Gospel House Ministries

Guest (Female): Our sermon topic this morning is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Most of us know that the acronym for that is Bible—B-I-B-L-E. When we were in camp, or some people were in camp, they used to sing that song, "That's the book for me." That ought to be the book for all of us.

It's common for us to attempt to fix things on our own before consulting a manual, especially when the task appears simple. Only when something becomes complicated or unfamiliar do we recognize the need to read the instructions. After several failed attempts to assemble items I thought I understood how to put together, I learned the importance of reading the manual. You know, that little book the manufacturer strongly suggests you review before creating something unintended or before you damage the product. The manufacturer knows best.

Today, I want to talk to you about the basic instructions before leaving earth—instructions left by our Creator, the manufacturer of human life. He gave us instructions to ensure that we live the abundant and fruitful life He intended for us. These instructions are found in the Holy Bible. It is holy, and we're talking about reading it from cover to cover, from Genesis all the way to Revelation.

According to statistics from the International Bible Society, about 168,000 new Bibles are sold, given away, or distributed in the United States every day. The Bible has been recognized as the best-selling book of all time since September 21st, 1522, at an annual book fair in Germany. That is 500 years. The Bible has been the best-selling book for 500 consecutive years.

Nearly everyone has heard of this sacred book. Many people own several different versions or translations, such as the King James Version, the New King James Version, the NIV, the NLT, or the Message Bible. The Bible is big business, and many of us own all kinds of translations. Even non-believers acknowledge that it is unwise to remain ignorant of one of the most famous and ancient of books.

I know most of you have seen the show Jeopardy. On Jeopardy, they put some of your best minds, but very often they have topics that pertain to the Bible where you have to have some Bible knowledge. Despite this, most sincere believers do not take the time to see the need to master its content. Research has shown that less than 10% of professing Christians have read the entire Bible.

Why buy a whole Bible only to read Psalm 23? Only 12% read it daily. That means every day. Some people are still reading it for Psalm 1 or Psalm 27, even though those are passages that we've memorized for decades. Some of us have known those passages since we were children. Instead of focusing solely on our comforts because we know Psalm 23 makes us feel good, there's so much in the Bible to learn about God's character.

Learn about His judgment, His unconditional love, His grace, and His patience. The Bible will teach you how to treat one another and how to love your neighbor. When it's all said and done, whether we believe in the Bible or not, we will be held accountable for what is written in the Bible. Jesus held those who had access to the sacred writing of His day accountable for what was written.

I need you to walk with me real quick through Matthew. Go to Matthew 12:3, and I am going to start at the second verse. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath." But Jesus said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him?" Somebody say, "Have you not read?"

Go right to verse five where it says, "Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless?" Go to Matthew 19:4-6. The Pharisees were good for questioning Jesus about things that were lawful. Verse four says, "He answered and said to them, 'Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh"?'"

"So then they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." Go to chapter 22, verse 31. It says, "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead but of the living."

What will we say when Christ asks us, "Have ye not read?" Are we going to say, "No, I didn't read that," or will we have some other excuse? I thought, just like with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the scribes, Jesus expects us as Christians to know some things about what He said so we won't be confused. We won't be tricked or bamboozled into believing lies and half-truths based on man's words.

The scripture says, "Let every man be a liar and my word be truth." If you don't know what it says, your question should be: what does it say? Ask somebody else: what does it say? Christians ought to be the first ones in Sunday School, attending Sunday School and Bible class, and asking questions about what it says. Skip what everybody else is saying and hear the word of the Lord for yourself.

Romans 15:4 says, "For whatever things were written long ago were written for your learning." It was written for our learning to teach us that we, through the patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. We need hope in this world. As we're waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises, we need some hope. The Bible describes salvation as being available to everyone everywhere who believes in Jesus the Christ.

There is going to come a point in time when you can't give the excuse that you didn't know. Everybody ought to know John 3:16 by now: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." The verse highlights that God's love is extended to the entire world, not just for a particular sect of people.

