#1) The Path to Success ~ Keeping the Sabbath Holy  Deacon/Lay Leader Joshua Justice   sermon notes

    Just what is success, and what's the difference between a good success and a bad success? Did you know that God

notes a difference, and gives us guidance on what He counts as what pleases Him, even beyond sacrifices and checklists

of worship? The Bible actually tells how to have "good success" in Joshua 1:8... and to be strong and of good courage, to

remember that He has your back, and your pathway in His plans.  Good success~that is the goal of every believer; to

accomplish the life calling you have and know that the Lord Jesus will smile on you and on your good success. By living in a way proscribed by the Lord Himself, good success is a part of the believer's promised pathway. By learning His heart, we come to understand His commands are for our benefit, to lead us to good success. By dedicating our time of rest to being with the Lord, by honoring the Sabbath day and thereby hearing His heart and being undividedly His, by following the thing that good is, the Lord God Himself holds us close, and helps us to accomplish that ordained work of our lives and brings us Good Success.

 

#2) Burdens    Deacon/Lay Leader Joshua Justice   sermon notes

I AM, the God of the Universe, demanded that there be no other gods before Him... I AM, from the before to the after of time.  When we focus on the King of the Universe, we know His law is here for a reason...to keep us in His protection, covered by His power and care, and to benefit our pathway through this world.  Love is His character.  It is in His love that we stand in eternal protection. God is good, and does good.  He wants the same for us, to be good and to also do good, to honor Him and to be His channel of good to others. By having no other gods before the Creator, then and only then can we love, protect, guide and bring peace to our families, our neighbors and ourselves.  In this way, we learn the way of the cross and how to be burden bearers for others and yet free in Christ, unentangled by the world, and able to truly be peacebringers and truthtellers to a world that desperately needs freedom, hope, and an eternal outlook.  We learn the Christlike way of "doing good" and offering a chance at the truth and the right kind of love...

 

#3) Churchianity (Also Known As the Church of Vanity - a discussion on the 3rd Commandment) Deacon/Lay Leader Joshua Justice   sermon notes

Blameless.  What a great description!  How would you like to go through all of life with no blame laid at your feet, no attack on your reputation...  That is the life of a true Christian.  We are held blameless before the Judge of the Univers, but it does not mean that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is perfect or actually is blameless before the Judge.  When we call ourselves Christian, we are identifying with Him in front of the world, and we'd best be careful what we do with His name.  It is imperative that we carry His name with dignity and in  truth.  Too many people play a churchianity game... doing right things when people can see, but at home... well, the cursing, the porn, the things done in darkness....  All of us have the opportunity to be His ambassadors, but that is both in and out of the spotlight.  Those who stay true, God finds faithful; those who just use the powerful name of Jesus, are guilty of using His name in vain, and that is not a good choice. Remember that everyone of us, saint and sinner alike, will stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment, and He has a decision to make based on the mercy provided and the choices we made to either come to Him completely and recognize Him as sovereign, or to play the game, use His name, and go our own way irrespective of His leadership in our lives.  The Third Commandment ~ "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."  Or, as the Amplified Bible clarifies, "“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn the character of God]; for the Lord will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who [b]takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power]."
 

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 The Purpose of the Law     Deacon/Lay Leader Joshua Justice    sermon notes      14 August 2016

Laws... every society, every group, even families...have rules or laws that govern their actions and to which the members agree.  In the Bible, God lays down some very specific expectations for His people, laws or commandments to which every believer ascribes and tries to live out.  We don't always do so well, and there are consequences to breaking the laws, consequences we cannot avoid.   God's laws are perfect, and lay a foundation for the laws of nature as well.  His laws are the highest possible "organizational rules" there can be, perfectly just and perfectly sound.  From His laws we know not to take what does not belong, or to protect life, or to be able to assemble together as family honoring each other and providing comfort and covering.  But, His laws are impossible for sinful man to completely and always keep.  So, just what is the purpose of the 10 Commandments and other commandments He gave us through Jesus?  Deacon Joshua explains that the authority of the law and the ability to keep it perfectly come from the same source...God, Himself. 

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