God’s Path Finders - 6

God’s Path Finders - 6

Subject: Finding God’s Divine Direction in Our Lives

by Rick Welborne 

Proverbs 3:1-10 (NKJV)
¹  My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
²  For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
³  Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴  And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
⁸  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
⁹  Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
¹⁰  So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 

1. Stick it out!

Luke 18:1 (NLT2)
¹  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.

Hebrews 10:35-39 (NKJV)
³⁵  Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
³⁶  For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
³⁷  "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
³⁸  Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."
³⁹  But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. 

2. Stay the course!

Galatians 3:3 (NLT2)
³  How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

3. Seek selfless sacrifice!

Ruth 1:16-18 (NLT2)
¹⁶  But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
¹⁷  Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”
¹⁸  When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.

1.  We find among our ranks those that we will call sitters.

Vision is the 1. ability to see, 2. the faith to believe, 3. the courage to do, 4. the hope to endure.

If you can’t see it, then you do not have vision.

Some people see it, but don’t believe it.  They do not have vision.

Some people see it, believe it, but don’t do it.  They do not have vision.   Sitters!

Three kinds of sitters in the church.

Helen Keller - What’s worse than being blind?  Having eyesight but no vision.

Ephesians 5:14-18 (NKJV)
¹⁴  Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
¹⁵  See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
¹⁶  redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
¹⁷  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
¹⁸  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 

2.  We find among our ranks those we will call quitters.

Passion - intense, compelling emotion evidenced in decisive, courageous action.  

Carl Barth - Passion is fear that said its prayers.

If you can’t see it, then you do not have vision.

Some people see it, but don’t believe it.  They do not have vision.

Some people see it, believe it, but don’t do it.  They do not have vision.   Sitters!

Some people see it, believe it, start to do it but quit.  They do not have passion -vision. Quitters!

3. We find among our ranks those we will call climbers.

Philippians 3:12-15 (NKJV)
¹²  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
¹³  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
¹⁴  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
¹⁵  Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)
³  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
⁴  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,
⁵  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
⁶  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
⁷  These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
⁸  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
⁹  for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

If you can’t see it, then you do not have vision.

Some people see it, but don’t believe it.  They do not have vision.

Some people see it, believe it, but don’t do it.  They do not have vision.   Sitters!

Some people see it, believe it, start to do it but quit.  They do not have passion or vision. Quitters!

Vision is the ability to see it, the faith to believe it, the courage to do it, and the hope to endure. Climbers!

Matthew 10:38-39 (NKJV)
³⁸  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
³⁹  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Ephesians 4:1-4 (NKJV)
¹  I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
²  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
³  endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
⁴  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
¹  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
²  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
³  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

Remember:

Risk without discipline is recklessness.

Discipline without passion is legalism.

Passion without vision is hype.

Vision without Christ is meaningless. 

--Don’t be a sitter…Don’t be a quitter…Be a climber for God!

Love That Covers a Multitude of Sins – 6

Love That Covers a Multitude of Sins – 6

Subject: Seven Words That Will Change Your Life

by Rick Welborne

1 Peter 4:7-8 (NLT2)
⁷  The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
⁸  Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

2 Chronicles 33:1-11 (NLT2)
¹  Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.
²  He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the LORD had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.
³  He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had broken down. He constructed altars for the images of Baal and set up Asherah poles. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them.
⁴  He built pagan altars in the Temple of the LORD, the place where the LORD had said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”
⁵  He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the LORD’s Temple.
⁶  Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the LORD’s sight, arousing his anger.
⁷  Manasseh even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in God’s Temple, the very place where God had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel.
⁸  If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws, decrees, and regulations given through Moses—I will not send them into exile from this land that I set aside for your ancestors.”
⁹  But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the LORD had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.
¹⁰  The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings.
¹¹  So the LORD sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. 

2 Chronicles 33:12-16 (NLT2)
¹²  But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.
¹³  And when he prayed, the LORD listened to him and was moved by his request. So the LORD brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the LORD alone is God!
¹⁴  After this Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, from west of the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley to the Fish Gate, and continuing around the hill of Ophel. He built the wall very high. And he stationed his military officers in all of the fortified towns of Judah.
¹⁵  Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the LORD’s Temple. He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city.
¹⁶  Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the LORD, the God of Israel. 

