Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000054
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00:19 Well good evening.
00:20 It's so good to have each one of 00:22 you join us here tonight 00:23 in Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:26 We're at the 3ABN Worship Center 00:30 and the event is Give Me The Bible 00:33 with Pastor Kenneth Cox. 00:36 We've been enjoying this series now this entire year. 00:39 And we are looking forward to tonight's subject. 00:42 The series this weekend is The Apple of God's Eye. 00:48 Of course, that is God's church. 00:51 That's the apple of His eye. 00:53 He loves His church, and 00:56 He loves the church so much that He gave His life 01:00 for the church and those individuals who are part of it. 01:04 And tonight we're going to look at a very special subject 01:08 involving you and me and our personal finances. 01:13 Because you know something, when you become a steward 01:18 and you see finances not as money that you have 01:22 and you give God part of it 01:24 but you see the financial condition of your life 01:28 as something that God owns. He owns everything. 01:32 The Bible says He owns the cattle on a thousand hills... 01:35 but He also owns the hills. 01:37 So He is the One who owns it all. 01:41 We are His stewards. 01:43 And He says: "If you will take care of that which I give you, 01:47 I will definitely take care of you. " 01:51 And so tonight's subject is going to be The Storehouse 01:55 of the Church. 01:57 And you'll want to be sure also to be with us tomorrow night 02:01 because tomorrow night's subject is The Church Victorious. 02:06 God says this church is going to be victorious. 02:11 And we're all looking forward to that day when Jesus 02:14 Christ comes again. 02:16 Breaks forth in the clouds of glory 02:20 and we see Christ coming for His church. 02:24 Right now just before Pastor Kenneth Cox comes 02:28 we're going to enjoy a beautiful old favorite 02:32 of most of us: Just a Closer Walk with Thee. 02:37 And Jim Rhodes and Dona Klein will be favoring us on the piano 02:42 and on the organ. 05:06 Thank you! Jimmy Rhodes and Dona Klein. 05:09 Enjoy that? Yes! 05:11 That's wonderful! 05:13 Enjoyed that! Well, glad that all of you 05:16 are here this evening. 05:17 Appreciate you being back with us. 05:20 Also those of you that are 05:21 joining us now by television 05:23 or over the radio, we welcome 05:26 you and glad that you tuned in. 05:28 And we hope that tonight's subject will 05:30 be a special blessing to you. 05:33 And we're just very happy to be here 05:36 and to share this weekend with you as we're going through 05:41 this series on The Apple of God's Eye... 05:44 or on His church - which is something that God set up. 05:50 He said "This was My church, " something that the Lord set up. 05:53 And that's the reason it becomes so important that you and I 05:57 understand about the church. 06:00 And we talked about that in our first presentation 06:03 called Why A Church? 06:04 What the purpose of the church is. 06:06 And then we took a look at The Front Door of the Church 06:09 which we found out is Jesus Christ. 06:14 He said: "I am the door" 06:15 and that we "come in through Jesus Christ. " 06:19 And then we looked at The Back Door of the Church. 06:22 And we found out the back door of the church is where you go 06:25 out and minister to people. 06:27 That's where you and I go out to serve. 06:30 That's what the back door of the church is for: 06:32 a place of fellowship with the church members. 06:37 So we hope that it will be a blessing to you. 06:40 And then tonight we're taking a look at: 06:46 Where God has things 06:49 and tells us how that we are to support it. 06:52 Then our final presentation is entitled 06:59 The little poem: What says the Bible, 07:03 to you and to me? What says the Bible, 07:05 the blessed Bible? This my only question be. 07:10 Will the church of God be victorious? 07:14 What says the Word of God to me? 07:17 That's what we need to know. 07:18 And so we're going to look at what the scripture says 07:21 about the church. Where God says that it's going 07:27 and how that you and I fit into that as we take a look 07:30 at The Church Victorious. 