From Gary V. Womack.... ALONE

When You Feel Alone

1 Kgs. 19:1-18 ELIJAH felt alone - as the only faithful one left But God had 7,000 that had not bowed to Baal.

Do you ever feel alone - like the only one in the world who loves God?

SAMUEL might have felt as Elijah did when Israel asked for a king:

1 Sam. 8:1-9 Israel had not rejected Samuel, but God

When we try to persuade others with the truth - and they reject it, They are not rejecting us but they are rejecting God.

1 Sam. 12:19-ff Even though they had rejected God, they could repent for God is faithful and will not forsake His people.

PAUL found himself abandoned & left alone - except for Luke:

2 Tim. 4:9-11 Paul was in prison waiting to be put to death.

Sometimes all you can do for those that are alone & hurting is to be there.

2 Tim. 4:16-18 Though all forsook Paul - the Lord stood by him.

JESUS was abandoned by those who had followed Him:

Jn. 6:60-ff He would even be betrayed by one whom He had chosen.

Mt. 26:30-35 Jesus foretells His apostles that they will forsake Him.

Consider how Jesus was forsaken.

Mt. 26:55-58 His disciples forsook Him - & Peter followed at a distance.

Isa. 53:3 "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid,as it were, our faces from Him ; He is despised, and we did not esteem Him."

Mt. 27:55 "And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were looking on from afar."

Mt. 27:34-36 "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. (46) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud

voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? ' "

In order to stand for truth - we risk standing alone Walking in the way can be a lonely place in this world.

When we feel alone - Remember God's promise

Israel was reminded of God's promise to not forsake them, even in times of despair:

Deut. 4:27-31 He would be there, waiting on them to return to Him.

Israel & Joshua were reminded of God's promise to be with them:

Deut. 31:1-8 The Lord would be with them - thus be strong & courageous

The apostles were reminded that God would be with them in their mission:

Mt. 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) God therefore and make

disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,

even to the end of the age.' Amen."

Later, Paul acknowledged this to be true in the midst of trial:

2 Cor. 4:9-14 Though persecuted, they were not forsaken. They looked beyond the moment to when we will be raised.

The Lord is not far from any of us. Paul spoke of this to the Athenians:

Acts 17:26-27 "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, (27) so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us ; (28) for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' "

As one song says it, "You are only a breath away." - a private prayer away

Mt. 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

INVITATION

He is just outside the door - waiting for us to open to Him:

Rev. 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

From Gary.... Metamorphosis

METAMORPHOSIS

SCRIPTURE: MATT 28:18-20 

SONG: MORE ABOUT JESUS

I. INTRODUCTION

A. DISCIPLESHIP BEGINS AT BAPTISM  “GOD ISN'T 

     FINISHED WITH ME YET”

B. DEVELOPMENT OF THE JEWS (LITTLE) FAITH BY 

    JESUS JOHN 8:31-32

C. DISCIPLESHIP'S FIVE PRINCIPLES

II. BODY

A. CHOOSE YOUR MASTER: "JESUS THEREFORE"

    1. GOING DOWN THE CORRECT ROAD PROV 14:12   

        ROM 8:14 MT 7:13-14

     2. GIVING UP SELF: IS JESUS GREATER? 1 JOHN 2:2

     3. GLORIFYING GOD, HUMBLING PRIDE JOHN 13:5-17

B. CHANGE YOUR MIND: "JEWS WHO HAD BELIEVED  

     HIM"

    1. PAUPER OR KING ? PROV 23:7 PHIL 4:8

    2. PERSONAL WILL IN YOUR (GOD'S) LIFE. JER. 10:23  

        MATT 7:24-27

    3. PEOPLE WHO CHANGED: MOSES PAUL TIMOTHY 

       ACT 2:37 I TIM 1:15

    4. PERCEIVING A CHANGE IS NEEDED IS CHANGE IN 

        PROGRESS.

