The Wicked

Scripture

Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.

~Psalm 37:10, NLT

Quote

The  evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

~Solomon

The Hebrew word ra’a’ means evil, bad, wicked, injurious, displeasing and unethical. It is used 96 times in the Psalms and 15 times in Psalm 37 which is a classic. A wonderful future awaits the one who sets his/her delight in the LORD Jesus Christ but for those who rebel against God and His anointed, there is no future. You cannot fight against God and win. You do not have to repent; you do not have to turn from sin and your selfish ways but you have zero chance of succeeding.

God told David, “Don’t waste time fretting over the success of the wicked, their triumph will be short lived–they are going no where.” They will dry up like spring flowers on a hot scorching summer day. They will disappear like smoke from a chimney: first you see  them, then poof, they vanish. It may appear that they are succeeding but their judgment is coming and their strength will be broken. Our God is so secure in who He is that He laughs [v.13] when He sees them plotting and scheming.

A wonderful future awaits those who delight in Christ–Those who fear God and acknowledge His son. They will live in peace and inherent the land but the rebellious have no future, none at all. [v.37-38]

• I visited on Monday night and got in so late that there was no blog. Actually, I had two things come up on Monday: [1] My computer at the office crashed and [2] I was out late and give out. June asked if I was going to do a blog and I said “no’. I don’t think she could not believe it.
• This is a busy week as we prepare for VBS: one of the last DAY SCHOOLS in the county. June noticed as we drove by last night, East Highland has gone to a night school. I am glad I am retiring. I’ve been telling you it was coming but I still don’t like it. We are going to be busy the rest of the week getting ready so if you call the office and no one answers, it is because we are outside or in the other building.
• I made a mistake on May 29 of telling you that we had our debt reduced to 2016 but that was wrong: I was looking at the wrong chart. We did reduce it by two months. Our balance is around $58,000 and our next offering is July 31. Again, it falls on a Holiday weekend but there is nothing we can do about that. Our last one will be October 30 but Halloween Eve shouldn’t hurt us.
• Don’t forget, our Sunday night church this week is at the HARTSELLE CAMP MEETING. Dr. Junior Hill will be preaching. Junior will be with us on August 21 and possibly for my retirement party. I am considering incorporating in January and working under the umbrella of EASTERN GATE MINISTRIES which was Junior’s brain child.

Squeaky Clean, Not!

SCRIPTURE

But I, the LORD, search all hearts and I examine secret motives.

~Jeremiah 17:10, NLT

QUOTE

No one does anything from a single motive.

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

One of the things I dread about flying is going through all the security. In the old days, boarding a plane was simple and the family or friends could accompany you to the gate but no more. You have to take off your shoes, empty your pockets, and run any thing with metal through the scanner and that includes your electronic devices. After you put your stuff on the conveyer belt to be scanned, you have to walk through a scanner. If you have anything concealed, it will detect the object and you will be searched. You cannot slip anything through. They dumped one ladies suit case right in front of us: it can get humiliating.

Yesterday I read this verse in Romans 2, And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life. There are five other verses in the bible that state the same truth:

• Psalms 90:8–You spread out our sins before you—our secret sins—and you see them all.
• Eccl. 12:14–God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
• Matthew 10:26–But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.
• Mark 4:22–For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.
• Luke 8:17–For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.

There is a scanner at the pearly gates and you or I will slip nothing through: every sin will be detected.  On that day, you will see the real me and you are in for a shock. Perhaps I will be shocked to see the real you but my concern right now is me. Read Romans 2 in the New Living Translation and see if you get convicted. Romans two is addressed to those who past judgment on those in Romans one; if you get my drift.

C.S. Lewis calls this judgment for Christians the Baptism of Shame. I think this baptism will accomplish at least three things

1. We will be focused on our sin and not the sins of others.
2. We will stop looking down on others.
3. We will enter heaven with great humility realizing we do not deserve to be there.

• I am getting back into the groove: Mandy updated me on the BP; everything is going good. She worked out a deal with Pepsi today. I will try to get the fireworks lined up today. Funnel Cake mix is in: so to this point, things are looking good.
• John Wydner had double knee replacement while I was gone. I visited him yesterday at Health South in Huntsville and he was in a lot of pain. He has a lot of swelling in both knees. Pray for John.
• We will be going to Athens this evening for a memorial service for my great-great-niece Charlotte Mae Deffenbaugh.
• Short story from Bob that reminds me of one of my mentors: James Martin Newby. During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50’s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, You will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say “hello.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her Name was Dorothy. 
• Felton told me yesterday that he read a Dear Abby that went like this…Dear Abby, I have been married to a two timing cheating jerk for 40 years. He has had multiple affairs, too many to count and 14 years ago he lost his job and I now  have to support him and his habits. On top of that, he is accusing me of being a lesbian. What should I do? Dear Abby’s response, “Dump him Hillary.”

