WORSHIP SCHEDULE

                   Outline of Sermons 

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        Sunday Morning Lesson : 6/22/25, I Tim 4:1,2

Let us remain holy during the time of hypocrisy.

Satan uses every avenue to seduce God’s people. Some will distance themselves from the Lord and the Lord’s people due to hypocritical influence – living in a lying- speaking culture.

We live out the healing that has taken place; God trying to keep our conscience clean. We live and love truth. Holy people live for the truth that comes from the doctrine.

1 Recognize those who live the life of hypocrisy.         They wear masks, pretending to be one thing while hiding who they really are. (The word is used only six times in scripture). Folks are being seduced / hustled away from the truth.

We are God’s helpers. In our suffering, God wants to use us. Don’t let anyone hustle you from the truth. Some don’t want to suffer so they don’t want the salvation.

Hypocrisy seduces. In the Lord’s church, we have role-playing taking place in the pulpit. We don’t talk entertainment stuff, which becomes a distraction.

False teachers lie so much that you might even get tricked, not recognizing when you actually hear the truth.

In our suffering, God is saving us. We’re being delivered and being triumphant. Don’t trust anyone or anything outside the community of Christ. We are agents for helping and healing. As his helpers, God puts stuff in us to represent who He is. The church of God is the place of healing. We’re holy people.

2  They live out the hurt / harm that has happened in their conscience.                                                                  When the conscience is seared, then it loses all sensitivity to sin, thus sin is not that bad anymore – losing your conviction, no longer convinced of the truth.

Hypocrites see sin not as God sees it -- that which bothers God. When the conscience is seared, then the conscience is dying. There are no more boundaries so those affected are led by their desires. They no longer live with the truth or live morally anymore.

In our suffering, God makes our conscience more sensitive to sin, thus growing in our moral boundary. Suffering keeps our conscience alive. I Pet 3:16 speaks about a good conscience – “Having a good conscience, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ . . .” Demons make their homes in the conscience of those they destroy – being marked by the devil. When you are no longer feeling anything, you are no longer affected by sin; you're taken over by your evil desires. Satan is trying to destroy our ability to ‘stay dead to sin’.

Hypocrites are numb people, insensitive to sin. We holy people are made new by suffering. The inner man is being renewed. Don’t let trickery harm our dedication. Allow the cross to keep our conscience clean. We are cross-marked people (via Christ). We are saved by the blood (bought / blessed by the blood). We are blood-type people. We stay holy in our suffering. See it as the process to go home. We have the blood on our side.

 

       Sunday Morning Lesson : 6/29/25, Heb 12:1-2

             The Prophet Elijah, a Prominent Figure 

Elijah is mentioned in the old / new testament – Malachi, Matt chapters 11 & 17, James 5:17; James 5:16 “. . .  prayer of a righteous man . . .”   such as Elijah’s prayer for rain / prayer for no rain. Elijah was a man with a nature same as us. He had trials, tribulations, within a state of depression, and even became suicidal.

I King 17: Elijah the Tishbite had no background, no experiences, and no impressive pedigree. God looks at the inward man, at his faithfulness and availability as for Noah, Abram, and Moses. Elijah arose when the nation of Israel had fallen to serve Baal, led by King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, who was evil personified, dedicated to a false god, promiscuous, seductive, a deceiver, a murderer and an idolator. Due to her influence, King Ahab did so much evil. (Rev 2:20, Prov 6:26)

Prepare yourself for greater service. As in the book of Timothy, “ . . . Let no man despise your youth . . . ”          

Elijah the Tishbite went to King Ahab promising that there would be 3 ½ years of no rain. God then hid Elijah by the brook Cherith – hiding him in plain sight for greater service as He did Jesus, Joseph, Esther, and Moses, etc. God’s hiding place is a place where He grooms you, trying and testing you to be chosen to fulfill His service. Elijah, later, became known only as the man of God.

Elijah, then, met the widow without the necessary food to feed her and her son. Her son later dies (the first incident in the Bible where one was raised from the dead).

In I Kings 18, Jezebel kills off God’s prophets. Obadiah helps, ensuring that God’s people had a future by hiding a hundred of the prophets in a cave. Obadiah was asked to tell King Ahab where Elijah was so they could meet. King Ahab was to assemble all of the prophets of Baal (that eat at Jezebel’s table) at Mt. Carmel. Choose Baal or God was what Elijah demanded of them.

