How Should We React to the New Normal is the message given by Pastor John Bryson at Cedar Creek Seventh Day Adventist Christian Church on Sabbath, 14 November 2020. You can listen to the audio recording and hear the complete message on my Sound Cloud Account.

John Bryson Audio Message

How Should We React to the New Normal

The year 2020 has been full of challenges. Early in the year COVID19 shut down the world. The death of George Floyd in the summer caused violent protests all over the United States. There is social unrest all over the world now.

Wildfires have burned in many of the Western States. In November, the United States Presidential Election has still not been officially decided because there are states recounting ballots and there is evidence of improper conduct in several states.

Should you stay home and be bored or stay home and be nervous. People emptied store shelves. There have already been two periods of hoarding of toilet paper. People buy way more than they need and stockpile supplies. Just how should we be reacting to the new normal?

The church has been holding Evangelism Meetings. It appears that the timing was a Gift from God because the 21 meetings were held while the State of Washington still allowed churches to be open. A new lockdown is being implemented on Wednesday 18 November 2020 as I write this article.

There have been many baptisms from the recent series of meetings done by Pastor Brian McMahon. You can watch the entire series on my You Tube Channel Playlist.

In Matthew 24, we know when prophecies are fulfilled, and Jesus comes back. Every single prophecy has come true and the last one is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

In Daniel 12, we are told of a coming time of trouble that we have never seen before.

Revelation 13:15-17 is another prophecy of the end time.

15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

All around us we have experienced in Washington State Fires, Riots, and the Pandemic. Violence and chaos are happening daily in cities around North America. How Should We React to the New Normal?

Look at Luke 21:25-26.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25 And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Many people are living in fear. Pastor John Bryson grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist church in San Diego. His parents took him to church. John admitted that he grew up in fear of what Matthew 24 said about Jesus Christ Second Coming.

People are living in fear of the coming time of trouble. Is it God’s Will that we be scared out of our minds? Is there a better way?

Forgotten testimonies are in the Bible. In Matthew 20:17-19, the Disciples shared.

Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection

17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18 Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.

In John 11, Lazarus of Bethany was sick. He was the brother of Mary that anointed Jesus feet with expensive oil. Lazarus was told not to go to Samaria, he lived in dread.

The Disciples missed what Jesus told them on several occasions that: “He will be raised up on the third day”.  Disciples had a hard time because they did not remember. Have we forgotten also?

How Should We React to the New Normal?

Turn Back to Luke 21:25-28 and let us read again about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25 And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

Have you ever been discouraged? Stand up straight, lift our heads and walk with the knowledge that Jesus is coming soon.

Turn to Daniel 12:1-3.

Prophecy of the End Time

12 At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
2
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3
Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.

When we get scared of events happening in life, we need to remember what the Bible says. Soon we will be on Mt. Zion.

John finished his message How Should We React to the New Normal with this poem.

“There are days I know when you get so discouraged, it seems that all hope is gone, but there is only one who can give you courage and strength to carry on. Never give up, Jesus Is Coming. It is darkest just before dawn. Never give up, Jesus Is Coming. Never give up, keep holding on.

This old world I know cannot last much longer and sin will soon pass away. But my faith in God simply keeps growing stronger for Jesus Is Coming someday.

Never give up, Jesus Is Coming, it is the darkest just before dawn. Never give up, Jesus Is Coming. Never give up, keep holding on.”

Hope you have enjoyed reading the sermon How Should We React to the New Normal message. If you want to read more messages, we have a large number in my Spiritual Category on the link below.

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God Wants Us to Be Happy is the sermon given by Marcia Plotner on Sabbath, 26 September 2020 at Cedar Creek Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church. You can listen to the message on my Sound Cloud Account:

Marcia Plotner Message 26 September 2020

God Wants Us to Be Happy, Healthy and Wealthy

Turn in your Bible to Malachi 3:10.

Malachi 3:10

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,

That there may be food in My house,

And try Me now in this,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Now look at Deuteronomy 8:18.

Deuteronomy 8:18

And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Another powerful scripture where God shows us His desire for us to live life in abundance is found in John 10:10.

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Now turn to 3 John 1:2.

3 John 1:2

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Have you heard about the prosperity gospel? In the 1950’s, denominations across North America were having many camp meetings. Many people were healed at these meetings.

In the 1980’s, the mega church movement grew rapidly. Joel Osteen has a church that has attendance of over 53,000 people each week. In most evangelical mega churches, you will only hear about the good that is in the Bible.

Marcia’s niece Laurie has a friend named Collette. Collette was brain dead. Laurie had prayed incessantly for her friend. Laurie struggled with the loss of her good friend. We can imagine it must have been hard for Laurie to believe that God Wants Us to Be Happy when her friend died. Every human will experience loss and pain in this life.

Marcia met Captain Charles Plumb of the United States Navy. Captain Plumb was in the same Prisoner of War camp as the late Senator John McCain.

Captain Plumb flew 74 successful missions in Vietnam but was shot down on the 75^th mission. He endured 8 years of torture at the hands of his captors.

Captain Plumb and the other prisoners of war worked on a secret communication system between prisoners to give each other hope during their confinement.

