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Sermon from Aug. 8, 2010 (Aug. 15 is below this)
Brother Joseph Barr

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

I’ve preached a lot from the New Testament lately so I’m going to go back to the Old Testament today.
The book of Jeremiah is one of the major prophets of the Old Testament. Isaiah has more chapters but Jeremiah has more content (words & verses.) Jeremiah was called to be a prophet at a very young age. Jeremiah served God as a prophet from the 13th year of King Josiah to the 11th year of King Zedekiah (5 kings = 40 years.) He was hated by his countrymen because of his determination to speak only “thus saith the Lord.” He is rightly called the weeping prophet mainly because he wrote Lamentations.
Jeremiah was trying to get Israel to repent because the nation had grown so wicked and perverse. Jeremiah was so grieved by what was going on.
Now, one of the key verses in Jeremiah is 1:5. When I read that passage, it makes me think of a world-wide problem and it reminds me of January 22, 1973. This is the day the Supreme Court passes a ruling allowing women to abort their babies, regardless of the trimester.
Is there individual human life in the womb? I want you to understand the Biblical position on this matter. Some think it’s a woman’s business and not a matter for the church. Look again at Jeremiah 1:5. In other words, Jeremiah had a purpose in the world before he was born. I believe everybody has a purpose in the world before they’re born!
In the first 5 weeks, head, limbs, eyes and mouth are clearly distinguishable. At 8-12 weeks, the unborn child has full sense of pain (first trimester.) That ought to concern me and you. You know what we go through to protect our children. When they cry, it’s a special kind of cry that a mama knows means something’s wrong—and we come running. Who’s watching out for these children in the womb?
They have an individual nervous system and heart beat and personality. An unborn child moves and responds to sounds.) Early, mid- and late term abortions are legal. There is the suction method where the mother is dilated and the baby is diminished. Then there’s the salt poisoning method, where the baby is injected with a liquid that causes it to convulse until it dies. The live birth method is where the baby is removed from the mother and laid to the side until it dies. The baby is then picked up by a nurse and discarded in the disposal.
There are 42 million yearly abortions worldwide. The main reason given is lifestyle or inconvenience.
People say “it’s not a human life yet.” If it’s not a human life, what is it? You might have sinned conceiving that baby, but once conceived, they are a child of God. Whatever happened to the golden rule? Matthew 7:12 says, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Treat others like you would want to be treated. Do we want somebody to dismember us? To be tortured and put aside and left for dead? Romans 1:31-32 says, “Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
The judgment of God is coming upon us. You know what natural affection means? It means the natural affection a woman has for her child. Have you ever seen a hen with its chicks? You get between them and see what happens!
There are some things that God hates. Proverbs 6:16-17 says, “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.” What is more innocent than our unborn children? What have they done to die such horrible deaths? God designed it so they could be protected inside the woman’s womb. Yet we’ll pay a doctor and nurses to go inside this protected place, to destroy the body.
Acts 17:26 says, “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.” You know why you were born at such a time as this? God determined it. Jesus said in Galatians 4:4 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” It was God that picked the time when Christ was born.
John leaped in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41.) When Mary walked in the house and spoke to Elizabeth, John leaped in his mother’s womb.
David said in Psalms 139:14-16 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”
How do we know:
That we’re not destroying the person who will discover the cure for cancer?
That most abortions are for selfish reasons like avoiding parental responsibility, to advance career goals, maintaining lifestyle or avoiding embarrassment?

Every life has a purpose and it’s God that determines the purpose. God knows us before we were even born.
When you hear about somebody that’s about to do this dastardly deed, go to them and say, “It’s not right!” If the Christian won’t rise up and speak, then who will?

Sermon from Aug. 15, 2010
Brother Joseph Barr

“Be Not Afraid of their Faces”

Jeremiah 1:8-10 “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”