07:31 So we hope that this series on the church 07:34 has been a help to you and a blessing to you 07:38 in a special way. It's good to be here with you. 07:42 We thank each of you for being part 07:44 of this series that we've had. 07:49 Tonight we're glad to have Jim and Pam Rhodes with us. 07:55 I know that I have been blessed by their music. 07:58 And Pam's going to sing for us All in the Name of Jesus. 08:23 Truth and beauty, 08:26 happiness, 08:31 It's all in the name 08:35 of Jesus; 08:40 Health and Heaven, 08:43 peace and rest, 08:48 It's all in the name 08:52 of Jesus. 08:57 Joy and gladness 09:00 forgiveness too 09:05 Life everlasting 09:09 and free; 09:13 All that I've longed for 09:18 and all I need, 09:22 It's all in the name 09:26 of Jesus. 09:30 Care and comfort, 09:35 healing and grace 09:39 It's all in the name 09:43 of Jesus; 09:47 Welcome, pardon, 09:51 a hiding place, 09:55 It's all in the name 10:00 of Jesus. 10:04 Warmth and sunshine, 10:08 friendship true, 10:13 Fulfillment and blessing untold; 10:21 Hope for tomorrow 10:25 and help for today, 10:29 It's all in the name 10:34 of Jesus. 10:46 It's all in the name 10:51 of Jesus; 11:03 It's all in the name 11:08 of Jesus. 11:29 All my tomorrows 11:33 and help for today, 11:37 It's all in the name 11:41 of Jesus. 11:46 Jesus, 11:50 Jesus, 11:54 He's here 11:56 and He will show you the way; 12:03 Jesus, 12:07 Jesus, 12:12 He's all that you need 12:17 today. 12:26 God bless you. 12:44 Our gracious Lord, tonight 12:48 we come to You asking for Your presence. 12:53 Asking, Lord, that the Holy Spirit 12:56 may enlighten our minds. 13:00 That it may help us to understand 13:05 Your desire for us to learn to have faith in You... 13:11 to depend upon You. 13:12 To know that we are completely safe in Your hands. 13:18 Give us the understanding that we need tonight 13:22 that we might each be blessed, 13:28 drawn into a close relationship with You. 13:30 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 13:41 Tonight's subject 13:44 will not do you any good 13:47 in theory. 13:51 It won't do you any good 13:55 in practice 13:57 if you don't approach it the right way. 14:03 And few people understand that. 14:05 That... they think that maybe if they 14:10 understand it, that that's enough. 14:12 Or if they practice it, that's enough. 14:15 No it's not. 14:16 And to make sure that we understand 14:20 what the Lord has in mind, I'm going to start tonight 14:24 by giving you three different samples 14:29 of what Jesus Christ had to say. 14:33 And when you take a look at these three statements 14:37 by our Lord, I hope it will help us be in the right 14:42 understanding for the subject tonight. 14:46 I'd like to start out with these words by Jesus: 15:09 So Jesus said: "Don't lay up for yourself 15:14 here on this earth treasures. " 15:16 If you do, folks, somebody else is going to enjoy it. 15:24 Sorry, that's just the way it works. 15:26 People spend all their lives 15:32 struggling and saving... and laying up a treasure 15:37 that somebody else enjoys. 15:41 And Christ said: "Don't do that. 15:44 If you're going to lay up treasure, 15:46 lay up treasure in heaven. " 15:49 That's where we need to put our treasure. 15:52 OK. The second thing that He said was this: 16:01 Very, very good indication 16:04 that if I put my treasure in heaven 16:10 that's where my heart will be. 16:11 And by the way, the reverse of that is not true. 16:17 Find some people... where your heart is 16:19 there your treasure will be. No... 16:20 It's where your treasure is that's where your heart will be. 16:24 And so put your treasure in heaven. 16:26 That's where you and I need to put it. 16:28 And then Jesus said this... He said: 16:41 Don't worry about that. 16:43 What shall I eat? What shall I drink? What shall I wear? 16:47 He said: "Don't worry about that. " 17:00 "All these things... " What does He mean? 17:04 What you eat. What you drink. What you wear. 17:09 All those things will be added to you if you will 17:12 seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 17:17 Can you do that? 17:20 Because this subject tonight definitely is in relationship 17:25 to that. That you have to come to this experience 17:30 where you're willing by faith to trust the Lord. 17:35 I have to come to the place where I can say: 17:38 "Here, I trust the Lord. 17:40 I believe he will completely care for me. 17:43 Therefore, I don't have to have a treasure here on this earth. " 17:50 You remember what He said to the disciples? 