Many cannot listen to the word of the Lord when preached in its purity. The reason is; man doesn’t like being corrected on how he might be living. Man thinks the message of the scripture is supposed to please him. But that isn’t going to be the case; because God doesn’t think as man. God thoughts are higher than heaven above the earth. Isa 55:8-9. The scriptures teach what God wants, not what man wants. It is amazing that people will walk out of a church complaining about what was said in the sermon. Let me ask this. Did the preacher teach what was in the bible? Can you open your bible at home and see what he said? Do you think that the word of the Lord isn’t to step on toes? Are you perfect? If you are, then you are God. Will you admit to being God? If not, you must submit yourself bible admonishment. The word of the Lord is correction, not a praise of men speech. The word of the Lord are the words which convict men of sin and causes them to change so they can be saved. Heb 4:12. Jer 23:29. Jer 5:14. 2 Tim 4:1-4.
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One thing men and women can do to spare the world tons of grief, is quit having babies out of wedlock and mistreating children in the home. Gen 42.22 The world is hopeless because men have rejected God and no one is heeding His commands. Because of that, the Lord has left man to fry in his own grease. Babies compound the problem, because it is a sin to commit fornication and those having babies aren’t prepared to care for them. What we see today are males and females carrying around extra problems and parents need the word of God so they can teach the children. Eph 6.1-4. I call on all who haven’t sin not to do so. Start coming to the mt airy church of Christ and other faithful churches of Christ where you can get an education in the word of God and know how you need to live in this life. o edit. In Gen 4:9, Cain's reply to the Lord's question was. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
In other words, Cain was telling God, "it's none of my business where he is, or what he is doing." This was the origin of, "I don't want to get involved." This attitude is still being practice, and that is why a man did nothing, after seeing a little girl being murdered in a casino bathroom several years ago. In the last tv episode of Seinfeld, the four stars were sent to prison for not helping a man who was being robbed. They felt it wasn't their problem so why concern themselves? Though the TV program was fictional, it still showed a strong message. The bible teaches people to care and not be like the two guys who refused to help a injured man as he lay in the road. Lk 10:30-37. Ezk 3:16-21. 1 Sam 3:13. Pro 21:13. Deut 22:1-4. Gal 6:1-2. Matt 25:26-28. 1 Cor 10:24. This lesson isn't teaching one to play superhero rush up and fight an armed thug. But there is something we can do. We can call the police or provide some other type of information, publicly or anonymously. We must take the time to cheer the sad, give food to the hungry, visit the sick. etc. Gal 6:10. Jas 4:17. Jas 1:27. 1 Tim 5:9-10. Acts 9:36-43. Have you examined the number of networks available for viewing or streaming?
What a long way, we have come from having only three networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS? But now we have enough stuff around to keep one busy online forever. Bad thing about all this technology is that it leaves no time for people to study the scriptures. People will always be online looking up this and looking up that, and binge watching this and binge watching that, they will have a perpetual supply of online streaming material to veiw and the Bible will sit on the table and gather dust and never be looked at. Technology is good but it can also become a tool of the Devil. Satan can use technology to draw men away from prayer and bible study and that's where it goes too far. We are not against the networks and technology, but we want to issue a warning. “Only consume so much and let the rest go.” One cannot consume everything for it’s too much. If you try, you'll never do any praying you'll never do any studying of the scripture. The bible teaches, “lest Satan take advantage of us, let us not be ignorant of his tactics”. 2 Cor 2.11. The vulnerable are easy prey for human predators who take advantage of the weak.
