THE GREATEST TRAGEDY

When we hear of earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, airplane crashes and other such catastrophes, we are shocked at the resulting loss of so many human lives. But there is a greater tragedy. It is the death of someone who could have been saved!

            God’s judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah was terrible. Suddenly, He sent fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy all of the cities inhabitants. But the greatest tragedy was not that those people perished, but that they could have been saved. Lot had warned his sons-in-law in Genesis 19:14 but “he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.” So they died, although they could have been saved.

            The flood was a world wide catastrophe. The Bible says, “the same day were all the fountains of the deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” Genesis 7:11-12. How the people must have desperately fought to save their lives! But Jesus said later on, “The flood came, and took them all away.”

            Was the loss of life in that worldwide deluge the greatest tragedy? No! What was worse was that the opportunity of salvation had been available to the people of the earth for 120 years. But Jesus said of them, “They knew not.”  They let the Lord Himself close the door of the ark without ever having used it.

            According to the law of the Bible, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:10. But God, in His great love, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, and accomplished the greatest deed in the history of mankind. He brought forth salvation when He shed His blood on Calvary’s cross for sins. Not only did He die, but He also arose from the dead for our justification. (Romans 4:25).

            Now you can avoid the greatest tragedy. For over 2000 years the Lord God has caused the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached throughout the world. The warning is going out even to this day. “We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. II Corinthians 5:20.

            The commission of the Church of Jesus Christ on earth will soon reach its conclusion. The events taking place today so precisely fulfill the prophetic Word that anyone can see that we are living in the last days.

            Have you accepted God’s offer of mercy? Have you received Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for your sins? Have you received Him as your personal Savior? Are you saved for eternity? Maybe you will say, “No,” or “I don’t know.” Unfortunately that is when the greatest tragedy can befall you and you will be eternally lost.

            Avoid that catastrophe by coming to Jesus this very hour. Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.”

            If there is darkness in your heart, if you are tormented by your past sins, if your conscience is sin laden, Jesus Christ offers you full forgiveness and a glorious salvation. Jesus said, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37. If you read these lines and know that this means you, then please get on your knees now and call on Him to save your soul.

            Tell Him in truth and repentance, “Yes Lord Jesus, I accept you as my Savior and Redeemer.”  By doing this you will avoid becoming a casualty of the greatest tragedy in your life: namely, to be lost forever when you could have been eternally saved.

            It is said of those in Noah’s day that “…they knew not.” And the Bible says this about those in Lot’s day: “He seemed as one that mocked.”       WHAT DO YOU SAY?

 

Pastor Robert Coutts

PUT THIS ON YOUR REFRIDGERATOR TODAY

Where Did We Go?   Date: (Unknown)  To: Everyone else: From: Those who have vanished  Re: The truth about what happened

   This is to tell you exactly what is involved in the sudden disappearance of people around the world. It’s as simple as this: We who belong to Christ were called into the air above the planet in the rapture.

   Yes, that kooky, ridiculous, pie-in-the-sky, fly-away event that Tim LaHaye and other preachers of what you’ve thought of as fantasy have been proclaiming could happen at any moment did, in fact, happen.

   You are hearing, or will soon hear, every conceivable explanation of what caused this astonishing disappearance. Here are our guesses as to some of those explanations:   It was some sort of quantum evolutionary leap, which will ultimately be great for mankind.  It was a mass abduction by extraterrestrials --an outgrowth of the singular abductions that have been reported over the years.   It was a natural, scientifically explainable cosmic interaction that some human physiologies could resist, and others couldn’t.  It was a supernatural movement into a higher form for those who disappeared –an ascension to godhood.  It was punishment from the great cosmological mind, removing the evil from the world.

   Don’t believe any of these or other explanations. To find out the absolute truth about what the mass vanishing actually involves, read in the Bible 1 Corinthians 15: 51-55 and 1Thessalonians 4:13-18. Also read John 14:1-3 to find out where we who vanished are presently located.  Now that we are gone –and our leaving has everything to do with your immediate future—the following will happen in order very similar to that listed here. These and other events  will occur over the next seven years.

    Total chaos will rule for a time. (Luke. 21: 25)

    Governments will get control through sometimes-harsh methods. (Rev. 17: 12-13)

    One world government will come together. (Ps. 2: 1-3)

    A one-world church will form. (Rev. Ch. 17)

    A world leader from Europe will step to the forefront and take charge of the peace process. (Dan. 9: 26-27)

    Israeli government and Israel’s enemies will sign an agreement of peace that ensures peace and safety. (Dan. 9: 27; Isa. 28: 18; 1 Thes. 5: 3)

    Peace will not last, as a coalition of nations--led by Russia--will invade the Middle East. (Ezek. 38: 1-12)

    God, himself, will destroy all but one-sixth of the invader forces. (Ezek. 39: 1-5)

    Much of the world will be hit by the deadly effects of the invasion. This will possibly include chemical, biological and nuclear aftereffects. (Ezek. 39:6-7; 11-16)

   The world leader will solidify his power following the Russian-led coalition’s destruction. (Dan. 8: 23-25; 11: 36-39)

   Two Old-Testament-type prophets will come on the world scene and preach about Christ while condemning the world’s evil. (Rev. 11: 3-6)

   Meanwhile, God will put His protection upon 144,000 Jews who have converted to Christianity so that they can begin to preach God’s saving message to the people of the Tribulation. (Rev. 7: 3-8)

   At the same time, God will allow strong delusion to come over all who heard the Gospel before the Rapture, but, fully understanding the offer of salvation, refused to accept Christ. These will believe Antichrist’s and Satan’s, lies. (2 Thes. 2: 11-12)

   Antichrist, after months of trying, will finally murder the two Old-Testament-type prophets. But they will come back to life and be taken into Heaven while the world watches. (Rev. 11: 11-12)

   Antichrist will receive a supposedly deadly head wound. (Rev. 13: 3)

   He will appear to resurrect from the dead, being then possessed by Satan. (13: 3-4)

   Antichrist will stand in the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. He will claim to be God, and demand worship. (2 Thes. 2: 3-4)