17:53 He said: "I have sent you out... 17:54 I sent you out without sandals and without a knapsack 17:58 and all these things. " And He said: 17:59 "Did you lack anything? " 18:01 They said: "Nothing. " 18:04 Well, you and I must come to that experience where we trust 18:08 God to the place that I don't have to worry about that. 18:15 And Jesus picked out a particular experience 18:19 and He mentioned this to His disciples, 18:22 and He said this to them: 18:29 Now they were passing by 18:33 and they were dropping their gifts into the treasury. 18:36 And they were making a display of it 18:39 so everybody would be sure to know what they had given. 18:53 You know how much that was? 18:58 Huh? 19:00 That was everything. 19:02 You understand that? 19:05 That was everything. 19:07 That was everything she had. 19:10 So when you want to take a look at it, you won't weigh it 19:15 in comparison. That was everything she had! 19:26 He said: "She's given more than anybody else. " 19:38 Out of the abundance of things they have 19:41 they've given their offering to God. 19:52 Everything that she had she put it in. 19:57 So, you can't look at it on the basis of 20:03 what she gave. 20:05 You have to look at it on the basis of what was left over. 20:09 And she put in everything that she had. 20:15 Therefore, when I come to giving, folks... 20:20 when it comes to giving, 20:22 I have to make sure that my giving 20:25 is prompted by faith. 20:30 If you believe in giving 20:33 and it's simply a theory to you, 20:37 it won't do you any good. 20:39 Or if you give and you give as a practice 20:45 and faith is not mixed into it, 20:49 it won't do you any good. 20:53 Therefore, when it comes to giving, you and I must make sure 20:58 that our giving is based on how God wants us to give. 21:04 Says: 21:13 God makes it very clear that He has a storehouse 21:19 and He speaks about food in His house. 21:22 And therefore He says that you and I are to bring the tithe 21:27 into the storehouse. 21:29 And when He's talking about the storehouse 21:33 He's basically talking about the church. 21:36 He said: "Bring all the tithe into the storehouse. " 21:40 That means that we as 21:45 part of God's church - as members of the church - 21:47 that we need to support the church... 21:51 we need to bring the tithe into the storehouse. 21:54 It goes on and says here: 22:02 They brought their tithe; it was put there in the storehouse. 22:07 So tonight I want us to take a look at giving 22:11 and what the scripture has to say about giving, 22:15 and you'll find basically there are three types of offerings. 22:18 The Bible speaks of three different types of offerings. 22:23 And the first type of offering that the scripture speaks of 22:26 is what's called a free will offering. 22:31 That is an offering that you and I can bring to the Lord. 22:36 Listen to what it says here: 22:55 A free will offering is an offering that you and I 23:00 give to the Lord. 23:02 And there's no requirements about it, folks. 23:07 There's no requirements about it at all. 23:10 It's just an offering that I want to give to the Lord. 23:14 It might be an offering I'm giving out of thankfulness. 23:18 It might be an offering I'm giving because I want to 23:23 give a particular offering to the Lord. 23:26 It's a free will offering. 23:28 And if all you're doing is... how should I say this? 23:35 doing exactly what's prescribed, 23:39 then you're missing the blessing 23:41 because God wants you and I to offer to Him 23:47 offerings that we give out of our own choice 23:50 and our own free will. 23:53 Another type of offering that the scripture speaks about 23:56 is that of what is called firstfruits. 23:59 That was another offering that was given. 