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Great Is … Faithfulness
■ Continued from p 1■
and the World Health Organization and all of the political ramifications surrounding them . He looked at me and said , “ I don ’ t trust any of them . Whom can you really trust in this day ?”
I want to say that I may not trust the government , I may not be able to trust the WHO or the CDC or the ABC or the NBC or the CBS or the FOX , but my faith is not built on any of them . I pillow my head and I place my trust in the faithfulness of God !
In this day of unfaithfulness and broken relationships , whom can you trust ?
I got to thinking about the gold truck going through Mayberry . The officials went to Mayberry and told Sheriff Andy Taylor and that was okay . However , he had a little , wiry deputy named Barney who called himself “ Tight Lips Barney ” and said he would go to his grave with secrets that he would not have told .
However , before they got to a commercial break , everybody in town knew that the gold truck was coming . Andy and Barney went out to the filling station and Goober asked Andy when the gold truck would be coming . He didn ’ t hear the news from Barney ; he heard it from Laura Lee Hobbs at the barbershop .
Andy asked , “ Whom can you trust these days ?”
Barney said , “ You sure can ’ t trust Goober , that ’ s for sure .”
Andy said to Barney , “ Somewhere between the mint and Mayberry , there is a truck carrying $ 10 million in gold and you and me and Goober and Laura Lee Hobbs are going to meet it .”
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Every town and every church has a Goober in it . If you watch enough of that program , you will see somebody that represents someone in your family and it may be you .
I am preaching to the people of God — to families , to pastors and to parents . We have been lied to , misled and deceived . Nobody knows whom he can trust and whom he can believe . Sometimes we just throw up our hands in total agony and despair and say , “ I cannot trust anybody !”
I remind you that your faith is not in your spouse . It is not in your children or in your grandchildren . It is not in your church or in your preacher . It is not in your family or in your friends and it surely is not in yourself .
“ My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus ’ blood and righteous - ness .” We pillow our heads on the fact that God is faithful ! He has been faithful to you and He has been faithful to me .
The word “ faithful ” is mentioned more than one hundred times in the Bible . Sometimes it is referring to a faithful believer and it is someone on whom God can de - pend because he is consistent in his Christian life .
Out of the one hundred-plus times , seventy percent of the time it is not referring to a faithful believer ; it is referring to and magnifying our supreme , righteous , holy and eternal God who is faithful .
Therefore , our faith is in the God who is consistent , dependable and unwavering . Our faith is in the God who has never failed , is not failing and will never fail !
I want to be a faithful husband . I want to be a faithful parent . I want to be a faithful preacher and a faithful pastor . I want to be a
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faithful Christian . Somewhere along the line , I will misstep , make a wrong decision and make a wrong turn because I am still plagued by a body of flesh with a mind that is striving to be more and more like Christ .
If you examine me far away or up close , you will have no problem seeing the flaws , the miscalcula - tions , the indecisions and the imperfections in my life . I do not ask you to look to this pulpit for consistency , dependability or un - waveringness .
I ask you to look up beyond the ceiling , beyond the clouds and up into Heaven and see the sovereign power of the God who never changes . He is the same yesterday , today and forever . He is depend - able , consistent , unwavering and unchanging . God is faithful ! He was faithful to Noah . He was faithful to Abraham . He was faithful to Moses . He was faithful to Joshua .
He was faithful to Jeremiah . He was faithful to David . He was faithful to Joseph of Arimathaea . He was faithful to His disciples . He was faithful to the poor and the hungry and the needy . He was faithful to Simon Peter .
He was faithful to the apostle Paul . He was faithful to young Timothy . He was faithful to our forefathers . He was faithful to our fathers and our mothers . He has been faithful to you and your family . He will be faithful to the next generation .
God can be nothing but con - sistent and dependable . He is the unwavering God . He is the con - sistent God . He is the faithful God . We rest in His faithfulness !
“ This I recall to my mind , there - fore have I hope ” ( Lam . 3:21 ). Stop and think about that . Close your eyes and don ’ t think about the weather , the election or the pan -
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demic . You probably just thought about the three things I told you not to think about , so let ’ s do it again .
Close your eyes and think about nothing but God , His mercy and His grace . In fact , He is probably calling somebody right now . Jere - miah said when he thought about these things he had hope .
“ It is of the LORD ’ S mercies that we are not consumed , because his com - passions fail not .
“ They are new every morning : great is thy faithfulness .”— Vss . 22 , 23 .
Above the pain , above the misery , above the bewilderment , about the hurt , above the distrust and above the confusion , let ’ s look up toward Heaven and just say , “ Lord , thank You . Thank You . Great is Thy faithfulness .”
God is dependable . God is trustworthy . God is faithful .
Sometimes people say that God will do His part if you do your part . That is true in certain areas because there are some conditional blessings and promises . Here is one attribute of God that does not hinge on man whatsoever . He is faithful . He is dependable . In a world of mistrust and broken relationships , we can rest in the faithfulness of God .
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Great is Thy faithfulness ! Great is Thy faithfulness ! Morning by morning new mercies I see : All I have needed Thy hand hath provided — Great is Thy faithfulness , Lord , unto me !
— Thomas O . Chisholm
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Make the Unknown God Known “ Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars ’ hill , and said , Ye men of Athens , I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious [ religious ].