After Captain Plumb and the other prisoners were rescued, Charles Plumb wrote a book: “I Am No Hero” and told of all his struggles. He felt fear, loneliness and realized that Adversity is a terrible thing to waste. Turn to Hebrews 12.

Hebrews 12:1-2

The Race of Faith

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Exodus 14:5-7

Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6  So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them.

People of Israel were scared. In Exodus 13:11-12, the people were speaking to Moses: Moses, what have you done to us? Moses answered and told the nation of Israel to not be afraid.

In Exodus 14:14, Moses answers.

Exodus 14:14

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.

God lit up the sky at night and kept the nation of Israel safe from the Egyptians. Jesus has several ways to answer prayers. Jesus answers either yes, no or wait.

In Exodus 14:21, God said it was time to move. Turn to Exodus 14:26-27

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So, the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

Now turn to Psalm 136:15

Psalm 136:15

But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,

For His mercy endures forever. Now turn back to Exodus 14:31.

Exodus 14:31

Thus, Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so, the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.

Adversity has its place in our walk with God. The children of Israel were complaining and asked Moses: “What have you done?”

Adversity either draws you closer to or further away from God. Strength comes from Adversity. What God brings us is much better than what we want. God has taken all of us through Adversity.

James 1:2-4

Profiting from Trials

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Now look at 1 Peter 1:6

1 Peter 1:6

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Remember the story of Joseph. Turn to Genesis 50:20.

Genesis 50:20

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

When your struggles come, put your life on Jesus shoulders. Jesus will hold you and keep you.

Hope you have enjoyed reading God Wants Us to Be Happy post. For more Spiritual Messages, please visit my Spiritual Archives.

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God Nice Sermon is a message that was given by Don Anderson at Cedar Creek Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church. You can listen to the message on my Sound Cloud Account.

God Nice Sermon

Don asked the church two questions:

1. Are You Afraid Of God?
2. How Does Our View Of God Influence Our Lives?

Mark 4:35-41

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Jesus never forces His Way into our lives. Jesus waits for us to allow Him to come into our hearts.

There are two sides of Fear of the Lord.

1. Reverence
2. Terror

Satan creates separation between man and God.

Mark 5:1-20

A Demon-Possessed Man Healed

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”

8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?”

And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.

18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

In Mark 5, the demon possessed man is healed. He went to Jesus. He had not confessed or repented. Being able to plead our need to Jesus is a blessing from God.

Many people that are wealthy do not recognize their need. Many people in North America do not have needs. Satan’s plan is to gain control of our lives through lusts.

Satan only wants to cause pain because he hates God. The pig herd owners wanted Jesus to leave because they just lost 2000 pigs. People can identify when someone is worried about their material possessions.

Let us take another look at verse 19. The demoniac wanted to be with Jesus. How we view Jesus determines our relationship with Him. Do we need Jesus in our lives?

The safest place to hide from Jesus is in the church. We need to recognize God Is Love. God Is Nice.

Satan sends a conflicting message. Ever since Eve took the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we have had to deal with conflict. Turn to Genesis 3.

Genesis 3:1-15

The Temptation and Fall of Man

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

You are cursed more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And you shall eat dust

All the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.”

Do not let any barrier keep you from Jesus. Recognize that Jesus is nice. Look at what HE did for us. The demon possessed man found comfort in God’s presence. We can as well.

Hope you have enjoyed reading God Nice Sermon by Don Anderson. For more Spiritual Messages, please visit my archived messages:

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Welcome to the Joseph’s Good Life post. This message was given by Alyssa Morauske at Cedar Creek Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church on Sabbath, 8 August 2020. Alyssa said the main point is that times of crisis will happen in this life that we cannot control. We can only control our response to the crisis. You can listen to Alyssa’s message on my Sound Cloud channel.

Sermon By Alyssa Morauske

Joseph’s Good Life

Joseph’s father Jacob had 12 sons. Jacob’s favorite son was Joseph. Joseph got special privileges, attention and gifts. Joseph was blessed by God. Joseph’s Good Life was all about to change. Joseph experienced five different crisis in his life.

Five Crisis In Joseph’s Good Life

Identity Crisis

Genesis 37:18-20

Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. The betrayal made Joseph question if he even has a family. The persons who would care believe that Joseph is dead.

Genesis 37:23-36

So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25 And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. 26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

29 Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30 And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?”

31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”

33 And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

36 Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

Joseph’s response to being sold into slavery is he surrendered to God. He asked God to be his God. Alyssa shared about a beautiful woman named Stephanie Nielson. Stephanie was burned over 80 percent of her body in a 2008 plane crash. Her burns were so bad that she was placed in a coma.

Stephanie’s physical beauty was restored to her over time by plastic surgeons. Her inner beauty arose during her crisis time in her life.

Moral Crisis

Genesis 39:1

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.

In verse 5, Joseph has transitioned into a position of responsibility. God blessed him there. Now Joseph’s Moral Crisis is when he is caught up in a scandal with  Potiphar’s Lying Wife.

Genesis 39:7-10

And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

Potiphar must have believed Joseph because Joseph is kept alive and sent to the King’s Prison. Joseph once again was surrendered to God’s Will.