   The false prophet will direct all worship to Antichrist, and will erect an image of him. (Rev. 13:11-17)

   Antichrist’s regime will institute a computer mark and numbers system. It will be both to control the world’s populations, and to cause all to worship Antichrist, whose number in all of this is 666. (Rev. 13: 16-18)

   Those who refuse to accept Antichrist’s mark will be murdered. Beheading will apparently be the regime’s chosen method of offing these “traitors.” (Rev. 13: 15; 20: 4)

   Antichrist will begin a systematic genocide against the Jewish race that will make Hitler’s Holocaust look mild by comparison. (Rev. Ch. 12)

   He and the false prophet will also have all the new believers they can find, rounded up, tortured, then murdered. (Jhn. 16: 2; Rev. 13: 8)

   While Antichrist hunts down and murders people by the millions, God’s judgments will begin to fall directly on the rebellious people of Planet Earth. (Rev. 6: 17)

   Millions upon millions will die while God’s wrath pours out in a series of three types of judgments, each consisting of seven specific judgments, for a total of 21 judgments. (Rev. Chapters 6through 18)

   When all is said and done, more than one-half, possibly as much as two-thirds, of all human life on Earth will die of the plagues. (Rev. 6: 8; 8: 8; 9: 18)

   God will prepare, and the Jewish remnant will flee to, a hiding place, probably Petra, the ancient city carved in the rose red-colored rocks of the Jordanian wilderness. (Rev. 12: 6, 14)

   Antichrist and his forces, led by Satan, will pursue the Jewish people and try to murder them, but the pursuing forces will be swallowed up by the Earth. (Rev. 12: 15-16)

   While the Jewish and many of the Gentile people still alive remain safely protected, God’s wrath will fall in greater force. (Rev. 16: 1)

   The sun will go partly dark, while at the same time heating up to seven times hotter than normal. (Rev. 16: 8-11)

   A great object will fall into the ocean from space. Its impact will kill life in the sea, and most likely will destroy coastal areas with tidal waves. (Rev. 8: 8-9)

   Another asteroid or other mass from space will strike Earth and will poison much of the planet’s fresh water sources. (Rev. 8: 10-11)

   Great, unprecedented earthquakes will happen simultaneously all over the Earth. (Matt. 24: 7; Rev. 16: 18)

   People will be so frightened they will have heart attacks, just from the things they see are yet to come. (Lk. 21: 26)

   A supernatural plague of huge insect-like creatures will be released from the abyss, and they will sting all who have the mark of the Beast. Men and women will try to commit suicide because of their great pain from the stings and bites of these demonic creatures. (Rev. 9: 3-6)

  God will then move in the minds of all military forces on Earth to gather in the valley of Jezreel, the plains of Esdraelon, near the ancient city of Megiddo. This is Armageddon. (Joel 3: 14; Rev. 16: 16)

   The “Kings of the East,” a huge army out of the Orient numbering more than 200 million troops, will invade to make war with Antichrist’s and the other world’s forces. (Rev. 9: 15-16; 16: 12)

   Jesus said of this time, that if He didn’t come back, everyone and everything would die because of the fighting about to take place. (Matt. 24: 22; Mark 13: 20)

   Jesus will return with the armies of Heaven. His armies consist of the mighty angels and Jesus’ Church, which will have been raptured at least seven years earlier. (Rev. 19: 11-14)

  Antichrist’s armies and all others will try to prevent Christ’s return. (Rev. 19: 19)

  Jesus will simply speak, and all armies on Earth will be rendered helpless, most killed. (19: 15-18)

          You have only one chance to survive: accept Jesus Christ as Savior (Read John, chapter 3). This will involve refusing to take Antichrist’s mark when it is instituted. If you accept the mark, you are eternally doomed.

          Note to those not appointed to God’s wrath (1 Thes. 5:9-11): Perhaps you should pass this memorandum to your lost family and friends before you vanish. Then, post it on your refrigerator.

HIDING PLACES

Hiding Places: 1 Kings 19:1-21;

