the ground.  Abel's blood was crying out.  What's it crying out for?  He's crying out that his debt of death, the taking of his life, of his blood, the only way that Cain could pay for it was that Abel's blood is crying out from the ground, that Cain's blood should now be spilled to pay for Abel's blood, his death. 

We're still fussing and fuming and acting like little kids because why?  The only way Adam and Eve could pay for their sin would have been to die.  God would have had to come in the Garden and say, "You guys sinned."  And He almost did. You know.  Adam says, "This woman you gave me."  So Adam was already trying to get her killed.  [laughter]  "This woman you gave me.  It's her fault."  And what did she do?  She was slick, she says, "That didn't work.  The woman/man thing didn't work.  The serpent."  She blamed the serpent.  Right?  [amazing]  Come on.  How many of you all read your Bibles?  She blamed the serpent.  He blamed her and she blamed the serpent.  [right]  ... They both got kicked out.  And the only way they could have paid for it was with their blood. 

Does anybody understand what I'm telling.  That's the only thing they have.  Adam could have done this.  He could have said, "Lord, You're right.  I sinned.  You made me ruler over the earth, and she's a part of the earth.  I should have taken dominion over this and said, "No, honey.  Don't listen to the serpent.  Matter of fact, the serpent is (stomps)  under my foot.  We'll not listen to Him baby.""  [amen]  "We'll not listen to him. Today, let's go get some mango and papaya. [laughter]  God made it for us and it's right over here."  But they didn't do that.  Therefore, their blood is required of them, is the only currency they had in the Garden, they would have had to pay. 

But what did God do?  God accepted a substitute.  [right, right]  He accepted a substitute.  God, Himself, killed an animal, took the skins so that they could cover their shameful bodies.  So that their sin would be covered.  And He accepted it as an atoning sacrifice, the blood of the animal that was slain to cover their sin.  I think somebody's getting this now.  [yeah]  That was the first atoning sacrifice.  Was it perfect?  No!  It was substitutionary.  How many of you all can say that?  [substitutionary]  A little louder.  [substitutionary]  A substitutionary sacrifice is a good one, but it's not the best. 

When you go to court for an infraction, and the judge says, "Listen, we're going to postpone this, we're going to postpone this, in contemplation of dismissal."  That is substitutionary.  Because he could fine you, or he could lock you up as a direct payment for the crime you committed. But he is saying, "We will accept a substitute.  I will take your word that for the next 18 months, you will not violate the law.  Therefore, as a substitute, we are accepting that.  But guess what, it's still on the books.  If you blow it, we're coming to get you."  [yes]  Did anybody get that?  [yes] 

Therefore, the sacrifice of animals, the blood of animals was a substitute, but it really wasn't direct payment because animal blood and human blood are not the same.  [yeah]  Everybody got that?  [right]  Therefore, animals could only be a substitute.  They could only be a postponement for the penalty of sin.  A postponement for the penalty of guilt.  A postponement for evil done.  We'll accept animal blood for awhile. 

But the ultimate goal was what?  I want man to hang out with me without the box, without the plastic, without the seeds.  Therefore, at some point in time the substitute has to be done away with, and we're going to have to have some real blood, honey.  We're going to have to have some real clean, purified blood that is able to pay for the sin of man.  We're going to have to have the real deal at some point.  No credit card, it's going to have to be a direct blood transaction here.  There's gonna to be no phony promises.  You're not going to wave a chicken over your head and that's going to get it.  You're not going to do some voodoo ceremony and that's going to get it.  You're not going to be mad at God and think that that's going to pay for it.  You're not going to work real hard in the harvest field.  You're not going to work hard in the church and that's going to do it.  Some real, down, red blood is the only thing that's going to pay for that sin. 

