Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 4/23/14

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 4/23/14

Rev 2:1  Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

Rev 2:2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

Rev 2:3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

It is a wonderful thing that in the great plan of God, God and His son, Christ, has always in the Gospel day had a church and has always had a ministry.  I’m not into the discouraging things that may be going on throughout the land.  The goal is that you and I be rightly related to God and have Christ walking among us right in our midst as the Golden Candle stick, the Church of the Living God.

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The church at Ephesus was the church age of the church at Acts, and the morning time church.  Jesus built the church.  Whenever you or I need our eyes anointed, when we hear this or that, a spirit of unbelief or report blows around, the best counsel I can give you is to go to the Acts, the epistles, the apostles.  That is how the morning time church was and how the church is.  It is our goal to be as the church was when it was built and on the day of Pentecost.

When Jesus resurrected, right before He ascended back to the Father, he was with some of the disciples and led them out of Jerusalem a ways and left them with instruction, “Tarry in Jerusalem until you be endued with power.”  The heavens opened and He ascended back to the Father.

The disciples went back to Jerusalem, and there were 120 gathered together.

Act 1:14  These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Thank God they had come through the dark day with Jesus crucified and laid in the tomb.  They got through the events with Thomas and others.  They were all there praying and reading.

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

God wants us today to all pull with the same cause of being church of God.  That takes away from all the big I’s and little you’s.  It takes away from the church bosses. 

Brother Figeroa told me he was sick and needed prayer.  He told me, “I am concerned that I do not allow this sickness in my body to cause me to lose the focus of the church of the Living God.” 

We are all thrilled that Sister Teri can go and help with her daughter and the baby.  We may not be able to go as a missionary somewhere, but every month we will have things happen where we must keep them on the altar and keep ourselves on the altar so that we don’t lose our focus of being the church of God, growing and knowing what God wants us to do, and doing it.

They were all with one accord in one place and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing… There were all sorts of people there that heard the marvelous Word of God in their own language and God moved and blessed and it was a wonderful time.

Not all were with them that were there.

Act 2:13  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

Act 2:14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

Act 2:15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

Act 2:16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Act 2:18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Act 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Act 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit were right there in this audience.  The church was in a healthy condition, the Holy Spirit of God was moving upon men and women and they asked, “What shall we do?”

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

It is so vital that we keep it real, “God I want to be pure gold.  I want to be real.  My soul demands reality.”  The heart-cry of men and women that left that horrible tomb that they were entombed in.  Without Bible salvation and sanctification, that is how life is, a tomb. 

When people allow lukewarmness or their love begins to wane, or thought patterns to develop, pretty soon the joy of the Lord is not there.  We want the presence of God real in our lives.

1Ti 4:12  Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

The reason that Paul could write this to the younger man is because this is what he had found would allow him to keep the victory in his soul.

May God help us in our word from our mouth to be an example of the believers.  Among the things that we are so challenged to do is to excel in edification and do our very best to help every brother, sister, and child that we come in contact with. 

We want to conduct ourselves as an individual that has been saved from all sin.  We have felt the fires of refinement that “this thing in our life is displeasing to God and a hindrance to ourselves or to someone else.” 

If we have a stumbling block in our life it may become a conversation piece, the best thing to do is to say, “In all of my conduct I want to be pleasing.”

We want the love of God in our conduct.  Sometimes we all know too much.  I thank God we are able to have a home and to pay taxes and our other bills.  You hear of people that live off of the system.  You saints have worked all your life and you are still paying; it doesn’t feel that it is a just deal. 

We cannot let our mind dwell on those things.  I’m mighty glad that we have electricity, and have a stove to cook on.  We might as well say, “God help us to have a thankful heart and go our way rejoicing” instead of being upset about those that live off of the system.

God help us to have a right spirit all the time instead of being upset.  Jesus walks among the golden candlestick and among the pure.

In faith:  the reason that God showed mercy was because of faith in God.  He steps in just in time over and over again.  With faith in God we can be full of good things.

In purity:  in a world that is so full of loose living and impurity, I studied of the Nicolaitans, those people were mixed up on everything.  The thing that was the big thing with them was the loose moral living.

In the Laodicean period of time, the door of time is closing and we are faced with a society that is living like the Nicolaitans did.  Immoral living, running on Easter Sunday, terrible!  Where in the world are people’s minds? 

Easter is a holiday recognized in USA and all that is involved.  Karen was in Plains and it broke her heart not seeing the people in the flower shop buying flowers, but the people in the adjacent shop buying liquor on Easter.

We are not going to change the person that is living immoral by thinking about it.  We can be the church of God, as the golden candlestick, measured, with God real in our life and an anointing of God in our life so that we can take a stand.  We don’t have to be mean when we take a stand.

