Does God bless us when we are sinning?

Sermon Topics Saturday 6/8/13 pm
2 pm Service opened by Elder Adam Porter, message by Apostle Joel Yates
I was here at the Bradley Local 23 years ago. We all look different now, and so does the building … and we are all very thankful to be here today.
It is a very difficult world we live in spiritually, but we have a MIGHTY GOD. Dad told me to pray about everything, and i have. God guides us in our lives (Isaiah 9:6, Wonderful Counselor msl). He has protected me from two building collapses. Does God bless us because we’re His? Or while we are sinners? Even in our sinful fallen state He still reaches out to bless us.
When it came time to take exams for promotion, the Lord reassured me “I’ve got you … you’re in My hands.” He leads us and reassures us.
Romas 1:16-20 … The more He shows you, the more you understand … the more accountable you are.
We live in a world of idolatry … things that have been made more important than the blessings God would provide.
Salvation = deliverance! from death, hell, satan … the things that have had power over us … Jesus delivers us. Is the Gospel changing your life?
The Lord is not blessing me because i’m perfect.
Are you ready to hear a word that makes you think, “i need to rethink”? or do you hear and go home and go on as before?
So many go to church and feel righteous … and then live in ways that grieve God. You may be getting blessings,but maybe not to the degree God would like.
Matthew 1:19 Joseph was a man of good character ... he did not want Mary publicly condemned and stoned, so he figured to put her away quietly and privately.
1 John 3:1-7 … what manner of LOVE the Father has shown us. It’s easy to say we’re not perfect and we never will be … but when Jesus comes, we will be like Him.
We repent and humble ourselves before Him … repent means to turn around and change course. We were intended to overcome (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21 msl). He has called us to be victors and not victims.
I treated a 19-year-old young man for chest pain … drugs, etc. … he looked like a hopeless case, looking at him through man’s righteousness. He asked me “have you ever felt that you had no hope?” I told him that there is a place where he can find a family and hope, and he is attending the Phoenix Local.
What is the power of the Gospel in your life? Are you being strengthened and growing in your life?
Matthew 5:20 … righteousness … the Scribes and Pharisees kept the Law of Moses, and wrote their OWN book on how to keep the Law (tradition of the elders, Matthew 15:2 msl); God’s righteousness vs. man’s righteousness.
Matthew 6:25-33 God provides! We have appetite, we’re not content with what we have, we want more. TAKE NO THOUGHT for these things, but SEEK FIRST the Kingdom of Heaven.
We get our own ideas of what is righteous, but that’s not what makes us better. God’s righteousness is not about us.
The Pharisees displayed themselves. In contrast, Jesus told us that when we do these things – prayer, alms, fasting – we are to do them privately. Not that we cannot do them in public, but NEVER to be seen of other people.
We have an imbalance between justice and mercy … God does not.
Romans 5:7-8 … while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Some in the Church have come from horrible backgrounds … their lives have been CHANGED. We are all ungodly and unworthy … God loves us anyway. He changed my brother’s life before calling him home.
We get zealous and forget that we have to live in HIS righteousness, not our own.
Acts 7:60 … the stoning of Stephen … on our own we say about someone else, “serves you right”. Stephen’s response was to call on God to “lay not this sin to their charge”.
God’s righteousness is different from ours. He doesn’t give us what we deserve – let us be the same way.
Hebrews 10:16 … quoted from Jeremiah 31:33-4 … the New Covenant, written on our hearts. You are always empowered to do the right thing … but His law must be written in our hearts. The things we do must be with real intent.
Moroni 7:8 … it’s not about that you prayed, but about HOW you prayed. It doesn’t count if you didn’t do it with REAL INTENT.
He’s keeping track … whatever we say, think, do … and we will give account. It can all get to where we say and do by rote without thinking … it needs to be with real intent. It’s not what we do, it’s why we do it; it’s what is in our hearts. We need to pray sincerely, and live sacrificially. What God does with our lives is His call.
In ministering to Chris Wallace (age 15), every member in the Local had a part in that young man’s life, in preparing him to meet the Lord (age 16). We ARE our brother’s keeper.
James 3:17 … be easy to be intreated (God’s righteousness) … you cannot live to yourself and be righteous. When required, be willing to give more, to help heal and restore another.
There are times when we feel we have to be offended – but do we? The Lord took our unrighteousness and doesn’t hold us accountable … He forgives and doesn’t bring it up again.
He’s with us in our trials and afflictions … we should not complain “why are You doing this to me?” It’s our nature to complain … we must be willing to allow God to work in us. Be willing to suffer shame, and bear fruit (Galatians 5:22-23 msl). What needs to be done is not all someone else’s problem, we each have a job to do – taking our place as part of the body.
Ask the Lord, “help me, give me words to say”. My hope is that we’ll be found not in OUR righteousness, but in HIS … if not, He’s not going to know who we are.
The service was closed by Adam with a reminder: Who is our neighbor? What is our witness? We are challenged to examine our lives.