Salvation is offered to everyone who believes in Jesus. First John 2:2 says, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world." This message is for the whole world. It doesn't matter if you were brought up a Muslim, a Buddhist, or an atheist; the message is still for you. Jesus died for your sins.

When we look around the world, we see that while some people are living their best life, others are living their worst life. While some are eating steak and lobster, some are struggling day to day just to eat a bowl of porridge. While some are enjoying the benefits of a great home and a bed to sleep in, our streets are still filled with people who are homeless. We clearly see a world of the haves and the have-nots, and the gap just keeps getting wider.

We see a world where people are doing what is right in their own eyes and not according to the instructions of our Creator. Let's read what it says in Deuteronomy 4:39-40, because this is so important for our families to understand: "Therefore know this day and consider it in your heart that the Lord Himself is God. He is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." If you're looking for another god, you're not going to find anyone; He is the Almighty God.

Verse 40 says: "You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you this day, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time." The passage of scripture expresses a spiritual principle of cause and effect. Obedience to divine instructions is a pathway to receiving God's blessing, which is often included in material prosperity and security.

Although this scripture highlights rules, its deeper message is about aligning our will with the will of God. When you align your will with the will of God, you receive the benefits of that alignment. Studying the Bible will help us get to know God and to understand the mind of God. That's why we study the word: to know the mind of God and know your purpose.

I want to share with you a passage of scripture that is relevant to this harvest season we are in right now. The seventh month in the Bible is called Tishri. It falls, according to the Jewish calendar, during September and October and is a time of important Jewish feasts and celebrations which include the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Let's go to Nehemiah chapter seven, the very last verse: "So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim (that's the temple assistants), and all Israel dwelt in their cities. When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities." Chapter eight: "Now all the people gathered together as one man." That means they were in unison; they were in unity.

They gathered in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had commanded Israel. Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read it in the open square from morning until midday before the men and women and those who could understand.

The ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. The people were with one accord. They pulled on Ezra, who was a scribe. A scribe is considered a lawyer, a teacher, or a consultant. But Ezra was not just a scribe; he was also a priest and the official religious leader of the day. They pulled on him to read the Book of the Law. The Book of the Law would be the first five books of the Bible, which is called the Pentateuch.

Get this part: he read it from morning to midday—six hours. We can't even hardly be in church for one hour. A lot of times when we invite somebody to church, they say, "What time is the service? How long is the service? What time are you going to get out?" He read the word for six hours. They were attentive for six hours. Ezra the scribe stood on a platform, which was his pulpit, which they had made for the purpose.

Beside him at his right hand stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. That's where you get people standing for the Word of God.

Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," while lifting up their hands. They bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. They were humble. They showed that they were anticipating the Word of God to hear something that was going to help change their condition. Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites helped the people to understand the law.

The people stood in their place. They read distinctly from the book in the Law of God, and they gave the sense—meaning they gave the explanation of it—and helped them to understand the reading. Ezra stood up in his pulpit with six men on his left and seven men on his right. All together there are 14 men standing with the Word of God. That's the number of grace.

He stood so that all the people could see him and that he could see all the people. When he opened the book to show reverence and honor to the Word of God, all the people stood up and they stayed standing. They lifted up their hands and they worshiped God in a posture of humility. As he was reading, the Levites were positioned in the audience to explain the meaning of what was being read.

It is similar to what happens during Bible class or Sunday School. Whenever you're doing the work of the Lord, also remember these names here; I did my best to pronounce them, but God is concerned about your name. Names mean something to God. When you're doing the work of the Lord, it doesn't matter who knows your name; God knows your name. He's going to reward you.

He singles you out, and your labor of love will not be overlooked. They were conducting what you might call in the school system differentiated learning. They were addressing the needs of the hearers. Maybe there could have been some language barriers, but they were addressing the needs of the hearers because it was important for them to understand what they read.