Pharisees

 

SCRIPTURE

Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one! Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.

Matthew 12:13-14, NLT

QUOTE

The Pharisees are not all dead and are not all Jews.

~John McClintock

What is the most shocking thing about a Pharisee? Is it their religious theatrics? No question, these guys could put on a show but a lot of folks are fakes when it comes to faith. Is it their ability to find fault with practically anything you do; their ability to find something negative amidst the positive? Oh they were exception fault-finders but I don’t think that is the most shocking. Is it their indifference toward the pain and suffering of others? Take the man with a deformed hand; did they care anything about him or did they celebrate his healing? Pharisees are as cold as steel on a winter day but that is not the most shocking thing about a Pharisee. The most shocking thing about the Pharisees was they hated Jesus. They were so mad when He healed the man’s had that they called a special business meeting to discuss a plan to kill Jesus. Really, the most shocking thing is they viewed themselves as being good.

• Today we pray for the WORLD! There are 11,489 people groups on earth… In 6,832 of these people groups, Evangelical Christians comprise less than 2%…3,264 people groups are unengaged by any Evangelical witness.
• Kerri is still under observation. Several things have been ruled out and the problem could be related to previous medical issues. Right now, they are trying to decide which doctors to use and what route to take. Pray would be appreciated for Kerri and Kane.

• More snow in the forecast but who knows. Dan Scatterfield has made a forecast so it will be the opposite of whatever he says. I think Scatterfield is predicting 6 inches of snow. Personally, I am ready for Spring but we still have a month of winter. We don’t know what we are going to do about Mid-Week Services….We can’t wait too late before we cancel the chicken but hopefully we will know what to do tomorrow. At present, I don’t have a clue.

Give Me Mercy

SCRIPTURE

“I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”

~2 Samuel 24:14, NLT

QUOTE

I wish that we had much more of the Spirit of Christ and a great deal less self, and less of human opinions. If we err, let it be on the side of mercy rather than on the side of condemnation and harsh dealing.

~E. G.  White

King David made a critical mistake in the latter years of his reign. His heart was lifted up in pride and he took a census without the LORD’s approval. But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.” The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message: “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’” So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose [1] three years of famine throughout your land, [2] three months of fleeing from your enemies, or [3] three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.

David knew he was in a pickle because none of the choices were good, especially for the people but David choose number three. He said to Gad, “Do not let me fall into human hands.” David knew what I know: God is more merciful than human beings. The Sanhedrin was the Supreme Court of Israel. Over 70 successful and distinguished men served on this ruling body. They were considered the elite of Israel but they showed Jesus NO mercy. They even stooped so low as to take part in the abuse and cheer at His execution. How ignoble of these supposed noble men. Man by nature is not a merciful creature. I like Ellen White’s philosophy, “If we err, let it be on the side of mercy rather than on the side of condemnation and harsh dealing.”

• TODAY we Pray for the WORLD. Pray for the Jewish folks to come to Jesus in mass. We need REVIVAL and we need their help in evangelizing the world. We need REVIVAL more than you think. Stop and pray for REVIVAL.
• Keep raising Kane up in Prayer. We have not planned our next trip to Memphis. We are trying to figure out what this weather is going to do. I know one thing: it is colder than kraut. Don’t even look at the Thursday forecast. Not even Jerry Segars will like it. I overheard Gregg say it was too cold.
• The GATHERING TONIGHT [We hope] 6:30 PM. What would happen if we all GATHERED FOR WORSHIP? REVIVAL, that’s what would happen. Why don’t we GATHER then? Because we are driven by our self-interest.
• MISSION OFFERING this Sunday goes to the Kenny Holladay Memorial House Fund. We are building houses in Guatemala where it never gets this cold. If the Guatemalan had one night like we are going to have tomorrow, they would lose millions. Their housing is not adequate for extreme weather. They will be thrilled to get the $400 home that the GRACE TEAMS build. They are more thankful for a $400 home than we are for a $400,000 home.

Jesus The Lamb Like Lion

SCRIPTURE

You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

~John 13:13-15, NLT

QUOTE

The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions.

~A.W. Tozer

MY THOUGHTS

In His 33 years on earth, Jesus had the reputation of being meek and mild. He said, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Jesus gave very few direct orders. He never insisted on being in authority over others. He never said emphatically, “You will do as I say or else.” He gave all His followers the freedom to choose their response. He even allowed us to spit in His face, mock, scourge and crucify Him. If we serve Christ on this earth, it is not because He has used the hand of force. We serve HIM because we love HIM. We want to serve, honor and worship Him because He is worthy.

