Sunday, November 11, 2018

THE THREE SADDEST DAYS IN HISTORY




Pastor Rick Jackson

I. THE FALL OF MAN

1. The Fall of Man was Devilish [2 Corinthians 11:3, Revelation 12:9]

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

2. The Fall of Man was Deliberate [1 Timothy 2:13-14]

For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

3. The Fall of Man was Disastrous [Romans 5:12]

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

II. THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

1. The Hate of It [John 7:7, 15:18, Mt. 27:17-18]

The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy [ill will] they had delivered him.

2. The Host of It [Luke 22: 1-6]

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.
3. The Horror of It [Mt. 27:26-50]

III. THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

1. It Reeks of Our Failures [Ezekiel 33:8-9]

When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

2. It Represents Man’s Foolishness [Mt. 7:21-23, Lk. 14:18ff]

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

3. It’s Results are Final [Rev. 20:11-15]

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Friday, November 09, 2018

John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

Somebody says, "Well, there is so much to give up if I come out-and-out for Jesus." It is nothing compared with what you will have to give up if you don't!  - John R. Rice

Somebody says, "Well, Brother Rice, it costs something to be a Christian." It costs more to serve the devil and to take the devil's wages! Warming with the crowd around Satan's fire led to Peter's sin. - John R. Rice

New converts often say to me, "I know what my temptation is going to be; it will be giving up the crowd I run with." I will tell you how to face that. Tell them, "I have found Jesus." Go with the light of Heaven on your face and make a beeline to the hardest one and say, "I have been saved, and I want you to take Jesus as your Saviour." Take the Bible with you and tell them of the love of God. The next time you are with them testify for Jesus Christ and say, "I am looking for you next Sunday night. I want you on the front seat to hear my preacher." Take your Bible with you every time you go, and talk about the Lord, and you will not have any trouble with bad company. They will give you up, brother; you will not have any trouble about that. If you get red hot for Jesus Christ, they ill leave you alone, or else they will come with you to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. - John R. Rice

This half-way business is the kind of religion that gets you in trouble. "Well," you say, "I am a Christian, but I am no fanatic." Not being a fanatic is what gets you in trouble. A man who is out-and-out for Jesus Christ has a safeguard. People say about me, "Well, John Rice is sort of a fanatic." But they never say one thing; they never say, "Come on, Brother Rice, I will give you a drink out of my bottle." It is worth being called a fanatic to have that! It is very rare that anybody ever offers me a cigarette, and they never offer it the second time! That is one safeguard you get by being out-and-out, brother. I thank God for that! - John R. Rice

Praying is a safeguard. It helps to keep you from doing wrong. But my salvation does not depend upon my praying. - John R. Rice

It is not often that I go to the Father as intimately and with the childlikeness that a Christian should have. Yet the Lord Jesus said, "When you pray, say, Our Father . . ." With our mouths we say it, but our hearts talk like: "Thou art a strange God a million miles away." But Jesus said, "When ye pray, say, Our Father." But when we are filled with the Spirit of God we get a little of the idea of it. The Scripture says, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage, again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). And that means "Daddy" or "Papa." That does not mean an austere stranger, but my Father, my beloved, intimate, heavenly Daddy.
We do not always feel that, but God always feels that. I do not always feel like a child of God, but I am a child of God all the time whether I feel like it or not. I have teeth, whether I stop to thank God for them or not. And God always feels like my Father - whether I feel like His son or not. God never varies. Every gift comes with the love of a father. - John R. Rice


You people who have a God only for good times - phooie on you! I don't want that kind - the kind of Christianity that is fine when everybody is well, when you have nice jobs, that is fine when the crowd likes you. But put it down now, the only God who is any good is the kind who is good in the day of trouble and heartbreak. "And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psa. 50:15). - John R. Rice

Wednesday, November 07, 2018

GOD'S ELECT & THE ELECTION




Pastor Rick Jackson

Like many of you I was both pleased and displeased with the results of Tuesday's elections. Some people I wanted in office did not get elected. Some people I voted for did get elected. Some amendments I voted for were passed. For me elections have nothing to do with race or party but everything to do with right and principles.

So, now someone is going into office and you didn't vote for them. You don't like them, and you don't like what they stand for. What do you do?

I. THERE SHOULD BE A CONSIDERED RESPECT

Consider this, even if you don't like the person, you should respect the Office.

1. This was Paul's consideration [Acts 23:1-5]

And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

2. This was Michael's consideration [Jude 1:9]

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

3. This was Jesus's consideration [Jn. 19:8-11]

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

II. THERE SHOULD BE A CALCULATED RESPONSE

1. There is the Rule of Conscientious Duty [Rm. 13:1-7]

2. There is Room for Conscientious Objections [Acts 4:18-21]

And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

3. There is the Responsibility for Careful Confrontation [2 Sam. 12:1-7ff]

III. THERE SHOULD BE A CHRISTIAN REGARD

1. Prayer is a Christian Duty [1 Sam. 12:13-25]

2. Power is a Divine Prerogative [Hosea 13:9-11]

O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.

3. Prayer is a Protective Hedge [1 Tm. 2:1-8]

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Monday, November 05, 2018

TRYING TO WALK IN THE STEPS OF THE SAVIOUR


EPHESIANS 5:1-20

TRYING TO WALK IN THE STEPS OF THE SAVIOUR

Pastor Rick Jackson


I. WALK IN LOVE [v. 1-7] (speaks of motive)

1. If You Walk in Love You Will Walk Specifically [v. 1]

2. If You Walk in Love You Will Walk Sacrificially [v. 2]

3. If You Walk in Love You Will Walk Saintly [v. 3-7]


II. WALK IN LIGHT [v. 8-14] (speaks of manner)

1. You Must Walk in the Light of the Lord [v. 8, 10]

2. You Must Walk in the Light of the Spirit [v. 9]

3. You Must Walk in the Light of the Word (as opposed to the world) [v. 11-14, 2:2-3]


III. WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY [v. 15-20] (speaks of “mechanics”) i.e., “how am I going to accomplish this?”

