Bro Gary Sunday PM 5/29/11

Bro Gary Sunday PM 5/29/11

The word ‘ease’ appears a few times in the Old Testament.  Most of those times it is used in a negative sense. 

Here is one where they are ‘at ease’ or ‘secure’ in a bad sense.  Here it means: haughty, at ease, quiet and without proper concern. 

Amo 6:1  Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

These were in Zion, trusting in something other than God.  People may think that they are right because they go to a certain church or because they’re in a certain fellowship or they have a certain pastor, or even because they’ve left a certain fellowship.  The only thing that we should put our trust in is God.  He is who we want to serve; He it is who saves us.

Psa 25:12  What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

Psa 25:13  His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

As I began to study I found that only once in the Old Testament is the word ‘ease’ used in a good application, reference 2896 in the Hebrew/Chaldea dictionary.  It meant: ‘good in the widest of applications.’ 

The context of it in the above verse is that to the man that fears God, God will teach him in the way and He will bring him to soul rest, peace with the past and with the future.

“He hath made everything beautiful…”  The first definition when you look up the word ‘ease’ is beautiful.

We see tonight that God has a definite plan and pattern that He wants you and I to come to.  When we hear the word ease we think immediately of the bad sense of the word.  But there is a good sense; there is to be a rest for us in our souls. 

This word ease means: Good in the widest of applications.  That soul whose heart has been prepared by humbling themselves before God to say, “God teach me and lead me.”  If they have not only sought God to be delivered of their sin, but they sought God to present themselves a living sacrifice, when that total consecration is made, then their soul will dwell at ease.

The next meaning is ‘bountiful’.  It isn’t just work that makes us so weary.  Everywhere that you look and go outside of the fellowship of the saints, you see conditions that make you so sad in your heart.  Young lives are so messed up.  We live in a world where almost nothing on the moral issue is considered to be wrong.  It is so draining and it leaves you very concerned in your mind.  You have children and grandchildren and even if you didn’t; you see other children.  God has a place where those that are sanctified are renewed to a bountiful estate. 

What man is he that will fear God?  That one that fears God will be at ease.  I’m not talking about that fear that has torment.  I’m talking about the fear in the sense of, “I love you too much to gamble with my soul, to disappoint you, to get side tracked, to mess up at the end or at the beginning of the journey.”

Another meaning is ‘to dwell cheerfully’.  There is no religious spirit in the world that brings cheer to the soul; they may have their emotional frenzies but that isn’t cheer.  That is just the flesh being satisfied like the flesh is satisfied when you have chocolate. 

You know God in such a way that He is your Father.  You know Him in such a way that you know that you are accepted of the Beloved, have walked in His light and He has made everything beautiful.  His joy, His love, His peace is bountiful.  We don’t have everything that is in the world.  If you had it all, you’d still have problems and say, “All this is vanity, how am I going to take care of all of this stuff?”

Oh to be in favor with God and say, “By your grace I’m going to handle this right.”  You will not always be in the situation that you are in.  We need to be in favor with God in this season.  There are those that are going to go through job difficulties and job changes.  Stay rightly related to God so that whether you have less or you have more, your soul can be at ease. 

This economic situation in our country has affected all of us, the financial things that are happening in our economy cause difficulty, but we can stay in favor with God.

‘Ease’ in the thought of being glad and gracious.  You may be the only one that is saved in your family; God wants you happy.  You are a miracle. 

We need our mind to have a balance.  You can pack the left hand mentality of ‘everything is bad’.  If you are breathing than you have something to be encouraged about.  I have a new ache, I don’t know if this knee has ever hurt before, the other one yes but this is a new one.  As I felt the ache, I thought “It is wonderful that I can be agile enough to have pain; there are some that cannot even walk.”  We want to have the mentality of being thankful before God.

God has been so gracious, and He wants us to be gracious and be at ease with being gracious; this comes from being totally consecrated to God.  If you are not totally consecrated to God then you will have an agenda churning on the inside.

Another meaning of ease is ‘kind’.  I don’t need to tell you how ugly mean people are.  How unhappy unkind people are!  They are glaring; they’re using their toothpick to pick out the last person they ate.  Aren’t you glad to have the fear of God on you so you can be kind?

At ease in loving.  There are some individuals that are not able to be loved.  It is wonderful to be loved.  May God help us to be as a little child, letting people love us and loving others.  As I was walking down the alley the other day, the neighbor child greeted me and I visited with him.  As I was leaving, he called me back and said, “Could you give me a hug?”  We need to be as a child, loving and willing to be loved.