And aren't you glad Jesus the Christ gave up His blood to pay for your sin?  [cheering]  Jesus, the Holy One, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, lived a life without sin, and He gave everything He had for you.  [hallelujah]  That's what we're celebrating.  That's what this week of atonement is about.  That we recognize that the real blood was paid so that we could go free.  So that we could get out of the box, rip out of the plastic, and destroy the seeds and step forth into the light of God and say, "I am purified by the blood of the Lamb."  [hallelujah]  "I'm made righteous by the blood of the Lamb."  [hallelujah]  And when He comes He will see no sin in my blood... When the Father comes, He will see the atoning sacrifice of the Son.  He will see that my sins have been paid for by His sacrifice.  And I will hang out with Him forever.  [amen, amen, amen] 

Our Words by Cynthia Moore

Our women's luncheon was awesome - as always.  We begin with a pot luck lunch, go upstairs for praise and worship and have a guest speaker.  This month's speaker was Cynthia Moore - Pastor Don's wife - and boy did she give us a message that was so convicting - homework too!!! Our next meeting is November 21 and you are welcome - we begin at 1 and are pretty much done by 4.  It is a good group of women, and there is plenty of fellowship and friendship.

To begin the meeting we were each given an index card and told to anonymously write a recent negative event that happened, and record what we said at the time of the event and what we said to others after the event.  We passed those cards in to be used later in the meeting.

Cynthia held up the Bible and said, this is the Word of God.  We have it.  We need it.  It teaches us.  We need to hear and obey. God's words are life to us. 

1 Samuel 15:22-23 So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebelion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”

When we do God's word we receive blessing, favor, and He makes our paths more smooth. If we don't do His Word our lives are not very god.

God tells us:  DO NOT WORRY, and He tells us to FORGIVE those who offend us.  We often say, "I can't help worrying.  How can I forgive them?"  But when we don't obey God in this we will find that worry and unforgiveness can lead to stress which leads to disease.  We need to obey what God tells us or we end up harming ourselves.

BELIEVE, KNOW, TRUST God's Word.  When we do deal with our experiences through the truth of God's Word, God works supernaturally in our lives. The more experience we have with God and following His Word, then we learn how beneficial it is, and we begin to trust God more and more, and know that He has our best interests at heart. We need to trust Him even in our bad situations.  He will get us through.

To follow God's Word in our lives means we have to KNOW GOD"S WORD.  If we don't know what the Word says, how can we follow it?  We need to read the scriptures so we know what to say and believe.  The Bible is the Living Word.  It is not imperfect, it is the pure Word of God - it is real and accurate.

If we don't know what we should pray regarding a situation, seek the scriptures for a story or a verse that shows us what God has promised.  Cynthia also told us that when God repeats something in His Word it is for emphasis and should be taken to mean that God means it. 

Our tongues speak our words and thoughts, and we need to master what our tongues say. Look in a concordance to see what God has to say about the situation, believe God's Word, speak God's Word.  We want God's Word to be the Word that comes off our tongues.

Even if we read scripture and know His Word, we don't always speak it. Why?  Sometimes it is our upbringing. We might have spent our formative years with people who always viewed a situation as negative.  And without thinking we model ourselves after that kind of negative behavior and thinking.

God wants us to give the Glory to Him, for what He has done in us.

Cynthia shared how someone told her mother that Cynthia looks like her mom, and her mom's reply was, "Oh poor thing."  What kind of message did that send to Cynthia?  When she was growing up her best friend's mother used to respond to every situation negatively.  That becomes a habit, and we need to break the negativity habit. 

Some people don't know how to say something in a positive way.  Some think people don't take them seriously if they are too positive, that they have to be mean, negative, or strong to be heard. 

We need to believe God's Word and say what God's Word says. Then, no matter our circumstances, we can have the peace that passes all understanding.

There is a big difference between TRUTH AND FACT.

They can run in parallel directions.  The worldly and spiritual are always going on at the same time.  When we perceive that something is wrong in the world, we need to put the WORD above the World.  The TRUTH of God's Word in place of the fact.  The fact may be that it seems to be a bad day, but the TRUTH is that we are blessed and highly favored.

Cynthia read from a book called Hung by the Tongue Written by Francis Martin.  He tells us that to control our mouth we have to control our mind and what we think.  Proverbs 23:7a For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. There was more that she read from this source, it seems to be a good book, but may not be easy to obtain.

We need to accept that Scripture is literal.  These are spiritual principles that the Word contains that God set forth.  They are always operating. For example, the principle of sowing and reaping.  Sometimes knowing these principles does not make it any easier to follow them.  But God's Word is truth, and as we follow these principles we learn that we cannot beat God at giving.