Matthew 13:19 says, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart." This is he who received seed by the wayside. A lot of times people don't follow through on the Word of God because they never really understood it. If you understood what you read, the enemy wouldn't be able to come and snatch it from you so quickly.

Don't get mad at people because they're not following this and that; they obviously did not understand. If you have the understanding, then you need to go to them and help them understand. The word was being planted. It wasn't enough to hear the word; they needed to understand the word. The word that was being planted needed to fall on good ground. Look at somebody and say, "You look like good ground."

You've got to be good ground because if you're not good ground, then you're not going to produce fruit, and Jesus is looking for the fruit. Matthew 13:23 says: "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." The word will bear fruit in your life.

When fruit is growing, you don't have to worry how it's happening. Do you know what happens when you read the word? The fruit of the Holy Spirit is growing in your life. You don't know why the things you used to do, you don't do anymore. You just don't like it anymore because the word, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, is working something out in you.

Don't become numb to the teaching of the Word of God. Ask, "How can this be applied in my life?" We shouldn't be just a hearer, but we need to be doers of the word if we're going to produce fruit. Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people: "This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep."

For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them: "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." You've heard that before, right? That is right where it is.

The Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved." They were grieved because when they were hearing the law, they recognized that they were so far from following the instructions of God. You ever hear the Word of the Lord and it just pricks your heart? They recognized how far they were from following the basic instructions before leaving earth.

All the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them. Hearing the Word of the Lord with understanding and the intent to obey brings joy. It rejoices the heart. It was time to celebrate and give gifts to those in need. The greatest gift we can ever offer anybody is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Our celebrations can't be self-centered. It can't be just you celebrating and nobody else. I remember being in a school one time and it was time for Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. I couldn't believe that the teachers were going to have a celebration and the kids were not. The teachers set up a celebration for themselves in a special room with Spanish food, and we had about 75% Spanish-speaking students and no celebration for the kids.

It just took me aback. Really? If you're not doing anything for the kids, then don't do anything for yourselves when half of y'all are not even Spanish. When we are having a celebration, we can't just look at ourselves to celebrate. There are a lot of sad people out there in the world. There are a lot of people that need some joy in their life and you have a word on your tongue for them to help them to be able to rejoice just like you are rejoicing.

Our celebration needs to not be self-centered. Don't just be satisfied because you can eat steak and sip on virgin piña coladas. When God blesses you, we ought to look around us and see who we can bless. Give somebody else an opportunity to rejoice because their needs are being met as well. Psalm 126:6 says, "He that goes forth and weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Don't just be happy that you're saved; look around you. Is there somebody else that needs to experience Jesus? Is there somebody else that needs to experience this victory, this joy, or this peace that you have? We've got to look for the spiritual harvest. Then we've got something to rejoice about. On the second day, the heads of the fathers' houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe in order to understand the words of the law.

They found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying: "Go out to the mountain and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written."

Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards, or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, the children of Israel had not done so.

And there was very great gladness. On the second day, the heads of the households met with the priests and the Levites. They wanted to go deeper in the Word of God to make sure they didn't miss anything, and they found that they had missed the Feast of Tabernacles which was not being followed, so they reinstituted it. The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, was a joyous seven-day festival that commemorated God's protection during the Israelites' 40 years in the wilderness after escaping Egypt.

It involved living in temporary dwellings called tabernacles or booths made of branches and celebrating the autumn harvest, symbolizing God's continued provision and the promise of a future peaceful kingdom. These Jews were the ones who had first returned from captivity in Babylon. This was their first time after being exiled coming back to this celebration. The thing about it is when God brings you out of some trouble or captivity, you are more than apt to listen to some instructions.

Has God ever brought you through something you know you messed up and you were disobedient about it? Your mama might have told you about it, or Pastor might have told you about it before, but you didn't listen and you got in trouble. The next time you're more apt to listen to the instructions because you know what your disobedience led you to. We ought to be grateful that God gives us another chance.