Abandonment Crisis

Genesis 39:21

But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

God once again blesses Joseph as he is put in charge of the prison. The King’s butler and baker are sent to prison. Joseph interprets dreams and asks the butler to remember him.

Genesis 40:14

But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.

Genesis 41:1

Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.

Let us review the Five Stages of Grief.

1. Shock: “What Happened?” Not sure what to feel
2. Bargaining: “What Could I Have Done?” Blames self
3. Depression: “What Happened?” Tired of feeling
4. Anger: “Why Did This Happen?” Blames others
5. Acceptance: “This Happened” Balance of feelings and thoughts

Natural Disaster Crisis

Genesis 41:16

So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
Seven years of famine are predicted. Joseph is again given a position of authority and God blesses him again.

Genesis 41:39-41

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

Family Crisis

Genesis 42:3

So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

Genesis 42:7

Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”

And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

Joseph’s brothers are now standing before him. His brothers started a domino effect of crisis in his life. Look at Joseph’s response:

Genesis 45:5

But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

Joseph comforts his brothers. He tells them to move past the grief and points them to a bigger picture.

Genesis 45:7

And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Joseph’s response to the crisis revealed his understanding of God.

One of the most powerful verses in the Holy Bible is Romans 8:28:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Joseph’s Good Life involved Five Crisis.

Samuel Brengle was a worker with the Salvation Army in Boston. As he passed by a saloon, a man threw a brick at his head. The man’s aim was good as Brengle nearly died. As it was, he spent eighteen months in recovery. During that time, he wrote a little book entitled Helps to Holiness. Thousands of copies were published.

After Brengle was able to begin preaching again, people would often thank him for the book. He would respond by saying: “If there had been no little brick, there would be no little book.”

Brengle’s wife saved the brick and had Genesis 50:20 engraved on it:

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

The good life is not good because of us, but because of God. Sin always brings crisis. What makes our life good is our response and acceptance of a Good God. It is an attitude that says this does not feel good, but you are good, and I know you can bring good out of this.

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Who Is Responsible For All the Troubles In the World was the message given by Marcia Plotner at Cedar Creek Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church on Sabbath, 1 August 2020. To listen to the message, please visit my Sound Cloud account. Who Is Responsible Message

Who Is Responsible For All the Troubles In the World

We are all muggers. In the Garden of Eden, all the animals were tame. When sin began, everything changed. Death, decay and disease have been our reality since. Turn in your Bibles to 1 John 3:8.

1 John 3:8
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Someone is out to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus wants to save us.

John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Revelation 12:7-9
Satan Thrown Out of Heaven
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Lucifer was created a perfect angel.

Turn to Ezekiel 28:14:
You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.

Ezekiel 28:17
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
People were created to be happy and fulfilled. We were designed to worship God. Some people worship money, idols, or self. The First Commandment says: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Who is number one on your throne? We miss blessings if we do not worship God. Imagine you have a lawyer who will help you pick who you allow on your throne, God or Self?

Turn to Isaiah 14:12-15
The Fall of Lucifer
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.”
Lucifer chose self. Pride caused his fall. Satan spends his time inflicting his anger on people. Satan clearly is Who Is Responsible For All the Troubles In the World.

Turn to Revelation 12:12
12 “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
It is not a pleasant experience to be mugged. Mankind has been mugged by Satan. Turn to Romans 6:23 and we see the results of mankind being mugged.

Romans 6:23
23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Turn back to Romans 5:6-8
Christ in Our Place
6 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

What a powerful display of God’s Love is the fact that even while we were yet sinners, Jesus Christ died for us. Turn to Titus 2:14

Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

Now turn to Philippians 2:13
13 “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
Our part in the process or job is to simply give up and surrender our will to God. Righteousness only comes from Grace.

Today Christianity is dealing with a compromised church because Satan joined the church. Here are the major pagan beliefs that have crept into the church:

1. Infant Baptism
2. Praying to Dead Saints
3. Crawl Up Stairs On Your Knees
4. Pay Penitence
5. Tell People They Will Burn In Hell Forever

God has always had a faithful people. Waldenses in Italy were the people who started a Christian movement that originated in 12th-century France, the devotees of which sought to follow Christ in poverty and simplicity. The movement is sometimes viewed as an early forerunner of the Reformation for its rejection of various Catholic tenets. In modern times the name has been applied to members of a Protestant church.

Marcia’s family came from Turin, Italy. Her great grandfather Segundo Musso was thrown into prison for believing in the Bible. Catholic priests beat Segundo. He started underground churches. The Protestant movement flourished.

Segundo planted churches in Italy that taught liberty of conscious. He came to California in 1866 and taught that the just shall live by faith and Jesus’s Promises everywhere he went.

Hope you have been blessed in reading the Who Is Responsible For All the Troubles In the World post. Please leave comments below about how you have been blessed by Jesus Christ and His Promises to a world that has been mugged.

For more spiritual messages, please visit our archived messages link below. There are hundreds of messages from all over the world that I have recorded or taken sermon notes and asked permission to publish here.

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Time to Go Home Message July 2020 Message was given by Marcia Plotner on Sabbath, 18 July 2020 at Cedar Creek Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church. You can listen to the audio broadcast on my Sound Cloud Channel.

