Jurassic Park; Yes or No?

http://hishiddenvoice.livejournal.com/3369.html

Itinerary
Pastoral Prayer: Lindsay Lagasse
Special Music: Lebanon County Youth Chorus
Sermon: Lindsay Lagasse
Closing Prayer: Danielle Plomaritas


Welcome Worship

Father, we sit before You, souls filthy with sin. This week has been painful and joyful, tempting and righteous. It is only by Your majestic grace that we can see the light of another day. Our every breath is a gift from You, and we are so grateful for that. You've guided us loyally along life's paths, and we pray You hold our hand now. Speak through me so that those reading may be blessed. In Your holy and merciful Name, AMEN.

Let All Things Now Living: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpMCE1G3N7Q&feature=related


Sermon

I will be away for Thanksgiving week so no sermon will be presented. The song, you may have noticed, is a song of thanks. I encourage everyone to listen to it (or sing it) on Thanksgiving, because He is what we must be thankful for above all things.

I have a small testimony here. Every week I go through a panic, wondering if the Lord will impress upon me what my sermon should be on. He always shines through, but I go through the same stress every week. Normally I pray every morning, and He'll eventually give me a subtle push to what my topic should be. Well, this week I prayed once. My busy schedule did not stop me from doing my morning and evening prayers, but they distracted me enough that I'd never think to actually pray about my coming sermon. I was sitting in English class, barely listening to Ms. May, when I realized I still had no topic. I like to have my topic planned a week in advance, but here it was Monday and I hadn't given the sermon a thought. So, I prayed right there in class. My eyes hadn't even opened yet before I heard the music of inspiration. "Ms. May, what about dinosaurs?" The class has apparently gotten onto the topic of the Bible (as if always does), and now the Anthonys were showing curiosity...or just trying to fluster the teacher, I don't know. Ms. May, a devote Christian, thought for a moment before looking away and saying "Next question?" real eagerly. I went to answer their ignored question, and realized that I couldn't find the right words to spread some truth. And that is when it hit me; sermon time!

Anyone here a fan of Jurassic Park? I am...okay, more than a fan. If not for being a Christian, I would probably choose Michael Crichton as a god of all things. But he is just a man...a wonderful man. Anyway, before I get myself in trouble here, many may know that before Jurassic Park (published in 1990, movie created in 1993), dinosaurs were a pretty bland subject. They were the creatures for children's minds, and if it went past that, then the people who liked them were nerds. But Jurassic Park made dinosaurs popular. It made them cool. But, now that everyone was a dinosaur fan, Christians and critics began to ask questions. "Hey, this Bible here, there ain't no dinosaurs. I think the book of all knowledge would mention some giant lizard that tromped the lands! Mustn't be true. Gosh darnit, I've been followin' a bunch of lies here." Dinosaurs became the biggest argument in favor of paganism. Athiests would walk on up to a Christian and be like "Where's the dinosaurs? Bible doesn't mention them, stupid." This would cause the Christian to lock up, not knowing the answer. The athiest would walk away, pleased, and the Christian would sulk, crestfallen and doubtful. Darn you, Jurassic Park (I love you)!

Now onto the part that will lift you, my Brothers and Sisters! Dinosaurs are actually mentioned in the Bible! You just need to know what to look for. The Bible refers to many the common animals we know today. The list includes lions, wolves, bears, sheep, cattle and dogs along with various kinds of birds, rodents, reptiles, and insects. What is interesting is that this extensive list includes three animals that we no longer recognize. These three are (in the original Hebrew language) tanniyn, b@hemowth (yes, it’s spelled correctly—at least as close as we can get in Roman characters), and livyathan. Most people would just brush off those names, but we mustn't do so. They're important! Nothing in the Bible is there "just because'. God knew what debates would come up long before you and I were born. He gave us the information needed to justify our beliefs and honor Him, we just need to do a little digging to find His hidden messages.

Although we alter the spelling of behemoth and Leviathan slightly, we still use those same words in Bibles today. However, tanniyn is always translated into another word when we write it in English. Tanniyn occurs 28 times in the Bible and is normally translated “dragon.” It is also translated “serpent,” “sea monster,” “dinosaur,” “great creature,” and “reptile.” Behemoth and Leviathan are relatively specific creatures-- perhaps each was a single kind of animal. Tanniyn is a more general term, and it can be thought of as the original version of the word “dinosaur.” The word “dinosaur” was originally coined in 1841, more than three thousand years after the Bible first referred to “Tanniyn.” To make things clearer, I found the following table comparing the scientific names with the Biblical names tanniyn, behemoth, and Leviathan.

In 1822, Mary Ann Mantell became the first person to discover and correctly identify a strange bone as part of a large, unknown reptile. Her husband, Dr. Gideon Mantell, later named this creature an “Iguanodon.” From that time forward, these forgotten animals were given names chosen by the people who rediscovered them. Of course, the Bible, written between approximately 1450 BC and 95 AD, does not include any of these names.

