Consider this Bible passage from Psalms 12:6 & then please read the devotional message from Doug Batchelor’s Book: “365 Amazing Answers to Big Bible Questions”

The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.

16 August Devotional Study: Bible Errors

How can anyone believe the Bible is inspired when it’s full of errors?

First, the overwhelming majority of so-called errors in the Bible have been demonstrated to be a lack of understanding on the part of those who make this complaint. They are not errors at all, but simply truth misunderstood. The Bible will always tell you the truth, will never mislead you, and is reliable and authoritative, not only in spiritual matters but also in history and science.

Archaeologists have uncovered more than 25,000 sites that confirm the reliable history found in the Bible. There are over 2,000 fulfilled biblical prophecies, some with great detail, such as what we read in Isaiah 53 about the Messiah. And New Testament eyewitnesses to events are numerous. Most writers either personally saw Jesus or interviewed an eyewitness close to Him.

Some ask, “Were not errors made in copying manuscripts down through the centuries?” It’s true that minor copy errors were made in some manuscripts. Almost all of them are easily explained as simple mistakes in copying. But what is most impressive about this is that only one-fifth of one percent are worth considering, and even these do not affect the clear doctrines of the Bible. It’s interesting that compared to the best copied work in antiquity, the Illiad, which is considered a “sacred” work by some, the New Testament is 25 times more accurate. Even more amazing is that while the Illiad has 643 ancient copies available, the New Testament has more than 24,000!

Satan is always digging up some supposed flaw in Scripture, which is not surprising. He found fault even with God and heaven. Copyists might have miscopied in some cases, but no such supposed happening or any other alleged error affects the truth of God’s Word. Doctrine is built not upon one Bible passage, but upon the total of God’s comments on any subject. There will always be room for doubt to those who prefer to doubt. Yet the harder people work to undermine the Bible, the brighter its light shines.

O Lord, you have preserved your Word through many generations. I can trust the Bible.

Please do not be offended or get angry with me as I write some observations that come to me. Wise people learn from history. Man has done remarkable things in the past 6,000 years.

It is worth nothing that there have been many bad decisions. Of course the most tragic was when Eve believed Satan’s deception & ate from the forbidden fruit. As a result, death came into the world & we are all going to die one day.

Another bad decision was when the Jews asked for the release of the murderer Barabbas before the Passover feast. There was a prevailing Jewish custom that allowed for the release of one prisoner. Pilate wanted to release Jesus but the mobs were adamant that Jesus was to be crucified.

If you are having trouble of any kind, dial these phone numbers! The phone line to God is available 24 hours a day! I remember the old rotary style phone from my youth!

When In Sorrow, Call John 14

When Men Fail You, Call Psalm 27

If You Want to Be Fruitful, Call John 15

When You Have Sinned, Call Psalm 51

When You Worry, Call Matthew 6:19-34

When You Are In Danger, Call Psalm 91

When God Seems Far Away, Call Psalm 139

When Your Faith Needs Stirring, Call Hebrews 11

When You Are Lonely & Fearful, Call Psalm 23

When You Grow Bitter & Critical, Call 1 Corinthians 13

For Paul’s Secret to Happiness, Call Colossians 3:12-17

For Idea of Christianity, Call 2 Corinthians 5:5-19

When You Feel Down & Out, Call Romans 8:1-30

When You Leave Home for Labor or Travel, Call Psalm 121

When Your Prayers Grow Narrow or Selfish, Call Psalm 67

For a Great Invention/Opportunity, Call Isaiah 55

When You Want Courage for a Task, Call Joshua 1

How to Get Along with Fellow Men, Call Romans 12

When You Think of Investments/Returns, Call Mark 10

If You Are Depressed, Call Psalm 27

If Your Pocketbook Is Empty, Call Psalm 37

We have all heard about GMO Foods. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Man has taken God’s created seeds and modified them.

