Do You Remember

PPT Memorial Day Message

Do You Remember?

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Senior Pastor, Dr. Janet Cook

©2020 Praysers Ministries, Inc. d.b.a. River of Life Community Church

Note: Unless otherwise indicated all scriptures are taken from the NKJ

 

Biblical Definitions: Memorial – Strong’s #G3422 – denotes “a memorial,” that which keeps alive the memory of someone or something.

Hebrew -#234; a reminder; specifically remembrance – offering – memorial.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Joshua 4:1-3 “And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying: “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ”

Joshua 4:4-7 “Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

WHY DID GOD WANT THEM TO PUT UP STONES AS A MEMORIAL?

1.- TO SHAKE THEIR MEMORY

Israel had a PROBLEM remembering. Moses WARNED them about forgetting –

Deut. 6:12 – “then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”

1 – WE NEED TO REMEMBER WHEN HE BROUGHT US UP!

2 – REMEMBER WHEN HE BROUGHT US OUT!

1 Corinthians 1:26–30 “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—”

3 – REMEMBER WHEN HE BROUGHT US THROUGH!

God will use people, places, and things as memorial stones to remind us of His faithfulness and His blessings in our lives. God can use YOU, as a “living stone” to be a blessing in someone else’s life.

Don’t forget to thank God for His many blessings, our freedom, our faith, our future.

Receive Communion

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”

 

 

 

 



The Mother of Moses

PPT The Mother of Moses

Mother’s Day Message

Senior Pastor, Dr. Janet Cook

May 9, 2021

©2020 Praysers Ministries, Inc. d.b.a. River of Life Community Church

Note: Unless otherwise indicated all scriptures are taken from the NKJV

 

It’s been said, if God wants to do a great work, He’ll choose a man; if He wants to do an extraordinarily great work, He’ll choose a woman.

Exodus 1:8-10 “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”

Exodus 1:12-14 “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.  So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.  And they made their lives bitter with had bondage-in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field.  All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.  So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.”

Two God fearing Women

Exodus 1:15-17 “Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them but saved the male children alive.”

Exodus 1:20-21 “Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.

Jochebed the Mother of Moses

The story of Israel and their release from Egypt really begins with a Mother not Moses. The Mother of Moses was Jochebed.

Jochebed implies “glory of Jehovah” or “Jehovah (is her or our) glory.” Jochebed is the first person in the Scripture to have a name compounded with “Jah” or “Jehovah.” (All the Women of the Bible, Lockyer, p. 79)

The midwives would not cooperate with Pharoah and the scripture says…

Exodus 1:22-2:4  “So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Moses Is Born

2 “And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.”

Jochebed was not Afraid of the King’s Edict

Hebrews 11:23-29

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.”

 

“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”

 

“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”

  1. She taught Moses that God is good (Moses rejection of Pleasure)
  • In the face of crushing and depressing circumstances she was convinced God is good!
  • When we trust that God is good we make right decisions (Exodus 2:2, Hebrews 11:23)
  • When we trust that God is good we can release things into His care
  1. She taught Moses that God is a covenant God (Moses chooses Israel)
  • Jochebed taught Moses about the promises of God. The promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to make them great a great nation and to bless all others through them.
  • Moses was basing His choice on the character of God.

Malachi 3:6 “Because I, Yahweh, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.”

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?”

  • His promise of judgment to those that reject Jesus
  • His promise of salvation to those that receive Jesus

Teach your children to trust the goodness of God and to make decisions based on His character not their circumstances, teach them to believe and respond to the promises of God.

First – She had great respect for human life

  • She had an overpowering love to preserve the lives of her children.

Second – She had great respect for spiritual life!

  • Moses refused to be an Egyptian prince. A testimony of the spiritual truths he learned from his mother.
  • Scripture tells us that Moses was not willing to put aside the spiritual base built by his real mother!

 

Jochebed overcame all the obstacles with God’s help, you can too!

Jochebed served the same God you can serve. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

 

 



Breaking Limitations

PPT – Breaking Limitations

Sunday, May 2, 2021

Senior Pastor, Dr. Janet Cook

©2020 Praysers Ministries, Inc. d.b.a. River of Life Community Church

Note: Unless otherwise indicated all scriptures are taken from the NKJV

 

Acts 10:36-38 “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through

Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all

Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed

Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and

healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

 

Preaching peace through Jesus Christ – Jesus is Lord of all!

Peace – G1515 – one, peace, quietness, rest, = to set at one again

  • God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power
  • Healing all who were oppressed by the devil

 

Demonic Oppression

Oppressed – G2616 – to exercise dominion against

Dictionary.com app – verb (used with object)

  • to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power: a people oppressed by totalitarianism.
  • to lie heavily upon (the mind, a person, etc.): Care and sorrow oppressed them.
  • to weigh down, as sleep or weariness does.
  • to put down; subdue or suppress.
  • to press upon or against; crush.