1. I am wrong!

James 4:8-10 (NKJV)
⁸  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
⁹  Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
¹⁰  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NKJV)
²  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
³  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
⁴  and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 

2. Forgive me!

Luke 18:10-14 (NLT2)
¹⁰  “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.
¹¹  The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!
¹²  I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
¹³  “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’
¹⁴  I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 

3. Thank you!

2 Chronicles 33:16 (NLT2)
¹⁶  Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the LORD, the God of Israel. 

Psalm 106:1 (NKJV)
¹  Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 

I am wrong…forgive me…thank you!

God’s Path Finders - 5

God’s Path Finders - 5

Subject: Finding God’s Divine Direction in Our Lives

by Rick Welborne

Proverbs 3:1-10 (NKJV)
¹  My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
²  For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
³  Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴  And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
⁸  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
⁹  Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
¹⁰  So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 

1. God’s navigational tool…wisdom.

James 1:5 (NIV)
⁵  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Hit the pause button.

Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! 

2. God’s beautiful gift…seeing into the future. 

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NKJV)
⁶  But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Luke 6:36-39 (NKJV)
³⁶  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
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? 

Luke 6:37 (NKJV)
³⁷ …Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

3. Seek God’s wisdom for each situation.

1. Stick it out!

Luke 18:1-8 (NLT2)
¹  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
²  “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.
³  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’
⁴  The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,
⁵  but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
⁶  Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.
⁷  Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
⁸  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” 

Hebrews 10:35-39 (NKJV)
³⁵  Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
³⁶  For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
³⁷  "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
³⁸  Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."
³⁹  But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. 

2. Stay the course!

Galatians 3:1-7 (NLT2)
¹  Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.
²  Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.
³  How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
⁴  Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?
⁵  I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.
⁶  In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
⁷  The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 

3. Seek selfless sacrifice!

Ruth 1:8-9 (NLT2)
⁸  But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the LORD reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me.
⁹  May the LORD bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.

Ruth 1:16-18 (NLT2)
¹⁶  But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
¹⁷  Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”
¹⁸  When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.

Ruth 2:11-12 (NLT2)
¹¹  “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers.
¹²  May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”

God’s Path Finders - 4

God’s Path Finders - 4

Subject: Finding God’s Divine Direction in Our Lives

by Rick Welborne

Proverbs 3:1-10 (NKJV)
¹  My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
²  For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
³  Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴  And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
⁸  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
⁹  Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
¹⁰  So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 

--Last sermon:

1. To find God’s direction you must avoid that one stupid mistake. 

2 Samuel 11:1 (NKJV)
¹  It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

2. To find God’s direction you must start where you are. 

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  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. 

Revelation 1:8 (NKJV)
⁸  "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

3. To find God’s direction you must start flossing.

--Say what…sometimes we get the strangest answers in the most unusual places. I had horrible gums. My dentist said I could lose all my teeth. I was sitting in the dentist chair when I looked up on the ceiling.

--As I contemplated being toothless, I looked up and there was an answer and a challenge to my teeth and gums. You do not have to floss all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep!

--Tonight’s message…we must all realize that there is a cause and effect. Good decisions, good results. Bad decisions, bad results. Our stories we write are the result of many variables. 

--You don’t get to choose your parents, your family, or where you are born. As children, all the big decisions are made for us…where we lived, which schools we went to, what we ate, even when to go to bed.

--You learn if you drive over the speed limit, you get a ticket. You date the wrong person, you could end up brokenhearted, struggling to trust again. 

--If you choose the wrong friends, if you attempt to drink an entire six-pack in less than a few minutes, your decision may leave you in an intimate relationship with a toilet. Don’t want to throw it up to you!

--On the other hand, if you choose to show up to work on time and work hard…your boss notices and gives a promotion and a raise. You make good choices with what you eat and how you exercise…you lose weight!