Reading the Bible carefully, you will realize that no living creature matches the descriptions of behemoth and Leviathan. However, if you grab your kid’s dinosaur book, you will notice several possible matches for each one. Let’s examine those:

Behemoth has the following attributes according to Job 40:15-24

• It "eats grass like an ox"


• It "moves its tail like a cedar" (In Hebrew, this literally reads, “he lets hang his tail like a cedar.”)


• Its “bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron.”


• “He is the first of the ways of God.”


• “He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh.”

Some bibles and study bibles will translate the word “behemoth” as “elephant” or “hippopotamus.” Others will put a note at the edge or bottom of the page, stating that behemoth was probably an elephant or a hippopotamus. Although an elephant or hippopotamus can eat grass (or lie in a covert of reeds and marsh), neither an elephant or a hippopotamus has a “tail like a cedar” (that is, a tail like a large, tapered tree trunk). In your kid’s dinosaur book you will find lots of animals that have “tails like a cedar.”

We would expect behemoth to be a large land animal whose bones are like beams of bronze and so forth, so whatever a behemoth is, it is large. A key phrase is “He is the first of the ways of God.” This phrase in the original Hebrew implied that behemoth was the biggest animal created. Although an elephant or a hippopotamus are big, they are less than one-tenth the size of a Brachiosaurus, the largest (complete) dinosaur ever discovered. A Brachiosaurus could therefore easily be described as “the first of the ways of God.”

Comparing all this information to the description in your kid’s dinosaur book, you may come to the conclusion that “behemoth” is not a normal animal, it is a dinosaur—the brachiosaurus. I agree with that conclusion!

Leviathan has the following attributes according to Job chapter 41, Psalm 104:25,26 and Isaiah 27:1. This is only a partial listing—just enough to make the point.

• “No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.”


• “Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around?”


• “His rows of scales are his pride, shut up tightly as with a seal; one is so near another that no air can come between them; they are joined one to another, they stick together and cannot be parted.”


• “His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lights; sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke goes out of his nostrils, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.”


• “Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; nor does spear, dart, or javelin. He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; slingstones become like stubble to him. Darts are regarded as straw; he laughs at the threat of javelins.


• “On earth there is nothing like him, which is made without fear.”


• Leviathan “played” in the “great and wide sea” (a paraphrase of Psalm 104 verses 25 and 26—get the exact sense by reading them yourself).


• Leviathan is a “reptile that is in the sea.” (Isaiah 27:1)

Unlike behemoth, who is huge, Leviathan is ferocious and terrifying. Many references (I have not listed them all) refer to the sea, so Leviathan is probably a sea creature. Although some Bibles refer to Leviathan as an alligator or crocodile (and both of these are fierce) neither of these is a sea creature. They like the water, but they spend much of their time on land. Further, the question “Who can open the doors of his face. . . .” implies that nobody can open Leviathan’s jaws. Although an alligator's jaws cannot normally be forced open, a punch to their sensitive snout or poke in eye might startle them enough to release their grip.[2] Although this is a good description of an alligator characteristic, it does not fit perfectly with the description of Leviathan, which in the context of the Bible was supposed to describe an essentially impossible event.

The description of the scales is interesting. Several verses describe these great scales. Compared to Leviathan’s armor, iron is like straw and arrows ca not make it flee. Let’s face it, an arrow can do a lot of damage to a crocodile or alligator. This is not a description of either of them—or any living animal we are aware of.

And now for the key ingredient: fire. It is hard to read Job 41:18-21 without realizing the Bible is telling us that Leviathan breathes fire. That alone will eliminate almost every living animal. Yes, there is one animal like that in today’s world. It is called a bombardier beetle. This beetle is a native of Central America, and has a nozzle in its hind end that acts like a little flame thrower. It sprays a high-temperature jet of gas (fueled by hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxide with oxidative enzymes) for protection. Now, if a Central American beetle can do it, so could Leviathan. By the way, crocodiles and alligators are out of the picture on this one, don’t you agree?

Before we leave the topic of fire, there are two more notes you may find interesting:

• The history of every culture is filled with stories of fire-breathing dragons. If you think about it, in all the past ages wouldn’t someone have made up a story of a fire-breathing lion or something? Nobody did because the dragon stories are based on truth, and only “dragons” breathed fire. It is easy to imagine Leviathan as a member of the dragon (tanniyn) family. (Plus, Isaiah 27:1 strongly implies this connection.)


• Many fossil dinosaur skulls contain unexplained, empty passages. Scientists have not been able to guess the reason for these passages. Would it make sense that some dinosaurs used these passages as “gas tanks” for the combustible mixture used to “breathe fire?” I believe it does.

Comparing all this information to the description in your kid’s dinosaur book, you may come up with the conclusion that Leviathan is a kronosaurus.

Once humans are in the Bible, we unconsciously think that dinosaurs were extinct—and therefore not mentioned in the Bible. As you have just seen, the Bible not only refers to dinosaurs, but has detailed information about two of them.

Unfortunately, our public school system and the media have convinced us that dinosaurs were extinct at least 60 million years before man appeared on earth. They have done such a good job in this area that we can not imagine people and dinosaurs living at the same time. The fact is that dinosaurs were created no more than one day before mankind, not many millions of years earlier. Carbon-14 Date is how fossils are seemingly "aged".