C. CONTINUE IN THE MEDIUM OF GROWTH: "IF YOU 

    ABIDE IN MY WORD"

    1. PERCEIVE THE PERSONAL CONDITION: "IF YOU"

    2. POSITION OF DISCIPLESHIP: ABIDE (MENO) JOHN 

        12:48

    3. PERMITTING GOD "MY WORD" 2 TIM 3:14F.

D. CLING TO THE MASTER: " THEN YOU ARE TRULY 

     DISCIPLES OF MINE"

    1. FINDING OUT WHERE YOU LIVE 

        (YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW)

    2. FIXING YOUR MINDS ON JESUS

    3. FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH REV 2:10 2 TIM 4:7

E. CONTEMPLATE THE MEANING THAT 

    DISCIPLESHIP GIVES LIFE ".. YOU SHALL KNOW  

    THE TRUTH...."

    1. LIFE'S UNANSWERABLE QUESTION-WHY ANSWER 

        IS JESUS Jn. 14:6

    2. LIBERTY FROM SIN IS LEARNED: SONG "MORE 

       ABOUT JESUS"

III. CONCLUSION:

     Are you growing... 

     follow these principles...

From Gary V. Womack...

A Little Leaven - A Little Doubt

1 Cor. 10:1-12 Text - Old Testament examples for our benefit - Learn from it.

Ex. 6:2-9 God told Moses & Israel He would bring them out of Egypt &

give them the promised land.

Ex. 33:1-3 After Israelites bowed down to the golden calf at Mt. Sinai

God told Moses to go & lead the people to Canaan

And He would send His Angel before them - but not His presence.

Rom. 1:16-23 The power of God's word - suppressed by unrighteousness.

The results is idolatry like Israel at Mt. Sinai.

12 Spies sent into Canaan - 10 plant seeds of doubt.

Num. 13:26-ff "We can't" - "They are stronger than we."

Num. 14:6-9 Joshua & caleb said, "We can"

"If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into the land."

God forbid them to enter due to their unbelief.

Num. 14:26-33 The innocent children were effected by their parent's sin

They would "bear the brunt of your infidelity."

Unbelief & disobedience go hand-in-hand

Heb. 3:16 - 4:2 The word did not profit the Jews, not being mixed with faith.

Rom. 10:13-17 Not all obeyed - because they did not believe (Isa. 53:1)

After being forbidden to enter - Israel decides to go in anyway.

Num. 14:39-45 Moses warned them no to go up. They were defeated.

What made the difference? They could have entered before,

with the same people in the same place against the same enemy

Now they could not. Why? Faith

Jn. 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you . As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

(5) I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in

him, bears much fruit; I."

Col. 1:21-23 The condition of our being presented to the Father:

Continue in the faith, grounded, steadfast &

not moved away from the hope of the gospel.

Rev. 21:6-8 He who overcomes shall inherit all things

But not the cowardly or the unbelieving.

INVITATION

(Mt. 14:22-33) Jesus caught Peter from sinking, then asked, "Why did you doubt?"

From Gary V. Womack...

A GREAT COMMISSION

God commissioned Moses on a mission to rescue His people from Egyptian bondage in an unusual way -

a way that declared the authority of Him who called Moses into service:

Ex. 3:1-12 God called Moses from a burning bush.

Remember the great commission:

Mt. 28:18-20 "...'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make

disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

(20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even

to the end of the age.' Amen."

After God gave Moses the ability to perform 2 miracles to confirm his authority to lead Israel

out of Egypt:

Ex. 4:10-12 Moses offers the excuse of a lack of eloquence.

God does not require silver tongues to proclaim His message - as in Paul:

1 Cor. 2:1-1-2 "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom

declaring to you the testimony of God. (2) For I determined not to know anything among you

except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

When Jesus sent out His apostles the work they were given was to "MAKE DISCIPLES" -

How do you make followers, learners,?

Look at the apostles to see how it was done - It was like fishing :

Mt. 4:18-20 "And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew

his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. (19) Then He said to them, 'Follow

Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' (20) They immediately left their nets and followed Him."

How did they catch fish? Consider this:

Lk. 5:1-11 These men fished at night. They did so by holding torches over the sides of the boat to

lure the fish to them, then they cast in their nets.

When we hold forth the light of God's word, it will attract those who are drawn to it.

Jn. 6:44-45 (Jesus) "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him

up at the last day. (45) It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore

everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."

We make disciples by baptizing them. How? Holding up the light for all to see it

The scope of that commission was tremendous - Go into all the world & preach the gospel to every creature.