Luke 6:37-38 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

If you spend your time criticizing people, you will reap criticism and receive judgments yourself.  That does not mean that we don't judge, but how we judge is very important, and God knows our hearts. 

If we want to be blessed, sow blessings to others and we will reap blessings.

There are three things that will help us with our tongues:  1) prayer; 2) awareness; and 3) work and yieldedness.

PRAYER- God helps us, we can't do anything without God helping us.  It takes time and effort on our part to learn our scriptures and open up the Word, but God will use the Word to teach us, guard us, and help us to change.  Invoke God's love.

1 Corinthians 13 is the Love Chapter - and it tells us that Love never fails. We can't do anything without love. If our life is not moving the way we want it to, we need to check our love walk.  We want things to come from a heart of love. We don't want to act out of anger and resentment.  Let our words be words of love.  If we have to say tough words to someone, we may have to say them a different way so that they can be received. Speak the truth in love.

AWARENESS:  We need to be aware of what we are saying.  Listen to ourselves, get a monitor (a friend or family member) who will point out when we are speaking negatively.  Ask their help. Tell them we are trying to learn to speak more positively and ask them to let us know when we are not.  It can be tough to have someone point it out, but if we really want to change, we need to be aware of when we are being negative.

Cynthia then pointed out that there are times when we need to vent - and the way to do that is to get with someone that you have a positive relationship with and let them know that you are venting.  It has to be a trusted person who can then pray with you, and one that you know that what you are venting will not be repeated to others. And when you vent, don't do it with character assassination.  Hopefully they will help you to find constructive things to say or do.

When you do have a legitimate complaint and need to speak it to someone, be aware of how you are saying what you want to say. Don't NIT PICK OR NAG.  Choose your battles. Sometimes things are not worth getting upset about.  Some things are so small you don't want to let them get you upset.  Overlook the small stuff.

It does take work to change our tongues.  We have to do it though, to make the effort to retrain our mouth, learn how to say things a different way, and try to learn to use positive phrases. 

For example if you want your husband to take out the garbage - don't nag and question him repeatedly, "Did you take out the garbage?" Or say something like, "You never remember to take out the garbage." A more positive way of saying things is to say something like, "I love it when you take out the garbage.  Or thank you for taking out the garbage."

And even if a person doesn't do the perfect job, say nice things about the good parts that they did.  People are more motivated by complements than they are by negative things.

Avoid killer phrases such as:  You ALWAYS..... or I'm just sick of you when you.....

Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.

A goad has a sharp point on the end and is used to drive cattle, prod sheep, and get them doing the action that you want them to do, to move them along.  Words that are carefully spoken will be heard and produce results.  If something is said in a negative way it produces withdrawal and negativeness.

We can cause the person to BLOCK what we are saying if we are not careful how we present it.

We don't know what they are saying, and sometimes we react to what they are doing but without knowing what is in the person's mind. We can carefully ask and probe - saying things like:  I am glad you did this today.  What do you mean by that? (Heather's comment: check your tone of voice when you say that though) Or, Oh, thank you for that.

We can cause them to BLOCK us invasively if we say things the wrong way, they can deliberately do the opposite.

They can be BLOCKING US DUE TO PAST HISTORY.  Either their past or we box them in with statements like "You are never any good at fixing the car, I'll have to deal with it myself. With the car you might want to ask the person if they want to look at it or do they want you to get a mechanic.

Change your words, your attitudes, your heart, and you will begin to see results.

TRY NOT TO ACT IN RETALIATION.  You can get angry, but before you retaliate, go back to the book.  Read Psalm 30 & 31.  In times of trouble the Psalms are a good place to go - The psalmists have had their problems, write about them, but they always end up back at the truth that God is there.

We looked at some selected verses of Psalm 30 & 31.  I will share the ones Cynthia highlighted.

Psalm 30:1-2 I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me.O LORD my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.

Psalm 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

There is a richness and fullness in the Psalms.

Psalm 31:3  For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.

Psalm 31:5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

Psalm 31:7-8 I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, for You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, and have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.

Psalm 31:20 You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. 

Love is so important, it is in Love that God's promises are fulfilled.

We then broke up into small groups and divided up those index cards that we wrote at the beginning of the session. We read the situation and discussed what the person did, if they did it correctly or if they needed to say things a different way.  It was interesting to think about situations - even though we didn't know the whole story behind the situation it was helpful to think about ways to present the response in a positive manner. Also we could figure out that certain responses probably didn't get results and others did.