            Have you ever read the diary of Anne Frank? After Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, increasingly severe anti-Jewish measures began. A Jewish family by the name of Frank tried to escape by going into hiding. On July 1942, Otto, Edith and their daughters Margot and Anne hid in this building at 263 Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. Their hiding place was the uppermost floors of the back annex of Otto’s office building. They never thought that when they entered that hiding place on July 6, 1942, that it would be two years before they would ever feel the sun on their faces again. After more than two years the group was betrayed and deported to various concentration camps in Poland. Edith died at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Anne and Margot died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen in March 1945, only a few weeks before this concentration camp was liberated. Otto Frank was the only member of the family to survive and return home after the war. Anne Frank was only 15 years old.
            What is a hiding place? Why do we seek to go there some times? A hiding place is a place where we can feel safe from impending danger. It’s a place where we can get away from whatever troubles us. It’s a place where no one knows just where we are and what we are feeling. I watch the children as they play and Hide-and-Seek around the school in our back yard and some of the places they choose aren’t much of a hiding place at all, under a slide  in the middle of the playground, or behind a tree with their feet showing. Children like to play games with hiding places, but adults have their hiding places too. Some will hide in a bottle of alcohol, trying to drown their fears in the booze. Some like the drugs to mask their feelings of fear and anxiety. Some like to find a special place where they can get alone, away from the crowds.
            There was a prophet in the Old Testament who sought out some hiding places too and I want us to look at his story for a few minutes and see what the Spirit has to say to each of us. Elijah was a mighty man of God. When he spoke, the whole nation of Israel shook, because he spoke for God Almighty. By his word, the rain stopped for three years and by Elijah’s word, the rain came again. By his word fire would fall out of a clear sky and consume the sacrifice, the stones of the altar, the water in the ditch and the very dust of the ground. When Elijah spoke his words would bring either a blessing or a curse and everyone listened to hear what he had to say. But there came a day when even this great man of God, this “man of faith and power for the hour”, began to seek out his hiding place too.
            It all began when Ahab, the king of Israel, married a heathen woman from the Sidonians by the name of Jezebel. If ever a man was unequally yoked with an unbeliever, Ahab was the one. Jezebel loved her heathen idols. She was missionary minded too, and established a large number of schools for her idol prophets and priests, and then built a lot of temples in honor of her gods of Baal and Asheroth. Israel was in trouble and God was not going to let his chosen nation go off into idolatry without trying to stop them, so he sent Elijah, His chosen servant, to put an end to it all. On Mount Carmel, Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal met for their showdown at the OK Corral. This was drama beyond anything that Hollywood could produce. Here he was, this man of faith and power, a chosen prophet of the most High God, alone against 450 idol prophets, and he was challenging them to slap leather. When the smoke cleared and the battle was over, Elijah stood alone and the 450 prophets that Jezebel had trained were dead. I know that what I am about to say is stereotyping but I can imagine Jezebel as a spoiled brat. Maybe she was a redheaded, feisty woman with one bad temper, that would blow her top at the drop of a hat, and she carried the hat.
            "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time." 1 Kings 19:1-2
            Can you picture this scene in your mind? Here comes Ahab, the weak kneed king of Israel, scared to death of his Queen with the bad temper. He went striding into the palace like a king until he came to her door. Then he sent the guards away and very quietly steps into the door to tell Jezebel the bad news. And the reaction comes, just as he suspected. Jezebel came unglued! Elijah was dead meat and she meant to kill him.
            That kind of news spreads fast. Jezebel’s servant ran to tell Elijah that she was out to kill him. Suddenly, that man of God lost his power and ran for his life, taking his servant with him. After all, he was still a ‘man of God’ and he still needed his servant because everybody knows that the prophet doesn’t work for a living.
            "And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." 1 Kings 19:3-4
            Elijah didn’t run for a few miles and quit. He kept on running until he crossed border into the Southern Kingdom of Judah where Ahab was not the king, and came to a little village called Beersheba. That’s as far as he would even let his servant go. This prophet was in trouble. He was willing to leave everything in his haste to find a hiding place where he could feel safe. Perhaps he didn’t even want his servant to know where to find him in case Jezebel would try to question him. Fear had replaced Elijah’s faith for now. Fear will drive you like cattle. It will take you places that you never thought you would ever go. From the mountaintop of Carmel to the deserts of Judah in one day!           How far can we fall when fear replaces faith! Have you ever experienced that before? Have you ever been on the mountaintop with God, like all is well, and then suddenly you crash in flames of doubt and fear at something that comes against you. Well, now you know that even God’s prophets have faced the same thing.
            Elijah went on for hours after leaving Beersheba and his servant behind. He was looking for a really good hiding place. After he had traveled a day’s journey into the desert, he found a little shade beneath a juniper tree in the middle of nowhere and that’s where he decided to sit and hide out for a while, and have his little pity party. He finally felt far enough away from everything and everybody that he could have a few minutes of peace. I think that Elijah might have finally came down to the point where he discovered that he was nothing without God and it was almost more than he could bear.       Perhaps all this time, with all of the mighty miracles, he had developed a feeling of superiority over all the people of Israel.  After all, he was a great prophet, and what were they but mere sheep in God’s fold.  Maybe God had to bring him down to the sheep’s level to teach Elijah that it was God and not Elijah that performed the miracles and brought down the fire.  After having run for so long and being driven by fear, Elijah was exhausted. He had come to the end of his rope and the knot was gone.  He just wanted to lie down and die. He wasn’t anything special now, just another man on the run.  He laid his head back upon the rocks and closed his eyes, hoping to die, but he only fell asleep. Sometimes, that’s what we need most of all; just a little sleep; a little rest; a little time of refreshing.
            "And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baking on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God." 1 Kings 19:5-8
            How many of us look for that hiding place sometimes and when we find a place where we can feel safe and get away from everything, that’s where we decide to camp out for a while? We don’t care what God wants us to do. We give up for a time on the call of God on our lives, and we fall asleep spiritually in our hiding place. That hiding place might be a large congregation where we can still have the appearance of being a mighty man or woman of God, but we don’t have to do anything or be accountable to anyone. It might be a job where we can work long hours to have a good excuse not to be where we should be or serve the Lord the way we know we should. It might be family that comes to visit, or cares of life that give us a hiding place. We all have them don’t we? But Elijah couldn’t hide from God and neither can we. God knows where you are. He knows what you are doing and He isn’t going to let you get too comfortable in your hiding place, overcome with fear and doubt. He wants you back on the battlefield!
            I don’t know what that angel gave Elijah to eat, but it must have been one really good energy bar. It wasn’t a Dr. Pepper that he drank, and it wasn’t a Hershey Granola Bar that he ate, or a Snicker’s bar because it was enough to give him all the food and drink he needed for the next 40 days. If we could find out what Elijah ate and drank, we could start up a diet program, with energy food bars and energy drink business that couldn’t fail.
            One good thing that I can say about Elijah’s running is that, all the time that he was running, he was running toward the Mount of God at Horeb. He was going toward Mt. Sinai where the Law was given and  God was known to have come down to speak to Moses. Elijah needed to hear from God, and even in his fear, he knew that God was his only source of real help. When Elijah reached the mountains, he was still a man on the run in fear. His faith was at an all time low point in his life. He needed help badly.
            "And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." 1 Kings 19:9-10
            There he is, that once powerful, anointed Prophet of God, called and chosen to give forth the Word of the Lord to God’s chosen people, in his new hiding place in a cave. Now the pity party grows larger and he starts murmuring and complaining and questioning God. Now God speaks. “What are you doing here Elijah?” God is asking (not that He doesn’t already know) so that He can remind Elijah of his calling. God was saying, “Elijah, you have a call on your life and a job to do. Why are you sitting here in fear, having your pity party?”Listen to Elijah’s answer. . . “Look here God. I’ve been the best prophet I know how to be. I’ve done things that no one else can, or will, ever do for you. I’ve been loyal. I’ve been faithful. I’ve kept my promise, but I can’t do this anymore. It’s me against the whole nation. Everyone has turned their backs on you and on me now. I’ve done all I can do to teach them the truth and now they are out to kill me. What else do you want from me God!
            We can really come up with the excuses for not serving the Lord the way we should can’t we. We go hide in our little corner, out of sight, out of mind, and hope that God just forgets about us for a little while, while we have our little pity parties!
            When God tries to speak to us to get up and get moving we just say  “Speak to the Hand, the ears aren’t listening.” “I’ve done more down at the church than all the other people put together. I’m tired of carrying the load while everyone else has a fun time, sits back and does nothing. I’m sick of people calling me, wanting me to do things for them. I’m burned out, tired, disgusted and worn to a frazzle. Leave me alone. They want me to do too much. I’m killing myself for nothing, because nobody else cares how I feel.”
            "And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.  And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." 1 Kings 19:11-14
            Once more, God speaks to Elijah in love, and gives him direction for his life. God knows that Elijah is but a man, a man running in fear, weak in body, and weak in the flesh. Thank God for his mercy and grace to frail human beings.  I’m so glad that He understands our weaknesses and overlooks our ignorance sometimes. God forced Elijah to hear His voice one more time. The voice of the Lord spoke, not in the power of the winds of adversity, not in the shaking circumstances that try to overwhelm us, not in the winds of false doctrines that come to our ears, not in the fires of trials and tribulations, but, in the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and through the quietness of His written Word.
            Elijah finally began to really listen and to hear the voice of God speaking to him. In that voice, he found peace and safety. In that still small voice he found the calming of the fears and the rising of his faith once again. In that voice, Elijah found strength to carry on the work that was set before him. He still answered God with the same words as before, but now the words don’t seem as forceful and full of fear, doubt and frustration. Elijah, like us, didn’t give up his pity party easily, but he was beginning to come out of it now. God showed Elijah that he wasn’t alone in the fight. God always has a remnant, but that remnant is still a mighty force to be reckoned with.
            God’s Got An Army, Marching Through The Land. Deliverance Is Their Song And There’s Healing In Their Hand. There’s Everlasting Joy And Gladness In Their Hearts, And In This Army I Have A Part. And you have a part, just like Elijah did.
            "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." 1 Kings 19:18
            From that cave Elijah went forth to do the work of the Lord again. God gave him a new servant by the name of Elisha. Elijah was to be the role model for this new servant and God was going to anoint Elisha with a double portion of the power and Spirit of his teacher.
            Keep on keeping on. No matter how discouraging it may get, no matter how tired you are, keep on keeping on. You never know when God is going to send you an Elisha to train and teach. You never know what you life is going to do to encourage someone else to carry on the work when you are gone. Thank God that He never gives up on us, even when we find ourselves in a cave having a pity party, God still sees greatness and leadership in us and He still wants to use us for His glory to build His kingdom.