--Every choice you make, both big and small, affects the aspects of your life. You either learn to take responsibility for your actions, or you make excuses always looking for someone or something to blame.

1. God’s navigational tool…wisdom.

--Before I counsel with anyone who comes to my office…I do the same thing every time…I pray this portion of scripture and truly believe that God is going to do it. 

James 1:5-8 (NIV)
⁵  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
⁶  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
⁷  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
⁸  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

--God wants us to find His path and He wants us to receive His wisdom but so many times we do not stop and ask Him…from someone who loves you, can I offer you some good advice…some good wisdom?

--Many times things are out of our control; conversations escalate in a direction we never intended for them to go and wisdom is needed to navigate treacherous waters…what are we to do?

--Many of us just plow on through as if we had good sense or as if we did not care what the collateral damage will be. Ok, Pastor, what should we do in those moments?

--Hit the pause button…don’t say anything and for sure, do not do anything. Even if you cannot pray it out loud, pause and pray for wisdom and then, listen to what God speaks. Any verse for this?

Psalm 46:8-11 (NKJV)
⁸  Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth.
⁹  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
¹⁰  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
¹¹  The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah 

--Maybe I read these verses different than you but they definitely work for me. 

A. Stop and behold or see what God has already done!

B. Stop and see how He even controls wars…things bigger than us!

C. Stop! Be still! Be quiet! Don’t do anything or say anything! Know I am God!

D. Stop and realize the Lord is with us and He is our refuge!

--Wisdom is God’s navigational tool for helping us make decisions about the life we want to live. The tricky part is stopping for a moment and actually using it before we make the wrong decision.

2. God’s beautiful gift…seeing into the future. 

 --Pastor Rick, we do not have the ability to see into our future. If we could, some of us would be happy while others of us would be extremely sad and troubled. 

--I am telling you with certainty that God has given us this gift of seeing our future, and if that were not enough, God has given us the ability to effect what that future will be. Example of someone not using the gift.

--Tricia and I had been somewhere and we pull up in our driveway and get out of the car…we hear a voice in the wilderness crying…hey!!!!! Hey!!!! Dad! Mom! Help! It was our son Jeremy when he 14 or 15 years old.

--We hurry through the back yard out to the pasture where we thought we had heard the sound come from. We look half way up in a very large tree and there is Jeremy holding a saw yelling for help. What are you doing?

--As we look at the tree and inspect his dilemma, we see that he has climbed higher and higher cutting off each limb that is under him. And, yes, we burst out laughing and his predicament!  We get the ladder for him.

--Now I ask you, do you believe that if Jeremy would have just hit the pause button for a moment before he started cutting the limbs under him, he probably would have laughed to himself. 

--He would have seen in his mind what we saw in reality and he could have averted the situation. All of our decisions are like this and the scriptures bear this out from Genesis to Revelations. About giving God says:

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NKJV)
⁶  But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Luke 6:36-39 (NKJV)
³⁶  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
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? 

--Watch this…if you give generously now…in your future it will be given back to you generously. Choose now not to judge people and in your future God will surround you with people who do not judge you.

--Let me give you a present day example…I worked for people who were cruel, mean, stingy, abusive. This was in the ministry. People encouraged me to expose what was happening but I said “Emphatically no!”

1 Chronicles 16:22 (NKJV)
²²  Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm." 

--I chose to honor God’s man who was pastoring the church where I was serving even though it was difficult. Why? Because I could see into the future! I could see God surrounding me with pastors who are loyal.

--I could have created my own future in a much different light if I had chosen to attack the man of God and to write a letter telling of his abuse. When I left there, I honored him before the people. 

--Can the blind lead the blind? If you hang out with someone who is ungodly, with someone who is willfully disobeying God’s Word, who is spiritually blind…the ditch is in your future.

--If you are a person who forgives others even when they do not deserve it…you have a wonderful future!