Time to Go Home Message July 2020

Turn in your Bibles to John 14:1-3.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

John 14 Verse 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Heaven is a wonderful place according to the Bible. The following scripture details many precious stones. Turn to Revelation 21:15-20.

Revelation 21 Verse 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

Now turn to Mark 13:32

Mark 13 Verse 32 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Matthew Chapter 24 has many verses that instruct us on the time we are living in. Turn to Matthew 24:42-44.

Matthew 24 Verse 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Let us also look at Verses 32-33

The Parable of the Fig Tree

Matthew 24 Verse 32 Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!

We see there will be deceptions in Religions in Matthew 24 Verses 4 to 8.

Matthew 24 Verse 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Look at the huge upsurge in Disasters since 1950.

Matthew 24 Verse 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

The world has been dealing with ongoing wars for a long time. Millions of people have been killed in wars.

Matthew 24 Verse 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

Turn to Exodus 15:26

Exodus 15 Verse 26 He Said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

Leviticus is a chapter that shares God’s Health Laws.

COVID19 is a disease from a bat which is labeled an unclean animal in the Bible. All diseases that spread from human to human are sourced from unclean animals. Moses is the father of infection control. All of the Quarantine rules can be found in Leviticus 13.

How will man act in the end times?

Turn to 2 Timothy 3:1-2

Perilous Times and Perilous Men

2 Timothy 3 Verse 1 3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.

Love of money is the root of all evil. There is nothing wrong with having money, it is a problem when we are laying up treasures on earth and Jesus warned us to not lay up treasures on earth.

Turn to Luke 21:25

The Coming of the Son of Man

Luke 21 Verse 25 And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring.

Revelation 6:12-13

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

Revelation 6 Verse 12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, occurred in Portugal on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination with subsequent fires and a tsunami, the earthquake almost totally destroyed Lisbon and adjoining areas.

Seismologists today estimate the Lisbon earthquake had a magnitude of 8.4 on the moment magnitude scale, with its epicenter in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 km west-southwest of Cape St. Vincent. Chronologically it was the third known large scale earthquake to hit the city. Estimates place the death toll in Lisbon alone between 10,000 and 30,000 people, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in history.

New England’s Dark Day occurred on 19 May 1780, when an unusual darkening of the day sky was observed over the New England states and parts of Canada. The primary cause of the event is believed to have been a combination of smoke from forest fires, a thick fog, and cloud cover. The darkness was so complete that candles were required from noon on. It did not disperse until the middle of the next night.

On 13 November 1833, over 70,000 meteors were falling from the sky per hour for 9 hours. Our world has seen events that the Bible authors wrote about 2,000 years before.

Moral Decay

All around us, we see violence. Portland, Oregon has experienced nightly violent protests since May 2020. Some cities are calling for police departments to no longer be funded. Crime has gone through the roof with murders, thefts and destruction of private property.

Turn to Matthew 24:14

Matthew 24 Verse 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Turn to Revelation 22:12

Jesus Testifies to the Churches

Revelation 22 Verse 12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”

No longer will there be any curse, tears, death or sadness. Hope you have enjoyed reading the Time to Go Home Message July 2020. For more spiritual messages from Bible Teachers Around the World, please visit my link below.

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Welcome to The Real Sabbath Is Saturday post. Here is a great step by step Bible Study showing that Saturday is the Sabbath for all of mankind. Follow God’s Holy Book the Bible and you will not get distracted by false teachings. Click on the video below for the study.

Genesis 2:1-3
The Seventh Day, God Rests
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that He had done in creation.

The Real Sabbath Is Saturday

God sanctified and made holy His Seventh Day. Man cannot make a day Holy. God did this 2,000 years before Abraham who was the first Jew. So, the Sabbath is for all of mankind. All mankind will worship God on the Sabbath day in heaven. according to the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 66:22-23
For as the new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me, says the Lord,
So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
All flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord.

A supernatural act of God was when HE dropped manna from heaven to feed the people. The Bible is full of similar events where God provided for the people.

Exodus 16:25-28
25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?”

This verse in Exodus is before the Ten Commandments were written on stone by God’s finger.

Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Keyword here is to ‘Remember’. God is pointing back to creation which cannot be changed.

Let us skip forward into the New Testament and read God’s last warning to mankind which is known as the Three Angels Messages.

Revelation 14:6-7
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

God is calling mankind to worship His Creation in the First Angels message. Now let us return to the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 9:10
And the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.

Deuteronomy 31:26
Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.

Psalms 89:34
I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I do not change.

Isaiah 66:22-23
For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. 23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.

Matthew 5:17-19
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 12:8
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Matthew 24:20
And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
Keyword here is ‘the’. Jesus does not say ‘a’ Sabbath but ‘the’ Sabbath.

Romans 3:31
Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Romans 6:15
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

Colossians 2:14
Having wiped out the hand writing of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Paul is referring to Moses’ Law being nailed to the cross when Jesus died for us at Calvary. Hope you have enjoyed reading The Real Sabbath Is Saturday post. Click on the link below for hundreds of other spiritual messages that I have from pastors, elders, evangelists, and myself from around the world.