We started last Sunday talking about Jeremiah and we’re going to continue in Jeremiah 1 today. Jeremiah was appointed as a prophet and I want to show some similarities between the prophets of old and those of us in the Lord’s church today. It is my duty to explain what our role in the world is. If you are a Christian, you are very, very, very important to the scheme of things in the world today. You have a vital role, just like Jeremiah. Jeremiah was warning people about an impending judgment. He was trying to prepare them. God was about to bring judgment on the Israelites and Jeremiah had an almost impossible task. It was his duty to speak what god wanted Him to say. And he lived during a time when NOBODY wanted to hear what he had to say. Sound familiar?
Like Jeremiah, there is an impending judgment coming and we don’t know how far or how close it is. Since we don’t know, we have to act as if it could come at any time. We have a job just like Jeremiah did. The people of his time whished he would just shut up and go away, but he just got in their faces and stayed there.
In Jeremiah 1:17 God said, “Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.” In other words, when you’re out preaching they’re going to have a look on their face, might be an angry or scary look. Jeremiah’s message was that if these people would repent, they would be saved, “thus saith the Lord.”
If you say you want to be a Christian or you are a Christian, I want to prepare you for some things that will happen. You’d better be prepared to take a stand. That’s what Christians do!
Look at Ephesians 6:10-11 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” We are, in fact, soldiers. We are spiritual soldiers in the army of the kingdom of God. This is the men, the women, the boys and the girls. Verse 12 says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Our battle is not against people. Sometimes people mistake our message as a personal attack. But what we’re attacking is their devilish doctrines that are in the world, as well as the destruction of sin that’s in the world. That’s what we fight and we can’t be dismayed at their faces. Verse 13 says “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Having done everything you possibly could – do what? Take a stand!
Proverbs 23:23 says “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” We will not falter or compromise or go along to get along. And we will be brave. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
Jesus said in Luke 12:4, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.” When you say you want to be a Christian, are you sure? Just so you know, Jesus said “Upon this rock, I will build my church” and there is no other church that belongs to Christ. Revelations 2:10 says “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
Don’t be afraid when they look at you funny or call you names. God has given us His word. Paul says in Ephesians 3:4, “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).” If you are standing on the book, there is nothing for you to be afraid of. That’s the nature of the word.
I’ll admit, even to me sometimes it doesn’t seem like a blessing. Jeremiah even said, “I’m not going to do it anymore!” But he said the Word burnt his bones like a fire inside. If you’ve got that word, it’s GOT to come out!
Are you a soldier of the Lord?

Sermon from August 1, 2010
Brother Joseph Barr

2 Peter 3:10 “10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

The Last Day on Earth

Today we are going to talk about the last day on earth. We discussed for the whole month of July, Bible authority. We learned that in order for us to be saved, we must rightly divide the truth. So when the last day comes, you and I may enter into the bosom of Jesus Christ. That’s what Gospel preaching and studying the bible is all about. It’s about going to heaven. I don’t know about you but I want to be saved. The only other option is going to hell, and that’s no place for people.
What will the last day on earth be like? There’s only one chance for us to get this right, no matter what those Jehovahs’ Wittness’ may have told you. First, no one knows when that day shall be.
Matthew 24:36 says “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
Mark 13:32-33 says “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.”
I Thessalonians 5:2 says “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” So the thing we’ve got to do is be ready. If you knew the Lord was coming tomorrow, everybody would be ready. Don’t play games with your soul! Get ready. 2 Peter 3:10 says “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
Secondly, the Lord Himself shall descend. When Jesus comes back, He’s not coming back as the savior. He’s coming back as a judge. A lot of people are taking chances with that but I assure you, He’s coming back.
Acts 17:31 says “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 says “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 24:37-39 says “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Want to know how to get ready? Obey the gospel. The gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. People are going to be going about their business, just like every day, when the Lord comes. My mom would always say things like, “Oh, things are getting bad in the world…must be the Lord is near.” Some people say, “Oh, there’s a black man as president! It must be near the end!” But it doesn’t matter who’s in the White House! There are NO signs!
Thirdly, all the dead shall rise. All those people who died in your family and mine are going to rise up out of their graves. What a day that will be! John 5:28-29 says “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 says “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
1 Corinthians 15:52 says “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Fourth, all the living shall be changed. Some will live to see the coming of the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 24:40-41 “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:53-54 says “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” Think of the ramifications. A man and wife are in the car. All of a sudden, the man driving says, “Where’d she go?” It won’t be long before he figures it out. You know if you would lose a child, it would almost destroy you, right? But God’s got this thing fixed so that on the last day, if you get called up without your child, it won’t matter to you. There are no tears in heaven. And you teenagers better now that you are in the age of accountability. There are going to be a lot of teenagers not called up on that last day.
Finally, there will be a great separation. Revelations 20:11-13 says “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” The Bible has two great books: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some of the people who lived under the Old Testament are going to be judged by the Old Testament. But those of us that lived after the cross will be judged by the New Testament. That’s what’ll happen on the last day. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” Is that what you’re doing now? Living by the book? I might not see some of you again but I’ve got to tell you the truth today because I love you. You will be judged by the word. In John 5:22 it says “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” John 12:48 says “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” And in Romans 2:16 the Bible says “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
So if faith comes from God’s word, why would you believe in something that is not God’s word? In Matthew 7:21 the Bible says “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Where’s the will for us today? The New Testament. Jesus is going to say “Where is the Methodist church or the Presbyterian church in my word?” The Lord’s church should have the Lord’s name!
You might think I’m being mean but I’m just telling you what the Lord said! But it’s not too late. You’re hearing the Good News right now.
Here’s what to do to get ready for this last day. Romans 6:3-4 says “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
When you and I obey the gospel and are baptized, we share His death, His burial and His resurrection. You can’t pray your way to salvation to save your life. Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” I don’t have to worry about what church I’m in because I’m in the Lord’s church.
The Bible is right. If you’re going to be saved, you must be saved the Bible way.