24:03 And it says this: 24:10 In other words, when they planted their crop 24:15 and they came to the time of the harvest, 24:18 they were to bring the very best part of that 24:22 crop - the firstfruits - and offer that to the Lord. 24:26 That was a firstfruit offering. 24:29 So with you and I. 24:30 You know... Let's say that something happens 24:36 and you have a windfall. 24:39 Then certainly we should bring the firstfruits of that 24:44 and give it to the Lord, folks. 24:46 That's what He's talking about. 24:48 That is a blessing that God has given to you and I. 24:51 We need to take and present that to the Lord. 24:54 It's the firstfruits of it. 24:57 And then, of course, the other is the tithe. 25:00 The tithe that you and I are to bring... and it says: 25:14 So it says that you counted your flock there and 25:18 as they passed under the rod 25:20 every tenth one was the Lord's and that's the tithe. 25:25 And we are to return the tithe to the Lord. 25:29 But again I want to stress 25:33 that if you're doing it as a theory 25:36 or you're doing it just as a practice, 25:40 then you're missing the blessing. 25:43 You're missing the blessing if you don't understand 25:47 the relationship between you and the Lord and by faith. 25:52 It says here: "The tenth one shall be.. " what? 25:58 "holy to the Lord. " 26:00 There are certain things that are holy. 26:02 You understand that? 26:05 Do you know what I mean by holy? 26:08 Do you remember in the scripture about Korah and Dathan 26:15 and Abiram? Remember those three that rebelled against Moses? 26:18 Huh? Remember that? 26:20 And they - through their rebellion - they enlisted 26:25 250 other of the princes of Israel. 26:29 Remember that? And those men... those 250... 26:34 went and made censers. 26:37 And they took those censers and they burned incense in them 26:43 before the Lord. 26:44 And when they burned incense in it before the Lord 26:49 and offering that, it made those censers holy. 26:57 And when they went out there and they rebelled 27:01 and those 250 men were slain, 27:05 God told Moses: "Gather up those censers. 27:10 They are holy and they belong to the Lord. " 27:15 There are certain things that are holy 27:18 that belong to the Lord. 27:20 And you and I, I don't care what you do, 27:24 but I'll guarantee you that them being holy 27:30 does not depend on what we do. 27:33 It depends on what God DID. 27:36 And therefore all I can do is relate to it 27:40 as something that is holy. 27:42 Some of the things are... one: 28:01 The Sabbath is holy. 28:03 It's been made holy by God, 28:07 and therefore I can only relate to it 28:12 as it is HOLY. 28:15 My actions... what I do... doesn't make it holy. 28:21 It's holy. 28:23 That's something that God did to it. 28:26 So the Sabbath is holy. 28:28 And also it says: 28:41 The Bible makes it very clear that your body is holy. 28:47 What you do does not make your body holy. 28:54 God is the One that's responsible for that. 28:57 When you and I accept the Lord, 28:59 it says He gives us the Holy Spirit 29:02 and our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit. 29:07 Therefore they are holy, and you and I must relate 29:12 to that as being holy. 29:16 That's why it's important how I treat it 29:20 because it is holy. 29:23 But it also says that the tithe is holy: 29:36 So the tithe is also holy and it belongs to God. 29:43 Therefore I must bring it to Him. 29:47 How I treat it will not change it. 29:52 In other words, what I'm trying to say is 29:55 if you don't return the tithe, that will not make it unholy. 30:00 It's holy, and you and I need to be very careful how we treat it. 30:06 So how is the tithe to be used? 30:09 Well the scripture tells us that a tithe is simply one tenth. 30:13 That's a tithe. What does that mean? 30:17 Well, that means simply that if I make a dollar 30:22 then tithe is 10 cents. 30:25 If I make $10, it's a dollar. 30:30 If I make $100, it's $10. 30:34 In other words, the Lord says that I am to return 30:39 the tithe to Him 30:42 because it's His; it's holy. 30:46 I need to give it to Him. 31:00 God chose the Levites 31:04 as His priests, as His ministers, 31:09 and He said the tithe is to be set apart 31:12 to care for the Levites. 