"When a scientist’s interpretation of data does not match the clear meaning of the text in the Bible, we should never reinterpret the Bible. God knows just what He meant to say, and His understanding of science is infallible, whereas ours is fallible. So we should never think it necessary to modify His Word. Genesis 1 defines the days of creation to be literal days (a number with the word “day” always means a normal day in the Old Testament, and the phrase “evening and morning” further defines the days as literal days). Since the Bible is the inspired Word of God, we should examine the validity of the standard interpretation of 14C dating." Mike Riddle (http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/does-c14-disprove-the-bible)

A critical assumption used in carbon-14 dating has to do with this ratio. It is assumed that the ratio of 14C to 12C in the atmosphere has always been the same as it is today (1 to 1 trillion). If this assumption is true, then the AMS 14C dating method is valid up to about 80,000 years. Beyond this number, the instruments scientists use would not be able to detect enough remaining 14C to be useful in age estimates. This is a critical assumption in the dating process. If this assumption is not true, then the method will give incorrect dates. What could cause this ratio to change? If the production rate of 14C in the atmosphere is not equal to the removal rate (mostly through decay), this ratio will change. In other words, the amount of 14C being produced in the atmosphere must equal the amount being removed to be in a steady state (also called “equilibrium”). If this is not true, the ratio of 14C to 12C is not a constant, which would make knowing the starting amount of 14C in a specimen difficult or impossible to accurately determine. Dr. Willard Libby, the founder of the carbon-14 dating method, assumed this ratio to be constant. His reasoning was based on a belief in evolution, which assumes the earth must be billions of years old. Assumptions in the scientific community are extremely important. If the starting assumption is false, all the calculations based on that assumption might be correct but still give a wrong conclusion. In Dr. Libby’s original work, he noted that the atmosphere did not appear to be in equilibrium. This was a troubling idea for Dr. Libby since he believed the world was billions of years old and enough time had passed to achieve equilibrium. Dr. Libby’s calculations showed that if the earth started with no 14C in the atmosphere, it would take up to 30,000 years to build up to a steady state (equilibrium).

If the cosmic radiation has remained at its present intensity for 20,000 or 30,000 years, and if the carbon reservoir has not changed appreciably in this time, then there exists at the present time a complete balance between the rate of disintegration of radiocarbon atoms and the rate of assimilation of new radiocarbon atoms for all material in the life-cycle. Dr. Libby chose to ignore this discrepancy (nonequilibrium state), and he attributed it to experimental error. However, the discrepancy has turned out to be very real. The ratio of 14C /12C is not constant.

Did I have any of you going? Did anyone think those C14, equilibrium words were my own? If so, you need to get to know me better! Mike Riddle (http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/does-c14-disprove-the-bible) wrote all that. I am just barely surviving Pre-AP Chemistry. The only thing I know is Carbon Dating is extremely inaccurate. If you are able to comprehend all the Chemistry, please consider reading the full article by Mike Riddle. I did...but it sort of hurt my brain. I got the basic idea, though. More C14 is always being created. That wasn't what was thought when Carbon Dating first began. So, all the numbers and predictions we got from that process are inaccurate. The world, scientists are beginning to realize, is a very VERY young planet.

Closing Prayer
Lord, You say in Your Word, that we have not because we ask not. So we are asking: give us believing hearts. Give us the "want to" : To make YOU the authority in our lives, to follow and believe Your Word regardless of what culture or man says, and to dig in to tough questions like the origin of life that You have provided answers for if we look. Lord, help us above all to run after You more each day and to love Your most prized creation, other people, to draw them to ultimately to You. Thank You for the beauty and complexity of Your creation, and help us to honor You. Amen.

You Are What You Eat

http://hishiddenvoice.livejournal.com/3103.html

Itinerary

Pastoral Prayer: Lindsay Lagasse

Special Music: Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (this copy is by LightofChrist02 on Youtube)

Sermon: Lindsay Lagasse

Closing Prayer: Lindsay Lagasse



Welcome Worship

Father Above, oh the mercy you pour upon us! We stand before You, unworthy of the grace You bestow! Our works will never be good enough to make our way into Heaven, only by Your all merciful love can we join You in Your Kingdom. This week has been another one of pain for mankind on earth, and temptation has prevailed. Only You can guide us past the hurt and the sin, lead us to You, Father. As we settle down for this week's end, we pray the words written here will be a blessing to all who witness. In Christ's Name we pray, AMEN.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3e95vb3KMA



Sermon

Jesus, our only joy be thou. We need not partake in worldly things, just to find comfort in this dangerous world. Your face brightens our paths, and Your merciful hand guides us. And yet, we still sink into the tastes of the world. Those few things You have advised against, we continue to relish. The flesh of a swine, the tainted grape, both have been specifically pointed out in the Bible. The Lord knows that pig is bad for the health of our body (temple for Christ), and alcohol--even the smallest sip--fogs the mind, thus destroying connection to the Almighty.



The original diet did not, of course, include flesh. It was the Garden of Eden! No one died, and this includes animals! It is not like the Garden of Eden in the Simpsons, where Homer is Adam and strips bacon off the pig, and the pig doesn't mind. No, you have to kill to get flesh, and that was not permitted (or even comprehended) at that time. "And God said, 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food'" Genesis 1:29.



