Which Voice?

God's Voice... Satan's Voice....
-Stills you -Rushes you
-Leads you -Pushes you
-Reassures you -Frightens you
-Enlightens you -Confuses you
-Encourages you -Discourages you
-Comforts you -Worries you
-Calms you -Obsesses you
-Convicts you -Condemns you

Forsake Me Not

O, forsake me not, Thou ever faithful,
Though to try me Thou Thy face dost hide;
Till I bear Thy likeness and impression,
Purge me as the gold is purified!
--Zion's Harp #182 vs. 14

Have you ever felt that God has forsaken you?

Perhaps He is only "hiding His face," as the hymn writer says, to try your faith.
All His efforts and desires in our behalf are for the purpose of purifying us as gold so that we can reflect "His likeness and impression."

Take courage in His promise: "...for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Take Him at His Word. Believe His Word is true, even when you cannot "feel" it. Such faith in Him will make the Word true in your life.

We Shall Not Be Moved

"God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early" --Psalm 46:2, 3, 5

"Shall not be moved"--what an inspiring declaration!

Can it be possible that we, who are so easily moved by the things of earth, can arrive at a place where nothing can upset us or disturb our calm? Yes, it is possible; and the Apostle Paul knew it. When he was on his way to Jerusalem where he foresaw that "bonds and afflictions" awaited him, he could say triumphantly, "But none of these things move me." Everything in Paul's life and experience that could be shaken had been shaken, and he no longer counted his life, or any of life's possessions, dear to him.

And we, if we will but let God have His way with us, may come to the same place, so that neither the fret and tear of little things of life, nor the great and heavy trials, can have power to move us from the peace that passeth understanding, which is declared to be the portion of those who have learned to rest only on God.
--Excerpt: Streams in the Desert

The Hidden Boundary

There is a time, we know not when,
A point we know not where,
That marks the destiny of men
To glory or despair.

There is a line by us unseen,
That crosses every path;
The hidden boundary between
God's patience and his wrath.

To pass that limit is to die--
To die as if by stealth;
It does not quench the beaming eye
Or pale the glow of health.

The conscience may be still at ease,
The spirit blithe and gay;
That which pleases still may please,
And care be thrust away.

But on that forehead God has set,
Indelibly a mark,
Unseen by men, for men as yet
Are blind and in the dark.

Oh, where is this mysterious bourne
By which each path is crossed?
Beyond which God himself hath sworn
That he who goes is lost?

How far may we go on in sin?
How long will God forbear?
Where does hope end, and where begin
The confines of despair?

The answer from the skies is sent,
'Ye that from God depart,
While it is called today, repent,
And harden not your heart!'"

--Dr. Joseph Addison Alexander

Scoffers

...there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
And saying,
'Where is the promise of his coming?
for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.'
--II Peter 3:3-4

The scoffers who question the return of the Lord are themselves proof of the truth of His Word.

Even those who do not believe in Him fulfill His Word.

Made Pure by His Righteousness

And we have to say it's not altogether easy - in a world where people do not believe and will not accept and live a life of self-denial. It is not altogether easy. However, it is possible. God has provided a way that His people can live a life that is sinless and that's what we are expected to do. To live a life that is sinless.

The very fact that Jesus died upon the cross to forgive our sins and to pay the debt is only half of the story. The other half of the story is that He changes our hearts to that extent that we are free from sin and do not sin. And we cannot say that we are a virgin in the Spirit and expect to be a Bride of Christ unless we are free from sin and the desire to sin. And therefore have been reborn.

And so, beloved ones, in baptism, we stand at the baptismal waters and make this promise to God that we will be faithful and true unto Him until death. What does that mean? It means we are engaged to Him - to take part of this wedding on Judgment Day. And He is not going to wed anyone that is not pure in heart. And so we are made pure by His righteousness in baptism and we should be thankful and glad unto God.

Again, I should say, that it is possible. We hear it sometimes said that people will say that it is impossible to go through this life and live a sinless life. I will agree that it is impossible for the unconverted person. We all experienced that. All of us have made that experience in the day of our ... when we were yet unconverted, we were not able to do those things which we knew we should. But it wasn't until we found this humility, it wasn't until we came to this knowledge of the Lord, that the Lord cleansed us of these things and then, by His grace, were we able.

But let us fear lest we still will come short of these things.
--Sermon Excerpt: Elder Bro. L.H.

We Shall Not Be Moved

"God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early" (Ps. 46:2, 3, 5)

"Shall not be moved"--what an inspiring declaration! Can it be possible that we, who are so easily moved by the things of earth, can arrive at a place where nothing can upset us or disturb our calm?

Yes, it is possible; and the Apostle Paul knew it. When he was on his way to Jerusalem where he foresaw that "bonds and afflictions" awaited him, he could say triumphantly, "But none of these things move me." Everything in Paul's life and experience that could be shaken had been shaken, and he no longer counted his life, or any of life's possessions, dear to him.

And we, if we will but let God have His way with us, may come to the same place, so that neither the fret and tear of little things of life, nor the great and heavy trials, can have power to move us from the peace that passeth understanding, which is declared to be the portion of those who have learned to rest only on God.

Should I Keep Silence?

Thou cam'st to us from Thy throne in the heavens
To bear for us our sins and ev'ry grievance,
For us to die and unto all creation
To bring salvation.

This hast Thou done, Lord, and should I keep silence?
O let Thy love constrain me to bear witness
That Thou, my Lord and God, hast brought redemption
From sin's oppression.

--Zion's Harp #232 vs. 3-4

Our Duty as God's Children

Never forget, brothers and sisters, one thing that becomes our duty as children of God, that we owe to the world, we owe to our children, to our neighbors, to our friends, all of our associates ... and that is - a Godly light. That the Light of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, can shine through us and might illuminate their souls.

That's one thing that we owe - one thing that we are obligated to do - that we walk circumspectly, that we are a witness and a light and an example.

Woe unto the brother or sister who becomes a stumbling block to his brother or sister or friend or neighbor. It's a serious matter.

And still people are bound, I believe, as never before, with a desire, an ambition to convert the world. They're taking every method and, I'm sorry to say, we are getting further and further away from the true teachings of our Lord and Saviour. It's a pity and it's a shame.
--Sermon Excerpt: Elder Bro. S.A.