Guest Speaker Bishop Gary Trail

How are. You like. You have. Your. Wife this week. And you feel bad for the woman who is in the doctor’s office and the doctor said to her. After Examiner Do you wake up grumpy in the morning she says no I lay wake up all by himself. So. Yes there’s our position if we’re going to walk with the Lord if we’re going to a bay the Lord we can bet there’s going to be opposition because Satan has a plan. As well as God has a plan. Let me bring up some scriptures and you might want to follow along Deuteronomy thirty eleven to twenty Deuteronomy thirty eleven to twenty. And the topic of the message is what is God up to what is God. Deuteronomy thirty eleven three twenty. And it comes. And Moses wrote it down at the end of Moses journey. With the people visit he was to climb up the mountain and there die you could see the promised land but he couldn’t. But Joshua was going to lead the the people into the Promised Land and that’s the context for this commandment which I command you today it is not to mysterious for you nor is it far off it is not in heaven that you should say who will send to heaven for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it nor is it be or is it beyond the sea that you should say who will go over the sea for us to bring it to us that we may hear it and do it but the word is very near you in your mouth and in your heart that you may do it see I have said before you today life and good death and evil. In that I command you today to love the Lord your God to walk in His ways and to keep his commandments in the statutes and his judgments that you may live and multiply and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess but if in your heart if your heart turns away so that you do not hear. And are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them I announce to you today that you shall surely perish you shall not pro longer days in the land which you cross over the Jordan. To go in and to possess I call heaven on earth as witness today against you that I have said before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live that you may love the Lord your God that you may abate his voice and that you may cling to Him for He is your life and the length of your days and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give them. And then I would have you turn in the New Testament to St John’s Gospel chapter ten St John Chapter ten. And I’ll be reading seven through eleven there. Seven through eleven. When Jesus said to them again most assuredly I say to you I am the door of the sheep all who ever came before me are thieves and robbers but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door that’s Jesus speaking if any one interest by me he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd. Gives his life for the sheep. And then from John three. I’ll be reading fourteen through seventeen and this is Jesus speaking again and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life for God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the word but that the world through Him might be saved. But US power in prayer for a moment Lord thank you for your word. For the word that has been written down after you giving it to the prophets and the Apostles in the sages. Most of all through your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you that was written down so that we might read it today. And it would be the same as ever. Lord we need your word and your service needs your word. Because Lord we want life. And we pray for others who come to the place in their life that they really want to live and to live truly from the inside out. Help us Lord this morning to make that clear. And so that those who are here today if they do not know us Lord the Savior and those who are on the Internet. They may surrender their lives to you and truly live. And this we pray in Jesus name. Man. What is God up to. And against that is what is Satan up to and Jesus said that pretty clearly didn’t the thing comes but for to steal to kill and destroy. And I have to say brothers and sisters that at this juncture in my life and I’ve lived and lived quite a few years it seems to me the most dangerous time on earth that I have ever seen all we thought was dangerous back in the sixty’s and seventy’s when children were hiding under their desks at school and we didn’t know whether the atomic bomb was going to be sent over across the ocean that seemed dangerous and we were so glad. When the Berlin Wall was taken down and we had a new day a day when even the communist countries could be evangelized and many people in China and Russia have come to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior through the witness of those who are poor into that area and also in the the Eastern Eastern European nations. But today no place is safe. We have wars and rumors of wars we have threats of wars we have threats of atomic war and. It’s not safe in school we found that example yesterday. It’s not safe in church we found that to be in a church in Texas and it’s not really safe in our homes. Because you see as the drug problem gets bigger and more people are trying to get money they’re going to try to break into your homes and to steal what they can so they can buy more drugs and it doesn’t look good in the Cumberland area at all as a matter of fact there’s an example a few months ago it’s not even safe in a bar. Because a gunman can come in there. And either enraged. Or crazy. And say this plan seems to be operating on Full Tilt today but. I’m announcing to you this morning there is God. There is god. What is God up to in this kind of believe you this world situation. Actually the same as God has been up to the same as he’s always been up to remember hearing a recitation years ago by an African-American deacon in the in the A.M.E. Church she could