There's no clearer way for me to display what is considered clean or unclean, then by simply quoting Leviticus 11. "Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth: Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat. Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you. ‘These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat. But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you. They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales—that shall be an abomination to you. ‘And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, the kite, and the falcon after its kind; every raven after its kind, the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind; the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture; the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. ‘All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you. ‘By these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening; whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening: The carcass of any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean. And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening. Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you. ‘These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. Anything on which any of them falls, when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is, in which any work is done, it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean. Any earthen vessel into which any of them falls you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean: in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean. And everything on which a part of any such carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you. Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean. And if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean. But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you. ‘And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening. He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. ‘And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten. Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination. You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them. For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. ‘This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’”



I know that's a lot, but there's a lot of guideline to follow! Another thing I know is that, if you're like me, reading too much on one topic causes that topic to become moot. So, I think there's no better way to leave the topic of flesh, than with those words of the Father. But meat is not the only thing He suggests against to maintain a healthy temple for Christ. The fermented grape raises a lot of speculation. Now, a lot of what I write here will be quotes from Doug Batchelor's book called "The Christian and Alcohol", so assume that for all quotations (unless I note them to be from elsewhere, of course).



Paul Harvey says "Tests show that after drinking three bottles of beer, there is an average of 13 percent net memory loss. After taking only small quantities of alcohol, trained typists were tested and their errors increased 40 percent. Only one ounce of alcohol increases the time required to make a decision by nearly 10 percent; hinders muscular reaction by 17 percent; increases errors due to lack of attention by 35 percent by and 60 percent due to lack of muscular coordination." Now, whether you're a Christian or not, shouldn't this be reason enough for you to stop drinking? Unfortuntaly, it isn't for most. Some Christians turn to the Bible, see Jesus drinking wine, and considerate it okay. What they don't take into account, however, is that our modern day English versions are all translations from Hebrew-- and rough translations at that. Like when the Bible says "meat", on some accounts, that just means food. Same goes with the crude translation of wine.



To discuss that further, I must point out that in the original Hebrew Bible, there are two seperate words that got translated to wine in our English editions. The first word is tỉyrộsh. This word can be defined as new unfermented wine. During the story of Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding (in addition to a number of other stories), the term tỉyrộsh is used, thus saying that the water was turned into grape juice. The other word, the word used for fermented wine, is yayin. This term is used in stories like the one of Lot and his daughters. They trick Lot into drinking yayin, and he becomes drunk. This drunkedness causes bad judgement, so he has intercourse with both his daughters. And then there's the little known story of Noah. "The first reference to wine is found in Genesis when Noah, after the Flood, created the original fermented grape juice. "Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent" (Genesis 9:21). The sad record is that Noah drank and stumbled around naked and shamefully exposed himself to his sons. This first experiment with a new drug ended with a scathing curse falling on Noah's posterity."



"Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: 'They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?' " (Proverbs 23:31-35).



So much devastation is caused by alcohol in our community, on the roads and in homes, that this is hardly a bold or surprising statement. Indeed, even if the Bible were silent on the subject, the object lessons of devastation from a thousand years of history would still be crystal clear. But the Scriptures say plenty. Jeremiah said God would make "bottles of wine" freely available to destroy the nation (Jeremiah 13:12-15). How true is this in our own country, with advertising directed at our youngest and most vulnerable citizens!



Much of what is here today are not my own words, this I freely admit. But with my heart so strongly convincted on such a subject, how could I find words clear enough to display the importance of such a topic? It is true what they say, that you are what you eat. God wants you to be successful and happy, and He has given you the guidelines to do so. Will you listen?



Closing Prayer: Father above, our lives are lead by the world. We have forgotten what it is You have desired for us. Every suggestion You give is for better reasoning. Only You know for sure what will keep our minds clear and bodies healthy. We pray that You give us the will to follow the guidelines You've so graciously given. And as we face this coming week, filled with temptations and evil, we pray You keep our mind clear so that our actions may be to Your pleasure and joy. In Christ's name we pray, AMEN.

A Hand to Hold

http://hishiddenvoice.livejournal.com/

Pastoral Prayer: God through Lindsay Lagasse

Special Music: Emmanuel Quartet

Sermon: God's voice through the fingers of Lindsay Lagasse

Closing Prayer: God through Natalie Updike



Pastoral Prayer: Father, we call upon You here today to sit with us as we dive deeper into what it means to trust You. This world, we have learned, will always let us down, but You are stronger than the world. Your promises are stronger than steel, and we are so grateful for the assurance that Your word is solid. Without that guarantee, so many of us would fall farther from The Promise, the eternal life You are so graciously giving us. In everything we do, we fall short of You, Lord, but we know Your heart is merciful and will forgive. Thank you, Father. We ask now for You to sit with us and grant us the wisdom and will to drink in all You have given for us to learn today. In Christ's ever-merciful name, AMEN.



