Easter Program – 2024

Easter Program – 2024

Subject – Sunday is Coming

By Rick Welborne

Romans 5:8-11 (NLT2)
⁸  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
⁹  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.
¹⁰  For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.
¹¹  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

--Verse 8 was quoted in the program by the narrator;

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
⁸  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

--I hope you understand what Easter or Resurrection Sunday is all about…it’s not just about wearing bright colored clothes, bunny rabbits, and colored eggs. It’s much deeper than that.

--You see, what has become a day of celebration for us was bought at an expensive price. God sent Jesus to die for us…yes, while we were still sinners.

--Sometimes I get a little bothered when we call the Friday before Easter “Good Friday.” It was definitely not a good Friday for Jesus.

--You see, He was arrested, He was mocked, He was slapped, He was spat upon, He was beaten with a cat of nine tails (a whip).

--He had to carry His cross to Calvary’s Hill, He was nailed to an old rugged cross, He was lifted up between Heaven and Earth for the world to see. Naked and humiliated.

--He was mocked by the scribes, Pharisees, and religious leaders…He saved others, if He is the Christ, then save Himself. He was pierced through the side with a spear.

--Good Friday…Good Friday! What could have possibly been good about this Friday? You see, that Friday Christ died for us while we were still sinners. How could that be good?

--It was good for us because God the Father and Jesus the Son, said yes, it’s Friday but Sunday is coming! They knew Their plan from the beginning of time!

--They knew Christ would die on Friday, but they also knew three days later, Jesus would be raised from the dead. They knew what would happen on Friday but They kept saying…Sunday is coming!

--I don’t know where you are in your life today. Maybe you feel like it’s Friday for you. Everything is wrong, everything is messed up…you feel beaten down and humiliated. Lost.

--Pastor Rick and Pastor Neftali, I feel like it’s Friday. Hear your pastors today…it may be Friday right now but please know…Sunday is coming.

--How can you say that with such confidence? Look at our text again today.

Romans 5:8-9 (NLT2)
⁸  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
⁹  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ

--The same blood Jesus gave to end His life is the same blood that will give you new life…It may be Friday but Sunday is coming.

--Do you understand? We have been made right in God’s sight (isn’t that what is important?) by the blood of Christ. It may be Friday but Sunday is coming!

--Again, listen to our text:

Romans 5:10 (NLT2)
¹⁰  For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 

--Through Jesus’ death we were restored to the Father and by His resurrection (being raised from the dead) we will be saved. Maybe it’s Friday but Sunday is coming.

--Maybe you are here today and you are follower of Christ but you feel like it’s Friday in your life. Family issues, marriage issues, financial issues, life issues.

--The stress and the pressure are so great you feel like you are going to die. I’ve got good news.

Romans 11 (NLT2) ¹¹ So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

--It’s Friday but Sunday is coming! It’s Friday but Sunday is coming! It’s Friday but Sunday is coming!

Romans 8:28&31-32 (NLT2)
²⁸  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
³¹  What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
³²  Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 

--Happy Resurrection Sunday – It’s Friday but Sunday is coming!

Weight Loss – 5

Weight Loss – 5

Subject – What You Looking At

By Rick Welborne

Hebrews 12:1-3 (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.
³  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 

--What makes Life Church the church it is? What is our engine? What makes us go? What makes us lay aside our weight and look to Jesus? Our five cylinders:

1. Our First Cylinder is the Word of God. The Scriptures Inspired – The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. 

--We must obey the Word of God!

2. Our Second Cylinder is Welcoming Holy Spirit. Baptism of Holy Spirit – All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the Promise of the Father, the baptism of Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

--We must be filled with Holy Spirit power!

3. Our Third Cylinder is Home and Foreign Missions. 

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

--We must be a church dedicated to the Great Commission at home and to the nations!

4. Our Fourth Cylinder is Generosity. God so loved the world that He gave…Jesus so loved the Father and the world that He gave…Holy Spirit so loves the Father, the Son, and the world that He gives us power to be witnesses.