REMEMBER: Jesus acted with lamb like qualities because He chose to work in this way. He is not limited, bound our impotent. He is the Sovereign God of creation and He can work anyway He chooses. His Lion like qualities came out briefly in John 2 where he made a whip and drove the merchants from the temple. According to John’s gospel, Jesus was consumed with passion when he upset the tables, drove out the livestock and the merchants. He did not ask them to leave nor did He take an opinion poll. He meant business and they knew it. How could one man cleanse the Temple with all the guards and religious Jews in place? I could not have pulled it off and neither could you but it was no problem for Jesus. It is an amazing story: no one resisted His authority until after the fact and then the religious Jews questioned Him. Let me put it like this: If Jesus chooses not to be stopped, no one or no thing, not even the gates of hell, will stop HIM.  I do believe the LION OF JUDAH is coming back and no one will be able to resist His power. Hallelujah, what a Savior.

 

• God is good! I am overwhelmed at His mercy and grace.
• Very good day yesterday: [1] FRONT PEW SHOWER….fantastic [2] Music…great [3] Attendance…good [4] Block Party offering…good
• Next Sunday, July 27 is CHILDREN’S CHEWABLE  MULTI-VITIMAN DAY and yes, the gummy ones will work. The ladies are not going to get the large bottles unless they are the best price, they are shoppers and that is OK. Get the best deal, that is good stewardship. Men, you bring the large bottles: we need to fill up two suitcases and guys, you can do it. Some of you depend on your wife to do everything.
• YOUTH…Canoe trip this Friday, Flatwood, Tn. [We are not stopping at Burger King]

• BLOCK PARTY STUFF…we need school supplies and we need you to start organizing your stuff. Don’t bring it yet, just get it on hangers, in bags and boxes. On Thursday night August 7 you can bring any thing: furniture, clothes, toys, brick-a-brack, etc.

I Will Surely Hear

SCRIPTURE

“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry.”

~Exodus 23:22, NKJV

QUOTE

I frankly don’t care if you agree with my stand on abortion. I take that stand because no other stand is consistent with decent principles, and no other standard is consistent with the will of God.

~Alan Keys

COMMENTARY

What did God tell Adam and Eve? I think His exact words were…“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” The death process began working the moment they disobeyed God but it was several years before they stood over the grave of Abel and felt the sting of death. It was over 900 years before Adam bit the dust. God has never been one to get in a hurry but He always keeps His word. You mistreat a widow or a child, especially an unborn child and they cry out to God, He will hear and in time He will avenge them. Some might say or think: “We’ve been killing babies since 1973 and God hasn’t done anything.” Are you certain? God may be doing something about it right now. It does not take rocket science to figure out that Obama is not a blessing but he could very well be our judgment. He is not what we want but he may very well be what we deserve.

EXTRA

Good nights sleep PTL. Dana Segars is breathing on her on. Pat’s Smith and his wife got good news and Charlie moves tomorrow.

There Is Coming A Day

SCRIPTURE

To the kind Thou provest kind, to the true Thou provest true, to the pure Thou provest pure and to the treacherous Thou provest treacherous: the humble Thou wilt raise, the haughty Thou will mark and abase.

II Samuel 22:28, Moffatt

QUOTE

Be sure your sins will find you out.

~Moses

COMMENTARY

Sin by its very nature is deceptive. When Eve bit into the fruit, her first thought very well may have been, “It did not kill me and God said it would“. Truth is, it was fatal because it initiated the process of death. She died spiritually the instant she ate but the other aspects of death including the physical were progressive. The moment she tasted of the fruit, her days were numbered. She was marked for death: her day was coming. It may have taken some time for the truth to set in but I am willing to wager that she was beginning to understand when she stood over the grave of Abel. Do you suppose the thought ran through her mind as she stood at grave side, “The LORD warned us that sin would bring death but we didn’t listen.” A cigarette will not kill you instantly but it will kill. Don’t be deceived by sin, it will find us out: maybe not today or tomorrow but our day is coming. Every road leads to judgment for the believer or unbeliever. We have to give an account to God if we reject His Son and we have to give an account to His Son for our stewardship.

EXTRA

Supper tonight at 5:30 and we will have more tables and chairs sat up: we are facing a good problem. LORD willing we will do something tonight that I don’t think we have done before, have a baptism. Cheyenne is going to be baptized tonight at 6:15. The GATHERING will be cut short tonight due to the choir needing extra time to practice.