Special Music: Twenty-Three by the Emmanuel Quartet- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0T3sTIf7oE

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
--Isaiah 40:31

Brothers and Sisters, let me tell you a story. It is a story about a girl and her conflict between trusting man and trusting God. She was born into a Catholic home to two devoted parents. They raised her to be a loving Christian Soldier. For her family, she was a Christian through and through. They didn't know what those at school knew. She was not a Christian, but rather a worshiper of people. Her trust lay fully in the hands of her peers. This lead to many betrayals, but none very big. A man came into her life, and she trusted him despite their great difference in age. But he hurt her unintentionally, teaching her that humans were not to be trusted. Instead of turning back to God, she remained alone in life with trust for no one. Suicide often crossed her mind, and she attempted on countless occasions. But then she was lead to God and finally, she was happy again. But another adult male entered her life and fought hard for her trust. They were the best of friends, telling each other every secret. But, as could be expected, the man broke the trust that he had formed with her. The going got tough, and he did what he said he'd never do; he "left" her. The girl was devastated. How could she fall for the trick again? This was too much, the betrayal of both older men. She fell into a depression again, and the thoughts of suicide returned. This time, however, there was a difference. She wasn't alone in the journey. Her trust was not all lost, for God still stood loyally by her. Even though the going was excruciatingly painful, He stayed with her. The depression soon wore away, for the little girl realized that, though man will never keep their promises made, God will. She had something solid to turn to.

That little girl, was me. God knew that only through my trials could I learn to lean on Him. But, He was not so cold as to give me no one. My parents were there for me, and probably the only reason I kept breathing with a willingness to survive before I knew the Father Above. And, of course, I had my friends and teachers, who are priceless gems to me. But I was blind to their kindness when the pain had set in. My trust in God was tested, and only because I held firm to Him did I make it through.

You may ask why I dove down so deep into my own personal affairs. Who cares, right? The past is past, I am a firm believer in that. The point was to show you the lesson I learned. Trials happen, but every single one is set to teach you a lesson. Though they may have specific lessons engraved in them for you to learn, the big picture is simple; God wants you to trust Him. Only if you do, can you have the relationship with Him that is a necessity to obtaining the Kingdom in the End Time. As the Bible passage, Isaiah 40:31, states: "They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint". Only God can make that promise, and keep it. Any trial, no matter how hard it seems, can be overcome. We can do all things through Christ our Lord and Savior (Philippians 4:13).

Maybe you trust the Father, but you know someone who is hurting. If you trust in the Lord, do good (Psalm 37:3). "As you prayerfully befriend them, God can heal their hurts. Trust, after all, can make all the difference in the world" (Nature in a Nutshell; Daily Devotions for Juniors).

I want to end with Mark 11:22-24:
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Trust the Father with every fiber of your being, and nothing will be impossible to you. In times of need, when it seems all of humanity has betrayed you, God will always give you His hand to hold.

Closing Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help us to surrender our will unto You, the Author and Finisher of our faith, in order for You to replace it with Your undefiable will. Help us to glorify You through trials knowing that they are the testing of our faith in You. We surrender all of our doubt at Your throne, knowing that You will comfort us with Your everlasting arms and supply in abundance. In Your beautiful name Lord Jesus, Amen!

Say This, Do That

http://hishiddenvoice.livejournal.com/2634.html
Pastoral Prayer: Lindsay Lagasse
Special Music: Stacie Orrico
Sermon: Lindsay Lagasse
Closing Prayer: Don Besig (http://www.faithsound.com/a_closing_prayer.asp)

Pastoral Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we bow our heads before You today, we know our prayers are heard. Never do You ignore the call of Your children, even if those children have gone astray. Those that seek shall surely find, this we can be assured. We know that we fall short of You and need Your ever bountiful mercy. Father, let the words you’ve given me words that we all need to hear. As my pastor says, we shall not preach unless we are preaching to ourselves. All of us need You, and we all pray you give us the power to take the one step towards You that draws You running with open arms of acceptance.

Special Music: http://www.youtube.com/user/AngelaWho#p/u/12/vGnV1ItpwQo

Brothers and Sisters, I give no “main quote” or “starter verse” today. The topic I have been impressed to cover is lead forth by many words given by our Almighty Father. It is a topic that many of us will feel hit home; hypocrisy. It’s a foul concept that, as Christians, we can not afford to express. However, we do, and a great many are pushed away because of it.

Christians are actors, in the eyes of those we must save. I can witness to that, for it is the very reason I have been a Christian for only two of my seventeen living years. We grow up in a church where the images are perfect; the people around us worship with joyful smiles and kind eyes. But once the sanctuary walls are passed, foul language and sin blacken the perfect image.

When we first begin, we, of course, aim to be the better human. We pray with a whole heart, minds open to the word of the Father. We’re young and innocent; the world’s horrors have not yet set us in unchristian ways. God is good and the world is overtaken by rainbows. We have no reason to doubt, no trials to wobble our faith.

And so we’re happy for this time, lost in a perfect world where God exists, but Satan is nothing but a legend to scare children into good behavior. We’re old enough to know right from wrong, but we’ve never questioned the path of righteousness. All we know is God’s love and mercy, for He has shielded us from Lucifer’s forbidden ways.