We are not dealing with just time, we are dealing with eternity.  If you will check the obituaries tomorrow there will be probably someone in there younger than me.  There will probably be someone in there our daughters’ age. 

Where there is sin everything will not be just gentle.  There will be attitudes here or there, someone thinking this or that.  The goal is purity. 

1Ti 4:13  Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

They were probably reading at this time mostly the Old Testament.  Think of what we have today!

Give attendance to exhortation and to doctrine.

Christ in the midst.

Act 2:41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Act 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Stay steadfast.  Stay steadfast in doctrine.  There is no wishywashyness on doctrine.  You may have heard that so in so is not preaching this or that.  Get before God and say, “God help us to stay with the old paths.   Help us to know how to teach and preach, to testify and lift up the Word of God in its beauty.”

We need to stay in fellowship and stay clear with one another.  No one around here is inferior to someone else.  There is no special this or that one.

Act 2:43  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

Act 2:44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

Brother Rick can play the guitar like a professional.  That doesn’t mean that He is above me.  I grow good garlic but that doesn’t mean that I’m above anyone else.  There is difference in callings, in incomes, in number or children or grandchildren, but if we are to be pure gold then we must have all things common. 

You do know some things.  Your opinion counts. 

Act 2:45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Act 2:46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

Act 2:47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Praising God.  Having favor with the people.  You may wish you could reach that star over there.  There may be people that I can never reach to.  We might not be able to reach to the star but we can probably be able to get a hold of Nick.  We can reach to the little children that come to Sunday school.  We are so blessed. 

Isn’t it wonderful that Brother Turnbow came by?  I don’t know who found him, but thank God he came by.  We cannot all be Brother Maconahae or F.G. Smith or Brother Turnbow but we can all be saved and enjoy the good things of God.

Brother Gary Sunday Night 4/20/14

Brother Gary Sunday Night 4/20/14

By the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we can be made every whit whole.  Jesus asked the man, “Wilt thou be whole.”  We serve a God that can help us be whole in every way.  He can bring us up to His standard.

I began reading the story “The Hollow Man” last night and it affected me so that I dreamed of how hollow my life was.  I was headed down the broad road, so hollow and God in His mercy helped me to allow Him to get my compass set right.

Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Anything the Gospel has cost me, we are blessed for having sold it and found the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is no sorrow of the world in my heart.  What I gave up in sin I am so glad that I gave it up.  I just wish I would have gotten my eyes opened sooner.

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

We need to keep it real that Christ must be in preeminence in our life.  The beauty that He has for us, the beauty of bearing one another’s burdens, of being burdened to pray as God leads us, as He is already working.

What I have learned in living is that yes, we suffer some losses.  May God help us to have a balance to realize the losses we suffer and what we receive are nothing in comparison of what sin takes from people. 

People look at us and think, “They live a rigid life.”  We don’t.  We live a full and wonderful life.  We go wherever we want to go and have wonderful food to eat and wonderful food to drink.  When I think of what alcohol has cost our family, dear church, the grief, the heartache.  Most of you know that I had an older brother that was killed because of alcohol.  You wouldn’t be able to bear to read the story that would be written about his children. 

No one needs to tell me about what the gospel has cost us.  We have been so blessed to be saved.  Paul so well said it, “We all have lost some things because we chose to serve God but we have also gained some things.”

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Isn’t it wonderful to be rid of sin, the rags of self righteousness, and the rags we wore that were messed up because of a life of sin?  Jesus put on our sins and wore them for us that we may be made free and pure through the blood of the Lamb.

Whatever our challenge is, to be challenged is life.  Isn’t it wonderful to know that with faith in God we can be more than a conqueror in every situation?  Even when you are going through the most severe time and testing you can stay true to God because our example stayed true to God and did not lose His focus even when He was on the cross.

The heart cry of Paul was “That I may know Him.”  Oh that I may know Him.  Oh that He knows me. 

The power of His resurrection:  When I think of that tomb, they did their best to seal it and hired guards.  They did everything to try to make it secure.  When God chose for Jesus to resurrect, there was not enough sealing in the world to hold Him there.

When I think of His power to us, there will be occasions when we all will feel lukewarmness trying to hold us.  The grip of fear or injustice: oh the power of His resurrection, rising up above it to enjoy life with Him. 

The fellowship of His sufferings:  When I think of Him, one of the little boys of the congregation came to me and told me that there was a bully in His class.  Jesus understands being bullied.  When you and I feel that someone is putting pressure on us, fellowship His sufferings.  Don’t allow the compass to stick or your focus to be lost. 

He bought victory, healing, and freedom for me and left us the example, on the cross He said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

His faithfulness to our soul is a marvelous thing.  He brings us to where we are to be and we enjoy being there and then He comes again and says, “Come up a little higher.  Son or daughter I want you to learn a little here or there.  I want you to excel in edification…”

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Don’t pack yesterday. 