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Welcome to the Supernatural Acts of God 2020 post. Click on my video below to hear the message.

Supernatural Acts of God 2020

This morning around 06:30, my wife and I witnessed a thunder bolt directly over where we live near Camas, Washington.

I told Patricia that this weather event rarely happens here. The science behind thunderstorms is cold air meeting hot air.

I told Patricia that the supernatural event is similar to what happened when Elijah offered the sacrifice to God in 1 Kings 18 in the Bible. To give you a little background, Elijah was called by God. There had been a drought in the land for several years.

Elijah’s Message to Ahab
18 And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.”
2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria. 3 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.

The Drought Ends
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”
So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

This week in our Bible Study, we studied Supernatural Acts.

Bible Study Lesson

I have no problem believing that the Creation account revealed in the Bible is real. I have personally experienced the Holy Spirit in my own life.

I fly often. For 8 months of the year, we have many cloudy days here in the Pacific Northwest. On those cloudy days, it may appear that there is no sun.

Once the airplane climbs up over the clouds, you suddenly experience the sun. It was there all the time even though on the cloudy days on the ground, you did not see it.

When the wind is blowing, you can feel the wind even though you do not see the wind. You experience the effects. God is like that. You do not see God but if you open your mind, you will experience God.

God gave us free will when HE created human beings. That act of creation when HE formed Adam from the dust of the ground is the greatest expression of love.

God asks us to love HIM by faith. Spiritual Faith is believing in what you cannot see.

People of faith are better able to handle difficult times like we have experienced in 2020 with the corona virus or COVID 19 pandemic.

The same power that created the world is in the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible was created as God spoke to inspired Holy Men thousands of years ago now.

The Bible is real my friend. It is the most read book ever even though sinful man has spit on it, burned it and even banned it during the Dark Ages.

The Bible has super natural power. The Bible changes lives every single day. The Bible is the most authentic ancient manuscript available. Archaeological excavations use the Bible to discover ancient artifacts.

If you want to experience the Bible in a special way, I made a Life Journal Reading Plan. You can either listen via audio on my Sound Cloud account or subscribe to my You Tube account to hear the Bible read every day.

Sound Cloud

You Tube

God bless you as you walk by Faith and not fear. Hope you have enjoyed reading the Supernatural Acts of God 2020 post. There are hundreds of spiritual messages in my spiritual category. Just click the link below to access them.

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Welcome to the Does Grace Alone Save Me post. Eternal life is a free gift from God through His Son Jesus Christ. Learn more by clicking on the video below.

When I first came into a relationship with Jesus Christ, I gave God most of my problems. I made a mistake of hanging on to some abuse problems that I experienced during childhood.

I grew up in the Southern part of the United States and most people identified as Christian. I do remember we had a large family Bible on a piece of furniture but I do not ever remember opening the Bible up and reading it as a child or young man.

I did grow up with the fundamental concept of a Supreme Being, Higher Power or God so I was not an atheist. When I graduated from high school, I left church and rarely set foot in another church until I was in my early 40’s.

In 2004, I had a major emotional and mental trauma that was a result of childhood abuse that was never resolved. God prompted me to begin reading the Bible everyday. I followed a simple reading plan that began in Genesis and ended in Revelation in a year.

Does Grace Alone Save Me ?

To answer the question, I need to qualify conditions. The Bible, which is the Word of God says in Ephesians 2:8:

Ephesians 2:8 New King James Version (NKJV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

So according to the Bible, yes Grace alone saves me. My works can never be good enough to save me.

Isaiah 64:6:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:10:

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one”.

A Born Christian goes through a 3 step process in the Christian Walk:

• Justification
• Sanctification
• Glorification

Justification

Justification begins the moment the human soul reaches out to Jesus Christ and acknowledges their need for forgiveness from sins. The process finally happened for me when I cried out to God in May 2016. I was miserable and very unhappy about bad decisions I had made in my life. In prayer that morning, I asked God to take my life. I felt peace come into my heart and mind right away and the chains of 50 years were broken instantly.

Sanctification

Sanctification is the process that began right after I had surrendered my life and will to Jesus Christ. My life is my actions and my will is my thinking. Every day I have been going through the cleansing process as God removes the impurities of my heart and life and replaces my character with the character of Jesus Christ. I will be going through this process until I die or Jesus Christ returns with HIS whole host of Angels.

The way I grow in Jesus Christ is through daily prayer and studying the Bible. When a person comes to Jesus Christ, they enter into the best relationship that human being can ever experience. When you love someone, you want to spend time with them. This is how the personal relationship with Jesus Christ should be. I make conscious contact with Jesus as soon as I wake up in the morning.

John 17:17

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

In my Christian walk, I have not been perfect. Jesus made provision for us. If we sin, we have an Advocate that waits to hear us repent and ask for Forgiveness.

1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I attend worship services at church every week because I need to worship God on a regular basis. I get filled up by being in fellowship with other believers.

Glorification

The last stage of the Christian walk occurs when Jesus Christ returns. Jesus will first call the Righteous Dead who are sleeping in their graves. Then Jesus will gather the Righteous Living and we will meet the Lord Jesus in the air with His Whole Host of Angels. Read 1 Thessalonians 4 to understand how Jesus will call His People.