Did you know there is another GMO that is having a much more devastating impact on man? This is well worth the time. Phillip did not grow up in the church & did not believe in God. Let him share about the other GMO that is from Satan’s clever attempts to kill, steal & destroy.

Gospel Modified Organizations are churches that have taken Bible verses and created doctrines to suit man. The safest approach to Salvation that man can follow is to stick with what the Bible says and conform to the Bible. No man has the authority or power to change or modify God’s Word found in the Bible.

There are four passages in the Bible that warn man not to change or alter Scripture. Just in case you are not aware of what the source of the Bible is, I will share a couple of other scriptures to set the stage for you.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

2 Peter 1:21
For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Here are the four passages found in the Bible that warn us not to alter or change the word.

Deuteronomy 4:2
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32
Beware of False Gods
29 “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, 30 take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

Proverbs 30:5-6
Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6 Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

Revelation 22:18-19
A Warning
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The Seventh-day Adventist ( SDA ) church is not perfect because it is made up of people and we all fall short. I do believe deep in my heart the SDA church is the continuation of the back to basics fundamental Protestant movement that is sweeping the earth. It is the faith denomination that I joined when a neighbor asked me if I wanted to study the Bible.

I was an Episcopalian for the first 47 years of my life. When I studied the Scriptures, the Bible came alive to me and I was baptized by immersion into the local Seventh-day Adventist church. The 28 fundamental doctrines of the SDA church come straight from the Bible. Nothing has been changed or altered.

What Does the Bible Say About Hell ? Is anyone in Hell now? Does Hell last forever?

1 John 4:8
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Terms for Hell Used in the Bible

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word Sheol = Hell = Grave

Psalms 9:17
The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.

Job 7:9
As the cloud disappears and vanishes away,
So he who goes down to the grave does not come up.

In the New Testament, the Greek word Hades = Hell = Grave

Acts 2:27
For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

1 Corinthians 15:55
“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

Gehenna is a Greek word that referred to a dump outside of Jerusalem. Gehenna=Hell=Place of Burning

Matthew 23:33
Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

Tartarus is a Greek word. Tartarus=Hell=Place of Darkness

2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.

Jesus went to hell for a short time after being crucified on the Cross.

Acts 2:31
He, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

The word ‘hell’ only means burning 12 times in the Bible. ‘Hell’ in the Bible mostly refers to the Grave and Darkness. How long does hell burn?

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

2 Peter 3:7
But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Malachi 4:1
“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.”

Malachi 4:3
You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,
Says the Lord of hosts.

Psalms 37:10
For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.

Psalms 37:20
But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.

Isaiah 47:14
Behold, they shall be as stubble,
The fire shall burn them;
They shall not deliver themselves
From the power of the flame;
It shall not be a coal to be warmed by,
Nor a fire to sit before!

Revelation 20:9
They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Where else is ‘forever’ used in the Bible?

Exodus 21:6
Then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

Hebrew word ‘forever’ is the same as the Greek. The servant is not alive today.

1 Samuel 1:22
But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever.”

Samuel served as long as his life lasted. Samuel is no longer alive.

1 Samuel 1:28
Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.

Jonah 2:6
I went down to the moorings of the mountains;
The earth with its bars closed behind me forever;
Yet You have brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord, my God.

Jonah was in the whale for 3 days.

Matthew 25:41
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’.

Jude 7
As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Mark 9:43-44
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

Jeremiah 17:27
But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

Jerusalem is not burning today.

Isaiah 66:24
“And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

Imperfect tense is used so the worm does not die yet. not quenched yet.

Problems with eternal burning hell include that the wicked from 3,000 years ago have to burn much longer than the people that are wicked now. This is a direct conflict with one of the most known passages of the Bible.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Ezekiel 33:11
Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

The answers to the questions I started off this blog post with are apparent in the Bible verses above.

1. Hell Does Not Burn Forever. People cast into the Lake of Fire in the Book of Revelation when Judgment Day arrives are burned up and they no longer exist. They are ashes. All evil will be removed from this earth.

2. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ has not happened yet so no one is in hell right now.

3. God is not cruel and sent Jesus to save man from eternal separation. Jesus came to save all men.

A farmer in Australia lost his house & a barn to a fire. When the farmer returned to his home everything was destroyed. He was walking over his land and noticed a mound of dirt. Under the mound of dirt were baby chicks. The mother of the chicks had protected them by covering the chicks with her wings.

Jesus Christ also came from heaven to this sin filled earth to take our punishment for us when He died on the Cross at Calvary for all the sins of man. Jesus offers to cover you with His Wings. Will you accept the most incredible gift you will ever receive?

There are 8 first day texts in the Bible. What Does the Bible Say About Christians Going to Church on Sunday?

For the first 300 years after Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the grave, Christians kept God’s Holy Seventh-day Sabbath ( Saturday ). When you study the Book of Acts, you see many examples of the Jews & Gentiles meeting on the Sabbath to study the Scriptures

What does the Bible say about worshipping God on the first day of the week ( Sunday ). Let us look at the context of these verses.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

The above verse is the only first day text in the Old Testament.

Matthew 28:1
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

Mark 16:1-2
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

Mark 16:9
Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.

Luke 24:1
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

John 20:1
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

John 20:19
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Acts 20:7
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

Of the seven texts in the New Testament, the above one is the only one that mentions a message was being given but there is no reference to worshipping God. If you remember that the day begins at sunset, this meeting was actually a Saturday after the sun had set. Paul spoke until midnight as he planned on leaving on Sunday morning. Let us look at just one other text in Acts that mentions the Disciples, the Jews & now the Gentiles were breaking bread together.

The custom of the time during the early Christian church was to lay up offerings for stewardship. Paul and the Disciples had expenses as they traveled the world preaching the Gospel message.

1 Corinthians 16:1-3
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 3 And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.

Laying up at home an offering for the next Sabbath was a principle of Stewardship in the early Christian church.

Acts 13:14
But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.

Acts 13:42
So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

The above two verses in Acts 13 clearly describe meeting on the Seventh-day Sabbath. Luke wrote his Gospel over 30 years after Jesus Christ’s Resurrection. He never writes a word about the day of worship now being the first day ( Sunday ).

Acts 2:46
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.

We can see that the Christians were meeting daily but no mention of worshipping on Sunday is written in the Scriptures.

Jesus worshipped under the Julian Calendar which took effect in 45 BC. Today we live under the Gregorian Calendar.

The reason we are looking at Calendars is that the question often comes up that the days may have shifted in the past 2,000 years. There has been only one correction and it was made in October of 1582.

Julius Caesar put in a Leap Year but this also had no bearing on the seven-day weekly cycle.

We still live with the same seven-day cycle that was established at Creation. The reason the adjustment needed to be made was to establish a uniform date for the Celebration of Easter. The Christian church met at the Council of Nicea in 325 to set a specific time each year for Easter.

There are over 200 languages of the world that use the word Sabbath for Saturday. In Spanish, Saturday is Sabado. The Russian word for Saturday is also Sabbath.

Romans 14:5-6
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

When we look at the context of Romans 14, the passage is referring to a new convert and the issue is about disputes over opinions of Ceremonial Laws over Circumcision which are no longer necessary due to Jesus Christ being the Lamb of God that takes away our Sins.

Colossians 2:14-16
Having wiped out the handwriting 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. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths.

Get a Bible Concordance and look up where the Bible talks about ‘Requirements’ and ‘Ordinances’.

Hebrews 9:1
Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.

Hebrews 9:10
Concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

You can also study Leviticus 23 and see where Moses wanted to make sure that there was no confusion between the Seventh-day Sabbath and all the Feast Days.

Colossians 2:17
Which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

We just read in Colossians 2:14-16 that the ceremonial laws of killing of the lambs for offerings was taken away by Jesus’s death at Calvary for our Sins.