Then Cynthia gave us the following handout that contained some scriptures about the tongue, not all of them were the usual ones.

A WHOLESOME TONGUE IS A TREE OF LIFE.

James 1:26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.

James 3:2-10 (excerpts) ....If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body...Look also at ships: and though they are so large...they are turned by a very small rudder...the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how a great forest a little fire kindles...no man can tame the tongue..Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be so.

Psalms 15:1-3 Who may dwell in your holy hill?...he who..does not backbite with his tongue.

Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.

Psalm 39:1 ...I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle...

Psalm 119:172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous.

Proverbs 6:16-17 These six things the Lord hates...A proud look, a lying tongue

Proverbs 10:19-20 In a multitude of words, sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver...

Proverbs 12:18 There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.

Proverbs 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15:23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from trouble.

Cynthia told us that it is a psychological fact that it takes 30 days to break a habit.  She gave us note pads and told us that we should write down every negative statement that we make.  And suggested that we find trusted individuals to tell us if they notice negative speaking in our words. Also to find an accountability partner to answer to regarding our negative words.

She suggested that we can tell the impact of our words by having an awareness of a person's body language after you make a statement. 

She also pointed out that there are going to be people who do not want us to change, and that could cause challenges for us.  She gave us some good techniques to deal with issues.  For example if you want to get  your car to a garage to get repaired and you want to make sure your husband isn't offended by that.  You could ask him, on a scale of 1-10 how badly do you want to repair the car rather than have me take it to the garage?  Some things are not as important as other things for people.  When you can begin to realize what really matters you can adjust your requests accordingly.

Another technique is the third person technique - ask yourself how you would speak to another person regarding the issue, and what advice would you give them.  Communicate using those words instead of your words. Suggest that you and your spouse try to get out of yourselves and figure out how you would advise someone else with the same problem. 

We should either be assisting or be absent. Walk away if you have to rather than speaking negativity into the situation. 

You have to take the first steps so that you begin to speak more positively.  Tell yourself that you can add the negative later if you have to.

We stood up and read the following verse:

Psalm 39:1 1st three lines:  I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,..."

Then we sat and looked at the following verses:

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Mark 11:23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

We need to guard our tongues like a tiger with a muzzle. 

We were given the following equation:

God's process + our process = God's provision.

God's grace is sufficient and we will prosper when we work and daily use His guidance.  We will not be victims.  We will be blessed.

Cynthia gave us much to think about and do.  I know that if we apply this teaching to our lives that we will make dramatic changes in our lives.

Have a blessed day!

Heather

Isaiah 9 by Pastor Don

This lesson was taught on 10/16 - I missed the previous Friday Bible study due to taking my daughter to visit colleges.

Pastor Don went to Isaiah 8:19-22 to lay a foundation because the Bible was not written originally with chapter and verse but as one long scroll.  The chapters and verses were placed to make it easier to find our place, but sometimes the translators put the chapters and verses in peculiar places.

Isaiah 8:19 And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?

Today we are seeing this as well, people seeking mediums and wizards, and trying to talk to the dead. This is not possible and there is much deception.

Isaiah 8:20-22 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

This is an End Times prophetic passage.  In this day and age Israel is in a drought, has been for 7 years.  Right now Israel is a secular nation, and God is seeking to move them to the place where they seek God.  In Isaiah's day, God needed to bring in the Assyrians to cause the people to finally reject their idols and turn to God.  History is repeating itself.

Our President is trying to force Israel to a peace agreement.  The lines are more clearly drawn, and the repercussions will be tremendous.

Isaiah Chapter 9 is dealing with future events - the Messiah and the future, the end times. It is a near and a far fulfillment of prophesy.

Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first He lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles.

The gloom will be raised.  Zebulun and Napthali is part of Northern Israel.  Galilee, from the Jordan East to West.  The Jordan River runs North to South through Israel.

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

Darkness in Galilee and the Gentiles.  The Messiah came into Galilee of the Gentiles, and emerged from there. Pastor Don pulled out a map to show us where he was talking about.  The See of Galilee is where he is pointing, and below his hand is the Jordan River which feeds into the Dead Sea (the other large body of water)  We used maps in the back of our Bibles to get an idea of the geography of the land of Israel.