The Bible teaches that we will put on new bodies at His Second Coming. This is the Glorification process. I am looking forward to giving up this sin filled body with its scars, pains, and injuries.

Hope you have enjoyed reading Does Grace Alone Save Me post. If I can help you with your spiritual walk or help you study the Bible, please contact me on the page below:

Daniel Parsons Ministry

A born again Christian that has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will turn from sin and understand what Jesus wrote in Matthew 7:21-23:

I Never Knew You

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Jesus made provision for people like the Thief on the Cross and for people that accept Jesus on their death beds. By Grace alone Jesus accepts these people because they do not have time to go through the Sanctification process. If you do come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and do not develop that relationship, I feel that we risk hearing what Jesus preached in the paragraph above from Matthew 7. I was risking eternal life all the years that I said I was a Christian but still hung on to some sins that I did not want to stop doing.

I recommend this free Ebook from Amazing Facts Ministry.

Saved Or Lost

Welcome to the Jesus Christ Was Silent post. The following scriptures and comments were given by Pastor Merrill Caviness of the Riverside Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church on Sabbath, 4 April 2020 on the internet due to the Corona or Covid19 virus.

Jesus Christ Was Silent

Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 27:11-13.

Matthew 27:11-13 New King James Version (NKJV)

Jesus Faces Pilate

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?”

Let us look at page 734 in the Desire of Ages manuscript written by Ellen White, the most published American woman.

 “Jesus was taken, faint with weariness and covered with wounds, and scourged in the sight of the multitude. And the soldiers led Him away into the hall, called Praetorium, and they call together the whole band. And they clothed Him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about His head, and began to salute Him, Hail, King of the Jews!

And they … did spit upon Him, and bowing their knees worshiped Him. Occasionally some wicked hand snatched the reed that had been placed in His hand, and struck the crown upon His brow, forcing the thorns into His temples, and sending the blood trickling down His face and beard. Wonder, O heavens! and be astonished, O earth! Behold the oppressor and the oppressed.

A maddened throng enclose the Savior of the world. Mocking and jeering are mingled with the coarse oaths of blasphemy. His lowly birth and humble life are commented upon by the unfeeling mob. His claim to be the Son of God is ridiculed, and the vulgar jest and insulting sneer are passed from lip to lip. Satan led the cruel mob in its abuse of the Savior. It was his purpose to provoke Him to retaliation if possible, or to drive Him to perform a miracle to release Himself, and thus break up the plan of salvation.

One stain upon His human life, one failure of His humanity to endure the terrible test, and the Lamb of God would have been an imperfect offering, and the redemption of man a failure. But He who by a command could bring the heavenly host to His aid—He who could have driven that mob in terror from His sight by the flashing forth of His divine majesty—submitted with perfect calmness to the coarsest insult and outrage.

Christ’s enemies had demanded a miracle as evidence of His divinity. They had evidence far greater than any they had sought. As their cruelty degraded His torturers below humanity into the likeness of Satan, so did His meekness and patience exalt Jesus above humanity, and prove His kinship to God. His abasement was the pledge of His exaltation. The blood drops of agony that from His wounded temples flowed down His face and beard were the pledge of His anointing with “the oil of gladness ( Hebrews 1:9 ) as our great high priest.

Now look at Matthew 27:15-23

Matthew 27:15-23 New King James Version (NKJV)

Taking the Place of Barabbas

15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.

19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”

20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

They said, “Barabbas!”

22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”

23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

The name Barabbas in Hebrew means son of the father.

Jesus is the Son of the Father God. Which Son of the father will you chose?

Matthew 27:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”

We see in verse 24 that Pilate washes his hands as he could not find Jesus guilty of anything. The religious rulers stirred up the crowd to the point that Pilate gave in to the religious authorities call to crucify Jesus of Nazareth. Friends, we all have blood on our hands. It is incredible that Jesus Christ Was Silent. HE left heaven to come and save mankind from their sins.

Now let us turn to Luke 23:39-43.

Luke 23:39-43

39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The Roman soldiers took everything from Jesus, even the clothes HE wore. The Roman soldiers could not take HIS Power to save the repentant thief on the Cross.

Friends, the World can take away everything from us but the world can never take away our relationship with Jesus Christ. During this time of the Corona Virus, China Virus or COVID19 Virus outbreak, many people feel that their freedoms have been taken away. How are you using the time at your home?

My wife Patricia and I are spending more time in prayer each day. I have gotten rid of some of my ‘stuff’ also. We are getting our exercise each day, studying the Bible each day and making healthy food. Let us know how you liked the Jesus Christ Was Silent post by commenting below. You can also read other messages in our Spiritual Category by clicking the link below.

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Welcome to the Why Does God Allow Corona COVID 19 Virus & Wickedness post. I suggest that you study your Bible to understand where evil comes from and read the Great Controversy between good and evil. Click on the You Tube video below for a synopsis of the reason evil happens.