--Everything about God has giving and generosity all over it. Don’t tell me you are Christ-like (Christian) if you do not have a heart to be generous. Generosity has blessed Life Church and sustained us through difficult times. 

--We must be a church of extreme generosity!

--Today I want to talk to you about the thought…What you looking at?

1. Look at the Fields

John 4:31-38 (NLT2) ³¹ Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
³²  But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
³³  “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.
³⁴  Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.
³⁵  You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.
³⁶  The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!
³⁷  You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true.
³⁸  I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” 

--The disciple were trying to get Jesus to eat and Jesus said to “Listen guys, I have food that you know nothing about…My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 

--Jesus was saying nothing satisfies me more than doing God’s will. What was He talking about? He was talking about bringing people to eternal life. Missions! Easy to lay aside the weight when you have vision.

--What is our nourishment, what stirs us to action, what is our motivation in the Kingdom of God, what do we perceive to be the will of God? I hope it is the Great Commission.

--For years we have desperately tried to communicate with you the passion of God the Father and Jesus Christ is reaching this lost world with the good news that Jesus saves. 

--What are you looking at? Jesus said “Wake up and lift up your eyes to the fields”. Have you ever heard of mission fields? 

--Even Jesus then was saying to His followers “Wake up and look.” I wonder if we truly get what it means for people to be lost. If people do not receive Christ, they will spend eternity in Hell.

--Do we even weep over lost family members and pray every day several times a day for their salvation. People are hurting and they are lost.

--Yes, they may say, “I don’t want to hear it.” But they may not be what is in their hearts. My dad was so mean and vile when I would share Christ with Him.

--When he would hit me and spit on me and cuss me out, through tears I would tell him that I am going to love you into the Kingdom of God.

--Listen to what my dad told me after he gave his heart to Jesus. Every time you shared with me about Jesus and me needing to be saved, it was just like a spear through my heart.

--Don’t give up on the prodigals…love them, share with them through the brokenness of your heart and let Holy Spirit work. Lead someone to Jesus. It’s a lot easier to lay aside the junk.

--Ever heard of sowing and reaping. You lead someone to Christ and help us reach the lost through missions, God will make sure someone is reaching out to your lost loved ones.  

--Look at the fields, Life Church! They are ready for harvest. So much fear, anxiety, uncertainty, anger, questions. Jesus is still the answer for a lost world. 

--All of us should be so thankful that we are a part of a church with a godly worldview. Instead of looking inward we are looking at the fields that are ready to be harvested. Stay focused.

John 4:36-38 (NLT2)
³⁶  The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!
³⁷  You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true.
³⁸  I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

--We should not care who gets the credit for people being won into the Kingdom of God as long as God gets all the glory. What joy for the missionary and the sender.

2. Look Out for the Good of Others.

Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV)
¹  If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
²  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
³  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
⁴  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
⁵  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
⁹  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

--Paul is exhorting the church that if you are truly united with Christ and are really thankful for that, then stop thinking just about yourselves and help someone else lose their weight.

--Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Stop being self-centered. Should be shared. Dr. Smith:

Dr. Smith – What did you want from me? How many times have you heard the gospel? How many church services have you attended? Were you expecting something new from me? What right do you have to hear the gospel over and over when so many have never heard it for the first time? What makes you so special?

--Every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord…not because they are forced to on judgment day but because we have reached out to them personally and thru missions.

3. Look to Jesus

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. 

--You will never get missions or evangelism on your own. Look to Jesus. Since people are watching and because people are lost, we should lay aside anything that keeps us from being like Jesus.

--For the joy set before Him He endured the cross despising its shame…He went thru torture, crucifixion, humiliation, shame, and pain for joy. What Joy?

--Jesus went thru all that for us so He could do the will of the Father and so that He could win the lost (to finish His work). Paul:

1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

--When we look to Jesus, it leads us to: Our Fifth Cylinder – Worship.