The one that fears God has known a love that goes past anything that has anything to do with humanity.  Thank God for the Holy spirit of God.  The one that fears God: His soul shall dwell pleasantly. 

Another meaning of ease is ‘pleasure’.  This world is so mixed up on what real pleasure is.  God created a beautiful world for us all to enjoy.  When we see a tree or the water, the mountains and lakes; we see the handiwork of God.  God made them all for us to enjoy, not to worship, just to enjoy. 

Fellowship, healing, and the pleasure of bearing one another’s burdens, when one member suffers all the members suffer.  We’re so broken hearted for the town of Superior; we’d like to put our arms around that mother and father and convey that we love them and are so sorry that it happened.

The thief comes to steal, the wolves, the bears, the lions, the leopards want blood.  When they stoned Stephen, they were bloodthirsty.  It is wonderful to be of a different spirit, sweet.  That one that fears God and will be taught in the way and will choose God’s way, his soul shall dwell sweetly.

The last meaning of ease is that they will be well-favored.  In Revelations 7 or 8 it shows us an angel standing before the throne and being given fire off of the altar.  There was much incense given unto him and the incense of the prayers of the saints was given to him.  Let us petition God that we will walk and live for him in such a way that our soul will be well favored to receive the grace, the anointing that we need from God.  That we may receive the holy fire cast in to the earth that produces earthquakes, thundering, lightening, and voices. 

Well-favored:  The one that fears God his soul shall dwell at ease, good in the widest of applications, everything that you can think about.  This is marvelous. 

Bro Gary Sunday AM 5/29/11

Bro Gary Sunday AM 5/29/11

Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Five points of emphasis:

1.       Speaking of Jesus as the root of Jesse: it starts out as “in that day” this refers to the days from the birth of Christ to the end of time.

2.       Dealing with the thought of the root of Jesse:  Jesus came of a lowly birth.  He was not born in a castle, he was not born of parents that were famous or looked up to in the community.  Yet He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  The part of the scriptures that prophesy of where he was to be born and those dealing with the shepherds and wise men showing up are all a part of the ensign and the infallible proofs that Jesus is Lord.

3.       The ensign:  Everywhere we look, we see the handiwork of God.  When you see a tree you see the handiwork of God.  Someone being an atheist doesn’t change God; it just creates a bad affect on them.  We see God in a baby’s smile.  As we get older we want our life to be evidence that God is real and we are headed to a better country. 

The life of Christ recorded in the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the recording that He lived.  The cross: We sing the song, “the world behind me the cross before me.”  The cross represents death to the world and new life to those that have confessed and received life. 

We cannot refute that the stone was rolled away.  These proofs are all given that we might believe.  There are infallible proofs that he was here for forty days after His death.  After He’d resurrected, He showed up and they were fishing, when they came to the shore he was cooking something for them to eat and asked, “Lovest thou me more than these? 

There is no question about the ascension, he led them towards Bethany and blessed them and was there lifted up.  There was an angel there that said, “As you have seen him leave…”  Infallible proofs. 

4.       To it shall the gentiles seek; God is still drawing on hearts today.  It is a wonderful thing that there is something within men and women that identify that they need God.

5.       His rest shall be glorious.  His Rest.  Many times, well meaning as we are, we struggle for our rest instead of seeking God’s rest.  Let us remember that the rest that is glorious is Christ in us.  It is HIS REST.  The meaning of the word Rest according to the Hebrew language is comfortable, quiet; this is His rest. 

We need comfort and we need to be comforted.  It doesn’t really matter what happens in life, we can enter into His rest.  

There is nothing in this world that I know of that is producing either comfortableness or quiet.  Everywhere you go people will tell you how unhappy they are about everything.

Dear ones, there is rest, there is quietness, and there is a place of being comfortable because of His rest.  The word ‘still’, God wants us to be still.  You will never be that on your own terms.  ‘Ease’ this word is of a different meaning than in our use of it today, it represents the rest that God gives to us in our soul.

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

From a very humble beginning came the King of kings.  This is the anointing that rests upon Christ who is our rest and that is on the Spirit of the Lord.  Our lives will be so empty and void unless The Spirit of Christ rests upon us, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might and of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.

Isaiah prophesied that this messiah would come from a humble origin.  All of us in this audience come from humble backgrounds, we cannot help what our background is.  Those that come from prestigious backgrounds must become humble in order to come to Jesus.

Jesus had much respect to the fear of God.  True fear of God is not the thought of fearing that something bad would happen to us; it is the thought that we love God so much that we don’t want to grieve Him.