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The key is pressing.  We all are called to press, press forward to the prize.  Have a goal and press toward the goal.  “On to the goal keep pressing.”

Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

“This is the mind that I want you to have, if you get otherwise minded, God will reveal this unto you.”

Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Php 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

It is wonderful to have examples to follow.

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Thank God for the cross and for everyone that has a great appreciation for the cross.

Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Php 3:20  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Our conversation is in heaven:  what a challenging thought, not only our words, but our actions and our deeds.

Php 3:21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 4/20/14

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 4/20/14

Mat 28:1  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Mat 28:2  And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Mat 28:3  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

Mat 28:4  And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

Mat 28:5  And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

Mat 28:6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Mat 28:7  And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

Mat 28:8  And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Mat 28:9  And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Mat 28:10  Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

I would like to do my best to bring the thoughts of an answer to Pilate.  He asked the question, “What is truth?”  That is a question that every one of us needs to ask and find the answer to according to what the Word of God teaches.

I want all to understand how to weigh in the balance of the Word of God what truth is:  All the truth that is revealed from Matthew to Revelation is also revealed in Genesis through Malachi.

What is truth today was prophesied in the Old Testament so that we have two witnesses.  It is important that what you believe is truth, and that you know the truth.  If you know the truth the promise is that the truth will set you free.

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

This is a description of Jesus Christ and especially of His last days.  The prophet Isaiah left these prophesies so that you and I would know who the true Christ is.

There is nothing sadder in all creation than an individual with a broken heart.  There is nothing sadder than the realization that, “My dream is broken.”  Isn’t it wonderful that you don’t have to bear it all alone?  You may be disappointed in yourself or others, in the choices that you or others have made.  God doesn’t want you to bear that all your life.  His son carried our griefs and sorrows.

There are two sorrows that we are all faced with in life: the sorrow of the world, “I goofed up and I’m in trouble.”  It is a sorrow of, I really feel sorry for myself and I hope I can find someone else to feel sorry with me.

The other sorrow is Godly sorrow: that brings repentance not to be repented of. 

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Isn’t it wonderful that there is a sorrow that works good in our life.  Not the sorrow, “I failed here or there.”  But the sorrow of “I failed God, I failed His son.”  Godly sorrow works repentance.  Unless you repent there is no salvation. 

When we cry out to God with all our heart, we gain audience with Him.  He will forgive you.

You cannot have enough money or work hard enough to pay for sin.  You cannot join enough churches to pay for your sin.  It is only through the blood of Christ.  He paid for your sin.

Jesus was crucified hanging only about one foot above the earth.  While he was on the cross a soldier came by and pierced his side and out of that side came water and blood.  This was prophesied of:

Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

The cleansing fountain was opened there on Calvary.  It is the most marvelous thing in the world that for every individual, whatever their case may be, he was wounded and the blood and water came out for our sin.

He suffered the stripes.  The Roman law had it set that there could not be more than 40 stripes.  They stayed within the law and gave 39 stripes.  On the whip they used, there was a handle and a rope with a sharp object on the end.

The prophesy puts it, “The plowers plowed my back.”  It was not the little taps that a mom and dad give their children.  That is nothing compared to those stripes that Jesus suffered.  Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would give his back to the smiters. 

The stripes left him without strength and exhausted.  He suffered those stripes that we could be healed. 

God wants you well mentally and emotionally.  We have a God that knows the healings that we need.  If you have been beat up emotionally this morning then God wants you healed. 

You may be here and say, “I was never loved by my mother or father.”  Or, “My companion was unfaithful and a lot of bad things have happened.”  It is wonderful that we don’t have to go through life wounded.

The song says, “Jesus took my burden I could no longer bear; Jesus took my burden in answer to my prayer.”  They were able to write this song because they went through some things and Jesus came to their rescue.

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

This is the reason that there is no big I or little you.  Everyone went into sin and there is only one way out of it.  That is turning from our sin to Jesus and having Him forgive us and cleanse us.  Jesus gave His life an offering for our sin.

Probably it is a part of life to be betrayed.  Jesus was betrayed by his very own, the Jews.  Who should we release?  The thought was, “Release Barabbas and crucify Jesus.”

While Jesus was being mocked and scorned and abused, prior to this occasion He was in a garden called Gethsemane.  I don’t know where your secret place of prayer is but we stress because Jesus stressed, “Have a closet to pray in.” 

It is not the thought of having a literal closet, which wouldn’t be wrong.  But have a place where you can get alone and pray to God.  When you get to that secret place of prayer, learn how to close the door, shut your mind down to all the cares and pleasures of this life and say, “God I want to talk to you and I want you to talk to me.”  I want to not just usher up requests, I want to hear from you.