The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure - 8

The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure - 8

Subject – Some Things to Consider

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 13:44 (NKJV)
⁴⁴  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

--Maybe (hopefully) you are asking “How much is God asking me to give beyond my ten percent (tithe). Truthfully, only God can answer that question. That means we need to ask Him.

--God has not established one set amount for our voluntary giving. Here’s where the fun comes in about giving, we get to pray and ask Him what He wants us to do. He promises to give us guidance.

James 1:5-7 (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;

--Please do not think that obeying God in your giving or in anything else is burdensome. It definitely is not.

1 John 5:3 (NIV) ³ This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

--Whenever we are obedient to God there is so much joy and peace.

Psalm 119:47 (NLT2) ⁴⁷ How I delight in your commands! How I love them! 

1. Where Our Giving Should Start

--Giving should always start with your local Bible believing Christ centered church, the spiritual community to which you are accountable. 

--I believe the Book of Malachi is pretty clear about where our tithe belongs. It tells us to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse which is a reference to the local church.

Malachi 3:8-10 (NIV)
⁸  "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.
⁹  You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me.
¹⁰  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 

--I am constantly amazed how many people ask me if it is okay for them to give or send their tithes to other places or people rather than giving it to their local church.

--One man asked me if it was okay for him to send his entire tithe to a church in New York State while he attended Life Church. He said they need it more than you guys do. That’s not the point.

--I asked him did he believe it was okay for him to eat here in the Villages at Outback and enjoy a good meal but send his money to another Outback in another state. Probably won’t work. 

--Beyond your tithe, you can support your local churches mission’s program hopefully giving to the general missions so that present missionaries can be supported and others added. Support in house ministries.

--Pastor, is it okay to support secular organizations? It may be good to ask the question whether the Human Society or whatever is close to the heart of God when it comes to evangelism, church planting, or the poor?

--Many give to so called Christian Colleges who have moved far from biblical standards and are leading young people astray. Do your research and support truly Christian schools with beliefs in God’s Word and His Spirit.

2. Your Giving Commitment – A Review

A. I affirm God’s full ownership of me and everything I own.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
¹⁹  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
²⁰  you were bought at a price. 

Psalm 24:1 (NIV) ¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 

--This is saying I recognize that “my” money and possessions are the Lord’s. I am His money manager and His delivery person. I will ask Him what He wants me to do with His money.

B. I will set aside the first fruits—starting with at least 10 percent of all I receive.

--I will be treating it as belonging exclusively to the Lord. I do this in obedience to the Lord, desiring His blessings. By faith I take God up on His challenge to test Him in in this. 

Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
¹⁰  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

C. Out of the remaining treasure God entrusts to me, I will prayerfully seek to make generous freewill gifts.

--I recognize and understand God has entrusted wealth to me so that I can be “generous on every occasion.”

 2 Corinthians 9:11-12 (NIV)
¹¹  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
¹²  This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

--Pastor, please give us an example of what being “generous on every occasion” could look like here at Life Church. We are so blessed to have missionaries every month here to share their hearts with us.

--What if, you prayed and asked God (on top of your tithe and general mission’s giving) what He would have you do for each of the missionaries who come. 

--At the time of our mission’s convention I ask God what He will have our family to do for each missionary who comes to speak to us. We get the joy of sharing in the ministry of these wonderful people.

--Another what if, what if God wants you to be here to support our missionaries in person and He wants you to be here to be “generous on every occasion?” Something to really consider.

--None of us want to be guilty of robbing God by not only withholding our tithe, but, also by whatever offerings He calls me to give. Obviously, we ask Him to make His will clear to us about what to give.

D. I ask God to teach me to give sacrificially to His purposes.

--This includes helping the poor in my community and around the world. This also includes reaching the lost here in America and around the world. Missions.

--Often people will try to make a major point about reaching the lost here in America instead of sending our money to other countries. Of our 230 missionaries, about 40 are US missionaries. 

