South Shore Pentecostal Church

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Apostolic Truth Radio program with Pastor Craig Ouellette, a radio ministry of South Shore Pentecostal Church, located in Whitman, Massachusetts. At a time when many Christians do not know what to believe, South Shore Pentecostal is honored to bring you clear, biblical teaching on which you can confidently build your faith. Thank you for joining us.

J. Craig Ouellette: So let’s read these scriptures here. God’s trying to get somebody here this morning. He’s trying to reach someone and let you know, God is real. God is not a tradition. He’s trying to get you to understand, if you will reach out to me, if you will let go and let me have my way with you, you will find out that I am a living God.

God is trying to reach some people today. That’s his whole point. His whole point is he’s coming so that we can be saved. We’re lost without him. None of us, none of us, we can’t find the way, we can’t take care of our sin. But he came that we could have our sin dealt with.

Psalm 68:18 and 19. God’s reaching for somebody today. Psalm 68:18. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. So God gives gifts. Why? God desires to be in the midst of people.

I’m going to go across the scriptures you see on the screen up there. So Psalm 103 verses 1 through 5. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. That’s some gifts. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.

That’s some gifts from God. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies. That’s gifts from God. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Oh, that’s a reason to bless the Lord. He does all those things. Hallelujah. Matthew 5:18 through 23.

And I think I got the wrong scripture. It’s in Matthew, but it’s not Matthew 5, I don’t think. It’s Matthew 1 that I want, not Matthew 5. Matthew 1:18. This is kind of the Christmas story, or part of it. There’s a couple versions. You got Matthew’s version, Luke’s version. This is Matthew.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. The birth is a miracle. The birth is a miracle. Why did God do it that way? Well, first of all, he wants to fulfill prophecy of a virgin’s going to bear a child.

But also, if the child has an earthly father, he’s born in sin. So the child’s got to have a father that’s not, doesn’t have sin, and the only way that can be is if God is the father. But he can’t be our redeemer unless he’s got an earthly mother. So God is the father of the humanity, the child, and God conceives the humanity, and then God comes and lives in that humanity.

What do you mean he left the throne? No, listen. Think about who God is. He’s everywhere. God can’t leave heaven. God can’t go from point A to point B. He’s already there. The only thing that happens is he makes himself visible or manifests himself in a way that we in our humanity can detect by our senses.

So when God is down here talking to Moses, he’s still on the throne in heaven. When God comes down on Mount Sinai and gives the Ten Commandments, God is still sitting on the throne in heaven. Not another God, but the same God. Hallelujah.

So verse 19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. In other words, well, she’s done something she shouldn’t have done, and so I’m not going to marry her, we’ll put her away. But I’m not going to make a public example of her.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Mary and Joseph are not allowed to name the child. God has already picked a name. And we say they were singing the song about the name this morning. The name of Jesus is the highest name. And when they were singing that song, I thought about the story in the book of Acts, where in Acts chapter 19, these men took the name of Jesus to try to cast the demon out, and the demon said, Paul I know, and Jesus I know, but who are you?

The devil knows the name of Jesus. He doesn’t want you to have the name of Jesus. You get the name of Jesus in your life, the devil’s losing control in your life. A lot of times, most all the problems we got are because of sin in the world. And if you get something that can deal with your sin, you got something that can deal with all your problems.

Hallelujah. We’re reading on here. Amen. She shall bring forth a son, verse 21, thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.

In other words, this child is God now present with humanity. Then Joseph being raised from his sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and he took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

And then finally in Ephesians 4 and 8, I’m going to read the New Testament reference of the first scripture that we read in Psalm 68. So Ephesians 4 and 8. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now why we talking about that?

Well, with Christmas traditions, typically people give gifts and it’s a way of celebrating Christmas. Now most of us are going to celebrate, most people that are Christians are going to celebrate Christmas on December 25th, and the tradition includes giving of gifts. One reason is because of the wise men came and gave gifts, but we see that God also gave gifts to men, not necessarily on Christmas.

But the actual birth of Jesus, I don’t want to shake you up, but was most likely in late September or early October. So they changed it after the churches started a couple hundred years, they changed it, they moved it to December 25th. How do we know that? Well, this is based on Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, receiving the message from Gabriel while he served in the temple during the course of Abijah.