NEW SERIES: PART SIX: I WILL, “ RETURN”

I Will Return

John 14:1-6; II Timothy 3:1-5; 4:1-5;

               If I announced this morning that I would be giving every Christian in this Church an expensive gift at the conclusion of the service if they were to stay awake and be alert and active worshippers during the service. I believe this would dramatically change the mood in this Church leading up to its conclusion, especially if the congregation really believed I could give each one an expensive gift! If this was for real, the atmosphere would truly become charged with alert active worshippers because no one would want to miss out on the gift by falling asleep and being disqualified! Anticipation would build as the service came to a close for the reward each would receive! Because of this, there are two dynamics would be noticeable in the service: The anticipated reward would create a desire to do the right things during the service in order to qualify, and then it would create an anticipation for the reward at the end of the service with great joy. This is precisely what knowledge of Jesus' second coming is intended to do for us! Someone once made the following observation: Man's life is made up of twenty years of his mother asking him where he is going, forty years of his wife asking him where he has been and one hour at his funeral when everyone wonders where he is going. 

               The Word of God teaches us that Jesus will return! This should stir in us a righteous lifestyle in the present, and an excitement anticipating the future! The Bible clearly indicates that the last days before Christ returns will be a difficult period of time. There will be a marked sense of human arrogance and unhealthy pride. People will be lovers of pleasures and self much more than lovers of God and what is good. The spirit of the age will be marked by self love. This turning to self instead of God will result in an abundance of sin and a lack of belief in things being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Each right and wrong will be based on what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ to each person. It will be like it was in the days of Noah when everyone did that which was right in their own eyes! Luke 17:26; History is replete with time periods when people did whatever they personally thought was right. Judges 19:1; 21:25; It will not be an easy time to hold to Biblical standards, but we must! Why does Jesus tell them to ‘not let their hearts be troubled’?  Jesus had just told them that one of them was a traitor, and that He was leaving them and that Peter (their leader) was going to fail.

               In the light of these three depressing announcements Jesus sees the need to offer some encouragement to them. Their hearts were troubled. So what is the cure? They would have to trust in God and in so doing they would also have to trust in Christ! Jesus wishes to indicate to them that there is much more than they know that is coming up. Their understandings of boundaries were not the end, there is much more and it’s all good!

               For centuries Portugal's motto was ‘Nothing More Beyond.’ Their world was limited to the familiar dimensions of the area around the Mediterranean Sea. They believed that to sail beyond the horizon, ‘their border’, would be to drop off the edge of the world. Eventually, voyagers discovered worlds beyond and brought back evidence to substantiate their claims. Decision makers were compelled to alter their motto to read, ‘More Beyond’. Easter assures us there is more beyond the grave. We do not have a chart to guide us, save Jesus Christ; details are sketchy, but our destination is certain. C. Curtis Jones, 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Broadman, 1986), p. 108.

               How do we handle a world we cannot understand, and where the news is often so bad as to leave us feeling hopeless and frustrated? We continue to put our trust in Christ who has everything under control! We continue to trust His Word which tells us we have hope though others do not who reject Him! Jesus tries to restore their perspective with all this bad news! No wonder the ‘Gospel’ means ‘Good News’ and the world needs some good news!  

               Jesus attempts to help them see something wonderful beyond the pall of death that was coming. He explains to them the promise that He is preparing a place for all those who belong to Him, and that in doing so He will come again to us. Death is not the end of life. And the world will not destroy itself either, Christ will return before that happens! The problem of course is whether they grasp this new perspective of Jesus, or if they simply hear what He is saying and still fail to see the truth!  This is too easily done even now among Christians!