As the first trial is laid in place, we hang tight to the hand of the Father. Our faith is only mildly shaken by the unfortunate turn in events, but not enough to draw concern. As the trial, topped with more of it’s kind, remain strongly fighting the light in our hearts, we begin to weaken. God exists, but now Satan does too. Perhaps we begin to think that the Devil is stronger than God because, seemingly, he’s overpowered our Father. He had to do so in order for all this junk to be piled into our lives, right? What a dangerous thought. One that so many, myself included, fall to.

As a last resort, we turn to our church family for support, only to find out that once the church is not in sight, the people are just like the rest of the world we live in; sinful. What a devastating revelation to someone who is already questioning their faith. And so we walk away from God, angry at Him, or simply no-longer believing.

“There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death” Proverbs 14:12. And it’s true. If we go down the path to destruction, we obviously think it is right. Satan makes it almost undeniably perfect, tempting by every means. He makes it appear as if his way is better than God’s way, and man believe him because they see all the other Christians doing it and surviving. There used to be a group of kids in Germany called “swing kids”. The Wikipedia definition is “The Swing Kids were a group of jazz and Swing lovers in Germany of the 1930s, mainly in Hamburg and Berlin. They were composed of 14 to 18 year old boys and girls in high school, most of them middle or upper class students, but some apprentice workers as well. They sought the British and American way of life, defining themselves in Swing music, and opposing the National-Socialist ideology, especially the Hitlerjugend.” I watched a movie in German class, called “Swing Kids”, and it instantly made me think of hypocritical Christians. What happened on numerous occasions was a swing kid would join the Hitler young by day, and remain a swing kid by night. They convinced themselves they would live the evil way of life to impress the Hitler army, but that they could continue their rebellion by night. In other words, their daytime activities were hypocritical against their nighttime beliefs. Well, they couldn’t do it. On many, if not all occasions, the twofaced teens would slowly fall away from the swing kids way of life. The dark lord beckoned them, and though they tried to resist, they’d eventually go over to his side. This is like a Christian who tries to live in a life of both Godly and worldly pleasures. Eventually the Godly way will melt away; sin will win because it’s human nature.

How could you know God, say you love Him, and then live in worldly sin? Some may wander away, then give up because they think God hates a hypocrite so He hates them. Well, yes and no. Okay, God does hate sin. But have you ever heard the phrase “God hates the sin, but loves the sinner”. It is true. Completely true. Why else would He send His only begotten son to die for us? We were sinners when He did that! “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8. Also, has He not promised us forgiveness with sincere repenting? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:9.

I know I have a lot of work to do. Sometimes I say one thing, but do another. My words are Christian, but my actions belong to the dark lord. I don’t want to journey alone, Brothers and Sisters. Will you join me?

Closing Prayer: The time has come, O Lord - for us to leave this place; Guide us and protect us and lead us in thy Grace. Wherever life may take us as we go our separate ways, help us share with others the things we've shared today. May the peace of God, the Father, and the love of Christ, His Son, Guide us in the days ahead and strengthen us each one. May the blessing of the spirit fill us from within; God bless us and return us to the fellowship once again. In Christ’s name we pray, AMEN.

Pick a Side

http://hishiddenvoice.livejournal.com/2382.html

Pastoral Prayer: Lindsay Lagasse
Special Music: Psalm 101, sung by Jack Marti
Sermon: Lindsay Lagasse
Closing Prayer: Thoughts About God (http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/prayer/opening-prayer.html)

Pastoral Prayer: Heavenly Father, oh how merciful You are. Each breath we take, is only taken by Your absolute and merciful grace. We would have no hope for the future, if not for knowing we have a kind and just Lord to turn our eyes to. We raise our prayers to You this day, Father, knowing they are falling into capable and willing hands. Sit with us here as we dive into a discussion and study of Your word, that we may come to understand Your works, so that we may be able to honor and glorify You with a gleeful heart. We pray all this in the name of our beloved Brother, Christ Jesus. AMEN.

Special Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4yAVwoGA1s

Psalm 101:1-8 I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure. My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.

I have fallen short of my heavenly Father. I must confess this sin to you, beloved family. Those around me, they are not pure. But I find much pleasure in their impurity, their humor that roars so crudely. I think that being around them is not enough to raise unease in the Father. I think I am strong enough to be around and to overcome. I use the excuse that I plan on teaching them to Good Word. But I don't. I stand and I laugh at what they laugh at. I am wicked.

The Father above does not wish us to walk away from these who do not know Him. We are not to separate ourselves from their lives, or else who can the Lord work through to save them? But we mustn't surround ourselves, burying and drowning ourselves, with nothing but filth. We can not make the dangerous assumption that we are strong enough. By the grace of God, we can overcome all temptation, but do not test Him. We are not to test the Father. He will make it clear who we must devote our energy to; do not take it upon yourself to save the world.