This is Luke 1 and 5. And John the Baptist being six months older than Jesus, Luke 1:35-36. Now Jesus’ birth order, again based on the priestly courses, John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, he’s of the course, which means the order, of Abijah. In the Old Testament it’s called Abijah.

In Chronicles 24 verses 1 through 19 it lists all the courses of the priests. And it says this priest represents the first course, this one’s the second course, and so forth. Zacharias was of the eighth course, and that course of Abijah occurred in the month of Tammuz, which was the fourth month of the Jewish calendar.

John the Baptist is six months older than Jesus and was conceived following the month of Tammuz. Counting six months from Tammuz plus nine months, we come to the seventh month of Tishri. Seventh month of Tishri. Well, the seventh month of Tishri is also the month when the Feast of Tabernacles occurs in the Jewish calendar.

The two courses, there’s a name for the two courses that occur in the seventh month. The first one is the Huppah, which means canopy. That’s also the same term used for the tent in a Jewish wedding. The second one is Jeshebeab, which means to sit or to dwell, the dwelling of his father.

So this is the, and that Jeshebeab was the course or was the meaning of the course of Abijah. The meaning of Zacharias’ course meant he to sit or dwell, the dwelling of the father. So what’s happening? In the seventh month, which is the Feast of Tabernacles, it occurred when the Feast of Tabernacles occurred, God himself was tabernacled in flesh.

So those feast days are not accidents. Now we don’t have to celebrate them. But in the feast, in the month that had the Feast of Tabernacles, God chose to be tabernacled in flesh in that month. And that fulfills what we saw. He’ll be called Emmanuel, God with us, the mighty God, the everlasting Father.

And again, if you look at, we don’t have time to study and break this all down this morning, but John 1:14, we’ll just read the scripture. The Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 14. It says: and the Word of God was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Now the word dwelt in verse 14 actually means to be tabernacled. So again, in the seventh month, which where the Feast of Tabernacles occurs, God allowed himself to be tabernacled in flesh. So giving of gifts. God has always, we’ve already seen this this morning, God has always given gifts to humanity.

Now you might think differently, but listen, every one of us is only here because God has put us here. None of us willed ourself into this world. And our parents did not will us into this world. But the only reason any one of us here is alive and breathing is because God has willed us into this world.

Do you understand that? We only have life because God has given it to us. We can think it’s my life. Yeah, God’s given it to you, but you’re going to have to answer to the Lord for that life. So Ezekiel 16 and 6 talks about a parable and it says that God says live. You live, I live, because God has said live.

You might think, well I escaped this disease, or I got through this, and I was smart enough to go here rather than there, and I avoided this. God said live. We’re alive because God has given us life. We’ve got breath because God has given us breath. We are here because God has got a purpose for us. Do you realize that?

Now the Bible says that our members are written in God’s book. And I know we looked at this last week, but we’re going to look at it again. Psalm 139. Psalm 139 verses 13 through 16. And it lets us understand that anybody that’s born, God knows who you are.

Psalm 139 verse 13: For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret.

In other words, God already knew who I was going to be. Do you understand that? God knows who I’m going to be, God knows who you’re going to be. And he knows what he’s made you to be. Now the problem we have is the devil gets into our lives and tries to tell us that God has put us here for a different reason than God has ordained.

That’s why you need the Holy Ghost. Because you’re fighting a spirit that wants to destroy you and tell you that you’re something bad and you can’t be good, when God’s got a good purpose for you. That’s why you need to get saved. The devil will wait and get on your shoulder and tell you, see you did this wrong, this wrong, this wrong, this wrong, these people looked at you and did this and this to you, that’s who you are.

But God says no, your members are written in the book, and I did not cause you to be born to be lost. But I caused you to be born to be saved. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: ye shall find rest unto your souls.

You got to come to him. You got to decide I’m going to do it God’s way. And until you decide you do it God’s way, the devil’s going to have a field day with you. Verse 15 again: My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book...

God’s got a book. God’s got books. Books are God’s idea. Did you know that? God told Jeremiah, write all the words in a book. God told Moses, write them in a book. Book of Revelation says the books are going to be open. Books are God’s idea. And all my members are written in a book.

God knows who I am, God knows who you are. God’s got a reason why you’re alive. If you’ll just find God, life will get good. If you’ll find God, life will start to straighten out. Amen, it doesn’t mean there won’t be any problems, but you’ll have a God to lead you through.