 

Demonic Oppression – “is the term used to represent the “pressure” exerted by demons to

get us to sin, or to keep bound in limitations. Usually they have an open door to gain access to

us.” (Restoring the Foundations, 1994, p. 261)

 

Healing and Deliverance

Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me, To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

Vs 21 – And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

  • Deliverance from demonic oppression was a normal part of His ministry as he showed us the Father’s desire to bring peace into our lives. Peace = “to set at one again”

Demons have Goals

  1. To prevent someone from receiving salvation
  2. To prevent Christian maturity
  3. To make us ineffective
  4. To try to get us to turn away from God

 

John 10:10 “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.”

 

Typical Oppression by Demons (RTF)

Body: Appetites (lust, gluttony, sex, clothes, etc.), addictions (pornography, Internet,

shopping, overeating, sports, gambling, TV, etc.) Illness (cancer, arthritis, epilepsy, asthma.

“Incurable diseases.” bodily states (sleeplessness, sleepiness, lethargy, pain, nervousness,

etc.)

 

Soul/Mind: Torment (thoughts of accusation, temptation, distraction, terror, insanity, death

etc.), blocked memory, forgetfulness, lethargy, compulsive thoughts, blocked understanding

of God’s Word, etc.

 

Soul/Will: Weak will. A will that has no follow through, passive.

 

Soul/Emotions: Exaggerated emotional states: fear, anxiety, anger, rage, shame, rejection,

grief that is over- extended or out of proportion, etc.

 

Spirit: Attempted prevention of salvation. Spiritual lethargy, doubt of salvation experience,

unbelief. Can affect, harass, prevent maturing, but not take over in a Christian.

 

How Demons Enter

Genesis 4:6-7 “Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is

crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

  • In general, it is our opening of the door that allows sin (and accompanying demons) to come in.
  • The exception is when the demons come with our inheritance.

 

Open Doors

Ephesians 4:26 Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give

place to the devil.

  1. Inherited Curses and accompanying demons
  2. Sins of the flesh – Anger, Fear, Greed, Jealousy/envy, Rebellion, Pride
  3. Illness – when we are weak and vulnerable
  4. Emotional Trauma
  5. Passive/Trance state of mind
  6. Occult Involvement

 

Breaking Off Limitations

1 John 3:8 “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this

purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

 

Luke 4:21-28 “Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered

the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as

one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now there was a man in their synagogue with an

unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

 

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit

had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all

amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new

doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey

Him.” And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.”

Vs 39 “And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out

demons.”

 

The Kingdom of God

Matthew 12:28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has

come upon you.”

  • When demons are cast out it is fulfillment of Jesus purpose to destroy the works of the devil and evidence that the Kingdom of God has come. (JKC)
  • The coming of God’s kingdom includes freedom for Demonic Oppression. Jesus ministry included: teaching, preaching, salvation, freedom, healing and deliverance.

 

Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel

of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

 

Soul Ties, The Ties that Bind

Soul Ties are invisible ties that bind to another person.

 

Definition: Soul Ties (RTF)

Soul Ties are an ungodly covenant with another person, based on an unhealthy emotional and

or sexual relationship. This covenant binds the two people together. God “honors”, or

recognizes, these covenants. He leaves us free to decide when and if we will appropriate His

provisions to break/cut the ties and release both people.

 

1 Corinthians 1:15-17 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then

take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you

not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall

become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

 

We see this principle at work in the story about the Israelites and the Gibeonites.

Joshua 9:3-6 “But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and

Ai, they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks

on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended, old and patched sandals on their feet, and

old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. And they

went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have

come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.”

 

Joshua 9:14-16 “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask

counsel of the LORD. So Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let

them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them. And it happened at the end of

three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them.”

  • God honors covenants, even ungodly ones that we have made. It is the same with ungodly beliefs. God honors them as covenants with our enemy Satan.
  • To break them we must appropriate His provision and renounce any ungodly covenants and soul ties that have been established.

 

1 Corinthians 6:14-20 “Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same

dignity as the Master’s body. You wouldn’t take the Master’s body off to a whorehouse,

would you? I should hope not. There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much

spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we

want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that

avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can

never “become one.”” (MSG)

  • These ungodly soul ties need to be broken.

 

Godly Soul ties

We find these in healthy parent child relationships, in balanced, close friendships, and in

intimate healthy marriages.

 

Forgiveness

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there

was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that

Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (NIV)

 

Forgiveness Prayer

Father, you have made it clear that you require me to forgive. You desire the healing and

freedom for me that forgiveness brings. So today, I choose to forgive all who have set me up

to enter into sin and all who have hurt me. I choose to release them, each and every one. I let

go of all judgments against them, and I let go of all punishments for them I have harbored in

my heart. I turn all of this and all of them over to You.

 

Holy Spirit I thank you for working forgiveness into my life, and for giving me the grace I need

to forgive, and for continuing to enable me to forgive. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

Ministry to Ungodly Soul Ties

Prayer

Father, In the Name of Jesus, I submit myself completely to you. I confess all of my emotional

and sexual sins, as well as my ungodly Soul Ties. I choose to forgive each person that I have

been involved with in any ungodly way. I ask You, Lord, to forgive me for my sin that resulted

in ungodly Soul Ties.

