Af-s52-010905
Alêtheia Christian Fellowship (Sermon 52, 01-09-05)
~Testimony~
Happy New Year! ****We’re going places this year****
Worship Team.
Choir?
Outreach…. Nursing/Assisted Living, Samaritan, Hope
Mexico
Baptism Service today
Birthday Party Afterward, Please Stay!
Jan 16th Love wheel
Tuesday evening activities
When is the wild game feed?
Medi-Share outreach to Tsunami victims
Prayer – Baptism – Worship – Offering – King’s Kids –
We started this church one year ago because God asked us to; it=s really that simple. As many of you know I was a pilot for one of the big 5 global airlines making more than 100,000 a year and fast on my way to making over $200,000 a year with a multi-million dollar retirement. God asked Mariah and I to walk away from that and serve Him by serving you and so that=s what we did.
I know people who shake their head and ask me why? As I said it=s very simple, I did it because I love God, not because I=m a great teacher, or speaker or because I enjoy standing up in front of a group of people. It has nothing to do with me being a good guy or a mature Christian. In fact it has little to do with me at all, because I did not do it for me or because of me.
I was in downtown Manhattan, just a few blocks north of the World Trade Center the morning before 9/11. Several men believed that the God they served would be pleased if they murdered thousands of civilian men, women and children. The God those particular men served is known to us as Satan.
I was back there just a few days after the attack, walking the streets of New York City at that time was sobering. The dark smoke was still billowing from ground zero and the people were still in shock. Every store and restaurant window had photos of family and friends who had lost their lives. A block north of my hotel was one of the fire stations that had responded, literally dozens of their buddies had perished and a continual flow of people were giving the survivors flowers and pictures. People wept and they prayed.
The next morning I flew to Seattle. Many people in that city were still disbelieving and angry, but truth be told, life went on. The difference in the atmosphere between these two cities is hard to overstate. Yet the survivors in New York were never in any more danger on 9/11 than the people in Seattle. The majority of people in New York didn’t know the victims any better than the people of Seattle knew them and yet this massive difference.
Why? Perspective is why I gave up my career that I had worked so hard to secure. From my perspective I owe God everything and it=s not just words or lip service. My favorite song is Amazing Grace because I literally was blind and lost; I was dead and God through His Amazing Grace gave me new life and so how can I withhold anything from Him.
What do you owe God? Your answer has nothing to do with reality it only has to do with your perception of reality. The Truth is that you owe God every bit as much as I do it=s only a matter of whether you recognize that Truth.
Turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 15
Crossroads Baptist. 11/28/99. (First given at Crossroads on 9/5/1999, previously given at a Baptist Business Men=s meeting, Crossroads Youth Group and then at New Vision Baptist Church in Conroe.)
--Disclaimer I tell this not to impress or shock or feed any desire to hear Athe dirt@ but only to build up your faith and understanding of the unending love of GOD.
**** There are two types of great testimony: Bad and good
**** This is not a story about me, it’s a story about God. Please don’t miss that fact.
**** You may think this guy got away with all of these things and now it’s alright because he’s a Pastor. No guarantees and no forgetting.
--During Paul=s two-year imprisonment in Caesarea, Luke stayed with Philip and did a great deal of his research for this Gospel. He interviewed Apostles and other eyewitnesses to include Jesus= family. So in Luke we have glimpses of Jesus= childhood and ministry found nowhere else, to include the following parable, or lesson.
--SINNERS gathered, RELIGIOUS leaders muttered, AThis man welcomes sinners and eats with them@ so JESUS relates 3 stories to show GOD=S NATURE. This is the last of the three.
LUKE 15:11
| 11Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” |
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1 RudeYYounger, initiator, want it now. Can’t wait around until you die, He feels he deserves or is owed but the Father could easily refuse. Judaism warned against this. Life or means of life i.e. livelihood
2 Takes everything and leaves FAR what does this say? UNHAPPY with Dad=s program, OFFENDED, didn’t TRUST, GUILTY.
!
I WAS OFFENDED BY GOD NO TRUST LEFT FOR A DISTANT LAND
MARINE DIVORCE SELF MADE AF FIGHTER JOCK.
(Literally broke ALL 10 Commandments. Stress the anger flowing into violence).