31:14 That's what it was set aside for. 31:17 And it was to take care of them and provide for them 31:20 because they had no inheritance 31:24 among the children of Israel. 31:26 The only inheritance they had was the tithe. 31:30 That was given to them to care for them. 31:33 OK? I... I grew up in a home 31:38 where my father had a very, very strange idea about this. 31:44 My father had been raised in a home where he was taught 31:49 that the minister was not to be paid. 31:54 That the minister was to care for the church. 31:57 He was to have a job and he was to work at a job 32:01 but he was not to be paid. 32:04 It was to be totally on a volunteer basis. 32:07 And that's the way my father was raised... 32:10 that's what he believed and all. 32:12 That is NOT what the scripture teaches. 32:15 It says that that was given to the Levites 32:19 to care for them... to provide for them. 32:22 Now, we don't have a Levitical priesthood today. 32:26 That Levitical priesthood came to an end 32:31 and therefore we don't have it. 32:32 And so you have to read very carefully now 32:35 what Paul has to say, 32:38 because he begins to see how the transition... 32:41 transition is to be made. 32:43 Listen to what he says here in the book of Hebrews: 32:54 Now you remember, Abraham gave a tenth 32:58 of what he had gotten. Gave it to Melchizedeck. 33:02 Remember that? 33:04 OK. Look at the point that it's making here, and it says: 33:20 OK. Just like we read, he says the Levites 33:23 have the commandment... they were to receive the tithe. 33:32 Now, watch the transition: 33:43 Now understand what he's saying... 33:45 He's saying now Melchizedeck was not a Levite. 33:50 He was not of their genealogy. 34:03 He said he wasn't a Levite 34:06 but Abraham paid him tithe. 34:10 Now you've got to understand the background here 34:14 because we're in the process here, folks, 34:17 of going from the Jewish nation 34:21 into the Christian church. 34:25 Are you following me? 34:27 So these people were used to taking their tithe 34:31 and giving it at the temple. 34:35 But now all of a sudden 34:37 the gospel is going out to the world. 34:40 And so Paul is trying to help them understand 34:42 that they needed to give, but they needed to give 34:46 so the gospel could be expanded 34:49 and not necessarily at the temple. 35:04 Paul is asking: "If we have helped you spiritually, 35:07 if we have helped you grow spiritually, 35:10 then is it wrong for you to help materially? " 35:15 That's the point he's asking. 35:47 This is what happened at the temple. 35:50 They brought their sacrifices and they ate of that. 35:56 Paul is making the point here, and he says: 36:07 So he says that this is how the church of God 36:11 is to be supported. 36:15 The tithe is to be given 36:20 for the proclamation of the gospel. 36:24 I want to make that clear. 36:26 The tithe is to be given for the proclamation of the gospel: 36:30 for the preaching of God's Word. 36:33 That... that is not all, folks. 36:37 That's the tithe.. that's what you and I return to the Lord. 36:42 But then we are free 36:46 to give free will offerings or to give of the firstfruits. 36:51 Those are things that we can give that God wants us to give. 37:06 So it says bring the tithe. 37:09 I need to be faithful in it. 37:11 I picked up and read a story the other day about this 37:15 town - not a large town 37:19 but a country community... a town. 37:23 And the church there in the town 37:26 where all the people went to 37:27 the treasurer that had been the 37:29 treasurer for years retired. 37:33 And so the church was trying to get somebody to be 37:37 the treasurer of the church. 37:38 And they finally asked the fellow who owned and operated 37:43 the grain elevator in the town. 37:45 They asked him if he would be the treasurer of the church. 37:49 They knew him to be honest. 37:51 They knew him to be a man of integrity. 37:53 And so they asked him if he would be the treasurer 37:56 of the church. And so after some consideration 37:59 he said that he would. 38:01 That he would be the treasurer... 38:04 but he said under one condition. 38:06 And they said: "What's that? " 38:08 And he said: "Nobody... 