We stand together on the Holy Word of God in the Bible or we fall for false doctrines and deceptions of Satan.

James 4:17
Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

For those people who say they have to work on God’s Sabbath Day, put your trust in the Word of God and God will provide for you and your family.

Mark 8:36
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Matthew 6:31-34
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Mark 7:7-9
7 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men — the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

9 He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

The Ten Commandments are still valid. God and Jesus have never changed the Fourth Commandment. It was written in stone by the Finger of God. It is also the only Commandment that begins with the word ‘Remember’.

It is our job to follow God and let Him be on His Throne. It is not our job to question God or to follow deceptions of men. Send me a message if you have any questions about first day texts in the Bible.

Here is an excellent resource for learning about the Sabbath Day

Why Should a Christian Go to Church on the Seventh-day Sabbath ( Saturday ) ?

Here are the Biblical references to God’s Seventh-day Sabbath.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Exodus 31:18
And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exodus 20:8
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Notice how God wrote the relationship commandment where He wants us to spend time with Him right in the middle of the Ten Commandments. Notice also how this is the only commandment that has the word ‘remember’ in it.

Genesis 2:1-3
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Mark 2:27
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

Sabbath is His Day. It is not the Jewish day or Seventh-day Adventist day or Seventh-day Baptist day.

Galatians 3:29
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We are all Spiritual Israel.

Exodus 31:16
Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.

The above verse is a sign that God is our Creator

Exodus 31:13
Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.’

The above verse shows that God is our Re Creator.

Exodus 20:11
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

A Seal like the Presidential Seal contains 3 points. Name-Title-Territory

The current Prime Minister of Canada is Stephen Harper. In the previous sentence, I identified all 3 points contained in a seal. In Exodus 20:11, God is Named Lord and He is the Creator of the heavens, the earth and the sea which covers the territory.

Here are the 3 critical aspects of the importance of God’s Law.

1. If you take out the fourth commandment, you do not know who made the other 9 commandments.
2. Opens the door to evolution theory when you remove the commandment specific to God being the creator.
3. Does away with God being our Re Creator.

All three of the above points are attacks by Satan. He hates God & God’s Law.

Leviticus 23:32
It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath.

The above verse helps us understand when the day begins.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

The above verse shows that the day begins at sunset in the evening.

Isaiah 58:13-14
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Luke 4:16
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

Mark 2:28
Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.

Acts 13:14
But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.

Acts 13:15-41 is Paul’s Sermon.

Acts 13:42
So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

Acts 13:44
On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.

Jesus kept the Sabbath and is Lord of the Sabbath. After Jesus’ resurrection, we see the Christians going to worship on the Sabbath Day. We will keep the Sabbath Day in Heaven.

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.

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

Matthew 5:17
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

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

John 14:15
If you love Me, keep My commandments.

1. The Attraction

1 John 4:8

 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

2. The Problem

Romans 3:23 and the first part of Romans 6:23

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death.

3. The Solution

John 3:16-17 and the last part of Romans 6:23

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9

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.

1 John 5:11-13

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

4. Detachment

Romans 2:4

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

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.

5. Attachment

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

John 1:12

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

Law & Grace

Man working on his car gets grease on his hands. It is a rather warm day so he inadvertently wipes some of the grease on his forehead when he is trying to wipe the sweat off his face.

He goes to the restroom and there is a wash basin. There is some soap and a mirror. He is able to see the grease on his forehead thanks to the mirror.

The mirror shows the man wear the grease is and the soap and water will take the grease off his face. If there is no mirror with which to see the dirty forehead, then the man does not see that the head is dirty.

Mirror is the LAW. It shows my dirty self. The law also reveals my sin to me. It is evident to me that I need a Savior and I pray for GRACE. The LAW does not save me. Grace saves me.

The Soap is Jesus Christ. When the man washed his forehead with warm, soapy water, the grease came off his face.

This message was given by Pastor John Loor at Orchards Seventh-day Adventist church in Vancouver, Washington on February 2015 during an Evangelism series.