He didn’t judge after the sight of His eyes.  He is who we are to pattern our life after.  His thought is not ‘who’ you are, but what He can make of you.  We are to sow beside all waters and not judge after the seeing of the eyes. 

It isn’t who we are; we’re glad of what God has done for everyone that is right where God wants them to be this morning, but God can come back and choose to use each in a different capacity than He’s ever used us before.

He reproves the meek without partiality and knows how to send forth His word and accomplish all that He wants to accomplish. 

Righteousness and faithfulness are two characteristics of Christ.

Isa 32:17  And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

God always works to bring us to quietness.  Our lives are filled with things that can upset us and we’d have a right to be upset except that God wants us to have quietness.  We need to reach the line of “I have utmost confidence in God and no matter what happens, He will care for me.” 

I read of a time that D.S. Warner was sitting on a curb about to eat his lunch, as he took time to pray, his prayer turned into a time of rejoicing not because of his cheese and crackers but because of God.  Until God brings an assurance to our souls that He is God and we are His and have entered into His rest then we will not experience this rejoicing in life.

Isa 65:25  The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

The affect of the faithfulness and righteousness of Jesus Christ is that the lion and the lamb can lie together.   

The nature of the one is to kill and to destroy; the nature of the other is gentle.  The asp kills by poison, other snakes kill by squeezing.  Through Jesus Christ and His righteousness those that have a nature to kill and destroy can be changed to a new nature.  “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.”

The cockatrice (according to my study) is a monster developed by some individual yielding to evil.  Where have these monsters come from that are in the world today?  They are bad beyond description.  The nature of wolves is to become a pack.  The nature of cockatrices are to become a den. 

God used this to show the glorious rest of Christ.  The nature of degenerate man likens them to wolves, snakes, and cockatrices.  The affect of God upon the soul causes natures to change from being destructive and poisonous to being full of rest. 

The nature of a snake is to attack.  The nature of a wolf is to kill just to kill.  When my mother got rattlesnake bit, she wondered if he’d actually gotten her because he was so quick.  Had we not yielded to God, we could have yielded to evil to such an extent that we could have become a monster.  The only bounds and limits that can be put upon evil is by the power of the Word and Spirit of God.

His rest is glorious.  How does one become a lion or a wolf? By yielding to the nature to sin, to carnality, to self to a greater and greater extent in life; becoming a monster by being overcome by evil, and deceived by self and yielding to evil.  There are those in prison that have become monsters by yielding to evil.  They have become nothing more than a monster by yielding to the lusts of the flesh: rebellion, lawlessness, selfishness.  May God ever stir me to be full of the fear of God so that there would never be anything in my heart and mind that would want to hurt and to destroy. 

This glorious rest begins with Jesus Christ.  It is given in dimensions.  There is a definite rest when you confess and repent from your sin.  Not full rest, but definite rest.  Matt 11:28 says, “Come to me all that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  The rest I ever had in my physical body is the night after I got saved.

Resting all in Jesus Christ, Romans 12:1,2 says, “I beseech you therefore brothern by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to the world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...”  This is a definite rest.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

There is a rest to the people of God.  You haven’t come to complete full rest when you get saved.  There is a further rest of ceasing from all your labors.  “Jesus suffered without the gate that He might sanctify His people…”

Sanctification means to cleanse and set apart. God wants us resting in His rest.

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

In order for you to receive the divine nature, you must be cleansed from your human, fleshly nature.  You will never escape the corruption that is in the world unless you are cleansed from the nature to sin.  You will never be able to add to your faith virtue as the next verse says unless you are sanctified.

There is a glorious rest that is obtained and maintained by labor.  The need for labor is one of the greatest things that has worked to be a delusion to people that have gotten saved and have thought that once they’re saved they don’t need to put much effort into it.  When you get saved you are just in shape to start to work hard.

Holiness movements think that just because they believe and have an outward standard they have arrived.  We must maintain this rest by labor. 

My mom spoke of getting sanctified and putting her all on the altar.  Her all at that time was my dad and us five children.  I remember her talking of weeping and putting the love of her life, my dad, on the altar. “God, I have to put him on the altar too.”

Her firstborn as much as she loved him had to be put on the altar as well.  Her next son, Bill, had to be put on the altar too. 

Gyme came next, he was her prayer baby, Gyme could stand a little taller than everyone else.  He could cut logs a little bit better.  He had few words but they were the most precious words my mother ever heard.  When he came to visit, the sun shone brighter and the meal was better.  My mom loved Gyme.  She had to put him on the altar too. 

