Comfort Without Confusion

II Thessalonians 2:17  Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

I Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

To begin with brothers and sisters Christian Friends Well Wisher and Saints of God, As we explore the tint, tone, tranquillity and tension in the text we can’t help but ask the question. What kind of church are we going to be in the future? A Church Full of comfort and peace or a Church Full of Confusion and strife and war.

We can be one or the other but we can’t be both. I can’t look at you and smile and be happy and laugh and be joyous and at the same time grind my teeth and growl at you at the same time.You would say that man gone stone crazy. In modern medicine they call that Schizophrenia.

And so as the Pastor of the Pilgrim Baptist Church I’m here to firmly and fairly keep God’s church on a solid footing. I’m going to give you two different paths . They are as opposite as the north pole from the south pole, as opposite as the east is from the west, as opposite as up is from down. It’s your choice Comfort Without Confusion. And the Church said Amen.

The Apostle Paul wrote 13 epistles including Thessalonians and the Corinthians.

Paul by the grace of God I am what I am:

And Paul was at the first ecumenical council of Bishops in Jerusalem. The Apostles of Jesus Christ decided that ALL DOCTRINE HAD TO BE THE SAME. Everybody repeat after me ALL DOCTRINE HAD TO BE THE SAME. Because your doctrine is not just what you say but more so what you practice and what you stand for.

And a prime example of this is that the Apostle Peter could not go out and say something different from the Apostle Paul. And Paul couldn’t go out and preach different from James and John. Phillip and Andrew had to preach the same messages or the people would be confused at the un stable doctrine!!!

And James said to his church that he pastor ed “Watch you mouth”. because that tongue is an unruly evil. That tongue will cause all kinds of confusion in the church. James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Tell your neighbor: “Watch your mouth”.

My name is Pastor Raymond Allen and I’m determine to bring Comfort and to be meek because Galatians 5:23 tells me to me meek and at peace with everyone, but I’m prepared for unrighteousness.

Comfort not Confusion Paul also pointed out to the church at Galatia in the Chapter 3. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

In modern times in 2023 this is saying to you “Pilgrim Baptist Church you mean to tell me that after all the hell this church been through, you want to go back to that!!!

Wait nah the Lord sent me hear with a mission and a clear understanding that I am the New Pastor, and I have a New Board so work with them and to step into your new future together. Period. And We will continually be at peace and have Godly Comfort here at the Pilgrim Baptist Church.

We ain’t gon be on no news, on no social media ( Church gon crazy) and it goes virual!! and and and We are not going to be the laughing stock down the bayou.

We are definite not going to be known as no foolish church. And All of God’s people said Amen. Paul said O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you. We are not foolish.

Tell your neighbor: We NOT no Fools. The bible says in Proverbs 4 get wisdom and knowledge but in all your getting get understanding with it. In other words Dr Allen “ All the book sense in the world without basic common sense is foolishness.”

Turn to Proverbs 15:

1 A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger,but an unkind answer will cause more anger.

2 .Wise people use knowledge when they speak, but fools pour out foolishness

3.The LORD’s eyes see everything;he watches both evil and good people

4. As a tree gives fruit, healing words give life, but dishonest words crush the spirit.

5. Fools reject their parents’ correction, but anyone who accepts correction is wise.

God has corrected us many times and the bible says in Proverbs 3:12 For whom the Lord correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth, here’s an example

Hezekiah had contracted awful boils all over his body. and he was about to die And I asked why Lord and the Lord said it was because he started off good but then got the big head and then a gave him boils.

The boils were so bad until The Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to go and tell Hezekiah to get his house in order because he was surely going to die. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and began to pour put his heart before God.

I imagine Hezekiah saying Lord I’ve done the best I could for you please have mercy. and Lord I know I’ve displayed some arrogant pride but please sir to have mercy. And sometimes we’ve just got to ask God for some tender Mercy. NOW LORD 3X And before Isaiah the prophet got to the out court of the temple God told him go back and tell Hezekiah I’ve heard his prayer and I’m going to give him 15 more good years...

Comfort not Confusion. It’s a choice

Tell your neighbor it’s a choice.

Moses and Aaron a Miriam were sister and brothers but they were fussing and fighting like cats and dogs in the tabernacle. In the Church !!! And God heard them! And God said all y’all get out of my church!!!

When they step outside of the tabernacle God spoke up. In other words when you have a dispute that you can not settle go to God’s word and you’ll find the answer.

Well the problem was they didn’t quite understand or want to accept the proper chain of command. They didn’t want to accept Mas-low the Psychologist say the Hierarchy of power . Somebody got to be at the top. It can’t be all chiefs and no Indians everybody can’t be in charge. And if you aren’t in charge anymore you just ain’t in charge.

Tell your neighbor Everybody can’t be in charge.

And the problem was that Miriam Moses’ older sister and Aaron Moses’ older brother thought that because they were older that they had just as much say so or more than Moses. So God said y’all better stop that fighting in my House because I put Moses in charge and that’s it, and that’s all!!! Yes indeed and the bible says that Miriam instantly caught leprosy. And then she said Moses 2x please talk to God for me.. God said Alright Moses I’ll heal her but she going to stay outside of the camp for 7 days so she can learn her lesson. Comfort not Confusion.