Anyone who would prey upon an innocent human who cannot fend for himself is a monster. 2 Samuel 11:1-6. We have seen evil people who are supposed to be guardians of someone welfare; take advantage by stealing money that was meant for their care. Proverbs 22:22-23. Ecclesiastes 4:1. The vulnerable need our help. The blind, the elderly, the maimed, the autistic person, the widowed, the fatherless, the orphans, etc. Will someone step up and help a person with disabilities who cannot make it without assistance? Psalms 119:122. James 1:27. Romans 15:1. Thessalonians 5:14. 1 Timothy 5:10. Psalms 22:23-24. Exodus 22:21-27. Isaiah 1:17. Psalms 10:17-18. What have you been doing with yourself these days? I and other Christians who have been busy preparing to meet the Lord, should Judgment day come at any moment. 2 Peter 3.10. If you have been living life to the fullest and having good times, we aren’t opposed to that, everybody should enjoy life. King Solomon wrote that in Ecclesiastes 9.7-9. But if that is all that you are doing, you aren’t preparing yourself to meet God. Luke 12.16-21. Luke 12.35-46. That must change you cannot go through this life enjoying recreation and not give any attention to your soul. Mark 8.36-37 Living life is like using a credit card you can use a credit card in any way that you wish, however at some point the bill is going to come in the mail. That's how life is, we must stand before Jesus Christ and given account of what we did when we lived here on earth. 2 Corinthians 5.10. So, you must be born again. John 3.3. You must obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Rom 1.16. After you do that, you can enjoy life in the right order. Will you request to obey the gospel today? Sleeping is good, it will help a person greatly. John 11.11-12. But sleeping in church isn’t good.
Mark 14.37-40. We see that because of what happen to the man in Acts 20.9, he fell out the window where he was sitting and killed himself. We don’t know why he was so tired; but I suggest that Saturday night is a good time to go to bed early and get your rest, so you don’t come to the house of God exhausted. Some men preach for a long time, and if that is the case, go to the bathroom and splash water on your face, wake yourself up. Step outside into the fresh air, wake yourself up. And preachers, make sure you don’t put your audience to sleep, keep your sermons interesting and don’t punish people with unnecessary rambling; just preach the word. It is a defeat for any preacher who has the reputation of putting the audience to sleep. And audiences watch your medications, stay home if your meds put you to sleep or take them once the services are over. When a bottle of liquid has a skull and cross bones on it, one should be smart enough not to drink it.
If one notices the sign “slippery when wet,” one should be smart enough not to speed that way. If the shark tank has “no hands allowed,” one should be smart enough not to put a hand in there. The point of all this is, we wish that people would learn without having to suffer the consequences of being hard-headed. A man may know the risk of picking up hookers, but not learn his lesson until he is arrested, or is a victim of a transmitted sexual disease. Pro 5:11-13. If the word is out, “ Don’t text while driving,” man should learn from those words and not from having an accident. In Luke 15:11-32, we read of a young man who demanded his inheritance and wasted it after moving far away. This young guy didn’t listen to anything until he was broke, alone and sitting among the pigs desiring the slop they ate. Likewise the word of the Lord warns men, but are we listening? Pro 1:20-33. Pro 22:3. There was a preacher name Stewart and one day he was talking to the butcher about a steak.
The butcher said, I see you quite often, but I never asked you what you do for a living. Stewart replied, I’m a preacher, I preach for a local church of Christ. The butcher said, “oh wow, you are a reverend!” No, Stewart replied, just a preacher. I don’t understand, the butcher said, isn’t a preacher a reverend? No, he isn’t, said Stewart, reverend is one of the names for God and even if men allow people to call them reverend, it is wrong for no man is fit to wear the name of God. I never heard that before, said the butcher; all the ministers I know were called reverend. Yeah, I’m sure they are, said Stewart; but it is still wrong for them to be addressed as such. Let me ask you this. Would you address a preacher as Almighty? No said the butcher, only God is Almighty. Correct said Stewart, but the word reverend means just that, it means “Awesome” and no man is such. Let me quote from Psalms 111.9 “ He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant forever, Holy and Reverend is His name. The butcher said, I have never heard that verse in my life, I didn’t know; but from now on I will correct anyone who calls a preacher “reverend.” Great said Stewart, I’m glad I could be of help and if I can be of farther service to understand the bible, let me know. Now, how about my steak? If a church only has a few members, you shouldn’t disqualify that church. If a church is made of mostly members of a race which is different than yours, you shouldn’t disqualify that church. If you are a single person and all the members of that church are married, you shouldn’t disqualify that church. If the church doesn’t own its meeting location, you shouldn’t disqualify that church. If your children will be the only children there, you shouldn’t disqualify that church.
A church should only be disqualified if it doesn’t stand for the truth. If it is unfriendly and has clicks. I’m speaking of questionable behavior by the members. All the other kinds of things that we have mention today, can be fixed. And just think for a moment. Maybe you, by choosing to work with that church, will be the one who helps bring about the needed changes. Acts 18.9-11. Acts 9.27-28. |
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