Sometimes it's good for all of us to look back over our lives and see how far God has brought us. Then we thank Him for His provision and His protection because God has been good to all of us. Too often the problem is we don't look back and remember. But we ought to look back and remember. God instituted all these holidays for the Jews so that they could remember.

We don't have to celebrate them, but we ought to every day take time to remember what God has done in our lives. That will keep you on the straight and narrow when you remember from whence you've come. Day by day, from the first day until the last day, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly according to the prescribed manner.

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. This was the sign of sorrow and repentance. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. They stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law for one-fourth of the day—that's three hours—and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.

Every day they listened as the Book of the Law was being read. This twenty-fourth day was a day of repentance and fasting. They separated themselves from all the foreigners and confessed their sins. They stood up to hear more reading of the word from the Book of the Law for three hours. If you can't make six hours, can you make it for three hours? Nudge somebody and ask, "Can you make it for three hours?"

Then they confessed their sins and they worshiped. You don't start worshiping until after you confess your sins. They confessed their sins, and then they had a reason to worship the Lord God. They worshiped the Lord God for another three hours. You're talking about some grateful people, and we just want one hour. We want everything to be concluded in one hour: praise and worship, the preacher preaches, and then we go home.

When you read verses 5 through 37, it records the confession. When they confessed to the Lord, they left no stone unturned. They went from soup to nuts. They didn't have any printed Bibles, so this was a way to remind them of the great heritage that God had given to them and the promises. In their confession, they praised God first because you want to always do that when you go into the presence of the Lord.

They praised God and they talked about His covenant with Abraham. They talked about their deliverance from Pharaoh, their wilderness journey and how God led them. They talked about the giving of the law and that God had given them so much. Then they confessed that they were acting proudly, that they had hardened their necks and that they did not heed His commandments and refused to obey.

They confessed that they were not being mindful of His wonders. In verse 17, they said even though they were wrong, yet God was ready to pardon them. God was ready to be gracious and merciful, and He was slow to anger and abundant in kindness and did not forsake them. In other words, even though they forsook God, they had to admit that God never forsook them.

They went on to admit in verse 33 that God has been just and dealt faithfully, while they did wickedly. Go to chapter 9, verse 36: "And they said, 'Here we are, servants today; and the land that You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and its bounty, here we are, servants in it.'" They were not supposed to be servants in it. They were under the rulership of the Persian king.

It yields much increase to the kings You have set over us because of our sins. Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle at their pleasure, because we didn't listen to You, Lord. And look what they say in the last line: "And we are in great distress." We're miserable. We're in deep trouble because we didn't listen. Verse 38 says, "And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it."

They recognized where they were and they're saying, "We want to make it right." They decided they wanted to renew this covenant with God and the leaders, and so they all signed off on the agreement. We know what it is going to take for us to get this thing right because where we are right now, we're here because of our decisions. We're here because we didn't follow Your instructions.

Chapter 10, verse 28 and 29: "Now the rest of the people, the priests and the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding, listen: these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law which was given by Moses."

Many times we hear the curse of the law is that you can't keep it, right? When I read this I was like, "Oh my goodness, it's right here in black and white." Because the bottom line with the law is that if you break one, you break them all. So we can't keep it. And they signed off just like their forefathers did. They entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law.

Everybody who had knowledge of this understanding entered into this vow. They obviously didn't learn from their forefathers and reinforced the same curse on themselves if they failed to obey the law as issued by the servant Moses. They solemnly promised to carefully follow all the commands, regulations, and decrees of the Lord our God. They included not neglecting the house of the Lord. Unfortunately, they bound themselves to the Old Covenant.

They bound themselves to walk in the law which was given by Moses. It's a curse, and they proved repeatedly that they could not keep it. They bound themselves and all along through history they proved they couldn't keep it, and so they brought this curse upon themselves. The curse of the law includes sickness, disease, blindness, lameness, weakness, being beggarly, and being poverty-stricken.