1. Be Not Unwise [v. 15-17]

2. Be Not Drunk with Wine [v. 18]

3. Be Filled with the Spirit [v. 18b-20+]

Sunday, November 04, 2018

HOW TO HANDLE THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE




Philippians 3:13-14, 4:8

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. FORGET THE PAST [Phil. 3:13-14]

1. Forget Past Victories [v. 13]

-Forget in the sense that you hide it from the forefront of your mind, it's importance is diminished because you have more ground to cover.

2. Forget Past Failures [v. 13, Heb. 12:1] - because they're over.
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us

-Confess the sins, forsake them and keep running the race! FIDO!
-Forget the failures of others! One man said, "I never forgive" To which John Wesley replied, "Then sir, I hope you never sin."
-Clara Barton was asked by a lady if she remembered when that lady had once done her wrong. Barton said, "I distinctly remember forgetting it!"

3. Forget the Pleasures [Num. 11:1-10, Titus 3:3, Hebrews 11:25]

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

II. FACE THE FUTURE WISELY

1. Don't Worry (undue concern) About It! [Mt. 6:34]

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

2. Don't Count On It! [James 4:13-14]

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

3. Don't ignore It! [Mk. 1:1-8, Mt. 6:19-20, Amos 4:12]

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

III. FOCUS ON THE PRESENT

1. Be Today What You Ought Be [Phil. 4:13-14]

2. Do Today What You Ought Do [James. 4:15-17] do your giving while you’re living so you’re knowing where it’s going

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

3. Live Today How You Ought Live [Psalm 118:24]

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it

Saturday, November 03, 2018

Question of the Week: Is creation “very good” in the face of climate change? ðŸŒŽ


From the highly recommended: Answers in Genesis <wwwanswersingenesis.org>

Subject: Is creation "very good" in the face of climate change? ðŸŒŽ
 
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Friday, November 02, 2018

John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

A Christian, then, ought to go to Heaven sitting down. I do not mean we are not to work but we are not to work FOR SALVATION. I work pretty hard. I believe in working hard to win souls because I love the Lord. He has done so much for me I ought to work day and night for Him. I hope He lets me live a long time to preach the gospel. I want to work for Him. But, thank God, I have long since found out I do not need to do a thing to get saved. I am just taking what Jesus is giving. I have already accepted what He has already done.I am saved already. I am going to Heaven sitting down. The Saviour rests, so why shouldn't I rest? Jesus is satisfied; why shouldn't I be satisfied? The Father is satisfied with what happened at Calvary. That settled it for Him, and it ought to be settled in my mind, too. Thank God, I can depend on what He has done. I am glad that He is mine. That means I do not have to work to get saved. I am going to Heaven sitting down. - John R. Rice

I hope you will make a definite engagement with the Lord and spend some time in secret prayer every day. If you could have it at the same time every day, the first thing in the morning, that would be better. But you ought to have some time in secret prayer every day, a private consultation alone with God. I find that when I do not do that, or when I postpone it until afternoon, I often fall into sin, and I do not get as much work done as I do when I have prayed. A Christian will most likely deny Jesus somewhere during the day if he forgets to pray. - John R. Rice

A Christian cannot succeed and not pray. - John R. Rice

A Christian cannot whip the devil unless he prays. Someone has said,
The devil trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.

If a saint really prays with sincere devotion and contrite heart, the devil may well tremble, because he cannot get the man who holds on to God in prayer. Peter lost out by not praying. - John R. Rice

How much do you pray? Do you pray fifteen minutes a day? Most of us do not.Do you pray five minutes a day? Most of us do not. Three minutes? No, most of us do not spend that much time in honest, real, secret prayer to God, begging God for help in time of need and for strength in time of temptation. God help us to pray! If you want to whip the devil, you must pray. If you want to please God, if you want to have strength for temptations, then you must pray. Those who fail to pray through may deny Christ as Peter did. - John R. Rice

My friends, I beg you, do not neglect the Word of God. "Sin will keep you from the Bible or the Bible will keep you from sin," someone has well said. The man who goes on in sin and likes sin and holds on to it will have no taste for that Book. There is something badly wrong with you when the Bible is dry to you. When you take up this holy Book, this Book written by the Holy Spirit (men wrote down the words of God) and you read here about redemption, about salvation, about God's love, about the romance of creation and about a thousand mysteries and glories of the world to come, and it is dry to you - brother, you have being doing something you ought not to do! Something is wrong in your life or that Book would be sweet and fresh and fascinating and lovely beyond compare. Get this now: the Word of God is a safeguard against sin. - John R. Rice

Another factor in Peter's sin was bad company. Peter thought, "There is danger if I just walk right in where Jesus is being tried; I had better stay out here." So he sat with Satan's crowd by the fire. And friend, you may think it dangerous to go all the way with Jesus. That may be so. I frankly admit to you, sometimes if you are close enough to Jesus you will suffer for it. You had just as well face that. But I will tell you the other side of it, brother. Just as certain as you run with the devil's crowd, you will suffer for it. You will suffer more by running with the devil's crowd than by keeping close to Jesus. Yes, you will! - John R. Rice
 
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