 

Lord, I receive Your forgiveness, Thank you for forgiving me and for cleansing me.

 

I choose to forgive myself and no longer to be angry at myself, hate myself, or punish myself.

 

Lord, I break my ungodly Soul ties with_____________________. I release myself from

him/her. and I release him/her from me. As I do this, Lord, I pray that you would cause

him/her to be all that you want him/her to be, and that You would cause me to be all that you

want me to be.

 

Lord, please cleanse my mind from all memories of ungodly unions, so I am totally free to give

myself to you and (if you are married) to my spouse.

 

I renounce and cancel the assignments of all evil spirits attempting to maintain these ungodly

Soul Ties.

 

Lord, thank you for restoring my soul to wholeness. Let me walk in holiness by your grace. In

the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen



Who is on the Lord’s side?

PPT – Who is on the Lord’s side?

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Senior Pastor, Dr. Janet Cook

©2020 Praysers Ministries, Inc. d.b.a. River of Life Community Church

Note: Unless otherwise indicated all scriptures are taken from the NKJV

 

WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?

This world is on a collision course with God.

What we see going on is a battle of good and evil.

Sometimes we are unaware that we have made an agreement with the devil.

There is no neutral or middle ground.

Scripture reading: Exodus 32:17- 26

17 When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting noisily, he said to Moses, “That’s the sound of war in the camp!”

18 But Moses said, Those aren’t songs of victory,
And those aren’t songs of defeat,
I hear songs of people throwing a party.

19-20 And that’s what it was. When Moses came near to the camp and saw the calf and the people dancing, his anger flared. He threw down the tablets and smashed them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made, melted it down with fire, pulverized it to powder, then scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

21 Moses said to Aaron, “What on Earth did these people ever do to you that you involved them in this huge sin?”

22-23 Aaron said, “Master, don’t be angry. You know this people and how set on evil they are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. This Moses, the man who brought us out of Egypt, we don’t know what’s happened to him.’

24 “So I said, ‘Who has gold?’ And they took off their jewelry and gave it to me. I threw it in the fire and out came this calf.”

25-26 Moses saw that the people were simply running wild—Aaron had let them run wild, disgracing themselves before their enemies. 26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. (MSG)

  • Are you still on the Lord’s side even if the spiritual battle for purity has been tough and demanding?
  • “Everyone who is on the Lord’s side, come over here!”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ON THE LORD’S SIDE?

  1. Personal Reflection: Am I on the Lord’s side?
  • To reflect means to contemplate, to think about and to ponder seriously.
  • When you reflect, you analyze your present standing in Christ.
  • Are you still on the Lord’s side or have you abandoned your present position and went to the other side of the enemy?

Matthew 7:21 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

  • It is not what you say that counts but it is what you do.

This is what the text says of Aaron, their leader who was supposed to guide them to the truth.

Exodus 32:3-4 “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.” Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

  • Look at the extent of how the people have adopted to this new style of worship.

Exodus 32:5-6 “So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

Here are some Scriptures that talked about our present position in Christ:

Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”,

 

Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.”

Phil. 3:20 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through [a]Christ who strengthens me.”

 

Col. 1:13 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

  1. Personal Decision: Am I fully convinced?

Joshua 24:15

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

There must not be doubts or double mindedness.

  • “Come over here!” is an invitation for all of us.
  • Come over to the winning team.
  • Come over to the strongest team.
  • Come over to the safest team and stay there.

Look carefully at these promises from God’s words.

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are [a]safe.”

  • Declaring the name of the Lord Jesus is like being protected by a very strong tower or entering a fortified building or strong castle.
  • It is good to be in the side of the Lord.

Psalms 84:11 ” For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.”

Isaiah 41:10 ” Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

 

Then, I must be fully convinced God’s word is true and is the final say?

Romans 1:18-32

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who [d]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is [e]manifest [f]in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [g]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like [h]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their [i]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the [j]men, leaving the natural use of the [k]woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, [l]sexual immorality, wickedness, [m]covetousness, [n]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 [o]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, [p]unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

  1. Personal Commitment: Am I fully committed?

If I am on the Lord’s side, I must be fully dedicated and committed to where the Lord is.

Psalm 37:5 “Commit[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.”

All of these have happened because they were on the wrong side of the line.

Exodus 32:25-26 “25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.” (Message: 26 So he stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is on the Lord’s side come over here!” So all the Levites gathered around him,)

But God is inviting us to change our position if you are not on his side.

Proverbs 16:3 “Commit[a] your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.”

  • It is an invitation that will decide between life or death.
  • It is an invitation that will determine our eternal destiny.
  • When you come to Christ, you are leaving the position of sin and going to the position of spiritual strength and security.

Revelation 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.”

  • He is standing at the door of our hearts knocking, wanting to get in.
  • Once you let Him in, He will change you.
  • He will make your life more meaningful and blessed.

Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”

  • The surest sign that you belong to Christ is that you gather rather than
  • You share God’s Word to others and testify of His goodness.
  • That means you build people and bring them to Christ rather than to allow them to be destroyed by sin.

Matthew 16:17-19

17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not [a]prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth [b]will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”