You’ll have a God that will help you. You’ll have a God that won’t let the devil do more to you than you can handle with him. You’ll have a God that will make a way. He’s either going to move the mountain, get me around the mountain, or over the mountain, but God will make a way. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. 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. Do you understand? The Bible talks about in different places the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

What’s it saying? It’s saying God before the world is even created, before God ever says let there be light, already knows every human being that’s going to be created and they’re written in his book. God’s not going along and people are being born by accident and God trying to find a place to fit them in.

But God’s got a place for you. And if you’ll just let God have his way, God will work in your life and God will help you. And the peace that passes understanding will keep your hearts and minds. Now notice, I said the peace that passes understanding. What that means is I don’t have words, nobody’s got words to communicate that to you.

You got to get the Holy Ghost to understand that. That means all our abilities and talents come from the Lord. You’re smart, God gave you the IQ. You got an education, God made a way, God gave you the time to do it. Amen, you might think you’re privileged, but only God allowed it.

God could take it all away. Amen. You got a position, you might think I got my position, I worked my way up, I worked hard, and maybe you did work hard, but the Bible says promotion does not come from the east or the west or the north, but God is judge: he putteth down one and setteth up another.

Listen, I don’t care if you got a PhD and you got an IQ of 500, if God doesn’t want you to have a spot, you’re not going there. And sometimes people think, well I don’t need to listen to God, I’m good enough. Nebuchadnezzar tried it, read in the book of Daniel.

God even warned him, God gave a dream to Nebuchadnezzar and God told Daniel what the dream meant. Said the dream’s about you, Nebuchadnezzar, and you need to repent so that this doesn’t happen. But Nebuchadnezzar forgot, and one year later, Nebuchadnezzar loses his mind as a human being.

And for seven years he’s out in the field, in the wilderness, eating grass, and hair growing on his body like a lion, fingernails growing out. And God said that’s going to happen unless you humble yourselves. Hallelujah. Again our days are numbered by God. God already knows the length of our days.

2 Corinthians 6:1 and 2 says: Now is the day of salvation. Now. It’s easy to put it off. Sometimes people put it off and they never get another chance. If God’s moving on you today, today you need to take advantage of it. I’m going to read the scripture in 2 Corinthians 6 verses 1 and 2.

A lot of times I’m reading them just so that you can see with your own eyes that I’m not making it up. 2 Corinthians 6:1 and 2: We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. Grace is God’s opportunity to us. We don’t deserve it.

They call it unmerited favor. It’s something we don’t deserve. God gives us opportunities in our lives. And Paul’s saying I’m beseeching you, I’m asking you, I’m begging you that you don’t receive God’s grace in vain. In other words, don’t put it off, don’t use it lightly, take advantage of it to live for God.

And verse 2: For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in a day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. When God is dealing with you, you need to respond. You don’t know you’re going to have tomorrow. You don’t even know you got the rest of today.

Well, I’m young and I’m in good health and all that. It doesn’t matter, you don’t know what’s coming down the road. And Hebrews 9 and 27 says: It is appointed unto men once to die, then the judgment. We will be judged by what we have done with our life. I’m going to read that Revelation 20 and 12. Almost at the end of the Bible, only one more chapter beyond that, or two chapters.

Revelation 20 and 12 it says: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books—there’s the books again—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.

Now you run into people that say, well I don’t need to do anything because we’re not earning our salvation. We can’t earn it. It’s not about earning your salvation. It’s about getting what God has provided. God provided it, but you’ve got to appropriate it. And you’ve got to live it and hold on to it once you’ve got it.

So when it says it’s according to the works, when I’m living for God, even if I’ve gotten saved, am I living as a faithful Christian? Am I living in a way that God wants me to live? If I’m not living in that way, he’s going to judge me by those works. I didn’t earn my salvation, but I’m not living like I’m living according to being saved.

So the idea once saved always saved, if you believe that, you better start crossing out all the verses out of your Bible that says: If we continue, fight the good fight. I don’t need to fight, I’m going to make it anyways, right? Live anyway I want, if once saved always saved. That’s a lie from hell.

