Witnesses
We have been writing on how to be a witness in an e\il world. We have said
witness means martyr, which means literal!) to put to death Anything that is
in our lives that does not glorify God needs to be put to death.
Death means dormant. Dead*, not moving. We said before you have never
seen a dead person move. They are dead. So you and I need to put it to death.
You can't go around sinning and claim to be dead in Christ and alive in the
resurrected body of Christ. Paul said therefore now there is no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus. That is so wonderfully true, my ff iend. But w hen
you read the rest of Romans, Chapter 8. it goes on to say "Who walk not after
the flesh but after the spirit." We are faced w ith evil tidings in the church simply
because folk still think they can sin and have fellowship with God.
Again we say, witness means put it to death. Anything which does not please
God, put it to death. Don't sit all night try ing to figure out how to move the
preacher just because you don't like what he is preaching. Oh, my friend, more
churches are in disorder because no one loves preaching any more. 1 see and
hear it every day. Churches divided. Some claim he is not Baptist. Some claim
they are Holiness. Some don't even know what they w ant. You see. they are not
ivitnesses. What they are doing will not glorify God. Any time, any time you seek
to harm a person and his family, you are not a witness and what you are doing
will not factor out the will ofGod in your life. That is what you thought was dead
has been watered and has come back alive and thaf which dwelleth in you now
Is liftt and envy. (James 4:5). And I will say again, you better mind how you set
out to destroy your enemy. I can tell you one thing, when you seek to do harm,
you better be careful. The scripture says "Compensate to no man evil for evil.
Provide honest things in the sight of all men." (Romans 12:17) "Let love be
without hypocrisy, abhor that which is evil, cling to that which is good." (Verse
9>
Oh, my friend, we are talking about how to live in a world that is filled with
evil. But if you are going to overcome evil, you must overcome evil with good.
Most ofyou, ifyou would, could spend the whole day trying to keep self straight.
If you take a look, you would notice there are some things in your own life that
are not dead yet. Children who are unruly. There are those who will partake of
the sins oftheir children. Deacons who will partake in evil and yet will judge the
minister. You better be careful. "Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no
harm." Let me tell you why you had better be careful how you set out to destroy
what you think might be your enemy. We all have bene warned "bless them who
persecute you, bless and curse not." (Romans 12:14)
Story is told in the Bible of a lady who said "The creditor is come to take unto
him my two sons to be slaves. The preacher replied what hast thou in thy house.
And the woman said thy hand maid hath not anything in the house, except a pot
of oil." She was instructed to shut the doors of her house and pour out the oil
and to sell it to save her sons. The oil in the Bible means the Holy Spirit ofGod.
Listen to me, there are those of you who are about to pass judgment on a
preacher. Some ofyou have done so in the past and you thought you had gotten
by. I can tell you of those whom I know personally that the creditor shows up
and claims their sons because they had no oil (The spirit of God had departed
from them.) The reason folks can't bless and persecute not is that they have no
oil in their house (body). God warns us and declares "He that ruleth over man
must be just." (II Samuel 23:3) Also God said he who rules over men shall be as
the light ofthe morning. When every morning is without cloud, as tender grass,
then David declared his house to be not so and God refused to let David build
his house because of bloody hands. I ask you again, is your house so? Are your
children in order? Do you sit and judge? Be careful, my friend, the creditor is on
his way to collect.
A few weeks ago I visited a lady in the hospital who claimed to have been
backslidden on God for over forty years. Her reason for being a backslider was.
that no one in the church was anything but hypocrites. Some minutes later, after
talking and praying, she said, "Preacher, now I know it was the devil that caused
me to backslide." I was unable to lead her back to Jesus. She said nothing to
assure her a place in heaven. The next day 1 went back and her mind was gone.
All she could say was, "It pays to be ready," over and over she said, "It pays
to be read." All because she saw people who could not factor out the will of God
in their lives.
You Sir. Madam, arid mvself. better be careful that no one is in hell because
of our careless living You can convince yourself all you want about eternal
security. God said we would reap what we sow
Before sou go out this da> to passjudgement. remember David declared that
the Spirit spoke and declared his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said
"The Rock of Israel said "He who ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear
ofGod."(ll Samuel23:2-3)
There are deacons, preachers, church leaders, who need to resign. But I know
you won't. But remember the creditor is on his way to make claim on your sons.