Pastor Don spent some time with the map of Israel showing us the surrounding countries.  Jesus came out of Nazareth and the Scribes and Pharisees did not believe that anything good could come out of Nazareth.  Nazareth was on the direct route that the traders took to deliver goods from Egypt and other points to points further inland.  Because of that there were many languages and nationalities that came through Nazareth, and the scribes and Pharisees did not think that the Messiah would come from such a diverse city.  Also, the small amount of water that Pastor Don is pointing to is the Sea of Galilee - it is the only source of fresh water for Israel.  The countries that want Israel to give land that is near the Sea of Galilee to other countries do not realize that that could jeopardize Israel's livelihood - for without fresh water, Israel would not be able to exist.  The Jordan River flows from the sea of Galilee and dumps its water into the Dead Sea (that large mass of water near the bottom of the map).  If enemy nations managed to get access to the Sea of Galilee they could pollute, bomb or destroy the water source.  Those countries that traveled from Turkey, Europe, Egypt, or other points depended on the Sea of Galilee for fresh water, because water is scarce in the surrounding countries.

Then there is the Palestinian issue - there was never a nation of Palestine from ancient times.  In 1948 the League of Nations made Israel a country, and the surrounding nations around Israel were not happy with this for they did not like Israel. They took their poor people from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, etc. and gave them guns, telling them that the Israelites were not military people, kill the Israelites and you can have their land.  In all honesty, the only native people in Israel at that time were the Bedouins, small tribes of nomads that have no nationality or country and travel around.  Well, the plan to kill the Jews did not work, and what happened is that some of those people who had been given guns decided to be loyal to Israel and were assimilated into the land.  Others tried to go back to their native countries, but their native countries did not accept them back - they were left in the wilderness in no nation - because they did not like the Jews they could not be assimilated into Israel, and they were just kept in camps - but the Israelites fed them.  The surrounding nations realized that Israel was feeding these poor people, so they sent more people into the mix - figuring let Israel take care of them.  Unfortunately the disenfranchised people were also angry and kept attacking Israel.  There were many wars, 1962, 1967, 1972 and Israel won them all. 

People in Jordan, if they are honest also point out that they only are in their second or third generation - the Jordanians do not go back to ancient history either. The trouble is that the surrounding nations want Israel completely annihilated, but America needs to be aware that Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East and without Israel, we would have challenges.

Back to Isaiah, the Pharisees did not think any good could come out of Nazareth because of all the various peoples who traveled through it.  Jesus spoke 3 languages, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew.  He may even have spoken some Latin to deal with the Roman soldiers.

The Jews in Jerusalem lived in an orthodox atmosphere, and did not think anything good could come out of Galilee.  The People from Nazareth dressed differently, had a pronounced dialect.  It would be like being able to tell in our country if someone was from the deep South or the North. 

Isaiah 9:2  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

The land of the shadow of death, this would be the Jezreel Valley - a flat plain where Armageddon will be fought, near Megiddo.  There is a narrow mountain pass leading toward there, and it is called the Valley of Decision.  In this area there were also altars to idols and babies and small children will killed in temple worship. 

Isaiah 9:3-4 You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You  according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden and  the staff of his shoulder the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

Judges 8 speaks of Gideon and his army defeating the Midianites. Judges 8:28 Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.

Isaiah 9:5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, and garments rolled in blood,  will be used for burning and fuel of fire.

Pastor Don spoke of how Isaiah tells of the light shining, that the Messiah will come from the rejected area and the believers will multiply making the Kingdom of God - Jews and Gentiles together.  In the last days there will be a harvest from God.  There is a misunderstanding of what this harvest will entail.  The harvest will be a supernatural act of God.  God will respond to men's hearts and pour out His Spirit on ALL flesh.  Not all will accept God, but God will be sending people to to reap a harvest of souls at such a weight that the reaper will not be able to keep up with the sower.  There will also be a great judgment.  It is up to us to sanctify ourselves to be in the proper position for us to be used as a minister of the Gospel, for the multitudes are coming to receive from the Lord.