Trying to keep the curse of the law when you can't keep it causes you to curse yourself. Here's the good news: God knew they couldn't keep it. No matter how hard we try, God knows we can't keep all these commandments. And so He ushered in the New Covenant. That's where y'all ought to just be jumping in your seats. He ushered in the New Covenant.

How many know we don't need to be where God was? We need to be where God is. We have a lot of people that are stuck and they're good with the Old Testament but they don't read the New Testament. Then we have a lot of people that read the New Testament and they don't want to read the Old Testament. How many know we need the whole thing?

But we need to be where God is. Our Pastor taught us that we learn from the Old Testament but we live by the New Testament. One, the Old Testament teaches us, and the other one saves us. One is filled with laws and what you need to do, and the other one is filled with grace. Which one you want to live by? Grace. Ephesians 2:8 already told us in the New Testament: "For by grace you are saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, lest any man should boast."

You can't boast because you did something so wonderful, because it's God doing it in you anyway. He's doing it. So are you under the curse of the law, or are you under the blessing of grace? The Old Covenant was based on Jewish ancestry and those who converted to the Jewish faith. But even when it was time to sign off on this law, they separated themselves from the foreigners.

While the New Covenant is open to anyone who confessed faith in Jesus. The Old Covenant's rules could not save people from God's judgment, but the New Covenant established through Jesus' death and resurrection offers forgiveness now and forever. Thank You for forgiveness of sins, because that's the only thing that's keeping us out of heaven. That's the only thing that is breaking our relationship with God.

With the New Covenant, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Just to think that God is inside of you. Look at somebody and say, "I salute the God in you." This new spiritual agreement replaces external regulations with God's law written internally on the believer's heart. It is now in our hearts. John 1:1-3 says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made."

And verse 14 says: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." How many know that Jesus is the Word of God personified? In other words, the words that came out of His mouth became Jesus the Christ, the God-man. God's words took on flesh.

John 6:48-51, Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and are dead." Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word. "This bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

The words that I speak to you, He said, they are spirit and they are life. If you really want to live, study the word. The word feeds our spirit man. Fatten up. Get some meat on your bones. Those in the Caribbean, they like meat on the bone. God likes meat on the bone, too. We need to fatten up. Eat Jesus. Matthew 6:11 says: "Give us this day our daily bread."

This is a humble acknowledgment of our dependence on God for our daily needs—not just our physical needs, but our spiritual needs. We need God this day and every day. Give us this day our daily bread. Every day we need to eat. Every day we need the Word of God. Every day we need to be strengthened and grow spiritually. Every day we ought to be producing fruit; we ought to be seeing our fruit grow in the Lord.

Hebrews 10:7, he said: "Then I said, 'Lo, I have come in the volume of the book.'" Jesus is talking; it is written of me to do Your will, O God. Jesus is our daily bread. He told them in John 5:39-40: "You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me." The Message Bible says it like this: "You have your heads in the Bibles consistently because you think you will find eternal life in there. But you miss the forest for the trees, for the scriptures are all about me. And here I am standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want."

That is Jesus. John 15:1 says: "I am the true vine. My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't bear fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so that they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given to you. Remain in me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me."

"Yes, I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." He said anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered together in a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything and it will be granted. Because your will becomes God's will.

His will becomes your will, so everything you are asking is His will. And we know His will is good. Listen, I had to contend with some vines this year in the garden because I couldn't tend to the garden as I did in prior years. So vines can be interesting. I had these vines that wrapped themselves around my tomato plants seemingly to support the growth of the tomato.

We had to put trellises in the garden to ensure that the tomato plant wouldn't just fall to the ground because tomatoes get heavy and they'll fall to the ground if you don't support it. We needed to get the tomatoes to get as much sun as it needed to get. Things grow when the sun hits them. Well, don't you know that these vines wrapped themselves around the trellis as if to support it? And it was supporting it, all right.

They grew up out of nowhere. They weren't there in the beginning. Next thing I know, I looked and here they are. Guess what? It was time for the tomato plants to bear fruit. They came right at the time when the tomato plant was to bear fruit. They grew so close and tight to the vine that I had to literally get scissors to cut them out because they were choking the life out of my tomato plants. I was getting some fruit, but I couldn't bear much fruit.