Here are some sermon notes from Pastor Roger Walter from his message of 10 January 2015. You can watch the video by going to our church’s website below:

Why Reach Deep

1. Meditate on the Word of God

2. Imagine what the Word of God Is Saying

3. Study the Word of God

4. Talk to Others About the Word of God

If you want to just listen, here is the audio file:

Why Reach Deep

World today is focused on the Commercial Christmas season. What used to be a season that started the day after Thanksgiving now begins in late summer. Stores make 50 percent of their profits during the Christmas season. Many retail businesses depend on the Christmas season to survive economically.

As Christians, we know the focus of Christmas is on the greatest gift that anyone has ever received – Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-16
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Bear Grylls is a survivalist. Survivalists focus on how to survive extreme conditions. These survivalists learned an important lesson about getting through difficult situations. When the people came together and became a team, they made it through those difficult times. Two is better than one. One hundred is better than one.

Pastor Danny shared about his high school tennis team beating the best tennis team in the conference. Danny’s team was filled with emotion and won two out of three matches. They worked well together.

Our culture thrives on being different. There are many different political beliefs. We have blue states and red states. There are Liberals and Conservatives. On Sabbath mornings, we are on the same team whether we are liberal or conservative.

General Patton was a war hero in World War II. He led his troops by instilling in the soldiers under his command the concept of the Army being a team. He taught them we work together, we eat together, we fight together and we exist together. We as Christians have a General. His name is Jesus Christ.

Genesis 2:18
And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Adam was much better with a partner. God has a plan for each one of us. Pastor Danny shared about how God called him. Danny said he was working as youth pastor at a Korean church in Mountain View, CA. Danny struggled with the idea of being in the ministry and learned that God looks for the open minded, the open hearted, and the trusting soul.

The more teachable we are the more capacity for being a servant for Jesus Christ. Serving God expresses our Love for God in our spiritual lives. It shows the love we have in our hearts for God. Our spiritual worship is vital to our growing in Christ. Through service, we grow our spiritual nature.

Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Our church has many volunteers. When a church has a very active children’s department, that is a growing church. There are small groups, community services, Bible study groups, fellowship meals, church grounds and many other areas where the church needs volunteers.

Abraham Lincoln was put in office as President of the United States at a critical time in our nation’s history. He had weaknesses. He lost election after election. Many did not like him. He was used by God and is now remembered as a great president.

You can watch Danny Kim’s sermon on Vimeo Pro:

All for One

A former Cuban Air Force pilot who defected to the United States almost two years ago in his MIG jet flew back to Cuba on Saturday night, landing a small plane in traffic along a coastal highway and quickly picking up his wife and two sons from the roadside before turning back to Florida.

In an interview yesterday, the pilot, Orestes Lorenzo Perez, said he flew low over the roof of a car and landed the aging Cessna in the path of an oncoming truck. The truck driver hit his brakes and managed to stop just 10 yards from his propeller blades. Mr. Lorenzo said he then turned his plane around, picked up his family and took off again for Florida in the rosy twilight of the Cuban sunset.

“I’m thrilled that my family is back in freedom with me now,” Mr. Lorenzo said.

Mr. Lorenzo said he believed that his low-altitude flight south across the Florida Straits, most of which he made at wave-skipping altitudes, went undetected by the Cuban authorities until it was too late for any attempt to stop him. American officials said they were unsure whether radar operated by the Customs Service or any other agency picked up the flight.

“We’re looking into that to see if we did what we’re supposed to do, but I don’t have any data on it so far,” said Tom Bowers, a spokesman for the main Customs Service radar and intelligence center in Dade County, Fla. The center suffered damage in Hurricane Andrew in August and is still being repaired, Mr. Bowers said. Special Status for Exiles

Officials from the Immigration and Naturalization Service said yesterday that American law granted special status to Cuban exiles. They said they did not believe that any American laws had been violated by Mr. Lorenzo’s flight and that they expected that his family would be granted political asylum.