Isaiah 9:6 An incredible verse!  For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Notice it is a Child - a Son - GIVEN, it doesn't say "birthed".  There is no human factor, the Son was GIVEN by God.  And the Government would be on His Shoulder, it is a benevolent dictatorship.  Democracy is insane and hasn't worked.  The United States is a REPUBLIC, and it is run by the people in power, but it masquerades as a democracy - it lets you vote, but that is more to keep you quiet. 

God's rule is right all the time, for God rules right and what is best for us, we don't get to vote.  Orders come from God.  God does not say, "Would you like to ...?"  Democracy is slow and inefficient, but under God we are a benevolent dictatorship.  What comes down to us are dictates, not suggestions. 

As lawlessness increases in the land we are going to have to be strong enough to know where to draw the line.  We all have to decide what we will accept or not.  Sadly, some people only want some of the traits listed for Jesus - Some are happy to have a Wonderful or Counselor, but don't want a Mighty God.  The truth is, when Jesus shows up again He is going to be Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Counselor.  He will come in His Might - not as a little lamb. 

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice  from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

There is a specific order in this - right now the Church is in disorder.  He will bring order, clean it all out.  If you permit any infestation on any level, you perpetuate the infestation.  There will be order - judgment - justice.  You don't judge unless you are ready to be judged and can judge rightly.  If there is no judgment, chaos happens. 

In the shows that have judges on TV, the people are separated by the law giver - we need to know the Law Giver, and then we will have no problem agreeing with what is right and wrong.  We know that God's Judgment is just.

Praying your day is blessed!

Heather

Worship, our views of death, spiritual maturity by Pastor Don

This is from Pastor Don's Friday Bible study 10/2/09

Romans 6:18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

This is the last phase of spiritual growth. God changes the way we worship.  Our outlook, purpose and will can get in the way of our worship.  As we grow in Christ our view of sin and death change, and our purpose of life changes.  We begin to see death as but a doorway to eternal life.  Finally we will get to see Jesus face to face.  Our view of death changes, and also our way of looking at sin changes. 

Jesus conquered sin and death.  Therefore, sin which leads to physical death isn't leading to physical death but to spiritual death.  If we sin there is a penalty and a price to pay. 

Physical death leads to spiritual life.  We are a spirit that lives in a body, but when we face physical death we are moving into spiritual eternal life. 

Life itself changes.  What you used to fear, now you no longer fear.  Things that used to seem important are not so important.  Pastor Don told us that if we do not believe in eternal life, then we might want to consider doing the bucket list.

God has programmed us so that we believe in the hope of life after death, and we want to try and make our lives count for something.  The more mature you are in the spirit, the more you see death as a doorway.  Jesus did not get moved by the opinions of people, for Jesus knew that the worst thing they would do is kill Him, and he had no fear of death.  Jesus also knew that people would not be able to kill Him until His time had come.  They did not kill Him until He was ready to die, and even on the cross He died when "it was finished."  Not a moment before or a moment later.  The timing of His death was Jesus' choice. Because Jesus was not a sinner, death had no authority over Him. Death only has authority over us if we are afraid.  The Romans expected that Jesus would be on the cross 2-3 days dying a slow death and were surprised at how quickly he died.  Death didn't kill Him, He gave up the ghost.

You are the final authority over the moment of your expiration.  Our physical body is programmed to keep us alive.  The physical body is programmed to exist.  Crucifixion is a horrible way to die- and those on the cross would painfully lift their bodies up to gasp in a breath, it was involuntary - they struggled to breathe even when the pain to do so was horrific. What kills us is disease, death, or lack of will to live.  It is not the point of death, but the cessation of life.

Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

The death spirit and hades had possession of the people.

Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Death and hades were where the spirits went - but then death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. That was the second death.  The first death is physical death, the second death is when those who desire to be placed away from God will stay eternally in bondage in hell, the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

If people do not want to be around God, their names are not in the Book of Life and they will be cast into the lake of fire.

It is our lack of spiritual understanding and spiritual immaturity that we do not realize the truth of God - even Creation shows God's existence to everyone.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

To go to hell you have to reject God, to deny the manifest truth of God, and that takes some doing for all of creation declare's God's existence.

Romans 1:19-20 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

What is here in the world is created - it didn't just happen.