Satan knows when you're in your fruit-bearing season. Before the plant produces the fruit, a little flower comes most of the time. And he sees when the little flowers are growing in you—when you've got more love, and more joy, more peace. And he wants to make sure that he puts his two cents in there so that you don't bear much fruit. We've got to be able to recognize the vines, the people, the social media influences that are springing up all around us supposedly to support us when in truth they are choking the spiritual life out of us.

Hindering spirits. Preventing you from producing much fruit. You're producing some fruit, but Jesus wants you to produce much fruit. Jesus said, "I am the true vine." The true vine is there to support you to bear much fruit. Make no mistake about it, Jesus is looking for the fruit—the fruit that only He can produce in us: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

His righteousness, that is what He is looking for. Our connection to Jesus being the true vine, who is the Word of God, is a vital connection to our spiritual vitality and our spiritual life and growth. And Jesus is the only, He is the sole nourishment. You don't get nourishment for your spirit from anyone else. When we take in the Word of God and we study it, we meditate on it.

When we question what it's saying so that we can seek to obey it, we get spiritual nutrients in support of our spiritual growth and development. It's impossible for a believer to grow to his or her full potential without consistently engaging in the Word of God. The second thing that it does when we take in the Word of God is acts as a filter for spiritual contaminants to weed out stinking thinking, doubts, fears, deceit, hate, and unforgiveness.

The word cleanses us from all unrighteousness. The scripture even said in Psalm 119:9: "How can a man cleanse his ways?" And then they came right back and answered: "By taking heed according to Your word." And the third thing when we take the Word of God in is the word empowers us to bear much fruit. Luke 10:38 is the story of Mary and Martha.

While Martha was throwing down in the kitchen preparing food for her guests, Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus. Martha became distracted and overwhelmed with serving and complained to Jesus about her sister not helping her. Jesus said to her: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. You're so worried and troubled that you're getting upset over the details." He told her, "But this one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part."

There is only one thing worth being concerned about, and Mary discovered what it is. It is the main course. Jesus said He wouldn't take it away from her. Martha was like, "Do something! You see her and you see me. I'm sweating and she's sitting at Your feet." But Jesus said Mary is doing the good part. Why is Mary doing the good part? Because it prioritizes relationship and spiritual understanding over service.

We're ready to do, do, do, do, but we are not ready to listen, listen, listen, listen over service. The good part encourages focusing on spiritual growth and deep connection with God rather than being overwhelmed by worldly tasks and anxieties. When you understand the importance of being present—that means actively listening and absorbing spiritual truths—then you will grow spiritually by leaps and bounds. I can guarantee you those that are growing spiritually are those who are sitting attentively and hearing the Word of God.

You say you want to grow, but are you willing to listen? Martha bent over backwards to serve Jesus, but Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet to feast on His words and to let Jesus feed her. He was doing the feeding. What happens when Jesus feeds you is you don't become overwhelmed and frustrated when it's time for you to feed other people.

Because the bottom line is we can't keep eating and not feed someone else. "I'm getting fat off the word, I'm here every Sunday School and every Bible class feasting," and then you don't tell anyone else about Jesus and what you're eating? Don't be so selfish. Ezekiel 3:1-3 says: "Son of man, eat what you find in this book. Eat this roll, then go speak to the household of Israel."

God commands the prophet to eat the whole roll filled with God's word to fully absorb the message before going to speak to the children of Israel. Guess what happened with Martha and Mary? The one that sat at Jesus' feet, Mary, when it was time for Jesus' resurrection, who did Jesus choose to go and tell His disciples, "Come meet me, I'm coming to you"? He chose Mary because she understood what was going on with Him.