"I will behave wisely, in a perfect way". How can we do such if all we ever see is unwise, immoral images? We must discard such evil from our sight (as if said in Psalm 101 as well). Focus your mind on the clean of thoughts, recharge your battery with the light of the Father's word. We mustn't let Satan win by playing his games while we are weak. "I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me". Do you hate the Devil's work? Then why do we let ourselves enjoy it? It surrounds us, swallows us whole. And we accept it. We seem to live by the phrase "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em"! But we CAN beat them! We just have to trust in the Father, stand firm, and let His will be done.

Why, Brothers and Sisters, do we use so much energy trying to convince ourselves that what we are doing is okay? Is that really the easier route? Deep down, we know what we watch, think, and say (all the purpose of being accepted among men) is wrong. But yet, we justify it with "I need to gain their trust by doing what they do, so that they'll listen to me when I go to teach them of the Father". No. Simply N-O. In this process, the Devil will grab hold and drag you to his level. Teach by example and the Lord will impress curiosity in the hearts of those we must save. Lead a life of joy the way God intended, and people will see your smile and realize there's something to all this "God stuff". Do not condemn yourself in order to save the condemned. If you do, you're helping the Devil. He will be "killing two birds with one stone".

Pick a side and stay loyal to that side. Do not endure a proud or perverse heart, or house the wicked. Be Christ-like in every sense. Look at Jesus! He never once fell to the level of the wicked, and yet He saved millions of people! He had not needed to risk His salvation in the small chance that He'd save ours. If He had, chances are, we'd have no future to this day. So, dear friends, who's side are you on?

Closing Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we come to the end of our time together we thank You for what has been accomplished here today. May the matters discussed serve as a catalyst to move us forward and cause us to advance and see growth in all areas of our lives. May we leave here recognizing You are the God of all wisdom and You are willing to lead us forward. This we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Because I Said So

Pastoral Prayer- Lindsay Lagasse
Music- SDA Hymn 309; I Surrender All
Sermon- Lindsay Lagasse
Closing Prayer- Lindsay Lagasse


Pastoral Prayer: Father, we continuously fall short of Your glory. Many times we hastily ask for forgiveness, but we lack the sincerity to allow You to do so. We bind You down by our unwillingness to put aside time for You and only You. We ask that You soften our hearts, Lord, so that our will may be strong enough to hand it to You. Only by Your grace can we do what pleases You. And now, Father, we ask that You bless what is written here. Each word typed will, by Your grace, be honoring and glorifying Your perfect name. In Christ's good and holy name we pray, amen.

Special Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8 (includes written lyrics as song is sung)

Scripture reading: Jeremiah 7:23 out of the New King James Bible "But this is what I commanded them, saying 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you".

Brothers, Sisters, why are we such a stubborn people? I walk the school hallways and see nothing but rule breaking. A prime example played out in a class of mine today. A young boy used foul language, and then had an attitude when confronted by the teacher. He buried himself deeper and deeper until it was ended by him being sent away. If he had taken the criticism maturely, obeying his superior's wishes, his punishment would have been less severe. In fact, if he had refrained from breaking the school policy on language to begin with, he could have avoided the whole issue. My friends, why are we, as a race, so disobedient?

Am I the only one who's noticed that the ability to follow simple demands has declined in recent years? Another realization is that as fast as those numbers decline, so do the number of Christian teenagers. Connection? Maybe, maybe not. If we can not follow the orders of those older than us that we can see the wrath of, how can we expect to have enough control to behave in a fashion a being we do not physically get spanked by, would approve of. I think it's quite clear that, if we keep going at the rate we're going, many of us are going to get the curse mentioned in Deuteronomy 11:26-28, rather than the blessing said in that scripture. "Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I commanded you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known." Which sounds more like what you want? Obey and be blessed, or go through the trouble of disobeying and get the curse. It's your choice, but it's also your consequence.

All the Father asks of you is to obey His ten simple commandments. If you do so, your peace will be like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea (Isaiah 28:18). He makes it so desirable to do His commandments, it is hard to understand why someone would choose not to. They aren't hard, for the most part. Only worship Him, do not take His name in vain, remember the Sabbath, honor your parents (further discussion on that coming up in this sermon), do not murder (hardest one, sometimes), do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness (aka, no lying), and do not covet your neighbor's house (Exodus 20:3-17). I know sometimes we fall short, and the Lord knows this too. This is why He is willing to forgive when we sincerely seek His mercy. Doesn't get a whole lot easier to please than this--and yet, so many fail to care enough to even attempt.

"If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). To love the Lord, we must know Him. To know Him, we must dedicate time to Him. It is unfortunate when you see a soul lost because they become discouraged when they do not feel the grace of God right after baptism. They failed to take the time to study His word, thus did not grow a personal relationship with Him. It is those individuals that find it so hard to follow the Lord's commandments. If we have a true, earnest love for Him, we will want nothing more than to obey Him simply because He asked us to do so.

In addition to obeying the Father Himself, we are asked to obey another pair of individuals. The fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12), tells us to honor our father and mother. "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is pleasing to the Lord" (Colossians 3:20). However, it also makes it clear in Colossians 3:21 that the father should not tempt the child. "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged" is a passage that is often forgotten. We know a child should, and must respect their elders, but does that mean a parent can taunt and harass that youngster and expect no retaliation? How is a child supposed to grow in Christ, if their soul role models are hypocritical in their own faith?

"Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding" (Proverbs 4:1). Father could be read literally, or perhaps as a term used for any elder. It is true, for the most part, that a child should listen in order to learn, for those older have seen more, thus know more. A friend once told me to listen twice as much as I speak; that's why God gave us two ears and one mouth. There is nothing more true than that statement. You never learn anything if you continuously spew out sounds. Through all this, however, we must keep Acts 5:29 in mind, "We ought to obey God rather than man". Even if it is an elder telling us to do something, we must run it by God before taking action. We must learn to obey God simply because He said so.

Closing prayer: Father Almighty, we ought to obey You, and yet we don't. No one knows what's best for us as well as You do, and no one wants what's best for us as much as You do. Why, then, can we not follow Your simple demands that You make out of love? Our hearts are hardened against Your laws, Lord, and we ask now that You take them close to Your perfect form so as to soften them. There is not a thing in the world that we want more than to be willing to fully surrender to You and obey You. So, Father, please be with us in the coming week, that we may walk the steps You place before us, honoring and glorifying You. In Christ's name we lift our prayers, amen.

This Over That?

Opening Prayer: High and Mighty Father, we bow down before You as humble servants, pleading for Your mercy. So many times through-out the day, we fall short of Your mighty being. It is only by Your constant grace that we can be assured of a better tomorrow. With sincerity, we ask for Your forgiveness, and we thank You in advance for the blessings You have in store for us. It is with much assurance that we know You will always come through for us. Your timing is perfect, and Your path is clear. As we harmonize our words and actions with You, Father, we pray it will only be to Your glory and honor. Let us know what You desire of us so that we can do nothing that's against Your will. As Jesus said, let it not our will, but Your will be done. In Christ's mighty name I pray, AMEN.

"but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by law as transgressors." James 2:9 (NKJ)
"If you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning" James 2:9 (NCV)

Have you ever been caught in this sin? The dentist is far superior to the plumber because his wages are higher, he has a greater degree, and his job does not require him to wallow in human wastes. The college professor surpasses the pre-school teacher because she does not have to wipe a little kids nose for a living. The lawyer is more important than the stay-at-home mother because he stands in front of a crowd of people and can persuade them to believe as he believes. God must favor those higher ranked individuals more, or else he would not have had them raise higher in society. Therefore, we should all stick our noses up while we pass the plumber, pre-school teacher, and stay-at-home mom, while bowing down before the dentist, professor, and lawyer.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, and whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." We all know this quote, the famous John 3:16. Every baseball game has that Christian individual or group holding the sign with John 3:16 written on it. No, it does not say "And God said, go Sox", as portrayed by the well known Family Guy. It clearly states that God's Son, Christ, died for whoever believes in Him. Hmm, that's strange...I don't see anywhere in there that says He came to die for all who believe in Him AND make an annual salary that has six figures or more.

So, if Christ died for everyone, what does that mean? It means, as Christians, we should treat every individual the same as any other. Christ did not go to the Kings and demand to be treated as royalty and only be surrounded by such people. When He came, leaving the high Kingdom of Heaven, He took role amongst the peasants. With a snap of His fingers, He could have been King of earthly Kings, in addition to already existing rank of King of the Heavens. But did He? No, He did not. He walked with the commoners, healing the weak.

Did you know that, in Mark 10:23, Jesus even says to His disciples "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God"? We must be willing to give up all our earthly treasures to follow Jesus, like Paul had to do. Isn't it much easier to sacrifice everything if you already have little? As humans, we become attached to our material goods, and when we are asked to give them up, even for our greater good, it is difficult. In Mark 10:17-22, a rich man came up to Him with much love in his heart, asking what more he must do to enter the kingdom. All the commandments were followed by this man, for he truly loved the Lord. But Jesus requested he get rid of all his wealth and follow Him. This, the rich young man, could not do, for he "had great possessions". With sorrow, the man walked away, forfeiting his eternal salvation in order to keep his earthly wealth.

Back to the original topic, we must learn to be like Christ in every way. This does include the art of not judging. Christ loves us all, no matter our professions. The dentist, professor, and lawyer are all important people, there's no doubt about that. But imagine a world without a plumber to fix our pipes, a pre-school teacher to begin our learning, and a stay-at-home mother to raise well rounded children. If there was no one to take those more humble jobs, they wouldn't get done and society would not be able to exist. "You should admire people who faithfully fulfill God's mission for them by carefully doing nonglamorous tasks"(Nature in a Nutshell; Daily Devotions for Juniors, pg 275).

Closing Prayer: Oh Father, how grateful we are. The knowledge of knowing Christ loves us all, despite our salary, is such a reassuring fact. As we disperse into the coming week, help us to thank all who do the less glamorous jobs of society, knowing that we could not thrive without their humble doings. It is only by Your grace that we can push aside our human instinct to look down upon these servants of Yours, believing ourselves to be gods compared to them. It is only by Your doings that we can be lead to the career that You aim for us to follow, so we pray You guide us to those paths. Thank you for Your continuous mercy; we are unworthy of Your blessings. In Christ's name we pray, AMEN.

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