38:10 nobody will ask me any questions about the finances of the church 38:15 for one year. 38:17 Nobody will look at the church books 38:22 for one year. " 38:27 And the people said: "What do you mean? " 38:30 He said: "If you want me to be the treasurer, 38:32 nobody asks me any questions about it 38:34 and nobody will look at the church books for one year. " 38:37 And they respected him. He was an honest man and all. 38:42 And so they said: "OK. " 38:44 And he became the treasurer. 38:47 And everything seemed to go fine. 38:50 And at the end of the year 38:52 everybody wanted to know how things were and how they... 38:57 And so they had the treasurer give them a report. 39:03 They found out that they had 39:09 that they owned on the church... owed on the church building. 39:13 They found out that they had $50,000 in a fund 39:18 for spreading the gospel. 39:21 They found out several other funds that they had an excess 39:25 of money in. They said: "How have you done this? 39:30 How has this happened 39:32 that all this money is here in the treasury 39:34 and everything's been paid for, we don't have any debts? 39:38 How did this happen? " 39:42 He said: "Ah, it's very simple. " 39:44 He said just simply: "When you brought your grain 39:48 to the elevator and had it weighed and paid, " 39:51 he said, "I just took your tithe out of it 39:53 and turned it in to the church. " 39:56 And he said: "None of you have missed it. " 39:59 You see, just simply works that way, dear friends. 40:05 God just simply says that if you and I return the tithe 40:09 to Him that He will bless us. 40:13 And the blessing God pours out upon us 40:17 is beyond anything that you and I can imagine. 40:21 Does this for us. 40:23 And so I'm... the thing that I'm trying to get across tonight 40:27 dear friends... It has a whole lot more to do 40:32 with your heart and your relationship with the Lord 40:37 than it has to do with what your head says. 40:41 You need to come to the place where you say: 40:44 "Yes, I trust Him. 40:47 I trust Him completely. I put my life in His hands. " 40:51 And He says: "If you do, I'll bless you. " 40:54 Jesus here is talking about practicing it... 40:58 practicing it, when it won't do you any good. 41:02 Listen: 41:24 You see, just to practice it and not have faith 41:29 or mercy or justice won't do you any good at all. 41:35 But to have faith and say "I trust You, Lord, " 41:40 and to put your life in His hands... 41:42 Oh, yes, that makes a great, great difference. 41:48 See this is also what Christ was trying to get across 41:53 when He told this story. 42:20 OK? 42:29 Was he practicing it? 42:33 Oh, yes. "I give tithe of everything I have. " 43:07 You see, I need to give, folks. 43:13 And I need to give to see the gospel proclaimed. 43:19 I have that right to give... 43:24 to give back to God what He has given me. 43:28 And I have some people say: "Well, how... you know... 43:33 how can you give 10%? " 43:36 Well, let me tell you, that's not hard. 43:40 That's not hard if your heart is right. 43:45 If your heart is right... no. 43:47 That's not hard at all. 43:50 And by the way, let me just tell you right now 43:53 the minister is not exempt. 43:59 OK? Ministers are human beings. 44:04 They have the same problems. 44:08 They face the same temptations. 44:11 Selfishness is not something that ministers don't have. 44:19 That is part of the things that they face. 44:22 So you need to listen to this very carefully: 44:29 Do you understand that? 44:31 Aaron was what? He was a Levite. 44:35 So what does it mean when it says: 44:36 "The priests, the descendants of Aaron, 44:38 shall be with the Levites? " 44:41 It simply means this: 44:43 that Aaron and his sons were set aside to be the priests, 44:48 and the Levites were to help them... minister to them. 44:53 So he's saying, these that were the priests and the Levites 44:57 they were to be with them 44:59 when the Levites receive the tithes. 45:04 OK? 45:07 Listen... who? 45:16 In other words, they were supported by the tithes. 45:19 The minister is supported by the tithe, 45:24 but he in turn is to return a tithe. 45:29 That is scripture. 