Our humanity is broken. It is sin-sick and it needs fixing. Crystals ain't going to fix it. Gemstones ain't going to fix it. Burning candles is not going to fix it. Yoga is not going to fix it. Prayer beads is not going to fix it. Getting physical makeovers is not going to fix it. If we can spend hours in front of the TV or surfing on the Net, text messaging, or listening to music, we can certainly spend time to read the B-I-B-L-E, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.

When we look around in our world, we can tell already that the vast majority is not following the Bible. But understand that the Bible is our final authority on everything that pertains to this life. Much heartache and pain could have been avoided if people would have just only read the book and followed the instructions. Many of our believers are satisfied with the crumbs of the word.

If someone preaches for five or ten minutes, we just love it. You can get emotional for two hours, but we want five minutes of the word. The scripture says our people perish because of the lack of knowledge. God wants us to enjoy the feast that He has provided for us from the word of life. It is the word that saves us. It is the word that cleanses us.

It is the word that is going to stand when everyone and everything else goes down. It is the word that makes us alive. It is the word that is the truth. Stay true to God and His word, no matter how bad the world gets. Stay true to the Word of God. It is not enough for us to hear it and read the Bible aloud when we come to the house of the Lord.

We must read it personally daily and know it for ourselves. How else can we apply it when experiences of life challenge you? In Nehemiah's days, when the people heard the word, it led them to repent because they realized that they were not on the right track. And after repenting and reading the Word of God, it led them to a celebration.

It led them to praise and worship God and a deeper relationship with the One who had created them. I encourage you to read the word, know the God of the Bible, and be forever changed by Him. I encourage you to read it because the words will lead you to wise living. Read it to know your purpose and to know how to treat others.

How to treat your family, the elderly, your enemies, your friends, and even your dog and cat. Read it to find out how to treat your employers and even how to treat yourself so you stop condemning yourself. Read it to find out what will cause you to be cursed and what will cause you to walk in the blessings of the Lord. Read it to find out how you should be acting when you feel life isn't fair and when you feel like giving up.

Read it to know what really matters. Some of us are magnifying things that don't even matter in the big scheme of things. Read it to know what's right and what's wrong. Read it to validate and confirm what you heard preachers and teachers say. Most of all, read it because one day you will meet the God of the Bible. You will want to meet Him in peace.

You don't want Him to ask you like He asked those Pharisees: "Have you read?" We want to be saying, "Yes, I have read, and I am walking in the truth." John 3:8 and 31 says if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Everyone stand.

Father, we thank You for Your word. God, we thank You for Your word. Hallelujah. You left Your words on record, my God. You left Your word so that we wouldn't be mistaken. You left Your word so that we can refer to it time and time again to know to walk in Your ways. Father, we thank You for Your word. Forever Your word is settled in heaven. We thank You for the word that gave us life.

We thank You for Jesus the Christ who is the Word. Hallelujah, Lord. Oh Father, we need Your word. We can't make it without Your word. We are standing on Your word. Your word said to let every man be a liar and Your word be true. We thank You for the truth of Your word, my God. Help us to align ourselves with Your word, because in Your word You will change us.

When we ingest Your word, digest Your word, and meditate on Your word, we won't have to worry about growing because You will grow in us, my God. You will grow us to bear fruit for the picking so that somebody that's hungering and thirsting for righteousness would be able to look at us and eat of the fruit of God in the name of Jesus.

God, we need Your word. Help us to prioritize Your word over everything this world has to give us. Help us to prioritize Your word, the studying of Your word, and the meditation of Your word above every word that's even written, every book, my God. There's nothing greater than the Holy Bible, Your book that teaches us how to live this life. You gave us the instruction. Help us to not want to do it ourselves, but help us to look for direction and guidance through Your word.

In the name of Jesus, we know that Your desire for us is to prosper and to be in good health, and it's all in Your word. That we would be like that tree planted by the rivers of water that bring forth its fruit in its season and that its leaf shall not wither and everything we do because we are walking in alignment with You prospers because we are in Your word.