God wants us to be controlled and sober-minded in our worship. The prophets of Baal were to call on the name of their gods, but there was no response. Then, Elijah prepared the altar of the Lord, using twelve stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Elijah prayed to God, and then the fire of God fell and consumed the burnt offering, among many other actions. Afterward, the prophets of Baal were slaughtered. Ahab then ran back to his wife, Jezebel, who threatened to kill Elijah. Elijah becomes depressed and flees to Mt. Horeb, hiding in a cave. God’s voice came to Elijah in a whisper. Sometimes, God speaks to us in the quietness and stillness of our depression (in our yonder place) . . . Psa 46:10. Stop stressing over life and turn it over to God.      

Not all God’s prophets were killed. Jezebel is still alive and evil. Elijah was to return to Ahab and Jezebel due to the death of Naboth who owned a vineyard that was taken from him. Jezebel is killed by eunuchs who threw her out of the window. Dogs ate most of her remains, possibly as a sign of her evilness.

Elijah mentors Elisha who asked him for a double portion of his spirit. The prophet Elisha follows / replaces Elijah after God takes him up into heaven by a whirlwind in a flaming chariot.

1. We need to root-out and reject all forms of idolatry in our lives. Anything that draws our devotion away from God is our Baal. Put to death the deeds of the flesh. Make a clear choice of who you will serve.

2. God is still present in our lives, even in times of despair, anxiety, depression, etc. Just as Elijah went through a period of despair, God is also there to reassure us.

3. The importance of mentorship is shown between the two prophets. Elijah nurtured / mentored Elisha, equipping him to follow in his work (as Paul did Timothy).

Elijah’s life shows service / sacrifice to God through his courage, faith, prayers, mentorship, etc. He chose the one true God without wavering. He stood up for what was right even with Ahab and Jezebel. Remember God is in charge. Prophets may be killed but that won’t kill God’s prophecy. God is our Lord, master, savior, and redeemer.

Eccl 12:13-14: Don’t be on the wrong side when Jesus returns.  

 

   Sunday Morning Lesson: 7/6/25, Heb 12:1-2,      

                        Col 2:13-15

When things go wrong in your life, it is your theology (understanding of God’s will) that will keep you steady / balanced.

Our being dead in our trespasses, we were saved by an act of Calvary -- Jesus’ suffering while we were sinners. Sometimes, we find ourselves struggling with our past and even sometimes in our present struggles. Calvary helped us in our transgression while dead, living in sin, disobedient to God, even knowing it was wrong. Jesus loved us still. Due to your clarity / understanding, you may know that it’s wrong (what you’re engaging in). Then, sometimes we know and just miss the mark; and some just are disillusioned, living in ignorance. While in their/ our ignorance, Jesus suffered on the cross, our being made alive / quickened by Christ Jesus. You really can’t be made alive with another man except for Jesus Christ. When he quickens you, he forgives you. You don’t really deserve his forgiveness; he gives freely his forgiveness.

God kept his theology, deciding to forgive us / save us. Although we were messed up; yet, Jesus still loved us, suffered for us, and died for us on the cross. Let your theology be God’s theology. Look to him with whom you have come to life. Look at Jesus and see him forgiving when they don’t deserve it. 

In your life, practice forgiveness and move to forgiveness. Work through it (it’s not necessarily an instinct). Jesus kept his theology in his suffering. It’s the only thing that’s going to bring you through -- the cross of Christ. Model the cross in your life. Move to forgive. We are to be committed to the cross – coming to life again with Jesus.

Sometimes, there are things in life that happen to us, and we leave a record associated with them. Everything is open before the Lord. God keeps track of everyone’s record, but God is not so forgiving but will hold you accountable for all of your sins. God gets angry with the wicked. He took our record and nailed it to the cross. When Jesus died and arose the 3rd day, the significance of his death came to life. Jesus nailed our record to the cross, the record dying there. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Let the suffering quench us, thus Jesus is willing to thirst for us. Jesus stands alone as Savior and redeemer.                   Hope he has a place in your life.

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               Psalm/Hymn/Edification of the week:

 

 

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. (Eph 5:19)

 

Prov 19:9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish."

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                             I'm Learning to Lean

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I’m Learning to Lean

I’m learning to lean, learning to lean

Learning to lean on Je-sus,

I’m finding more power than I’ve ever seen

I’m learning to lean on Je-sus.

 

I’m learning to love, learning to love

Learning to love like Je-sus,

I’m touching more people than I’m aware of

I’m learning to love Je-sus.

 

I’m learning to pray, learning to pray

Learning to pray like Je-sus,

I’m gaining more courage day after day

I’m learning to pray like Je-sus.

 

I’m learning to lean, learning to lean

Learning to lean on Je-sus,

I’m finding more power than I’ve ever seen

I’m learning to lean on Je-sus.

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