45:33 See, you and I have to make sure 45:39 that we are not being covetous or selfish. 45:45 That can't be part of a Christian life. 45:51 I have to be willing to give... to share. 46:02 This they were to bring as He says. 46:14 OK... Said: "Would you rob God? " 46:24 Robbed Him of tithes and offerings. 46:29 Free will offerings I am to bring. 46:33 That God wants me to bring. 46:51 That was his charge. 47:06 So this was the tithe that was to be brought. 47:09 I don't know how many of you have been in the situation... 47:15 but if you've been like a student in school 47:21 or something like some of us were where you didn't know 47:26 where the next nickel was coming from, I mean 47:29 you talk about being poor... 47:32 we were so poor when we were in school... 47:35 I can remember my birthday came around. 47:39 And... and we just didn't have any money period, you know. 47:43 And by the way, this - to me - is still the nicest gift 47:48 I have ever received in my life. 47:51 My wife didn't have any money. 47:54 I mean, we were just broke. 47:57 We didn't have any money, so I didn't expect any birthday gift, 48:02 you know... no money for one. 48:04 Anyhow, we were sitting there in the apartment 48:08 eating a little meal, and there beside my plate was a gift 48:14 that she had gotten me. 48:17 Wrapped up... put it beside the plate. 48:19 And I opened it up... 48:21 and here inside a little box was a lollipop she had gotten me. 48:26 And like I say, still - to me - probably the nicest gift 48:32 I ever got. 48:35 So if you've been in that situation where you're poor, 48:38 you know you don't know where the next thing is coming... 48:41 Jim Gilley and I were sharing these things, and I asked him 48:46 about it. And he said that when they were in school 48:48 that he and Camille had, you know, 48:54 just taken every penny they had to be at school. 48:58 And he had gotten a little check 49:02 from a little business they were trying to operate. 49:06 And the tithe on that for what he had earned and stuff 49:12 was $62.50. 49:15 But he said... if he paid the $62.50 49:21 that was it, they didn't have anything left. 49:24 That was... that took everything that they had to pay that. 49:27 And he said that he struggled with that... 49:32 I mean, because it was giving everything they had. 49:37 He struggled with that all the way to the post office. 49:40 Finally... was sending the tithe... 49:43 he was sending the tithe back to the church where they 49:45 were members... and they were in school. 49:48 And he said he finally mailed it. 49:51 And he said he walked over to the mail box 49:54 and opened up the mail box. 49:58 And he said here was a letter in it. 50:01 He took it out, and in that letter 50:03 was a check for $62.50. 50:08 The exact penny. 50:10 You see, God does not fail. 50:14 Never. He'll care for us if you and I are just faithful. 50:19 So the offerings are something that you and I 50:23 are to bring to the Lord. 50:35 Now if you want to make sure that you're OK, 50:39 this is how: 50:56 So you and I are to give. 50:58 The blessing of God will rest with you and I 51:02 if we give to the Lord. 51:20 This God wants to give to you and to me 51:23 if we return the tithe to Him. 51:30 All you may need 51:34 He will provide, 51:38 God will take care 51:42 of you. 51:47 Nothing you ask 51:50 will be denied... 51:54 God will take care 51:57 of you. 52:02 God will take care 52:07 of you. 52:10 Through every day, 52:14 or all the way. 52:19 He will take care 52:24 of you. 52:27 God will take care 52:33 of you. 52:40 Let us pray. 52:41 Father in Heaven, 52:44 we thank you... thank you for providing for us. 52:50 For giving... for making a way. 52:55 Help us, Lord, that we will learn... 52:58 learn to walk with You by faith. 53:02 To learn to take the things that You give us 53:06 and to lay up a treasure in heaven 53:11 that we can enjoy the blessing of God 53:15 in our lives. Bless each one here tonight 53:19 that they might find in Christ 53:24 their security, their guidance, their direction in their lives. 