We don’t earn it, but we do have to go to God to keep it. And we’ve got to reach for what God’s got. Right? He didn’t say, Jesus didn’t say just believe on me and everything’s going to be save. He said come unto me. If I believe, I’m coming. If I believe, I’m coming to him.

I’m going to put the yoke on. In other words, I’ve got to go where God wants me to go to learn of him. Not where I want, not where I feel comfortable, not where I understand. Again you look at all these people in the Bible, they go through all these things.

They didn’t go through those things because they wanted to, they went through those things because they had met the resurrected Savior and they wanted to please him. Hallelujah. Giving of gifts. Again, we read in Ephesians 4 and 8: When the Lord ascended up to heaven, he gave gifts unto men.

And we said that’s a quote from the Old Testament, which we started out with that. And it said he gave gifts to the rebellious also. What’s my point? My point is God gives people, gives gifts to people regardless of whether they’re serving him or not. If God’s given you singing ability, he gives that to you.

He doesn’t say, oh, now they’re saved, I’ll turn it on. Although he could do that sometimes, he might, but normally, your IQ, your ability, your chances, God has already put those in you independent of whether you’re serving him or not. So smart people can serve God or serve the devil.

Again the Bible says the rain falls on both the just and the unjust, the sun shines on the good and the bad. And the Lord is not against man, but he’s reaching for man. God is reaching for us. God is reaching for you. God wants you to serve him. He wants to be God in your life.

He wants to know, he wants to know that you love him. He doesn’t want relationships to be God. He doesn’t want your career to be God. He doesn’t want your family to be God. He doesn’t want your goals in life to be God. He doesn’t want your paycheck to be God, your vacation to be God, the opinions of others to be God.

And a lot of times we bow to those things. We’ll bow to relationship over God. And then we have problems and we’re asking God to fix the problems. But we ended up there because we didn’t do it God’s way. Amen.

Look at Isaiah 57 and 15 because this is who God is looking for. This is what God says. God says I’ll be with these people, these people will be in my presence. Isaiah 57 and 15 says: Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

If I’ll humble myself and I’ll repent, I’ll find God. And even after I’m saved, daily—that’s why he says daily you got to take your cross up—every day I’ve got to humble myself under God’s hands. It’s not a one-time deal then it’s all done. I’ve got to humble myself under God’s hand daily.

But God says, that’s the Lord saying that, if I’ll humble myself and have a contrite heart, God will dwell with me. I’ll feel, you’ll feel the presence of God. Would you like the presence of God in your life? Maybe you’re afraid he’s going to strike you dead. Listen, if he wanted to strike you dead, you’d be dead already.

He doesn’t need your permission and you can’t stop him. So that tells you he doesn’t want you dead, doesn’t it? And the Bible says in the fullness of time, God waited a long time to bring his plan into action. Amen. But the greatest gift—and I think you all know where this is going—the greatest gift that God has given to men, he’s given spiritual gifts, he gives natural gifts, the greatest gift is salvation.

The greatest gift is salvation. And it’s for all people. We know the scripture says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Now that doesn’t mean just because you say that and you believe in God you’re saved.

You still need to repent, you still need to be baptized in Jesus’ name, you still need to get the Holy Ghost. That’s the new birth, all of that. You need to have that experience. The principle is God wants everybody to be saved. God loves the world. God didn’t love the world because we loved him.

God didn’t love the world because everybody was looking for him. God loved the world because in every human being there’s a little bit of God in them. We’re made in his image and likeness. And God wants to redeem what’s in us that belongs to him. The devil wants to steal it.

The devil knows he can’t defeat God, so he’s trying to defeat God by defeating us. So God so loved the world. Now God loved us not because we got good enough, but the Bible says God loved us while we were yet sinners. Praise God.

Praise God. He loved me when I was wrong. He loved me when I was sinning. He loved me when I was pushing him away. He loved me when I was getting drunk. He loved me when I was getting high. He loved me when I was lying. He loved me when I was doing ungodly things. And he didn’t quit reaching.

He loved me when I’m wrong. So if he loves me when I’m wrong, he’s going to love me when I’m right. If the goodness of God’s reaching to me when I’m wrong, what kind of goodness is going to reach me when I’m right? Hallelujah. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Hallelujah. See, the problem is sin alienates us in our mind. Colossians 1:20-23. Colossians 1:20: And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

See, deep down, if we’re honest, we all want God. Because we’re made in his image and likeness. You see, we’re made to be complete with God. You can have all the things of this world that you feel like you want and have it just the way you want it, and you’ll almost be complete but there’ll be something missing that only God can fill.