1 Squandered resources on HIMSELF
2 SATANS plan to destroy as you rely on yourself and in desperation to make it work you sell yourself DEEPER
3 Feed PIGS, and willing to eat PIG FOOD carob tree pod
(When the Israelites are reduced to carob pods, then they will repent)
MARIAH PERFECTIONIST AND EGOTIST THE BET AND PRESSURE
THE FLIGHT 2 MONTHS FRIDAY MEETING SUICIDE
1 He came to his senses he repented he knew a better thing and although he never considered restoration he REPENTED
SUNDAY TOTALLY BROKEN MONDAY MORNING GOING TO WORK
2 The LOVE beyond his wildest dreams
3 Fully RESTORED
TOTALLY EXONERATED TOTALLY RESTORED TO GOD
Let me paint you a pictureY
Here I was so angry and hurt, so full of fear because I had lost my trust in God. I was pounding nails into Jesus= hands and feet, with my sin I was thrusting thorns down on his head, I knew better and I was still stabbing him in the side. In my bitterness and rage I was expending all my energy to the point of complete exhaustion in driving those nails into his flesh over and over again. Then when I was totally used up and was about to fall down for the last timeY
Without a hint of judgment, with no indication of disappointment he grabbed me and held me up. My strength was gone used up killing him and it was him with total love, compassion and mercy who reached out while the hammer and spear were still in my hands and carried me to a safe placeY
If this is not the God you know I=m telling you he is running toward you with outstretched arms.
1 Maybe you=ve never entered into the healing love of GodY don=t delay, don=t resist, don=t be afraid.
2 Maybe you=re like me, someone who knows God but because you were hurt in some way you are acting out in pain and fear. Rebelling against the Father, well His love is the only way you=ll ever be whole and He=s waiting for you now.
3 Maybe you=re like the older brother later in this story. Someone who works diligently to abide in God=s law. You=re offended by God=s compassion and mercy extended to someone like me, someone who flaunted God=s law and lived an exciting life for myself and then I=m restored like nothing ever happened. I have two thoughts for you.
a) First, and this is especially for you young folks, life outside of God=s will is not fun and exciting. It is full of fear and pain and the consequences are far-reaching touching not only you but also those around you.
b) Second, you need to recognize your sin and the measure of grace extended to you. We know the bible says, Awe=ve all sinned and fall short@, but have you thought about that? The Bible also says anyone who=s broken the least law is guilty of breaking the whole law. You see if you only had one impure thought in your entire life you are guilty. The punishment is eternal separation from God; the only way to salvation is through Jesus= death and resurrectionY In order for you to go to heaven Jesus had to die, no more than I, but certainly no less, you killed Jesus.
--God will show you he=s not a taskmaster but a Father who loves you as much as He loves me.
4 Maybe you=re walking with God right know but maybe your love and excitement for God has grown cold. Maybe you would like to renew your commitment and allow God to refresh your spirit.
As Rocky comes please stand with me. If the Holy Spirit is gently speaking to you, asking you to come forward don=t quash His voice. It=s the easiest voice in the world to override, but I ask you to yieldY you will be blessed if you do, come forward, publicly demonstrating that you are not ashamed of Jesus, our savior.
As Rocky leads, come forward if you are led to do so, we will be here to pray with you. If you would like to stay and worship please feel free to do so. If you feel the need to leave go with God, have a great week, but please dismiss quietly so as not to disturb others.
Sent to Clovis Aug 2, 1990YMissed conflictYMore rageYtook it out on weak peersYMet Mariah at dance club after the strip jointYthought she was a good prospect for that portYher innocence intrigued me and although I was manipulating her to sleep with me it was the kindness, and gentleness of her spirit that kept me interested.
I flew a mission as a capt/inst in the right seat for a strong young LtYwe were number two of twoYOur airplane was in very poor shape we had multiple discrepancies before we even took off and after takeoff things went downhillYY..Mx had been separate with only two officers directly involved. Just before this flight Mx had been combined with Ops so now there were over 60 officers directly involvedYA MSgt
Before was a king but after was nothingYMany of these people were actively trying to fight backYone way was with shoddy MxYYBy the time we hit the Range it was dark and my radar died and my bomb was U/SYin a fit of rage I backhanded the radar screen and much to my amazement it shatteredYwhen we pulled up I said where do you want us completely infuriating the MSgt supervisingYI went into the Sq Told Smokey and SnuffyYSnuffy had done the same thing and got away with it, knew a guy who fessed up and got a letter of reprimandYI decided to make something up for the Mx guys and then tell my CO the next dayYWrote a lie in the bookYWent home.
Called at home Wg wants me in his officeYwent to Lt houseYwent to SqYTold to wait thereYRead my rights by the officer appointed to conduct the investigation for gen cmYYYMSgt knew I wouldn=t be punished and reported broken screen and his suspisions to the higher command so in the morn my Wg co who wants to be a gen is being yelled at by his 2 star boss about meYYY.Head lawyer known to hate FlyersYhe owns the defense so I get a lawyer from San Antonio Col tells me I get his best man because he knows the Cannon LawyerYbut it takes timeYphone contacts afraid of tapY
Lawyer finally shows and tells me all is lost, plead mercy 15 yrs hard laborYwait till MonYtook Mariah home told her to leave meYhad no more outsYbroken before God, big promisesY
Totally exonerated.
Married Jul 1992... Corp pilot in MontYSonYGreat churchYKaties StoryYAnother daughterY
CAL 1997