53:30 We thank you, Lord, for being with us. 53:33 For this we ask in Your name, Amen. 53:39 Well, our next presentation brings us down to the 53:44 end of this series on The Apple of God's Eye. 53:47 And our next one is on The Church Victorious. 53:51 The Church Victorious. 53:53 You see, God speaks of the church as His bride, 53:58 and He describes what's going to take place. 54:02 And we're going to take a look at what the scripture tells us 54:04 about God's church down through the ages 54:07 and how it will be victorious. 54:10 So we hope that all of you will be sure and be back with us 54:14 again for our next presentation. 54:16 And we hope that you have a good evening. 54:19 And may God continue to be with you and bless you 54:22 in a very, very special way. 54:24 Thank you and good night to each one of you. 54:29 There's a popular movie that depicts the complete 54:33 annihilation of the world through earthquakes, 54:36 fires, tsunamis, and floods 54:39 in the year 2012 AD. 54:41 Jesus warns us against setting dates in Matthew 24:36. 54:46 "But of that day and hour, no one knows... 54:49 not even the angels of heaven 54:51 but My Father only. " 54:53 While this film may be entertaining, 54:55 it has done nothing but heighten the fear 54:58 of the people of this world. 55:00 For many years now, we have seen the signs of a world 55:04 in a state of collapse. 55:05 And even unbelievers are increasingly uncomfortable 55:09 with the way things are going. 55:11 Truly we stand on the very edge 55:14 of earth's history. And believe me, 55:17 the $250,000,000 spent on special effects for this film 55:21 don't even come close 55:23 to what is about to be unleashed upon mankind. 55:27 The Bible warns of wars, 55:29 famines, pestilence, and earthquakes 55:32 culminating in the most spectacular upheaval 55:36 this world has ever seen. 55:38 Just listen to this description 55:40 found in Revelation the sixth chapter. 55:43 "And behold, there was a great earthquake 55:45 and the sun became black as the sackcloth of hair 55:48 and the moon became like blood. 55:51 And the stars of the heaven fell to the earth 55:53 as a fig tree drops its late figs 55:56 when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 55:59 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up 56:02 and every mountain and island were moved out of its place. " 56:07 Friends, this will not be a Hollywood movie. 56:11 These events will surely take place, 56:13 and we must warn the world as quickly as possible. 56:17 You see, there will be no secret rapture. 56:22 Every human being alive at the time will be affected 56:25 whether they are wicked or righteous. 56:28 But while the fear that has gripped the hearts of the wicked 56:31 will cause them to beg for rocks to fall on them, 56:35 those who are righteous will welcome these events 56:38 as signs of Christ's coming. 56:40 They will say: "Behold! This is our God. 56:43 We have waited for Him, and He will save us. " 56:47 Listen to these glorious words 56:49 from I Thessalonians 4: 56:51 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout 56:55 with the voice of the archangel 56:58 and with the trumpet of God, 57:00 and the dead in Christ will rise first. 57:02 Then we who are alive and remain 57:04 shall be caught up together with them in the clouds 57:07 to meet the Lord in the air. 57:09 And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 57:12 Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. " 57:16 Oh friends, our burden is to share this good news. 57:20 To bring comfort to those who are living in fear. 57:23 That's why we continue to preach the gospel of salvation 57:26 through Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen. 57:30 To see a soul come to Jesus and be saved is worth any cost 57:34 and all efforts. That's why this ministry exists. 57:38 Won't you help us? 57:39 Please consider what you can do 57:41 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:44 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:46 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:00 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 58:03 through television and radio. 58:04 Your gifts help bring the blessed hope of salvation 58:07 to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17