Notice the impact that they made within the first 16-19 years:

Acts 17:1-6 They were accused of turning the world upside down.

Col. 1:3-6 (Written 62 AD - 29 yrs. after Jesus' ascension)

The gospel had by this time gone into all the world.

How did they do that? Why can't we do that?

By THE LAW OF MULTIPLICATION

illustration - Some years ago at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago,

there was an exhibit that illustrated the power of multiplication.

Displayed was a box with 64 squares.

In the first square was a single grain of rice, in the next 2, then 4, 8, 16, 32, 64

Until the rice finally poured over onto the floor.

There was a sign above the exhibit that said,

"If you were to take one grain of rice and double it in each of the subsequent

64 squares, how many grains of rice would you find in the 64th. square?"

The answer:

"You would have enough rice to cover the entire sub-continent of India 50 ft. deep."

That is the LAW of multiplication. Not and interesting philosophy but a LAW.

It is the law of multiplication that ultimately resulted in the discovery of the atom

bomb where one atom splits 2, splits 4, splits 8, splits 16, etc. resulting in an atomic

explosion.

The law of multiplication represents EXACT DUPLICATION

That is what we are doing when we convert souls - duplicating ourselves.

Here is God's power of multiplication (or Duplication)

2 Tim. 2:2 "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses,

commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Conclusion:

Gal. 6:9-10 "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall

reap if we do not lose heart. (10) Therefore, as we have opportunity,

let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of

faith."

Mt. 25:14-30 Parable of the talents = blessing > responsibility > accountability

From Gary... My house, is a very, very fine house

Yesterday, as we drove on route 98 towards the intersection with route 301, I noticed the sign along the road that said:"toy doctor". In doing so, I also remembered that when we moved here nine years ago, I had mused: I wonder if someone can make a living repairing toys?  Later that day, I felt so foolish because I saw that it was a recreational vehicle repair facility.  Nine years ago, having an RV was a possibility, but today- no way.  Don't get me wrong- I would love one!!! But at gas prices approaching $4 a gallon, its just out of the question.  But, what if gas were NOT AN ISSUE?  Then I saw the above picture today and remembered the discussion in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians....

2 Corinthians, Chapter 5

 1 For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.  2 For most certainly in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven; 3 if so be that being clothed we will not be found naked.  4 For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened; not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  5 Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit. 

  6  Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord;  7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.  8 We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.  9 Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him.  10 For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  11 Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God; and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.  

I looked at my hands today and noticed that they were more wrinkled than they used to be.  This is not surprising, as in May I will turn 64 years young, but I remember when they didn't have any wrinkles at all.  My "house" is changing; like it or not, I am aging, so I guess I will just have to deal with it! But someday, I will have a new "house" in heaven; one not made with human hands.  In the meantime, I will just have to muddle though this life, living the best way I know how to please HIM who will bless me in the heavenly realms.

PS.  The RV in the picture is just too small for me, but not for the one riding that over-sized bicycle!!! And, he doesn't even have to worry about the cost of gas!!!!

From Gary... ABORTION

ABORTION

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Subject of today message is  

   ABORTION.

C. Simply the most debated topic of our 

   time.

D. Subject of importance to Christians!

II. BODY

A. ABORTION: THE REALITY OF IT!

1. This is a difficult 

   problem..questions of life,death,   

   morality!

2. This is happening on a routine basis

   in this country!

3. This is a problem for Christians   

   too!

B. ABORTION: THE CONCEPT OF IT!

1. Worldly answer: It's my body and

   I'll do what I want!

2. World of Christianity is our 

   immediate concern 1 cor. 5:9-13; 

   6:19-20

3. What is the nature of life

   a. Man is made in the image of God  

      Gen 1:20-28

   b. Man is known to God before birth  

      and is therefore alive before  

      birth Psalm 139:1-24 (esp 13-17)

4. What does this mean?

   a. God is involved in conception (to 

      deny his control in this matter

      is wrong)

      2 Cor. 6:18; Exo 4:22; Isa 64:8;     

      Jn 1:14; Jn 8:41; Job 33:4; Rom 

      5:17-21 Dt 28:1-4; 28:15-18; Eccl   

      11:5; Isa 44:2,24, Jer 1:5

   b. If God sets something in motion, 

      who are we to fight against God?