Jesus prayed earnestly and diligently in the garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus had asked his disciples to pray with him and they fell asleep.  He prayed, “Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me.”  He prayed again and again.  Then He said, “Never the less, not my will, but thy will be done.”

Jesus didn’t have to go to the cross; He chose to go to the cross to buy salvation for you and me.  He could have called 12 legions of angels (Matt 26:53).  Legions varied in numbers from 4200 to 6000.  He was saying, “I could have called 50 to 70 thousand angels.”

The stripes were followed by a mock crown, a crown of thorns.  The commentators believe that Jesus wore this crown of thorns even to the cross.  He is worthy to be crowned king and Lord in every one of our lives.  He is worthy for us to say, “All I have is because of thee.  I don’t even want a crown.”

He was mocked.  He was mocked because of me.  This man from heaven, Jesus, was stripped of His clothes and they robbed him in garments of scarlet because he took on those rags of our life of sin.  For however long he wore them, “Come now and let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow.”

He bore my sins.  While John lived I never forgot my sin.  He had a memory like an elephant.  From childhood to the day I got saved, any sin he knew about he remembered and felt his responsibility to keep me reminded of my life of sin. 

He bore our sin, and put on that scarlet robe not for himself, He knew no sin.

Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

When we confess and repent, it is not saying, “I’m sorry that I did that; help me to get what I want.”  That is not repenting.  We must confess those sins to God.  When we do then several things begin to take place. 

Because you and I are the ones confessing then He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin.  You know when they are gone, that heartache and burden of sin is gone.  From the record book all the sin that you have done is blotted out.  Your name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. 

The Lamb’s Book of Life is in heaven.  He takes your and my sin and casts them as far as the east is from the west, an immeasurable distance.  He goes further and says that He will bury our sin in the depths of the sea. 

They spit in His face.  They beat on Him with a stick.  Then they gave Him a reed as a scepter.  A scepter is a wonderful thing, they gave him an old stick but he is the King of kings.

Hebrews 1:8 the scepter of the Lord Jesus Christ is a scepter of righteousness.  He will always be righteous and fair with every single one of us.  He will not put on us more than we can bear or tell our heartache.  He has a scepter of righteousness.

Jesus Christ took all of this and then he was given a cross to carry to the top of Calvary.  Simeon was compelled to help Him carry the cross.

In the Roman Government they would have given Him a sedative so that He would not fell the pain.  He wouldn’t take it.  They made a mixture and put gall in it and when He recognized what it was, He said no.  He wanted to feel all the suffering and He did it for us.

They laid the cross down and laid him on the cross and the nails went into His hands and into His feet.  They put up the inscription, “This is the king of the Jews.”  After He was nailed to the cross, they lifted it and I can almost sense and hear and feel the thud as the cross went into the hole.

History tells us that Jesus was crucified about 9 in the morning and not long after that Jesus said, “Father, forgive them.”

If you have been trespassed in your life, if you hold a grudge, then you are always in bondage.  If you forgive, then you are free from that bondage of being trespassed.

The thieves: one said, if thou be the Christ save us and thyself.  Jesus said to the other, “Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”

Some of the crowd continued to mock Him but Jesus kept His focus in His most trying hour.  Pray for me.  I want to keep my focus.  I want to keep the focus of serving God and doing His will.  Jesus kept His focus in His most trying hour.

While he was on the cross, Jesus spoke to His mother, “Behold your son.”  Then Jesus asked John to take care of His mother. 

At 12 noon it became extremely dark and it lasted 3 hours.  During all that was going on, the Father was there watching.  At a crucial moment, the Father couldn’t stand to watch his son anymore and Jesus said, “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me.”

Jesus thirsted: He who made the rivers.  He who was and is the river of life thirsted.  They gave Him vinegar to drink.  Jesus said, “It is finished.”  The complete plan was accomplished. 

Never again would man be able to pierce His hands.  He did it once.  Never again would there be a crown of thorns on His head.  Never again would man need to look for a savior.  The blood had been spilt. 

For every little child that hungers, a child has a compass that points toward God.  Sometimes people’s compass gets hung up on something.  You know why they can sing and play so well?  That compass was pointed toward God. 

There is something in every one of us that lets us know when we are off course.  God helps me to know when I’m off course, “Why don’t you look at the compass Gary?  Well yes.”

Jesus said, “I willingly commend my Spirit back to God.”  He said, “I am the sacrifice.”

The price has been paid.  If you need to pray you are welcome to come to the public altar, not a place of embarrassment but a place to be reconciled to God.  Make covenant with God if He is speaking with you this morning.  “I’m going to do everything necessary to know I’ve made my calling and election sure.”