--To be able to give sacrificially I have to commit myself to avoiding getting myself into unmanageable debt. By doing so I do not tie up God’s money and can follow Holy Spirit leading me to give. 

--Maybe you know this or maybe you don’t, missionary candidates cannot even go on the mission field to minister if much of their funds given to reach the lost would be going toward irresponsible debt.

--If this is a qualification for those who are going, shouldn’t it be a requirement for those who are sending them. It will take a responsible church with a vision to make a difference in the world. God help us.

--There are many things that makes me sad or angry that my money goes toward but I never regret bringing to God my tithes or giving to missions. I apologize for using this verse so much but listen again:

2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV)
¹²  This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

--My giving is meeting the needs of God’s people (people in my church and missionaries) and it is overflowing with many expressions of thanks (worship) to God! Sacrificial giving brings me great joy!

 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV) ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

E. Knowing I cannot take earthly treasures with me, I determine to store up treasure in Heaven.

--I make a settled determination (resolution) to store up treasure in Heaven that is for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ and for the eternal good of others, and myself. 

--I understand that Heaven is my home not earth. I acknowledge Jesus as Lord of my life and that everything I have, yes everything, is His on demand for His purposes.

Psalm 24:1 (NLT2) ¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. 

--Maybe this is a good question to start with if we really believe God owns us and everything we have:

“What am I hanging on to that you would want me to give away?”

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
¹⁹  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
²⁰  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Weight Loss – 4

Weight Loss – 4

Subject – Pick Up the Pace

By Rick Welborne

Hebrews 12:1-3 (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.
³  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 

--I have said for at least the last 40 years that I wanted to lose weight and in my mind, I really thought I was attempting to do that. Four years March I decided to give up tennis because of pain. Not your friend.

--I started biking outdoors and really was enjoying what I was doing and actually lost a little weight but still was struggling. I saw deer, rattle snakes, raccoons, rabbits, and even one Florida panther. Beautiful!

--I had finally built up enough stamina and conditioned my rear-end to endure the 31mile loop at the Santos Trails (the paved part). I was so happy I could do the loop in less than 2 hours.

--One day something happened on the trail that was extremely aggravating, extremely humiliating, and most importantly, extremely motivating. 

--When someone says something negative to us or about us we have a choice. We can take those words and build resentment or use those words to be a launching pad for better things. Let me explain.

--At almost the 9-mile marker I was almost to the top of a half mile hill and I was breathing pretty hard, and in my mind, pushing myself at a really good pace, something happened.

--Another biker passes me and he is clipping pretty fast as he whizzes by me. I had never seen him before or since, but here are his words to me as I am sucking wind.

“Are you ever going to pick up the pace?”

--My first thought was one of humiliation and embarrassment, not only because he was going so fast around me but also, that he would have the audacity to say, “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?”

--My humiliation quickly turned to aggravation and even anger as those piercing words got deep into my spirit. Someone told me a long time ago that almost every negative statement has some truth to it.

--As I thought about that I began to ask myself a few questions: Could I actually pick up my pace? Yes. Would picking up my pace give me a faster time? Yes. Would picking up my pace help me lose weight? Yes.

--As I began to calm down Holy Spirit began to speak to me. I use my time on the bike to pray and to worship so He magnified those words in my spirit man: “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?”

--“Are the people of Life Church ever going to pick up the pace?”

Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)
²³  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
²⁴  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
²⁵  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

1. Pick Up the Pace in the Area of Seeking After God.

--Wasn’t that what we were trying to encourage all of you to do during the first 21 days of prayer and fasting? Did you take advantage of that time? Did you fast? Did you pray? 

--Did you come out to the week of prayer and earnestly seek God corporately with the rest of us? I can seek Him at home. Okay, did you seek Him at home during that time? Probably not.

--Maybe you are like I was when I was in Elementary School and our teacher would ask us every Monday how many of us went to church and prayed? I would raise my hand because we blessed the food.