Luke 6:37 (NKJV)
³⁷ …Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

3. Seek God’s wisdom for each situation.

1 Chronicles 14:8-17 (NLT2)
⁸  When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he marched out to meet them.
⁹  The Philistines arrived and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim.
¹⁰  So David asked God, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The LORD replied, “Yes, go ahead. I will hand them over to you.”
¹¹  So David and his troops went up to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “God did it!” David exclaimed. “He used me to burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So they named that place Baal-perazim (which means “the Lord who bursts through”).
¹²  The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, so David gave orders to burn them.
¹³  But after a while the Philistines returned and raided the valley again.
¹⁴  And once again David asked God what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” God replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees.
¹⁵  When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, go out and attack! That will be the signal that God is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.”
¹⁶  So David did what God commanded, and they struck down the Philistine army all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
¹⁷  So David’s fame spread everywhere, and the LORD caused all the nations to fear David. 

--Everyone say strategy…God has a strategy. He wants us to pause and to inquire of Him what His plan is for this particular situation. David had the wisdom to inquire in both situations.

--One enemy needed to be taken head on…the next time…circle behind them and listen for marching feet in the poplar trees. Wow, this is totally different. So important to get right now direction and wisdom from God. 

--So many times we put God in a box and can I say it…God does not do boxes! He expects us to seek Him in every situation for His will and wisdom to defeat our enemies.

Love That Covers a Multitude of Sins - 4

Love That Covers a Multitude of Sins - 4

Subject: Love Like You Have Never Been Hurt

by Rick Welborne

1 Peter 4:7-8 (NLT2)
⁷  The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
⁸  Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:7-8 (NCV)
⁷ The time is near when all things will end. So think clearly and control yourselves so you will be able to pray.
⁸  Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT2)
⁴  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
⁵  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
⁶  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
⁷  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

--November 6, 2018 the elections…the midterms are coming and it is imperative that all of us vote and it is imperative that all of us pray…I hope you are praying without ceasing. 

--Just in case you have been wondering if it matters whether you vote or not…it matters. Look at those around you and say, “It matters!” 

Proverbs 29:2 (NLT2)
²  When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. 

--Last week I encouraged you to vote for what the Bible tells us we should love…we should love and pray for the nation of Israel, biblical marriage, and for babies still in their mother’s wombs. Last week:

1. We love and bless Israel, therefore God loves and blesses us.

Genesis 12:3 (NKJV) 

3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 

2. We love and we bless traditional biblical marriage and God blesses our families when we do.

Matthew 19:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
⁵  and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
⁶  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

3. We love and we bless the unborn, and God blesses those who protect the innocents. 

--Last week after my sermon a very intuitive lady came up to me and asked could she address something about the abortion issue. I said, Of course. She said, what about the men who pressure the women to get abortions. The men responsible for the women being pregnant. 

--Don’t they need God’s forgiveness because of what they have done…Absolutely! I promised her I would address that this week so I am addressing it. Men, God’s forgiveness is available for you if you will but ask!

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NKJV)
¹⁹  I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
²⁰  that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

--When you go to vote…choose life…choose the life of the unborn…choose the life of traditional marriage… choose the life of Israel! Amen! This love will cover a multitude of sins! Today:

1. We love and we bless those who love, bless, and protect our country.

--I want my family, my children, my county, my state, and my country to be protected from those who would come here to do harm to us. God has given us people to protect us. They are called…the authorities.

Romans 13:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
²  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
³  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
⁴  For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
⁵  Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 

--We love our law enforcement officers and firefighters; we love those who serve in the military (in all branches); we love the leaders of our country! Why? God's ministers to you for good. Appointed by God.

--I hope you love, you bless, and you pray for all those who are serving to keep us protected and that you are voting for the platform or the individuals who support them. They are not our enemies!

--I make no apology for our patriotism here at Life Church (many veterans) and I declare it loudly and proudly. My heart breaks any time I hear of any of them losing (really laying) down lives for us. No greater love!

--But why do we need a wall, Pastor Rick? Don’t we want the countries of the world to know that they have a refuge here in the US? Of course, but it must be done legally and according to laws already on the books.

--I don’t know if you are aware of this…there are evil people with evil intentions crossing our borders instead of just needy people. Drugs, gangs (MS 13), and even terrorist who do not have our good in mind.