               So often we say we believe in the second coming of Christ, but our lifestyle and priorities don't really reflect this perspective! We fail to see correctly the truth before us, like the lady who stepped up on a penny scale to check her weight while her husband stood by. She no sooner got on it and put the penny in when she quickly jumped off as soon as the weight showed! Her husband quickly asked "well, what is the verdict, a little overweight right?" She answered however, "No, No, not overweight at all, but according to the chart I should be 8 inches taller for my weight!" The truth was in front of her but she would not accept it.

               Jesus is not just making an empty promise here, it is meant to encourage them in the face of tough times! So should the doctrine that Jesus is coming back! This is not a cop out, it is what gives us the encouragement to live for today knowing our future is secure. It has very real positive dynamics for the present and is not just a belief of escapism! Jesus promises a permanent dwelling to all those who trust in Him! The great ‘carpenter’ on earth is also building dwelling places in Heaven for all those who belong to Him! This knowledge is meant to offer hope to us in living now, and in the future! Jesus shares this to build their level of expectancy when everything around them goes wrong.

               The future will right all wrongs and anticipation of the future being good can have a very positive effect on the present! I John 3:3; We can face tomorrow with great expectancy! This promise of Christ's is a sure one, you can bet your life on it! To all those who have received Christ, He will receive them one day! We will continue our fellowship together if we are believers in Christ, even past this life. Only those who refuse Him will not be with us. This truth alone should be enough to encourage our witnessing to others, like Phillips Brooks of Boston who became quite ill and would see no visitors. When Robert Ingersoll, the agnostic, heard that his friend was sick, he called at his home and was admitted at once. "I appreciate this very much," said Mr. Ingersoll. "But why do you see me when you deny yourself to your other friends." "It is this way," answered Bishop Brooks. "I feel confident of seeing my other friends in the next world, but this may be my last chance to see you."  Emery Young, in Coronet from The Sermon Builder, February 1982, p. 34.

               Jesus assures the disciples that they know the way to join Him later. Thomas is the first to speak up however and say they don't get it! He explains that they don't know where He is going much less how to get there! But Jesus had clearly told them where He was going, and letting them know that just by trusting in Him they too would find the way there. They don't have to worry about getting lost if they have Christ in their hearts! Eternal things are more long lasting than our material things, does your life reflect this truth? It is said that about two hundred years ago, the tomb of the great conqueror Charlemagne was opened. The sight the workmen saw was startling. There was his body in a sitting position, clothed in the most elaborate of kingly garments, with a scepter in his bony hand. On his knee lay the Holy Scriptures, with a cold, lifeless finger pointing to Mark 8:36: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and loose his own soul?"             We can never get lost on the way to eternity if Christ lives in us and walks with us! Jesus makes it very clear to them the way to Heaven. It is through Him, and Him alone! He is the ‘way’ (the Path), He is the ‘truth’, (the Map), and He is the ‘life’,  (the Energy). No other road goes to Heaven, Jesus said this, not me! Jesus offers no other way into Heaven,  not ‘all roads lead to God’! One cannot think highly of Jesus and disregard the exclusive statements He makes about finding Heaven as a final destination point! If you don't know Christ here and now you won't be welcomed by Him when you cross over in death, or when He returns to receive all who belong to Him. But for those who know Him now, they will have no problem knowing Him in Heaven! For the believer, the trip will be triumphant, hence even death has lost its sting! I Corinthians 15:55;

               Thomas Edison was a scientific genius and an exacting and practical man who didn't casually say anything he didn't believe. Mrs. Edison told about the night Edison was at death's door. Suddenly it was evident that he wanted to say something, so she and the doctor bent down close. This great scientist, with a smile on his face, said, "It is very beautiful over there!" James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 177.

               Heaven for the believer is a real destination point. Death is the terminal that opens the way. Should the trump of God blow one of these days while we are yet alive we shall be caught up to meet Christ in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord! I Thessalonians. 4:16-17; We will be with Christ forever if we have received Him as our Lord and Savior in this life!

               A few hours before Dwight L. Moody died, he caught a glimpse of the glory awaiting him. Awakening from a sleep, he said, "Earth recedes, heaven opens before me. If this is death, it is sweet! There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go!" His son who was standing by his bedside said, "No, no father, you are dreaming." "No," said Mr. Moody, "I am not dreaming; I have been within the gates; I have seen the children's faces." A short time elapsed and then, following what seemed to the family to be the death struggle, he spoke again: "This is my triumph; this my coronation day! It is glorious!" A triumphant trip awaits all those who know Christ, do you know Him?

               Jesus will return! If we follow Jesus we can't get lost because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! The more we anticipate His coming, the more passion we will have to live godly today. Are you ready for His coming, and if so, is it impacting how you live now? Christ said, “I WILL”, and He meant it!

NEW SERIES: PART FIVE: I WILL, “POUR OUT MY SPIRIT”

I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT

Isaiah 44:1-3; Acts 2:17-21;

  

Israel discovered over and over again that they could not accomplish God's will without His power and help. For you and I today this is still true! Whenever Israel became wealthy or powerful they became spiritually weak and unfruitful. When they recognized their own weakness and poverty they found a rich outpouring of God's Spirit. What is begun in the Spirit cannot be fulfilled by the flesh! When we try to do in the flesh what the Spirit wants to do for us we end up frustrated and in need of refreshing and starting over. Something like this little fictitious illustration. Several million members of the church are to be recalled because they are not performing properly. Symptoms include frequent missing, lack of power and poor adaptation to rough roads. Regular maintenance should have prevented most of the difficulties. Sadly, many only come for maintenance when a major breakdown has occurred. Because of this lack of maintenance it is difficult for service personnel to attempt to correct the basic problems at these times.  So the recall is under way. Church leaders say that service managers are being trained to deal with the problems. One member who came in for a trial recall a year or so ago was pleased with the results. "It's amazing," she said, "I'm getting much better mileage now. I don't notice the rough spots so much, and I find I have enough power to give others a helping push now and then." Spokespersons said retraining is possible. Service personnel are available around the clock and shops are open seven days a week.

