Good morning all and welcome to the service this beautiful hot day..it's been in the high 90"s here but supposed to rain all next week.. God knows what's best for us so i''m not complaining..there are many here that need our prayers, some for health and some for discouragement..God knows your every need and He and He alone is able to help you..He says in his Word that "you get not because you ask not" so lets go to him i prayer this morning.
Dear Heavenly Father we stand humbly before you this day thanking you for your wonderful mercy and love toward us..I pray in Jesus name that you will heal the sick and encourage the downhearted and draw us all closer to you.. forgive us Father of our sins and those times we have failed you..Give us love and considerstion for others and put a desire in our heart to live for you and be a witness to your saving grace..this things we ask and thank you for in Jesus name and for his sake, Amen..
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Colossians 3:1-17 KJV.
Have you ever looked at something so close that it was blurred? but then you look past it and you can see things clearly.The only way to see life clearly is to focus on Christ..in today's bible reading, the apostle Paul is telling us that the followers of Christ need to keep eternity in view and in focus..he says set your mind on things above not on things on this earth..it is so easy to get caught up on earthly things, our jobs, money, houses, cars and what ever else we desire..I remember at one time i owned four boats, thirty or forty guns and i don't know how many rods and reels but then one day i looked past this old sinful world and fix my attention above where Jesus is seated at the right hand of Our Heavenly Father..knowing that one day we will be with him. i tell ya guys then and only then will we be in a position to know what is important in life..i got rid of everything but what i needed and life got better, my business grew and praise God my marriage became what it should be..you know in the last few years i have thought a lot more about heaven and less about what i have here on earth..but of course when you get to be as old as i am, you are bound to think about heaven
..i was saved when i was 13 years old but i didn't serve him all those years, yet He has blessed me with a wonderful wife for 56 years now, a home car and a FORD pick up but you know that is nothing compared to what He has in store for me in Heaven..oh yes He is coming my dear friends to get his church and in a moment in the twinkling of an eye those of us that know him as Lord and Saviour will meet him in the clouds go with him to heaven where we will sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb and to be with him for all eternity..oh what a wonderful Saviour.. do you know him this morning as your Lord, is He the King of your life? if not i pray you will go to him in prayer and ask him to save you..He will. the bible says that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved..but only He can save you..He says "I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the Father but by me"..what joy and what peace will come to you if you if you do..
We thank you Father that you sent your only begotten Son to die on that old rugged cross that we, by trusting and believing in him, can have everlasting life..it is my prayer as always, if there is on here lost and hell bound may this be their day of salvation..thanks again for what you've done and what you will do if we just trust and obey,AMEN!
Remeber this old hymn,"Trust and Obey" sing it with me and then go back and read the words and meditate on what they say..My dear friends, we serve a wonderful Saviour..
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When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey.
(Refrain)
But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey.
(Refrain)
Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we'll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey.
(Refrain)
Sunday Sermonette
. . . .way too hot to be outside working.