Charlie Thompson {Peggy’s brother} came through surgery well yesterday. He is at St. Vincent’s in B’ham. My neighbor Steve Terry has cataract surgery today. Mary said Ray did not have a great day yesterday but is still scheduled to come home Friday.

We have plenty of projects if you want to get involved in ministry: we have three handicap rams to put in and one I hope to get in on Friday. I know Felton and Don don’t read the blog so Gregg if you see them, tell them to call me. Jerry and Daryl probably don’t read it either but I’m going to give this shot–we need them to move the ramp from the Taylor’s. They can do it when they come in from Deer hunting on Thursday. If this works, I am going to quit making phone calls. I don’t make many as it is. While I’m at it, I will be working on the baptistery this morning. We have a major leak. If you are better at plumbing than I and your off, come fire me and do it right. If you want help with yards on Saturday, see Joe David. We are going to try to put in one ramp Friday and we have some wood to cut and haul. Pick your poison!

Big L, Big Fan of Andre and Allen

Warnings!

Prayer For REVIVAL in America

SCRIPTURE

They served idols, concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.

II Kings 12:17-19, NASB

 

QUOTE

“It is unsinkable. God Himself couldn’t sink this ship”

~Thomas Andrews

COMMENTARY

How effective are warnings? We see them everyday along the highways and in God’s word. On April 14, 1912, telegraph operator Cyril Evans on board the SS Californian warned the RMS Titanic that icebergs were ahead. Some say that the Titanic got as many as five warnings but Captain Edward John Smith refused to cut their speed. Supposedly they were concerned about setting a new transatlantic record and they were convinced that the ship was unsinkable. They were wrong!

 John O’Neil, an FBI agent warned the Clinton Administration that Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden were major threats to the United States but no one paid any attention to his warnings.  Warning are good, only when heeded. I think 9/11 was a warning from God and one that we did not heed. I think there is a good possibility that Obama is our judgment or the first stages of our judgment. I sure hope that I am wrong, don’t you?

The only hope for America is Jesus!

EXTRA

• Our office network is all fouled up and there probably will not be a bulletin for Sunday.
• Big Al is supposed to deliver today. I’m predicting a boy.
• Pic below is Travis and Holli’s little girl Damiyah.

Damiyah

Sanctity of Human Life

SCRIPTURE: The people of Judah have burned sacrifices in this place to other gods… The kings of Judah filled this place with the blood of innocent children. The kings of Judah built high places for the god Baal. They use those places to burn their sons in the fire. They burned their sons as burnt offerings to the god Baal. I did not tell them to do that. I did not ask them to offer their sons as sacrifices. I never even thought of such a thing. [Jeremiah 19:4-6, ERV]

QUOTE: We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life — the unborn — without diminishing the value of all human life. ~Ronald Reagan

COMMENTARY: Jesus said, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword”. Those who beget violence will reap violence. The Israelites sacrificed their babies to Molech and Chemosh and God said through Jeremiah the prophet, “Your blood will be shed in the very place where you sacrifices your sons…a thing that I never commanded or even considered.” The valley of Bin-Hinnom was Southwest of Jerusalem. It was a ravine with steep cliffs on each side. It was also called Topeth [place of fire]. Jeremiah said, “It will not longer be called the valley of Bin-Hinnom or Topeth but the valley of slaughter because that is where you are going to be slaughtered by the Babylonians.”

Think about it: Solomon brought the worship of Molech and Chemosh to Jerusalem to please his foreign wives around 930 B.C.  and Jerusalem fell is 605 B.C. which is a difference of 325 years. Solomon and his contemporaries were long gone but God had not forgotten and Israel suffered the very fate that Jeremiah predicted. Abortion has a payday. Many of us want God to bring judgment on abortion now: we want to see the slaughter of the innocent unborn stopped but God does not work on our time-table. However, we can rest assured that He is going to judge America for killing innocent babies. He judged the Israelites: are we better than they? God abhor’s child sacrifice and those who take part will not go unpunished. What about those who have died physically without incurring the wrath of God? Don’t forget that there is a place called hell. Trust me folks, you do not want to trade places with the departed Supreme Court justices who made this barbaric practice a law. You don’t want trade places with Slick Willy: he had three opportunities to sign the ban on partial birth abortion and he vetoed it all three times which makes him personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of children. Evidently, Slick Willy doesn’t believe in hell. He will not be there five minutes until he changes his mind.

EXTRA: We are looking for our third day in row of warm temps and sunshine. On this day last year it was 50* with rain. That means we might have some rain because the weather for this January has almost been identical to last years. Gary Garner has had two good days in a row: lets pray for three. Deacon’s meeting today, last one for a while. Sunday evening preaching at 5:00, the last for awhile. Don’t squander any opts–you never know when it will be your last.