            Folks, we need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit today as much as the early Church needed it in the beginning! The Word of God teaches us that we need a very close walk with the Lord, and we need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives if we are to do and be what God desires.  God has promised us an outpouring of His Spirit and it is for all those who will seek Him.

            First of all, God has given a promise of  His presence Isaiah 44:1-3; Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

            God has purposed to make His presence known to us and to the world. Israel was chosen by God to be an instrument to reveal God's power and love. It was not just to make Israel have less work and an easier lifestyle! God would not leave them without hope, help, or the Holy Spirit! God realized that human strength is not adequate and  He would grant His Spirit to His people so they could always walk the right way.

            It is said that a certain guide lived in the deserts of Arabia who never lost his way. He carried with him a homing pigeon with a very fine cord attached to one of its legs. When in doubt as to which path to take, he threw the bird into the air. The pigeon quickly strained at the cord to fly in the direction of home, and thus led the guide accurately to his goal. Because of this unique practice he was known as "the dove man." So, too, the Holy Spirit, the heavenly Dove, is willing and able to direct us in the narrow way that leads to the more abundant life if in humble self denial we submit to His unerring supervision.

            God calls on Israel's attention to this important issue, He has a plan! Isaiah 44: 2-3; God informs them that it was He who formed them in the womb. He was there at the beginning, and He will be with them in the present and future too! They need not be afraid of what lay ahead of them, He is going to pour out His Holy Spirit on them! Though they are like a dry thirsty land, they will be brought back to life. Not only will God put His Spirit on them, but on their offspring and the future generations. Because they too will need the Spirit of God in order to do and be what God wants. If God is willing to pour out His Spirit on His people then the only real question is whether we see this as a priority or not and are willing to put it as an important need in our life.

            A man had built a prosperous business through determination and hard work and honest dealings. As he advanced in age, he felt concerned about the future of his enterprise because he had no close relatives except three nephews. One day he summoned the three young nephews and said, "I have a problem, and whoever comes up with the best solution will inherit all that I possess." Giving each of them an equal sum of money, he instructed them to buy something that would fill his large office. "Spend no more than I've given you," he directed, "and be sure you're back by sunset." All day long his nephews tried to fulfill their mission. Finally, when the shadows lengthened, they obediently returned to make their report. Their uncle asked to see their purchases. The first dragged a huge bale of straw into the room. When it was untied it made a pile that nearly hid two of the walls. After it was cleared away, the second brought in two large bags of thistledown, which when released filled three-fourths of the room. This was even better than the first. The third nephew stood silent and forlorn. "And what have you to offer?" asked his aged relative. "Uncle, I spent half of my money to feed a hungry child and gave almost all the rest to the church. With the little I had left, I bought these matches and a small candle." Then he lit the candle, and its light filled every corner of the room! The old man realized that here was the noblest of them all. He blessed him for making the best use of his gift and gave him all his possessions.

            Fortunately for Israel and for us today, God does not expect us to live in our own power and strength even though many try to, even some Christians! God was promising more than just a quick fix here, or an emotional experience. He is promising His presence in His people, because God said, “I Promised”!

            Secondly, God has given the power of a proclamation Acts 2:17-18; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

            Even in the last days God says He will pour out a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the Old Covenant, this outpouring of the Holy Spirit will not be confined to a small group of men. It will cross all lines of gender and age! Young and old alike will be used by the Holy Spirit in prophetic ministry and dreaming dreams of what can be done with God's help! It is not an issue that there will be a select group of prophets in these last days. Rather, there will be an outpouring of God's Spirit that will result in proclamation (prophesy) of God's salvation!  God's people won't be just going in circles endlessly; they will be empowered and filled! For this to happen they will have to be filled with God's Spirit. They will have to take their lead from God and not the world that is going nowhere fast, something like these caterpillars in this little illustration! John Henry Fabre, the great French naturalist, conducted a most unusual experiment with some processionary Caterpillars. These caterpillars blindly follow the one in front of them. Hence, the name processionary. John Henry Fabre carefully arranged them in a circle around the rim of a flower pot, so that the lead caterpillar actually touched the last one, making a complete circle. In the center of the flower pot he put pine needles, which is food for the processionary caterpillar. The caterpillars started around this circular flower pot. Around and around they went, hour after hour, day after day, night after night. For seven full days and seven full nights they went around the flower pot. Finally, they dropped dead of starvation and exhaustion. With an abundance of food less than six inches away, they literally starved to death, Because they confused activity with accomplishment. Many Christians make that same mistake.

            Nearby is the power of God, but those in this world cannot see it. If we follow them we will simply go round and round until we perish in weakness. God has made His power available, but we must receive it! For those who don't follow the world they will find this energy comes from God. God desires to set free the potential of all of us men and women to do His work. As He pours out His Spirit, we will ‘prophesy’, meaning ‘proclaim’ Him and His salvation.

            This certainly is the meaning since the end verse of this paragraph refers to people getting saved!  Acts 2:21; and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It is not enough to come and sample God's power whenever we feel like it, or to get a little here, and a little there. God's desire is to ‘pour out His Spirit on us’. We are to take all we can get and as much as possible, not just on special occasions.

            A city dweller moved to a farm and bought a cow. Shortly after he did, the cow went dry. When he reported this fact to a neighbor farmer, the farmer expressed surprise. The city man said he was surprised too. "I can't understand it either, for if ever a person was considerate of an animal, I was of that cow. If I didn't need any milk, I didn't milk her.  If I only needed a quart, I only took a quart." The farmer tried to explain that the only way to keep milk flowing is not to take as little as possible from the cow, but to take as much as possible. Is that not also true of the Christian life? Those who only turn to God in need miss the real joy that flows from a daily infilling of His Spirit.