Turn in your Bible to 2 Chronicles 7:13-14.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14

When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Why Does God Allow Corona COVID 19 Virus & Wickedness

God gave man the Ten Commandments to serve as a protective shield, not a burden to bear. Sadly, most of the Christian world is teaching people that you do not have to keep the 10 Commandments.

But what does the Bible say? Repeatedly in the Bible you will find verses like David wrote in the Psalms.

Psalms 19:7

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”

James 1:25

“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Understanding what was nailed to the cross if very important for the sincere follower of Jesus Christ. Moses Law was nailed to the cross. We no longer need to sacrifice animals or keep any of the ordinances that the Hebrews kept to be saved.

I totally believe that the only thing that saves me is the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cruel Roman Cross at Golgotha. I am saved by His Grace alone as Martin Luther and Paul both preached in Ephesians 2:8-9.

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Turn back to Deuteronomy 4:39-40

Deuteronomy 4:39-40

“Therefore, know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

Now let us hear the words straight from Jesus Christ mouth in John 14:15:

John 14:15

“If you love me, keep MY Commandments.”

One of the best messages that I have heard about whether we need to keep God’s Commandments is this message from Pastor Doug Batchelor. Just click on the You Tube box below to hear his sermon.

Once I discovered God’s Word found in the Bible, I was set free. I can go through serious life issues not in fear, but I am able to walk in faith. I trust what Jesus said.

We need revival in our land. As of 28 March 2020, the United States has more cases of Corona Virus than any other nation. We see from God’s word that if we humble ourselves, repent and pray, God will heal our land.

Revival and Reformation is a great resource.

Hope you have enjoyed reading the Why Does God Allow Corona COVID 19 Virus & Wickedness post. I have more posts that are Bible based messages in my Spiritual Category below.

Spiritual Messages

Many people in the world today have a problem with organized religion.

You have a right to believe as you chose. Freedom of religion is a cherished right for people in the USA, Canada and other nations in the world.

I believe your problem is valid if you struggle with the Christianity of today.

I would be an atheist myself if I had to chose from over 99 % of the faith based organizations that call themselves a Christian church.

Many years ago when I was lost, I would sometimes turn on what is known as a television preacher.

I am not here to denounce anyone. The way I was saved myself was from another Christian witnessing with me one on one in a small Bible study.

Problem with Organized Religion

Over 99 % of Christian churches today teach doctrines that are not found in the Holy Bible.

These churches are based on their traditions & practices.

Christianity for the first 200 years after Jesus was crucified was centered on preaching the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught us what God wants us to know. Jesus Prayed & Jesus Loved

We are to Love One Another. These two key principles Christians should be demonstrating in the world.

Disciples & Apostles like Paul went out preaching Jesus Christ crucified for our sins.

The old covenant with Israel of Animal Sacrifice for forgiveness of sins was no longer necessary.

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God.

Every single human being born on this planet needs a Savior because there are 10 Commandments in the Bible.

Every single person falls short of keeping God’s Law perfectly so that is why Jesus came to take our place as our Attorney & He is also our Judge.

If you have ever been angry with another person, you have broken the commandment of not murdering.

Being angry against someone else is the same thing as murdering them in your mind.

The commandment of thou shall not covet is also the one where everyone falls short.

How can someone follow Jesus’s example and grow into a close personal relationship with God?

Read the Holy Bible.

Jesus kept God’s Holy Sabbath Day & went to church & read the Scriptures which was the Old Testament of the Bible.

When you open your Bible, Ask God to give you a clear mind & to show you what HE wants you to learn.

Here are the Benefits of reading your Bible:

1. Grow Your Spiritual Life
2. Learn Why There Is Death, Pain, Suffering, & Strife In the World & Who Is the Source of all these things.
3. Learn About the Health Message That God Wants You to Live a Long & Healthy Life
4. You Will Reflect Divinity to Others
5. You Will Bless Others
6. You Will Live a Life That Is Full of Peace As All Sin, Sickness, & Death Will Be No More at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
7. You Will Be Able to Lead Others to the Foot of the Cross & Help Them Be Assured of Eternal Life.
8. You Will Only Die Once, not Twice

For free Bible Studies, contact me. Hope you have enjoyed reading problem with organized religion post. You can send me an email on my Contact Page Below.

Contact Daniel Parsons

Welcome to the What If Jesus Really Means What He Says post. This message was given by Larry Wright on Sabbath, 29 February 2020 at Riverside Seventh-day Adventist church in Washougal, Washington.

Turn in your Bible to Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God takes the blame for everything you ever did or will do wrong and HE will give you credit for everything He did right.

Turn in your Bible to Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Do not think that being a Christian means living in a big house, driving the latest model car or having an easy life. Just look at what happened to Jesus’s Disciples.

James was the first Disciple to be martyred when he was executed by Herod in 44 AD

Peter was hanged upside down on a Roman Cross in 66 AD

Paul was beheaded the same year in Rome.

Andrew was crucified in Greece.

Thomas was pierced through by 4 soldiers in India.

Luke was martyred in 84 AD. He was a Gentile Physician that wrote one of the Gospels as well as the Book of Acts.

Philip  had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death. Philip kept preaching while he hung on the cross.

John is the only one of the company generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the leader of the church in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian’s persecution in the middle 90’s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. There he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament–the Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil at Rome.