Romans 2:12-16 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;  for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Romans 6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

Our flesh (mind, will, emotions) all of us is tempted and said, "yes" to sin and this was not to our best outcome. Our mind will sometimes lead us into dangerous places and cause us to make mistakes.  We want to become slaves of righteousness for holiness.

Romans 6:20-21 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

The end of these things is death.

Romans 6:22-23 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When we get more spiritual our attitude toward death changes, we pray for people in a different way, and the desires of our heart changes. If we are earthbound we might pray for people to live even when it is to their detriment.  After 70 years some people are ready to be with God, and they look at their lives with different eyes than those who are not so sure about death, who want to keep the person around so that they do not have to be grieved.  Pastor Don said that his mom wants to live a long life only if she has her mind and her health.

We do not have all the answers and we need to trust God.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Pastor Don described life as like a puzzle in pieces.  You may not even know if you have all the pieces to the puzzle and to build the puzzle you need to start at the outer edges - at the corners, and piece them together, then begin to build the middle.  We may not even have the picture on the cover of the box.

In faith we start with the outer edges and leave the rest of the puzzle up to God until we get there.  Your expectations can disappoint you, for your expectations may not be built on all the pieces of the puzzle.

Pastor Don's father, Ivor Moore,  used to always say:  Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.

Our view of sin is not the end of all life and death, but it is part of our learning process.

THY WILL BE DONE.  God's got the plan and the picture on the top of the box of puzzle pieces we have been given. 

Philippians 1:20-21 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

We need to recognize spiritual maturity is a process that we go through.  Our will is important and our level of maturity is important, but we need to accept this growth toward maturity as part of the process.  We sometimes wonder why alcoholism, sickness, disease, dysfunctional families and things have happened in our lives.  Our flesh screams out that we want the perfect life NOW.  We have to die to self to attain the perfect life.  Why do we admire movie stars and give them accolades for their beauty - they didn't do anything to achieve it - it was given to them by God.  And movie stars who supposedly have their beautiful lives end up doing ugly stuff.  It is as we die to self and mature and grow in Christ that we begin to build the character that really matters.  All the beauty and glamor without character is tarnished.

Romans 6:22-23 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the conclusion.  We are set free from sin by the Blood of Jesus.  We have the faith that sin no longer encumbers us. Yes, we will mess up and make a  mistake, but our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. Jesus has eliminated our sins. We can go before the bench and claim, "not guilty."  The case is dismissed because Jesus paid the price.  If we accept this fact, we are set free, and as such have become slaves of God.  We should, as we grow in Christ, sin less, recognizing our new spiritual nature.  We have chosen a different master, and as a child of Christ, we do not have to sin over and over and over again.  We are not serving our old master Romans 6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. Our old master is the flesh.  Our flesh is designed to kill us. we will sin in the flesh over and over and over and over - there is no way to stop the flesh meter, there is no eject button.  It is only by the spirit that we can stop it, by saying that we have chosen a different master - now we are a slave to God.

We need to take our thoughts captive to Christ.  Thought leads to sin, but it is not sin until it comes to our mouth.

We then read romans 6:23 - 7:1 Pastor Don pointed out that the Bible was not originally written in chapter and verse - and 6:23 runs right into 7:1.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

As long as we are in the physical body the laws of the 10 Commandments exist.  Jesus conquered sin and death.  He lived under the law and obeyed the law without sin.  He has shown us it is possible to do this, and through Him we can.  As long as we are alive we are to live by the scriptures.  It is never ok to lie, cheat, steal, kill, commit adultery, use God's name in vain, etc.  We are told to not be afraid or worry.  It is not ok to be stressed out.  Worry is forbidden. Jesus did not say, I wish you wouldn't worry, He commanded DO NOT WORRY. 

We tend to fall into drugs, pills, drinking to escape from ourselves, and our self-imposed stress.  We have to volunteer to let the circumstances in our lives lead us to the pint where we feel we are stressed.  Some people say things are too much for them, and what they are saying is too much is what we consider basic life.  The worry and stress is self-made.  DO NOT WORRY.  It is not a suggestion made by God, but a command. Worry brings death. 

If we are fixing to stress don't jump into the mess.  Pastor Don told us to make sure we pray and speak with God before we get out of bed so we don't jump into a mess.

Praying your day is blessed.

Heather