            Obviously God knows our potential when we tap into His power on an ongoing basis and not just sporadically! The power to proclaim Christ and His life and His gospel, requires His Holy Spirit. It would appear we have a choice to participate in this outpouring of His Holy Spirit or try and get by on sporadic experiences! Let Him pour out His Spirit daily on you! A true outpouring of God's Spirit results in proclamation of the Gospel. This is its main focus, not miraculous signs, because miraculous signs follow them that believe. Miraculous signs are not the goal of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they are the results that follow the proclamation or preaching of the Word!

            It is clear in the text here that God's main purpose of pouring out His Spirit is to energize proclamation in power (prophesy). It was not so much fore-telling as it was forth-telling! Energetic and purposeful preaching is the result of any great outpouring of God's Spirit. This has been true of all real revivals, as was true in the book of Acts following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! Immediately after being baptized in the Holy Spirit, Peter senses the crowd's attention to the unusual manifestations of tongues and immediately draws them away from that to preaching to the Gospel! The result of proper focus with this power was that 3,000 were saved! Tongues did not become the issue, Peter made repentance the issue!

            Thirdly, God has given purpose & persuasion Acts 2:19-21; And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Not only will there be an outpouring of God's Spirit on His people. But there will at the same time be an outpouring of darkness and judgment in order to contrast the God of light to the darkness of this world!

            The Spirit of God is preparing the world for the coming of the Lord. This is why we will need an outpouring of God's Spirit in these last days. We will need the power to proclaim the Gospel against the backdrop of a fallen world. With such a sweep of darkness coming we will need more than just clever tactics to reach the lost, or snappy programs, or even well drafted theology. We will need God's power, and conviction and compassion to preach to the perishing! A clearer contrast between the wicked and righteous will begin to reveal itself. This outpouring is there to empower us to do preach the Word, and also available to all who are thirsty! It is tragic that so many don't avail themselves of this outpouring. It is there for all, and there is no reason to be thirsty and unfulfilled! With an outpouring of the Holy Spirit there will be an outpouring of people getting saved!

            We are living in exciting times, a time when God is pouring out His Spirit. The question is, are you availing yourself of this outpouring or, are you just surviving day to day?

            After the Spirit was outpoured on the one hundred and twenty, Peter stood up to address the crowd and explain what the outpouring's purpose was. It is not to have an experience, but, to infuse God's people with power for evangelizing! We don't do God's work in our own power, but "by the Spirit saith the Lord"! Zechariah 4:6;  Here’s the whole verse. It’s a good one to commit to memory! Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, this is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6; 

Pastor Robert Coutts

NEW SERIES: PART FOUR: I WILL, "NOT FORSAKE YOU"

I WILL NOT FORSAKE YOU

Joshua 1:1-9;

               One of the great truths of the Bible that give us comfort is God’s promise to never leave us or forsake us. This promise is found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Just the knowledge that God will stand with us can give us the courage to endure anything that comes against us. Our commander in chief, the Lord Jesus Christ, always stands ready to help us. The only time we don't feel His presence is when we drift from Him. If He seems far away, it is not because He has moved from us, it is because we have moved from Him! The knowledge that God is nearby should give us the courage to stand against overwhelming odds!

               President Madison's declaration of war against Great Britain in 1812 was not popular with many Americans, especially when the first year of conflict brought a series of shattering American defeats. New England was in a virtual state of secession; the governor of Vermont ordered the state militia to resign from national service; and in Massachusetts there was talk of negotiating a separate peace with the enemy. After threatening for a year, the British actually attacked the capital in August 1814.While President Madison rode out to the battlefield in an attempt to instill confidence in the untrained troops. The citizens of Washington streamed out of the city into Virginia. Even the militia assigned to protect the White House deserted their posts. But First Lady Dolly Madison refused to budge. Before the White House was burned, Dolly saved her husband's papers, a framed copy of the Declaration of Independence, and a valuable portrait of George Washington. She would leave only at the last minute, and she returned as soon as Madison sent word that the British had left Washington. Dolly’s dramatic rescue of George Washington's portrait silenced her husband's critics and infused the once divided nation with a new spirit. When news of the British burning of the White House spread, people who had been denouncing the war and talking surrender abruptly changed their minds. Confronted by a united, determined people, the British were more than willing to sign a peace treaty six months later.  (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 399.)       The Bible teaches us that God will never forsake us or leave us and it teaches us that as long as we stand by Him and His Word we can have courage to be victorious.

               With Moses dead, Israel was still short of its goal, the promise land. They had learned how to live in the desert, why go on? God didn't want them to stay in a desert however; He had better things in store for them. God needed a person to accept the call to take His people forward! Joshua was the man of choice because He had more for Israel than just desert life! Joshua had a choice. He could exist with things as they were, or follow God and accomplish great things for Him. Joshua was not content to just sit by or exist with present comforts because the call of God to serve was too great. He wished to do something significant for God!

               In attempting to recruit John Sculley, the 38-year-old President of Pepsi-Cola, Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple Computer, issued a tremendous challenge to Sculley. He asked: "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?" What a challenge to all Christians! Are we settling for less than God's best in our lives? (Odyssey, John Sculley, p.90)

               Joshua could have always been second fiddle to Moses, and rested near the promise land with the knowledge of how to live in a desert, but he chose to accept God's challenge to go all the way for God's best! What about us? Are we satisfied living on someone else's sacrifices for God? Are we completely willing to just ‘make sugar water’ for the rest of our lives or do something that will have eternal consequences? Is it enough to just exist and survive as a Christian, or do you want to experience God's best? God makes the call for all Christians to engage in service and sharing the good news. The question remains, have we accepted the call or are we just as happy to exist in a desert?

               God wanted them to move into a land flowing with milk and honey and not just be satisfied with a desert experience and survival but to have this they would have to move forward and not stand still! The journey of faith is not a ‘stand still’  experience!  A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for. (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 130.)  Has God called you to speak to a friend, a neighbor, a relative about Christ but you have decided to stay safe in the harbor rather than launch out in faith with the conviction that God may do something great if we do?