Turn in your Bible to Luke 9:24.

Luke 9:24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

We want to do amazing things for God. Our human condition is the reason for the major fundamental issue of trying to do God’s Job.

The following statement is my own personal thoughts and not the words of the presenter Larry Wright.

Most of my life, I have struggled with what is known as self-will. It is very important for me to surrender first thing in the morning. I ask for the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, words, deeds, actions and mind. Daniel Parsons

Our job is to:

1. Surrender

2. Submit

3. Consecrate

What If Jesus Really Means What He Says

Did Noah look foolish building a boat? He preached for 120 years and then God closed the door on the ark Noah built and the rain started.

Did Sarah look foolish buying maternity clothes at age 90?

Did Moses look foolish asking Pharaoh to leave Egypt to pray in the wilderness?

Did Joshua look foolish marching around the walls of Jericho?

Did David look foolish fighting Goliath, a man twice his size?

Did the Wise Men look foolish following a star?

Did Peter look foolish when he stepped out of the boat in the middle of the sea?

Did Jesus look foolish hanging half naked on a cross?

Noah understood why God had him built an ark when the rain came and did not stop.

Sarah understood God more when she had a baby late in her life.

Moses saw God working when Pharaoh let the Hebrew people go.

Joshua saw the walls of Jericho fall.

David killed Goliath and became King later in his life.

Wise Men met the Messiah.

Peter walked on water while he kept his eyes on Jesus.

Jesus rose from the dead.

Friend, it is time to stop living to arrive safely at our death. The purpose of Life is to surrender to Jesus Christ . It is normal for a human to be fully committed.

Do you believe what God has promised?

Do you trust God with your life?

God is calling you and me. He has called, is calling now, and will continue to call you.

The real question is: Will you answer?

We either deny self or deny Christ. What is your choice today?

Hope you have enjoyed reading What If Jesus Really Means What He Says post. For more spiritual messages, be sure to visit the Spiritual Category link below. Have a comment to share about the post? Please leave your thoughts below.

Spiritual Category

Welcome to the God Wants to Use You Message. This post contains sermon notes from Pastor John Wesslen’ s sermon given at Orchards Seventh-day Adventist church in Vancouver, Washington on Sabbath, 15 October 2016.

Turn In Your Bible to Jeremiah 29:11.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Verse 14

 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

William Miller married Lucy Smith in 1803. The couple had five children and were farmers. God blessed the Millers and they became wealthy. William read all the books he could in the local library in New England.

Miller had doubts about everything he learned in church as a child. His family were Baptists. Miller lived from 1782 until 1849 so he grew up when the United States was a new nation. Many of the Founding Fathers of the USA were Deists. A Deist is a person that has belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe.

William believed in being a trustworthy citizen in his local area, in the State of New York and for the Federal Government. He served as a Constable. William also signed up for the War of 1812 and he became a Captain in the Army. During the Battle of Plattsburg, a rocket came down 2 feet from William. William was injured and the two men next to him were killed.

Miller began thinking about his Deist beliefs. One weekend he was invited to his Baptist church to read a sermon when the Pastor was unavailable. Miller became curious and started studying the Bible. Miller discovered Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.

God Wants to Use You Message

Soon the Deist friends of William Miller thought Miller had lost his mind. Miller studied the Bible for 2 years. Miller used a Concordance and studied all the Bible Prophecies about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Going out into the churches of New England to teach Bible Prophecy was not what the reserved conservative war veteran William Miller wanted to do. Miller said a prayer to God: “If someone comes and asks me to preach, I will go”.

Just 30 minutes later, Miller’s nephew comes over and tells Miller the Baptist Church in Northampton asked him to preach on Sunday. Then another village asked Miller to come and preach the following Sunday. Then Miller was invited to Boston to preach. As a result of William Miller answering God’s Call, everyone in New England learned about Bible Prophecy.

Miller led the Millerite movement. Many of his discoveries from studying the Bible form some of the Doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Christian church today.

On 22 October 1844, Miller and hundreds of thousands of people were expecting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Miller had studied the Prophecies in the book of Daniel and calculated that Jesus was coming back. The day is now known as the Great Disappointment.

Miller and the people that kept studying with him soon discovered that the date was correct, but they misinterpreted what the year 1844 was about. Jesus Christ entered the Most Holy Place in the Heavenly Sanctuary and ministers to us now. Jesus is answering our prayers and we are going through the Investigative Judgment right now.

Here are the Takeaways for us today.

1. Deism Does Not Work For Anyone
2. Merely Being a Good Patriot Does Not Either
3. Citizenship Here Is Not Important
4. Citizenship In Heaven Is important
5. Bible Study Brings Great Rewards
6. God Reveals Prophecy In the Written Word, the Bible
7. God Can and Will Use Us Even If We Make Mistakes
8. God Calls Men and Women to Teach Others About Jesus
9. You Will Seek Me and Find Me If You Search With All of Your Heart
10. Miller Served God the Rest of His Life

Hope you have enjoyed reading God Wants to Use You Message. For more Spiritual Messages, please visit our Category Link Below. Please leave your comments in the comment box about what you think about this article.

Spiritual Category