Joanne came next and mom had wanted a daughter, and named her after herself.  Joanne had to be put on the altar.  Mom did it by labor.  The labor didn’t end there.  I can still see and hear my mother praying when my brother was in trouble.  (My brother was wounded in Korea.)  Her sanctification was maintained by labor. 

The blessing is received by soul-rest.  Not only do we need soul-rest, we need mind-rest.  WE must get our mind to a point of resting, “God, I’m not going to try to figure things out, I tried and it didn’t work.”

His rest is glorious rest.

Bro Rick Sunday School 5/29/11

Bro Rick Sunday School 5/29/11

The topic I have on my heart is to study those that have gone on before that kept their faith alive.  We want to learn how to keep the faith alive ourselves.  The enemy would like to snuff out the Church of God.  We can keep our faith alive through God’s help and grace.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

As Christians we are like this.  We’re passing through life endeavoring to stay true to God.  We’re seeking a country, we want to make heaven our home. 

Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

It is wonderful that God has prepared a place for us.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Heb 11:20  By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Heb 11:21  By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

Heb 11:22  By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

Heb 11:23  By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

This is always the better choice.

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

We need to be willing to be looked down upon as Christians.  What is required of us is so small compared with the things these saints went through.

Heb 11:27  By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Heb 11:28  Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Heb 11:29  By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Heb 11:30  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Heb 11:31  By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

We don’t know what the future holds in this country.  The way things are going across this land, we may have to go through what these folks went through.  We want to stay true to God.

Heb 11:35  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

Heb 11:36  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

All the apostles became martyrs besides John.

From Fox’s Book of Martyrs:

St. Stephen

St. Stephen suffered the next in order. His death was occasioned by the faithful manner in which he preached the Gospel to the betrayers and murderers of Christ. To such a degree of madness were they excited, that they cast him out of the city and stoned him to death. The time when he suffered is generally supposed to have been at the Passover which succeeded to that of our Lord's crucifixion, and to the era of his ascension, in the following spring.

Upon this a great persecution was raised against all who professed their belief in Christ as the Messiah, or as a prophet. We are immediately told by St. Luke, that "there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem;" and that "they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles."

About two thousand Christians, with Nicanor, one of the seven deacons, suffered martyrdom during the "persecution that arose about Stephen."

James the Great

The next martyr we meet with, according to St. Luke, in the History of the Apostles' Acts, was James the son of Zebedee, the elder brother of John, and a relative of our Lord; for his mother Salome was cousin-german to the Virgin Mary. It was not until ten years after the death of Stephen that the second martyrdom took place; for no sooner had Herod Agrippa been appointed governor of Judea, than, with a view to ingratiate himself with them, he raised a sharp persecution against the Christians, and determined to make an effectual blow, by striking at their leaders. The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle's extraordinary courage and undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time. Thus did the first apostolic martyr cheerfully and resolutely receive that cup, which he had told our Savior he was ready to drink. Timon and Parmenas suffered martyrdom about the same time; the one at Philippi, and the other in Macedonia. These events took place A.D. 44.

Philip

Was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee and was first called by the name of "disciple." He labored diligently in Upper Asia, and suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54.

Matthew

Whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born at Nazareth. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.

James the Less

Is supposed by some to have been the brother of our Lord, by a former wife of Joseph. This is very doubtful, and accords too much with the Catholic superstition, that Mary never had any other children except our Savior. He was elected to the oversight of the churches of Jerusalem; and was the author of the Epistle ascribed to James in the sacred canon. At the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller's club.

Matthias

Of whom less is known than of most of the other disciples, was elected to fill the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.

Andrew

Was the brother of Peter. He preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations; but on his arrival at Edessa he was taken and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground. Hence the derivation of the term, St. Andrew's Cross.

St. Mark

Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and under whose inspection he wrote his Gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.

Peter

Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome; albeit some others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof. Hegesippus saith that Nero sought matter against Peter to put him to death; which, when the people perceived, they entreated Peter with much ado that he would fly the city. Peter, through their importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to avoid. But, coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to whom he, worshipping, said, "Lord, whither dost Thou go?" To whom He answered and said, "I am come again to be crucified." By this, Peter, perceiving his suffering to be understood, returned into the city. Jerome saith that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.

Paul

Paul, the apostle, who before was called Saul, after his great travail and unspeakable labors in promoting the Gospel of Christ, suffered also in this first persecution under Nero. Abdias, declareth that under his execution Nero sent two of his esquires, Ferega and Parthemius, to bring him word of his death. They, coming to Paul instructing the people, desired him to pray for them, that they might believe; who told them that shortly after they should believe and be baptized at His sepulcher. This done, the soldiers came and led him out of the city to the place of execution, where he, after his prayers made, gave his neck to the sword.