               Joshua had to have the conviction that God wasn't done with Israel just because Moses had passed from the scene. It was time to complete the journey for God's people and His new chosen leader. This was no time to kick back and slow down! God's promises to the former generation were still God's promises to the new generation. All they needed was the same conviction that God will make good on all His promises to move forward. God's promises to His disciples and followers of the first century are just as good to us today! Are we convinced that when we do something in faith God will be there to enable us? God always needs a man, a woman or child to have the conviction to move forward. And when they do, then watch what God will do with this!

               God does not ask Joshua to do something without the promise of being there to stand right with him! This is still true today! God will not ask you to do anything without also being there to enable you to do it! Even in the darkest of situations God's presence will give us the edge over those who walk in darkness!

               The late singer and actor Gordon MacRae told this story: It seems that Arnold Palmer was invited to come to a convention of blind golfers. He asked the golfers how they were able to know what direction to hit the ball. One blind golfer explained that the caddy went out ahead of him with a little bell which he would ring as he stood near the hole. The blind golfer would then hit the ball toward the sound of the bell. Arnold asked how well it worked, and the blind golfer said that it worked so well he was willing to take on Arnold Palmer for a round of golf. And just to make it interesting, the blind golfer was willing to bet Palmer ten thousand dollars he could beat him. Well, this just blew Palmer's mind. He pressed him, but the man insisted he was willing to bet that amount on his ability to beat Palmer. So, the deal was struck. Palmer said, "OK. What time do we tee off?" And the blind man said, "10:30 tonight!" 

               (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 274-275).

               While it may seem to the world that we are at a disadvantage, we are the ones in better shape. While the world lives in darkness and can't see its way, we know the presence of God is standing nearby and we can always find our way! God will never waver from His promise to us! Jesus issued the same statement in Matthew 28:20; "and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." God's legacy of faithfulness to those He has called to service shows an unbroken record of power and victory! The God who calls us will always be there beside us. He will never forsake us or leave us! This is God's commitment to us! God had demonstrated this truth to Moses, Joshua's mentor and predecessor. He will do the same for Joshua too! If God's people are going to make it, the leaders must have the courage to encourage them! All of God's people must have courage. We take courage from God first who has promised to be with us. And then we take courage from each other as we challenge each other to walk the walk of faith. We must speak the same thing, ‘God will help us’ if we are to succeed together!

               Even though Moses had been used to move Israel from Egypt to the promise land, Joshua was to be the one to move them into it! It is Christ who spoke that He will bring us into the promised place in eternity, but it is supposed to be our voice now to this world telling them about Christ! We have the same message to give as Christ gave!

               "We shall fight on the beaches... We shall never surrender." Millions were moved by Winston Churchill's now famous speech when it was broadcast on the radio on June 4, 1940. What few realized was that it was not Churchill they were listening to, but an actor named Norman Shelley. Churchill, who had delivered the speech to Parliament earlier in the day, was too busy to repeat it for broadcast, so he asked the BBC to get a substitute. Shelley, a BBC employee who had been heard imitating Churchill's voice, got the job. "Very nice," Churchill said of Shelley's work. (Memories Magazine in Forbes, June 3, 1996, p. 28).

               God's plan with God's man or woman will not fail when it is combined with faith and courage to act! Again God encourages in Joshua courage and strength but gives an interesting condition before He promises success. Obedience! God's promise of success for our lives is not without responsibility on our part! While God promised to be with Joshua and Israel there would still be responsibility on their part also. To obey God's Word! This is where many believers fall short in experiencing God's best in their lives. They forget that they are responsible to keep God's Word in the trials of life. God's promise of never leaving us or forsaking is absolute, but success hinges on obedience on our part! Unlike the promise of His presence, the promise of success was conditional. God was with Israel in the desert, but He wanted them to have success in the promise land too!  God wants us to know both His presence and His power! Too many Christians never lead successful lives in Christ because they fail to be obedient to God's Word! There is only one good way to experiencing God's best in our lives, the road map is the Word of God!

               Many European towns still bear the marks of having been surrounded by walls in the Middle Ages. Streets near these old walls are curved and sometimes come to dead ends. A man stopped a stranger and asked him the way to reach a certain address. The stranger directed him but the inquirer was still a little dubious. "Is that the best way?" he asked. The stranger quickly answered, "It is the only way. If you follow the other turn it will bring you back here." (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Bible Truths Illustrated (Keats Publishing, 1979), p. 22).

               While we are quick to cling to the promises of God to comfort us, we must also be quick to cling to the challenges of the Word of God to correct us! Obedience to the Word of God gives an open door to God's Spirit to work in us unrestrained. Joshua and Israel's obedience would make them invincible against their enemies. Because God would always be with them in the battles! The later stories in the Bible bear this truth out. When Israel was obedient to God's Word they had victory. But when they were disobedient they had failure, even when God was still with them! This is a principle too often missed by Christians today. They are happy to have God's presence in their lives, but live a frustrated life of failure because they don't obey the Word of God! So they live in fear rather than faith! They are constantly discouraged and weak! They have no joy in their lives as a Christian! Why not have both God's presence and power in your life? Their obedience to God's Word would actually be the backdrop to their courage and strength. There would be no obstacles between them and God so they would be at peace even in the midst of war! Those who walk faithfully after God's Word are not nearly as likely to be broken and frightened as those who do not.

               It has been said that a Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a person who isn't. (Unknown).

               God's presence is powerful to those who hold close the Word of God! We will always be a success when we practice the Word and not just preach it. Because God never forsakes us or His Word! God now once again tells Joshua to have courage, not to be discouraged and to be strong. Because God will always be with him and Israel. They will be invincible with God! They will never be without God's presence! They will never fail as they walk in obedience! What greater comfort can one have than to know God’s promise to always be with us, to never forsake us or leave us? The only way to make distance between you and God is to drift away from Him!  Keep Him close, and be comforted!

               God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us! This promise however does make a requirement of us if we are to be comforted and strengthened by God's presence. This includes obedience on our part! While salvation comes from His presence, success comes from obedience. The only way to get far from God is for us to drift from Him. When He seems far away it is not because He has moved, but because we have moved! He will never forsake us or leave us. So be strong and courageous as you live out His Word!

Blessings, Pastor Robert Coutts