Hebrews 6:1&11-12 (NKJV)
¹  Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
¹¹  And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,
¹²  that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 

--The writer of Hebrews is telling us to grow past still being in Elementary School and to not become sluggish (to pick up the pace) in our relationship with God.

--Years ago James Dobson did a survey on Christians comparing their walk with God to where they would be in school. The results were sad but probably even worse today.

--Most men were at a third grade level or below in their Christian faith. Before you point your finger ladies, your score was not a whole lot better. You were at a fourth grade level or below. 

--Dobson’s conclusion was that little to no effort was being practiced to help them grow spiritually. Just listening to a sermon once a week will never be enough. Pick up the pace yourself. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NIV) ¹⁶  Be joyful always; ¹⁷  pray continually;
¹⁸  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.                                                  ¹⁹  Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 

--Do you remember when you first fell in love with your sweetheart and you thought about them 24/7? You wanted to talk to them all day long. You showered them with compliments.

--You wanted to spend time with them and you would spend every dime you had to buy them a gift. Sadly, something happens over time and you began to take them for granted. You lost your passion.

--Jesus warns the church about letting our passion for Him dwindle.

Revelation 2:4-5 (NLT2)
⁴  “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!
⁵  Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.

--Jesus is saying to all of us, “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?”

2. Pick Up the Pace in the Area of Missions. 

--Pastor Rick, what do you mean? Our church is in the top ten in the state in mission’s giving and in the top 100 in the nation out of over 13,000 churches, that’s pretty good. Are we giving Him our best?

--The verses I am about to read are going to sound harsh but sometimes I think we need a shock of reality to wake us up. The people in Malachi were bringing offerings to God but not their best.

--God took it personally that they were bringing to Him just tokens of their abundance and even the tokens they brought were insulting to the Lord All-Powerful.

Malachi 1:6-10 (NCV)
⁶  The LORD All-Powerful says, “A child honors his father, and a servant honors his master. I am a father, so why don’t you honor me? I am a master, so why don’t you respect me? You priests do not respect me. “But you ask, ’How have we shown you disrespect?’
⁷  “You have shown it by bringing unclean food to my altar. “But you ask, ’What makes it unclean?’ “It is unclean because you don’t respect the altar of the LORD.
⁸  When you bring blind animals as sacrifices, that is wrong. When you bring crippled and sick animals, that is wrong. Try giving them to your governor. Would he be pleased with you? He wouldn’t accept you,“ says the LORD All-Powerful.
⁹  “Now ask God to be kind to you, but he won’t accept you with such offerings,“ says the LORD All-Powerful.
¹⁰  “I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you and will not accept your gifts,“ says the LORD All-Powerful. 

--We all act like we are excited about Jesus coming back and when it is mentioned from the pulpit how many of you are expecting Him to come back soon, we all shout. Are we truly sincere?

-These people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Isa. 59.

--I believe the Lord is speaking to all of us in these last days, “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?” We all believe that many of the prophecies have been fulfilled for Jesus return. Amen! What about this?

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

--I privately speak with many of our missionaries who are concerned about the church having an escape mentality about the rapture while avoiding their responsibility to reach the nations.

--We play a major part in the return of Jesus (the rapture) by making sure this gospel is going to the ends of the earth. Time to stop with the tokens. “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?”

3. Pick Up the Pace and Get the Lead Out!

--Years ago when we went to Kentucky to the horse farms they gave us this information about horse racing in light of “Get the lead out”

--It would refer to horse races, where the official handicapper assigns weights that each horse is to carry, to try to make them all even. 

--In the weigh-in, the total weight was made up of the weight of the jockey and saddle, then with lead plates added until it came up to the handicappers assigned weight.  

 --In the back stretch of the race, some riders were known to dump their lead weights to reduce the load on their horse and hopefully increase its speed at the end of the race. 

--When riders would “get the lead out," their horses would sometimes speed up in the crucial final seconds of a race. We are in the final stretch. We must seek God, increase our missions, and get the lead out.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (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, 

“Are you ever going to pick up the pace?”