Let me close w ith this. Noah was a man whom God found favor w ith. Noah
was living in an evil world and it was condemned by God. God told Noah to build
an ark. Noah bui It the ark for the sav ing ofhis family and himself. Noah w as close
up in the ark because God promised a flood to destroy mankind. Let me say this,
the hand that saves can also destroy you. Noah was safe. He had been rescued
and in the ark. He w as protected. Remember this, God w ill not pressure us from
sin. We are to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh. (II Corinthians
7:1). While one may rejoice over sin being defeated, one needs to be aware of
thinking your w ork is done. See Noah's husbandry and excess. Even though the
best and holiest of men God is sending them here below must understand some
honest calling.
Noah had been shut up in safety, but when the ark, landed upon dry ground,
Noah came on shore. It was here he took things of the earth, corrupted them,
made wine and got drunk. Oh, my friend. Strong drink is a mocker and will deceive
the holiest of all men. Noah was declared to have been a preacher of righteousness,
but Noah stared at the color of the grapes and decided what he could to
do enjoy it. Somebody said God made it and if so, let's drink and be merry. Oh.
my friend. God made dogs but you don't eat dogs.
Jesus declared as it was in Noah's days so will it be in the last days. There
are those who will say alcohol is good, a creature of God and I enjoy it. Yes,
rattlesnakes, boa constrictors and so are altogether creatures of God, but we
don't enjoy swallowing them. Neither acid nor arsenic.
Poor Noah, once he ruled over men. He was a man God found just. Now he
is about to plant a vineyard. Notice now N oah is not free from the snares of Satan.
There was nothing wrong with having the grapes. It is what Noah did with them
that was wrong. He made wine, not just grape juice, but wine that would make
Noah a drunkard. "Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is raging and whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise." (20:1) They who tarry too long are not wise. Poor
Noah was not aware of the strength of wine and he was deceived by it. Noah
years later was rescued from the flood. Now self indulgence, excess, pleasing
one's self of desire, now driven by an unconscious force. No control. Out of the
ark with no restraint.
What we are about to see is a warning to you and 1. "Drunkenness is a sin
which breaks the law of God. Drunkenness is the way to ruin." From drunkenness
many a man can't find his way home. A drunkard's cry is, "I have lost my
way. Where am I going?" My friend, he is on his way to a ruined house of
children, family and respect.
As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when Jesus comes again. Today
ABC stores, grocery store shelves are filled with wine, beer, liquor. It is ruining
marriages and destroying homes.
Last week a young man said to me, "Preacher, when I was a little boy my
stepfather would come home drunk and we, the children, would flee to the
woods and hide. And we could hear him beating our mother."
Notice with me will you, Genesis Chapter 9 Verse 21: "And he drank wine and
became drunk and he was uncovered within his tent. When his sons noticed
his drunkenness, Shem and Japheth took a garment..."
You know, there are children today who attempt to cover their parents. The
shame of poverty: no lights, no running water, no shoes to wear, no food to eat.
Why? Because liquor, strong drink, wine is a mocker, destroying the hope of
man and the plan of God. Oh, my friend, our streets are filled with wounded men
and women with red eyes and in a wobbly condition. Many a child today is
covering the sins of their parents' drunkenness with sharfte. They can never
invite a friend home for a visit. They live a life of shame.
There are those of you who are destroying children's lives, but the creditor
is one his way. You won't live forever. "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor
drink, that puttest thy bottle to him and makest him drunk also that thou mayest
look on their nakedness." (Habakkuk 2:15)
Listen, if our mate sins we cannot be partakers of their sin. Church, don't let
others cause you to hate. Do good to you preacher. If you are going to fall out,
let it be from loving. Pay your preacher well. Help him in medical and insurance
programs and love him or her. Be a lover of hospitality.
Lumbee Homecoming 2000
And
C.A.R.S.
Presents
10th ANNUAL HOMECOMING CAR SHOW
Located in Pembroke, N.C.
3rd Street in front of UNCP
Saturday, July 1, 2000
Registration 8:00 a.m. ?12:30 p.m.
Pre-Reqistration $25.00 (by June 27,2000)
Day of Show $25.00
Alcohol and Drug Free Event!
1 TROPHIES FOR TOP FIFTY ?C
y? FREE DASH PLAQUES TO FIRST FIFTY REGISTERED^
There will be a 50 - 50 DRAWING
^^J^^of^^F^andDrinksiyheParW^__
Please mail Check or Money Order Tot
Lumbee Homecoming 2000
c/o Parade Chairman
PO Box 68
Pembroke, NC 28372
NAME:
ADDRESSt . ,
TYPE VEHICLE: ' PHONE!
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CA.R.S. OR L.R.D.A. ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES!
Congratulations
Rev. Marshall Locklear
on your retirement from Southern
Bell. We wish you much happiness
and great joy as you continue to lead
us as Pastor of West Robeson United
Methodist Church.
Good luck and good health.
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