recites James Weldon Johnson’s creation perfectly well I can’t remember all of it I wish I could wish I had it before you read but I can’t remember where I put it. But the beginning lines are. And God stepped out in space. And he said I’m only. I’ll create me a world and that’s what he did because God was lonely. God created a wonderful world all the creation all the creation Genesis tells us was good when it was created. God loved the flora and fauna. But just not enough God hungered he was lonely for someone who had his image was created in His image that he might fellowship with them man and woman forever. That was God’s plan. We do not know how long Adam and Eve lived on earth until they sinned I have heard people conjecture that it could have been millions and millions of years they lived on earth in the garden until they sinned but God was lonely for someone in his image but there was a danger there he had to create those human beings with a free will. The will to choose life or death Now God could see the danger when he made Lucifer the light bearer. Because Lucifer decided to rebel against God and take a big chunk of heaven with him. And so there was a danger in creating a human being with free will if he had free will or they had free will they could mess up themselves and creation that’s the danger the lion would not lie down with the lamb and. They would murder each other over religion. As Cain slew Abel in the very beginning. Over their sacrifices Cain was jealous of Abel sacrifice. And people are still killing each other over religion. But the good news or part of the good news is God is in the business a restoration that’s what he’s about. Humans have gone wrong and creation has gone wrong but. God has a plan. Now we can read in Genesis where human beings went so wrong. That it seemed like there were so many evil people that even the few righteous people and all were used righteous in quotes because they weren’t perfectly writers but they were as close to God as they could be Noah and his family so God decided well IMO start over I’m going to baptize the whole worth I’m going to wash it clean and then they’ll be no on his wife HIM HIM A J for their wives doesn’t even work out do this. Because not long after that we find on the plane of shine or they’re building a tower. So they can somehow become like God and not have to listen to God themselves and so God. Who is in the business of restoration and starting over starts again with a man named Abraham. And his wife Serai who later become Abraham and Sarah and God tests their faith he gives them a promise do you believe my promise. And you can imagine Abraham and Sarah saying after she’s close to ninety and he’s close to one hundred. Where is his promise. Where is this promise where we’re going to bless we’re going to have a child that will that through Him will bless all the nations of the earth that will be the reason for the creation and for the setting apart of Abraham and Sarah well. The story is not all correct. Not all godly. But still Abraham and Sarah believe and amazingly she has a child at ninety and he’s one hundred and that is a great miracle amazing miracle but the children of Abraham and Sarah. The children of Isaac and Jacob they find themselves one hundred few hundred years later in slave in Egypt and they’re in slave and they’re crying out to God. And God decides to start again start over again by calling a murderer who is eighty years old and has fled Egypt and is on the backside of the Sinai Peninsula tending sheep eighty years old Moses. A murderer he’s killed an Egyptian that’s amazing but God has a plan these coals this man who has been fleeing from God for all those years. With a burning bush and Moses discovers that God has a plan for his life and the life of his people God has a plan for you on the rim in the remaining days you have on Earth from this point oh God has a great plan for you I can tell you that because. When I accepted Jesus as my Savior many many years ago I began to discover he had a plan for me and I’ll tell you I would not change these years these past years for anything oh yes or heart aches or pains there was the unimaginable grief the unimaginable hurts. That life can have but I would not change it. Because God has a plan for your life and that’s true on this earth but even wonderfully so God has a plan for your eternal life. And so the Lord has tested and tried. These people. And they keep falling away. Finally God starts over again he starts of all things with the child we start with the baby with Moses really who really went went bad on God. But he starts over with a boy who’s tending Cian that’s amazing if you read the story and I am encouraged to read the story of this young shepherd boy he knows how to play our he sings songs. He can soothe the troubled mind of a king with his harp and with his singing but he is in grave danger it’s you know read the Life of David you’ll find that it’s amazing that he ever grew to manhood. Facing a lion and a bear and Goliath. And then his father and all seeking to kill him on several occasions. Through it all God. Shapes this. David. Who is annoying to as king before he ever receives a king ship. And he becomes the ancestor with a whole lot of disreputable people he becomes the ancestor with disreputable people the ancestor of one Jesus of Nazareth who is called Christ or Messiah the magnificence of that. God starting over again. Starting over again in Jesus His only Son only begotten Son. Born of the Virgin Mary. And this Jesus loves the most def knacked and respond disreputable sinners and the volatile offenders of his day he loves them. They have been cast out of the church or at least they will be in church whatever that church was at that day. And he calls them to follow him and to fellowship of them he was even accused of eating within. The