If you want to remain together you have to be neutral. You can’t be on one side or the other. You have to be on God’s side and our theme text says in II Thessalonians 2:17  Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

I Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

We have to comfort our hearts in the good word and works of the Lord ,It’s a choice.

And then God is not the author of confusion but peace.. Paul said to the churches If ye bite and devour each other up what will the world think of the Christian Church. We have to be determined in our hearts and minds that we’re going to seek after God. Jeremiah 29:10-13 gives us the formula of how to find God in all of this manufactured confusion 10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

And what this Jeremiah 29 text explains is after you go through your 70 years of punishment being exiled captives in the land of Babylon, I the Lord have good plans for your life. Plans to bless you not harm you plans to prosper you not punish you. But verse 13 says that you have to seek the Lord with your whole heart.

Because believe it or not when you seek the Lord with your whole heart… You’ll seek Comfort and peace and not confusion and chaos.

II Thessalonians 2 text teaches talks and tells us about the man of Lawlessness. And the chapter is devoted to teaching us about the tricks and traps that satan will send in the name of the Lord. He doesn’t come for goodness. Jesus said they’ll be like wolves in sheep clothing.

This church have come too far, to fall on its face now and fizzle before the finish. We all have flaws we all have shortcomings because the word of God says in Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Yeah yeah yeah but then the word says Shall we continue in sin because grace abound. In other words we know that we are saved by grace through having faith in Jesus Christ. All of our sins are forgiven. And Paul say but that does not give us a right to continue to walk in the wrong direction. Here’s the example If you want to go to California you don’t go get on I- 10 East Nobody is going to stop you but when you get to the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville Florida you’ll realize that you’ve been going in the wrong direction for the wrong reasons.

The sun rises in the East and the sun sets in the West. Likewise God is not the author of Confusion but of peace unto all the churches of God. God doesn’t want us going in the wrong direction.

This text is real and there is proof of it all through out the bible.

start closing slow

If Adam and Eve wouldn’t have listen to the serpent in the Garden of Eden mankind wouldn’t have the confusion we have today Um Um Um Adam and Eve would still be in Comfort and peace today.

Great God and If the Children of Israel wouldn’t been disrespectful and disobedient towards God after Moses lead them across the Red Sea and brought then to Mt. Sinai. They would have reach the Promised Land in 40 days instead of being in confusion going around and around the same mountain for 40 years Oh Lordy

And If Samson wouldn’t laid his head down in the confusion of Delilah's lap he wouldn’t have lost his strength, lost his eyes and lost his manhood and became a slaving spectacle for his enemies to make fun of. Please sir to have mercy Oh Lord 2x

If Eli the priest would have told his two boys to stop the confusion that they were causing in the Temple, then God wouldn’t have let him fall backward and break his neck and die. God would have let old man Eli live his last days in comfort and peace. I don’t know about you but I want my last days to be my best days .. Oh Lord

And if David would have gone to the battlefield he wouldn’t have seen Bathsheba naked and cause a world of confusion. And then David wouldn’t have had the confusion of covering up his adultery, the confusion covering up Bathsheba’s pregnancy,the confusion of murdering her husband Uriah, the confusion of the prophet Nathan telling him about himself, the confusion of not feeling the Lord presence in his life. So much so that I heard David saying to God Create in me a clean heart oh God renew the right spirit in me. Oh Lordy

If Solomon have stayed with his own kind he wouldn’t have had the confusion of having to have to build temples to idol gods to satisfy his foreign wives. He couldn’t take care of 700 wives and 300 concubines Oh Lord And In the end Solomon was filled with Confusion and not comfort.

I don’t know about you but I want to live in such a way that my lifestyle is filled with the joy of the Lord.

I want my lifestyle to be in the comfort of the Almighty God.

I want to be able to say that the lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want......

I want to be able to say the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the is the strength of my life whom shall I be afraid of

I want to be able to say For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according too his purpose.

I want to be able to say that the joy of the Lord is my strength. and that this joy I have the world didn’t give it to me and the world surely can’t take it away.

I want too be able to say the Lord hath been mindful of us and he will bless us. He will bless them that fear the Lord both small and great. I don’t know about you but I want my blessings in Comfort. Anybody here want your blessings in Comfort?

I love the Lord. Is there anybody here that Love the Lord. Yes I love the Lord because He heard my cry and pitied my every groan and long as I live I’m going to hasten to his throne.

I going to my seat when I tell you If it had not been for the Lord on my side I don’t know where I’d be.

Because I should have been dead sleeping in my grave OH But the Lord made oh man dead behave.

Ain’t God Alright.Did He pick you up Did he turn you around Did He put your feet on solid ground?

Have God made a way for you today.. did he open up doors that’s been closed in your face?

Did he bring you out the mess you been in?

Have the Lord been good to you? If you know He’s been good let me hear you Say yeah yeah yeah.