Jude

The brother of James, was commonly called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72.

Bartholomew

Preached in several countries, and having translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in that country. He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.

Thomas

Called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.

Luke

The evangelist, was the author of the Gospel which goes under his name. He traveled with Paul through various countries, and is supposed to have been hanged on an olive tree, by the idolatrous priests of Greece.

Simon

Surnamed Zelotes, preached the Gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and even in Britain, in which latter country he was crucified, A.D. 74.

John

The "beloved disciple," was brother to James the Great. The churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira, were founded by him. From Ephesus he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Nerva, the successor of Domitian, recalled him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.

Barnabas

Was of Cyprus, but of Jewish descent, his death is supposed to have taken place about A.D. 73.

And yet, notwithstanding all these continual persecutions and horrible punishments, the Church daily increased, deeply rooted in the doctrine of the apostles and of men apostolical, and watered plentously with the blood of saints.

“He that believeth on me out of Him shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38

We need to be willing to give our life for God.  This is not a time for us to be cowardly.  We don’t want to be ashamed of God.  We need to learn from these old saints how we can be better Christians.

Jeremiah 6:16 KJVR

(16)  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

I want to hold on to the old paths.  Holiness unto the Lord is what is required.  I want to live carefully.  The old paths are very recognizable.  An old path is well worn and you can pick out an old path; it is well trodden and nothing grows in it.  The place to prayer is well worn; we need to get our spiritual eyes open to recognize the old paths. 

These old saints were willing to give their very lives for the gospel.  They knew how important it was.  The one that labored in India probably had to learn the language.

We’ve seen in life that as people go away from the old paths they produce fruits that are not what God would want them to produce.

Jer 18:15  Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

We want to make sure our paths are ways that will be going up that mountain.  We don’t want to look to the ways of those that have lowered the standard a little.  Human understanding will easily take us down the wrong path.  We need to stay to the old paths.  History does repeat itself and we don’t want to fall into apostasy.

Pro 12:28  In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

We don’t want to lay aside the way of righteousness in this busy day that we are living in.  Everybody is busy. 

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

All we need to do as we go through life and are so busy is to live close to God and let Him schedule our time.  We must overcome.  Righteousness and keeping God first is the most important thing in our life.

Gen 6:8  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Gen 6:9  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Noah was doing all he knew to live for God and this is all God expects from us.  He was perfect in his generation and walked with God.

God gave Noah a tremendous project that took him about 100 years to build.  Can you imagine his determination to please God?  He just kept going on and on and on.  Wood deteriorates as it weathers.  He must have been pitching it as He went.  I wouldn’t have liked the job of putting on the pitch.  I don’t know what kind of soap they had back then, but he probably was pitchy. 

Think of how Noah furthered the gospel.  Think of if there had been no man that had been living for God in that time period.  Noah was an awesome person, building a boat with no power tools in a place where there was no water.  It is amazing how God gave him the ability to do that.  He may have never built a boat before.  It was something from God.

Exo 7:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

Exo 7:2  Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.

Imagine living in a country where the ruler was ungodly.  Imagine God choosing you to go and tell him that you and your people were leaving.  Moses was willing to be the leader of his people.  This was a big deal for Moses; he was a meek man and had problems to even talk.  He had a big job to do and he was willing to do it even though he had a personal weakness. 

Moses went before the most powerful man of the kingdom and that put him in danger of even his life.

Exo 14:8  And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

Exo 14:9  But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.

When we come to these situations in life where things seem impossible, we must choose to believe in God.  If we’re living for God then when we come to difficult situations, we can choose to believe in God.  There was murmuring going on among the Children of Israel, they had problems believing.

I want to encourage you to believe if you have a Red Sea that needs to be opened.  God is a God that can do impossible things.  The things that are impossible with man are possible with God.

Moses chose to believe in God and God made a way.  God will deliver us when we come to a situation where we feel like the water has to part.

The Children of Israel came to many places where they wanted to go back to a previous position where they were surviving.  When God puts his finger on something where He wants us to get the victory, we may feel the same way, but we have to go forward when God says to.  We cannot go back when God says to go forward.  We wouldn’t make it at that point; we’d be taking a different path that would take us out of God’s will completely.  

We need to have faith.  I’m convinced that many times we use our mind in ways that God didn’t intend.  He doesn’t want us to get off into vain thinking and waste our minds in things that are profitless. 

Exo 14:10  And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

Exo 14:11  And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

We can learn from this that murmuring will not get us anywhere.  It will not get us through the Red Sea.