“ For as I passed by , and beheld your devotions , I found an altar with this inscription , TO THE UNKNOWN GOD . Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship , him declare [ make known ] I unto you .”— Acts 17:22 , 23 .
As Paul , we also are to make the unknown God known .
“ Let us now go even unto Beth - lehem , and see this thing which is come to pass , which the Lord hath made known unto us .”— Luke 2:15 .
“ All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you .”— John 15:15 .
“ O righteous Father , the world hath not known thee : but I have known thee , and these have known that thou hast sent me .”— 17:25 .
“ And it was known throughout all Joppa ; and many believed in the Lord .”— Acts 9:42 .
“ And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks ... and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified .”— 19:17 .
“ Be it known therefore unto you , that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles , and that they will hear it .”— 28:28 .
“ And the way of peace have they not known .”— Rom . 3:17 .
“ Ye are our epistle written in our hearts , known and read of all men .”— II Cor . 3:2 .
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Editor ’ s Notes
■ Continued from p 2■
Rodman , one of their young men , will soon start the New Life Baptist Church . Brother Boston and his people are excited about planting a new independent Baptist church in this city of 14,000 people .
Brother Hamblin preached Sunday through Wednesday and I was there Monday and Tuesday . Both nights the attendance was strong and the services were so very special . The Lord blessed and we all received His blessings with gratitude .
Brother Boston and the New Hope Baptist Church family are proving once again that a solid work and a strong work can be built in the twenty-first century .
They were so gracious to receive a special offering for the Sword of the Lord at the end of the service on Tuesday night . It was a blessing to us for them to help us with a special need .
If you live anywhere near Ken - dallville , Indiana , I recommend that you go to New Hope Baptist Church for a visit soon .
Tragedy in Betty ’ s Family
On Saturday , October 30 , Betty ’ s nephew Mark Wayne Womble , 45 , was killed in a tree-cutting incident . The son of Betty ’ s oldest brother , he was working in his
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parents ’ backyard when a large portion of the tree came down on him . A resident of Paducah , Kentucky , he was suc cessful in management at his employment and a very fine man .
The shock of his sudden , tragic death was followed by much sadness .
The funeral was held in Paducah on November 6 . At the request of the family , I conducted the service . We would appreciate your prayers for our extended family . A tragedy such as this is heartbreaking and it takes time to get through the grief it brings .
Christmas Shopping , Gift Ideas
As Christmas approaches , we are prepared to help you . You can do a good bit of your Christmas shopping right here at the Sword of the Lord . Check out the ads in each issue of the Sword of the Lord and then go to the Sword website ( www . swordofthelord . com ) to browse through our entire inven - tory .
You can order online or you can call ( 800-247-9673 ) and one of our friendly , helpful customer service representatives will assist you . You may also order by mail ( P . O . Box 1099 , Murfreesboro , TN 37133-1099 ).
Remember : A Sword book is a good book . Furthermore , we have
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Bibles ( KJB ) in every size and color . There are also other gift ideas to be seen on the website .
This and That
Since Marlon and his family are Atlanta Braves fans , we planned a get-together at our house for game three of the World Series . After a good supper , we spent time with some of us napping and others singing around the piano .
But at 7:09 p . m . we were all glued to the TV screen watching closely as the Braves strongly took a 2-0 victory and a 2-1 lead in the series . We like baseball , but it is not the key to happiness . If we win , we like it ; but if we lose , we don ’ t get bent out of shape . Whoever wins or loses , we are well aware it is just a game .
With Thanksgiving now at hand , let me ask you to read my frontpage editorial in this issue . From all of us at the Sword of the Lord , let me express our best wishes that you and your family will have a joyful and blessed Thanksgiving celebration .
We are always glad to hear from
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December 5 ( Sunday am / pm )
Oakwood Baptist Church 4263 Martin Road Flowery Branch , Georgia
Brian Evans , pastor 770-965-3736
December 12 ( Sunday am / pm )
Blessed Hope Baptist Church 9251 North State Road 59 Jasonville , Indiana
Jerry Ross , pastor 812-665-3282
December 19 ( Sunday am )
Sunny Hills Baptist Church 2216 Robert Wilson Road McMinnville , Tennessee
Jimmy Barrett , pastor 931-939-2746
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It has been said , “ There are five Gospels : Matthew , Mark , Luke , John and you .” The greatest need in this world is to make God known . In the Person of Jesus Christ , God became Man in a human body to make God known . The Bible is God in a Book to make God known . The Holy Spirit is God in believers to make God known .
Nature is God ’ s manifestation of beauty to make God known . “ The heavens declare the glory of God ” ( Ps . 19:1 ).
The greatest testimony to the world is a changed , consistent Christian life ( II Cor . 5:17 ). Those who know Him make Him known by their witness and their works . “ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples , if ye have love one to another ” ( John 13:35 ).
Know that the unknown God can be known , if only you would look and listen to your instincts about an infinite God . Now , think of all the inner soul instincts you personally have experienced . Know that only God can satisfy your longing soul and fill your hungry soul with goodness ( Ps . 107:9 ).
The Lord Jesus Christ now stands outside your heart ’ s door knocking . Listen ! Know that He will not go where He is not wanted and He will not enter unless He is invited . The knob is on the inside and can be opened only by you . His knock makes Him known .
Be advised : He is making Himself personally known . Only you hear His knock ! Invite Him in ( John 1:12 ). Then the unknown God will be known . Then , as Paul , you can also make the unknown God known . ❚
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