      Acts 5:11-42

   c. If what God creates is good, and 

      what God destroys is bad, why  

      would we call bad what he has   

      called good?(definition of 

      Satanism, as per HBO special)

C. ABORTION: THE REASON FOR IT!

1. Convience: to allow sinful behavior.

2. Consequence: to avoid the penalty 

   for fornication,adultery.

3. Concern for the unborn's perfectness  

   really means "playing God"

4. Casual respect for others - the "I"  

   syndrome.

5. Confusion of right and wrong: "what 

   ever happened to sin"?

D. ABORTION: THE ACT OF IT!

1. Cruel and unusal punishment: salene, 

   suction, d & c.

2. Consider the fate of the "fetus" who 

   lives through an abortion.

3. Conscience of the woman over the 

   years.... HURTS!

4. Consider the Christian who has an 

   abortion.

E. ABORTION: THE POWER OF IT!

1. Replaces God with self

2. Removes life from the earth, and the 

   possibilities of the least likely to  

   succeed.

3. Relegates God's creation to  

   nothingness.

4. Really is man playing God.

F. ABORTION: THE CONSEQUENCES OF IT!

1. Murder on a vast scale exo 20:13

2. Monumental judgement against the 

   nation

3. Morality declines rapidly.

4. Monitions for us... we must fight 

   against it!!!

III. CONCLUSION

A. GOD WANTS US TO USE WHATEVER HE  

   GIVES US TO GLORIFY HIM.

B. GLORIFY GOD WITH YOUR BODY:  

   REPRODUCE, DO NOT ABORT.

C. GIVE EVERY FAUCET OF YOUR LIFE TO 

   GOD, INCLUDING REPRODUCTION!

From Gary...PASSING THE TEST OF GOD (JAMES)

BIBLE READING: REV. 20:11-13

SONG: NO, NOT ONE

INTRODUCTION

A. Smile of approval at judgement:

   our desire.

B. Similar to passing a test or report

   card day: talk is cheap.

C. Simple thought from a complicated

   JAMES: PASS THE TEST!!!!

BODY

A. THE TEST OF TRIALS 1:2

1. Consider it joy? 1:2 WHY? WHY NOT! ?

2. Considerable knowledge + faith = 

   endurance 1:3-4

3. Call on God: The secret 1:5-6 

   Jer 33:3

4. Condition of all men to be cherished

   1:9-10

5. Crown of life is happiness and 

   perseverance 1:12

B. THE TEST OF ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE 

   WORD 1:21-22

1. Put aside all.. 

   filthiness..wickedness 21

2. Plant the word..salvation..

   thy word I have hid

3. Proof of attitude is doing.

4. Practiacal application: tongue 26

5. Practical application: others and 

   self 27

C. THE TEST OF IMPARTIAL JUDGEMENTS

   2:1-3

1. Let your attitude be right = faith 1

2. Listen: GOD chooses: Man proposes,

   GOD disposes 5

3. Law of love =Royality= doing well 8

4. Law of liberty is a law of action 12

D. THE TEST OF WORKS 2:14

1. Faith + works = life 17

   (- works=foolishness 20)

2. Faith seen = perfection 21-22

3. Faith alone (does not equal) 

   justification 24

4. Faith + what we do=our religion 26f.

E. THE TEST OF THE TONGUE 3:1-2

1. See what it can do 6

2. Show the wisdom from above in you

   13-18

3. Sanctified!!!

F. THE TEST OF WORLDLINESS 4:4B (1-10)

1. Pleasure !! 1,3

2. Pride 6

3. Place of God 7 devil 8

4. Purity of heart 8b

5. Poor in spirit 9-10 !!

G. THE TEST OF TROUBLES 

   OPRESSSION AND AFFLICTION) 5:1-4

1. Do have Patience + knowledge 7

2. Do have Patience + faith 8

3. Do not complain 9 Endure (job) 11

   Pray (Elijah) 17

4. Do pray

CONCLUSION

A. GOD ALLOWS MANY THINGS TO HAPPEN ---

   BE PATIENT

B. GODLINESS IN YOU = GOOD MARKS ON THE 

   LAST DAY

C. GOOD SONG:..

   "IF YOUR HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT.."