--I always come back to this with issues…is there a biblical precedence? Does the Bible make any reference to a country or a city having a wall to protect its people? Yes…Nehemiah. What about Jerusalem?

Nehemiah 1:3-4 (NKJV)
³  And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire."
⁴  So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 

--Nehemiah was broken and upset that Jerusalem was in great danger…why? Its walls were broken down and its gates were burned with fire. The people were not safe from their enemies. After he inspected the walls:

Nehemiah 2:17-18 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach."
¹⁸  And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work.

--They set their hands and hearts to build the walls and to build the city. Was there opposition? Yes! Nehemiah felt like he had a mandate from God to protect God’s people. God help our leaders! It is a fight! The Caravan! 

Nehemiah 4:15-18 (NLT2)
¹⁵  When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall.
¹⁶  But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah
¹⁷  who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.
¹⁸  All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.

--Why should we vote? Because we love our country and we love our families, we have to be willing to fight. We fight on our knees (even if they kick us), we carry the sword (Word of God), and vote! Motto!

V O T E – Victory Of The Evangelicals!

Evangelical - pertaining to or in keeping with the gospel and its teachings - belonging to or designating the Christian churches that emphasize the teachings and authority of the Scriptures, especially of the New Testament which states as paramount the tenet that salvation is achieved by personal conversion to faith in the atonement of Christ.

--It is time that every pastor and every person who calls themselves Christians get in the fray. We have sat on the sidelines way too long and been way too passive! Vote for the platform that will protect us! VOTE!

2. We love and we bless those who love and bless the Church of Jesus Christ.

--I am not sure if you are aware of this but in 2016 we were very close to losing religious freedom in our country like never before. The attacks were getting more and more vicious.

--Let me make this clear…Separation of church and state was implemented to protect the church, not the state. It was never the intention of the creators to keep the church out of every part of our government.

--Our founding fathers of the US were men who acknowledged God and trusted Him for His help as we sought religious freedom. 

President John Adams - "Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God ... What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be."

Thomas Jefferson - "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God?

--Our IRS was targeting faith based organizations and were not letting them get their approval to be tax free. They were not being approved to operate or were delayed for years.

--So what happened in 2016. The church prayed and the church voted! It was the Victory of the Evangelicals! The church was so stirred that it got on its knees and prayed! We voted! God answered!

2 Chronicles 7:12-15 (NKJV)
¹²  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
¹³  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.
¹⁵  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.

--Every vote from now on will be an indicator of how much we love the church Jesus gave His life for. I am ready for a “Red Wave” but it is the wave of the blood of Jesus Christ! Lord, send revival!

--Make no mistake about the vicious onslaught against Judge Kavanagh…it was a battle not just between two political parties but it was a battle between good and evil. 

--In 2012 at the DNC they did something no one would have ever dreamed of here in the US. In an article from One News Now…Franklin Graham laments what has happened to that party.

--Before Former President Barack Obama’s second term – The DNC booed after it was announced that God was being reintroduced to their party’s platform. I watched it! Shocked! 

Franklin - “Thousands of bloggers are reporting this morning that delegates at the DNC in Charlotte booed when God was reintroduced into their party’s platform,” CatholicCulture.org reported in September 2012. “In drafting the original platform, DNC leaders had removed references to God – and to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. They didn’t merely forget to mention God – in updating previous party platforms, they made a conscious decision to remove Him.”

--I don’t know about you but that is disconcerting…recently in the news a key leader was forced to resign his position as working for the DNC…listen to what he said that got him booted:

United States Marine and Gulf War veteran Mark Salvas - “I stand for the flag, I kneel at the cross,” 

--Not sure how that is controversial but he was labeled a racist and let go. I want those who lead me to protect my right to worship God whenever and however I choose. In our Constitution:

1^St Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

--We (the church and pastors) have been told for years to not say anything about politics and to just stick to preaching the Bible…thanks for their permission…I will keep preaching the truth of God’s Word! Why?

Hebrews 4:12-14 (NLT2)
¹²  For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
¹³  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the One to Whom we are accountable.
¹⁴  So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.