Father, I thank You right now. Help develop in us a love for Your word. Let it be a priority that even before we look at our textbooks, we'll look at Your word. Before we check our phones in the morning, we'll look at Your word. Hallelujah, Lord God, in the name of Jesus. Before we surf the Net, we'll look at Your word, we'll read Your word, we'll study Your word.

In the name of Jesus, God, we thank You for just leaving such a precious manual for us. Help us to love it, my God, so that we'll have a holy reverence for it. That when we hear it, Lord, our intent will be, "Yes, Lord, we will obey." Father, we thank You and we give Your name glory and honor in Jesus' name. Amen.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Amen, Hallelujah. Another blessed word. We thank God for our Pastor Brenda for pouring herself out today with the word. The sermon title for this Sunday was Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. This is the acronym for Bible, the Holy Bible. Pastor Brenda brought a word today to talk about the instructions of life found in the Bible.

She started off by saying that a lot of the time we try to do things on our own before we go to the instructions because we think we've got it. She mentioned some history on the Bible, saying that the best-selling book of all time since 1522 is the Bible. It's been over 500 years. She continued to say that most sincere believers don't see the need to read their Bibles, even though it is the thing to teach believers the will of God for us to live and to treat other people.

She came to Matthew chapter 12, verse 2, Matthew 19, verse 4, and Matthew 22, verse 31, where we see that Jesus is faced with accusations from the Pharisees of breaking the law, but they lacked understanding because they did not read. Can it be said of you that you read your word? And not only read, but study? These Pharisees, their whole job was to meticulously interpret the Word of God at the time, and so it should be the same for us.

She said that we're living in a time where people live according to what's right in their own eyes and not what the instruction manual says. She took us to Deuteronomy chapter 4, verses 39 to 40. Studying the Bible will help you to learn about God and the mind of God. Then she took us to Nehemiah 8, where we see Ezra the scribe read the word for six hours to the people, and it brought them sorrow because they saw that they were far from God.

This tells us that the word should always prick our hearts because it is a mirror of where you should be and where you are. When you hear the word, you shouldn't be the same; there should be repentance and confession. Pastor mentioned that the word is snatched out of the hearts of people because they don't really understand it and that it didn't fall on good ground.

When you read the word, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is working and growing and transforms you. She said that when you hear the word, to share it and that we have an obligation as believers to share the word because others need it, too. If you're full of the word, it should come out of you. The scripture says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." When the children of Israel received instructions on the Feast of Tabernacles, they went out and did it.

That tells us that when God tells us to do something, we shouldn't drag our feet in doing it. When God brings you out of trouble and captivity, you're more tender to listen because you're humbled. Pastor mentioned to learn by the Old Testament and we live by the New Testament. Every day we need to partake of our daily bread. She mentioned that Jesus is the True Vine and He will support you that you may bear much fruit.

During a season where you're bearing fruit, expect to get some pushback. Expect Satan to come in disguise as a vine to support you, but in reality, he's there to choke the life out of you and to stop you from growing in Christ. Prioritize your relationship with God and spiritual understanding over serving. She took us to the story of Mary and Martha. You say you want to grow, but are you willing to listen?

Are you listening to the basic instructions before leaving earth? It is the word that instructs us; it is the word that corrects us, teaches us, encourages us, and strengthens us. It is the word that will be standing until all pass away, and so let us all treat it as such. I love when you were talking about us prioritizing reading our Bibles. I know this semester I have been tried by Satan.

College can be very fast-paced and very overwhelming, and it can be a temptation for you to always be on the go to be more of a Martha than a Mary. But God was testing me in this season to say, "Yes, you have all these assignments to do, you have all this work to do, but will you still take time out of your day to set it apart for me, to set it apart for us to spend time?"

Because the world can make you think you have to always be on the go and that you can't have any time with God, but I've come to realize that when you do end up making time for God, you even have more time to do all the other things. You got it! So I thank God for being a God of promises. I thank God for His promises; His promises are yes and amen. So let us continue to trust in His word, let us continue to study His word, to show ourselves approved. A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Amen.