The Valladares Foundation, a Virginia-based organization that pressures the Cuban Government on human-rights issues, helped organize the rescue flight, Mr. Lorenzo said. A wealthy Cuban-born widow living in Columbus, Ga., donated $30,000 to the Foundation to buy the plane used for the flight, said Kristina Arriaga, the foundation’s executive director.

A former Cuban Air Force major, Mr. Lorenzo flew his MIG-23 from Cuba to Key West, Fla., on March 20, 1991, one of the few times since the 1960’s that a Cuban military aviator has flown a military plane to American soil.

After he was given political asylum last year, Mr. Lorenzo sought unsuccessfully to gain Cuban Government permission for his wife, Maria Victoria, 35, and two sons, Reyniel, 11, and Alejandro, 6, to join him in the United States, he said. Help From Foundation

With the help of the Valladares Foundation, Mr. Lorenzo began to enlist international support in a campaign to pressure Cuba, testifying before the United Nations Human Rights Commission, staging a brief hunger strike in Spain during the summer to call attention to his family’s plight. President Bush met with Mr. Lorenzo at a campaign stop in Miami in October and urged President Fidel Castro to allow the family to emigrate.

In late summer, however, Mr. Lorenzo began plotting a flight into Cuba, at one point considering landing a helicopter near his wife’s Havana residence but later discarding the idea because helicopter costs were too high. Sent a Messenger

But earlier this month, Elena Diaz-Verson Amos, the Cuban-born widow of a wealthy insurance executive, donated $30,000 to the Valladares Foundation to buy a 1961 model twin-engine Cessna, said Ms. Arriaga of the Foundation.

Mr. Lorenzo made several test flights in Georgia, then flew with an American co-pilot to a small airfield at Marathon Key about 100 miles southwest of Miami, Ms. Arriaga said.

He sent a messenger to Cuba from Mexico carrying a letter to his wife, a Havana dentist, telling her to rent a car and drive with the two boys to a spot near a well-known bridge along the main coastal road east of Havana in northern Matanzas province, Mr. Lorenzo said.

Mr. Lorenzo took off alone from the Marathon Key airfield in the Cessna Saturday at 5:05 P.M., he said. After flying straight south to the Cuban coast, he landed along the highway leading from Matanzas to Varadero, a beach resort, at 5:43 P.M.

The Cuban driver whose truck screeched to a halt just 10 yards from Mr. Lorenzo’s plane appeared thunderstruck, he said.

“I’ll never forget his face,” he said. “He couldn’t believe his eyes.”

When his family climbed into the four-seater, Mr. Lorenzo said, his children “wanted to touch me, to embrace me,” but he took off immediately with the entire family in tears, he said.

Mr. Lorenzo returned to the same Marathon Key airfield, he said. He met with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Miami yesterday, an official from the Valladares Foundation said. He then flew with his wife and family to his home in Springfield, Va.

Verifying Identities

Lucie Vonderhaar, a spokesperson for the F.B.I. in South Florida, said the bureau had consulted with immigration officials to verify that the three Cubans he brought back with him were definitely family members.

Carol D. Chass, the immigration service’s acting director for the Miami district, said that because Mr. Lorenzo obtained political asylum last year in Washington, she believed that his petitions for asylum on behalf of his wife and children would be presented in the Washington district as well.

Asked if Mr. Lorenzo’s flight had violated any American laws, Ms. Chass replied, “Not to my knowledge, no.”

Under immigration law, Mr. Lorenzo’s family is entitled to “derivative immigration benefits” because Mr. Lorenzo was given political asylum last year, said Duane Austin, an immigration service spokesman. “I don’t see that they will be in any jeopardy,” Mr. Austin said.

Orestes Lorenzo Perez, a former Cuban Air Force major who defected two years ago, arriving at the Opa-Locka airport in Florida on Saturday with his wife, Victoria, and sons, Alejandro, left, and Reyniel. Mr. Perez flew to Cuba to rescue his family after the Cuban Government refused to let them leave.