righteous people that they accused him of even eating with those vile offenders. But as a follow him and get close to him get nearer to him they find themselves changing from inside out. And after Pentecost you can find in the record in the book of Acts. That they even those who put them on trial are saying. They looked at him and they realized that they had been with Jesus are people saying that about you they recognize that you’ve been with Jesus you don’t have to say a word to your face tell them that Jesus is inside of you that he’s forgiven you of your sins all of them no matter how vile they are. They may be as bad as the ones in the first century. But you see when God made human beings he just won’t have fellowship with. Just want to walk with them in the cool of the evening Jesus wants to walk with us have fellowship with us live in our hearts but people today are hiding from God by a sin and then that and I’m not talking about individual since I’m talking about the will for. Go on Rona’s which says I’m going to do it my way I don’t need God and that attitude. Is killing people all around us. All around us and God has said I said before you this day life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life and God is actually saying I’ve set my Son Jesus Christ. So that you choose life. That they mine and I am come the same I have a life that they might have a more abundantly Jesus says and God I ask in the Old Testament is equal thirty three eleven why were you dial house of Israel why were all the people who have overdosed die in the couple in area. Mary and I were coming to church this morning and he said well there’s a lot of traffic on the highway I’ll bet you’re all going to Full Gospel seventy Baptist church so I’m got sidetracked I guess I might have got sidetracked because. They want to have pleasure their way in the last days when perilous times come people will be lovers of pleasures more than play lovers of God. But that’s the way of death. God needs to be first in your life so that we can really live I thought oh no they’re not going to church with us they’re going to some mountain retreat where they can spend all day in prayer or they’re going to some special Christian seminar. Where they will find out how to live more like Jesus but rather is than go into the mountain a prayer they may be going to the mountain lake. So I can have a good time and nothing wrong with that. But the point is is God ever in going to be there. People are choosing death. The statistics are that if you go to church three out of four weekends a month you will live seven years longer Why don’t people follow that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. The sad statistic I heard I think was yesterday. More young people have been killed. Through these shootings than have been lost in the military so sad. So sad God loves us. If you’re listening somewhere on the Internet Police choose Jesus choose life yes Satan has a plan. Satan plans to take your soul if you can. And he would like to shorten your life so they get your soul soon. That’s Satan’s plan. And saying not only plans to kill you but he plans to kill your children and your grandchildren. Your brothers and sisters. People in your family the people in your church if you can. That’s what he’s after. But Jesus says I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly and so today in a world which is so messed up. God really is our only hope I would love to see the day when every church in this area is full because people are seeking God I would love to see it where people go to a mountain of prayer and spend all day in prayer I would love to see where people are putting God first in their lives and then letting God give them the abundance Yes God prayers for you to have the abundance of things but not at the expense of loving them more than God Himself Well let me close this today if you’re listening today on the Internet or hear. God wants to give you life. He’s done everything he can he kept trying and trying over and over again beginning again trying over and over again finally came with Jesus who sent the Holy Spirit. And I want you to trust that Jesus he can take away your every sin your violence of you can be the vows to Fender it’s in this community or in the whole world you could be the worst sinner there was Jesus died for you and he rose for you. And he sent his spirit to live inside of you that you might have fellowship he wants to take away your sin so that sin will not stand between you and God. Let him take away your season. Invite him in. And I’m going to lead us in a prayer right now. And if you want to pray that with me in your heart I urge you to do it. Good Lord God. Thank you for sending Jesus who desires. To take away our sins that we might have an ever increasing fellowship with you. Who we could have more of your image. That we could have your goodness. We might have your spiritual prosperity from the inside out and then that as our soul prospers even the rest of us prosperous comeon for Jesus. We can’t remember all our sins we might remember the worst ones. Related to lay them right before you lord we’ve laid them at the foot of the cross and Jesus we’re going to let you nail them to the cross and we’re going to walk with you and we’re going to keep trusting you. Believing in you even though we stumble even though we follow We’re going to keep believing Thank you Jesus. For what you’ve done for us. In the precious name we pray. Amen. Now if you have prayed that prayer. Tell somebody. Because you believe in your heart you confess with your mouth so I would say Now don’t tell the nearest atheist they just make fun of you but tell someone who might have been praying for you for years and years that family member. That brother or sister in Christ but confess with your mouth what you believe in your heart.