Published in New York Times 21 December 1992

How can we apply this story of a family being restored to our own lives?

Jesus Christ tells us in John 14:3

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.

Jesus will come a second time to receive the faithful people that are waiting on His return. Jesus came the first time to save all mankind from their sins and promises to come back the second time to take the born again Christians to be with Him. Are you ready for Jesus should He come back today? Of course no one knows the day or hour. Salvation is Today and is so important as we need to accept the Savior when He knocks on our heart.

Luke 19:9

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.

Judge Not Part 2 was the message given by Pastor Roger Walter at Vancouver, Washington Seventh-day Adventist Community church on Sabbath 5 December 2014. The audio recording is below the notes that I took for my blog post.

Make sure you listen to or watch the Part 1 message first. The audio recording is below the notes that I took for my blog post. You can watch the sermon from the Vimeo channel our church has below:

Judge Not 

For years the popular path for everyone to follow is being politically correct. Everyone has opinions that we push off on people as value judgments.

Romans 14:1
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

Proverbs 17:14
The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

Proverbs 18:2
A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.

II Corinthians 10:5
Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Criticism is adding a value judgement to an opinion.

James 4:12
There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

Psalms 94:21
They gather together against the life of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.

Matthew 12:7
But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

Jesus purpose on the earth was one of Restoration, not Condemnation.

Luke 6:35-38
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Do Not Judge
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

John 8:10-11
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Jesus points the way to God’s Grace as He does not condemn the woman caught in adultery. Jesus does show her that she sinned but encouraged her to receive Grace.

We need to grow spiritually. Sin destroys society. What does God dislike?

1. Lying Lips
2. Pride or Arrogance
3. Gluttony
4. Homosexuality
5. Adulterers
6. Drunkenness
7. Dishonesty
8. Immoral or Impure
9. Greedy ( not helping the poor & needy )
10. Ignoring the Principles of Sabbath Keeping

King David no longer needed God. David committed multiple sins that cascaded after he slept with Bathsheba. David realized his sin and God gave David grace.

How to Break Out of Judging Other People in Four Steps:

1. Always Wrong to Judge
2. Learn to Disagree – There Is Nothing Wrong with Disagreeing
3. Simply Saying What the Bible Says Is Not Being Judgmental
4. Read the Holy Bible

The Bible must be our foundation. Be in the world but not of the world.

Judge Not Part 2

Judge Not Part 1 was the message given by Pastor Roger Walter at Vancouver, Washington Seventh-day Adventist Community church on Sabbath 29 November 2014. Make sure you listen to or watch the Part 1 message first. The audio recording is below the notes that I took for my blog post. You can watch the sermon from the Vimeo channel our church has below:

Judge Not 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Quotes:

“Believe me every man has his secret sorrows and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”

“Never judge a man by what he says, try and find out why he said it.”

“If we could only read the secret history of our enemies we would find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”

“When you meet a man you judge him by his clothes, when you leave you judge him by his heart.”

When we compare ourselves with other people, we are never honest with ourselves.

Galatians 6:4
But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

John 7:24
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.

Luke 6:27-45
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Do Not Judge
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 7:1-6
“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

Don’t Live an Unexamined Life

Woman professor at University of Kentucky wanted to quit smoking. Signs went up at the buildings across the campus that  said “This is a smoke free campus”. She smoked a couple of packages of cigarettes a day. People told her that she would be cranky when she stopped smoking.

She finally was able to succeed at giving up the unhealthy habit and replied that she was her old sweet self and that everyone else was cranky. Her story is typical in regard to how people rarely accept responsibility for their actions and always seek to judge other people.

When we put someone down or look down on them, often we are trying to make ourselves look better than we are. Paul wrote in Romans 3:23: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

We are all sinners and deserve death.

Matthew 18:6
Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

The audio link for Pastor Walter’s message is below:

Judge Not Part 1