You might have success in relationships but other things are wrong. You might have success in your career but other things are wrong. You might have success in intellectual areas and popularity but other things are wrong. But when you get God, now you can enter into the dimension that God ordained for you.

You can enter into the place, the purpose which you were created for. Remember, we all have our own purpose. And I feel like I’m going over scriptures that we did last week, but 2 Timothy 1 and 9: He’s created us according to his holy purpose, given unto us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

You want a fulfilled life? Find God. You want a fulfilled life? You got to let God take control. A lot of times we’re reaching for things that are not bad, but it’s not God’s purpose. So you can reach for something that’s not sin, it’s not bad, but it’s not God’s purpose for your life and miss what God has got for you.

Or you’re reaching for it at the wrong time. Just like little kids, little kids will reach for things that they’re not supposed to reach for at that age. But when they get older, there’s a time that they can reach and have that. And we do the same thing with life.

We reach for this and that and this and that and we try to put God off and God’s dealing and God’s saying come on, come on, come on, you need me. Amen, and you’re going through midnight hours and you’re trying to get high and you’re feeling alone and you don’t know what to do.

Amen, and you’re letting the world tell you what to do and it’s not working and you’re all upset and you’re thinking about taking your life. Amen, and you’re going through dark nights and God’s just saying, just give up and come to me. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Sin will alienate your mind. But you come to God and God will take away the alienation. Hallelujah. Because when you get saved, God gives you a new nature. Look over in Romans 8:15. In Romans 8:15, Romans chapter 8 is the chapter of walking in the Spirit of God.

It’s what happens when you walk in the Spirit versus following your own humanity, your own flesh. Romans 8:15: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption. What’s that mean? That means like you feel like God is your father.

You feel like a part of the family of God. You don’t need somebody to come up and tell you you’re part of the family, there’s something that God’s put inside of you that makes you feel like a part of the family. That’s called his Spirit. Because you’ve been born of the Spirit.

Amen. And so you don’t have the spirit of fear, but you got the Spirit of adoption, and notice what it says: whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Abba is a term of endearment. Amen. A slave couldn’t say that to a master, but a son could say, Abba, Father.

In other words, when you get that Holy Ghost and it’s alive, you cry out, Thank God, God I love you, Lord I love you, Abba, Father. Oh, I praise you Lord, I want to be in your presence, God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The Spirit of adoption. Amen.

I’m not afraid to go to church because I’m part of the family. I’m not afraid God’s going to show up in my bedroom because I’m part of the family. I’m not afraid he’s going to show up, I’m looking for him to show up. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

So what does the gift of salvation mean? And we’re talking about Christmas. You want a real Christmas? Get saved. Number one, it means freedom from sin. Romans 6 and 3. Freedom from sin. 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. If you’re not baptized, you’re not buried with him. That’s what it’s saying there. Therefore we are buried by baptism into his 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.

If I have not been baptized, I cannot walk in the newness of life the way God wants me to walk. Because it’s saying if I’ve been buried like Jesus was. Jesus died, they buried him physically in a grave. If we’ve died to sin, we get water baptized. It’s the likeness of being buried with him.

He died for sin, he died because of sin, we die for sin, to sin. If I’ve been buried with him, I can walk in the newness of life just like when he was buried, when the Spirit came into him and rose him up, he walked as a new glorified person. Even so we should also walk in the newness of life.

Now again, verse 5 gives you a condition. For if, if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death. For if we’ve been planted together in the likeness of his death, if. We could say it this way: for if we’ve been baptized.

This is what it’s saying: for if you’ve been baptized into Jesus, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. So in other words, if I don’t get baptized, I’m not going to walk in the way that God wants me to walk. Even if I get the Holy Ghost, I’m still not going to be complete because I need to be buried with him.

So salvation will give you freedom from sin. And it says if we’re in Christ, we’re new creatures. Old things have passed away. 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ—now again, how can I really be in him if I’m not going to be baptized and buried with him? Amen.

So: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Listen, when you get born again, you look at life different. You can go to bed, wake up, the same problems are there, but now you know, I got a God that’s going to help me.

I got a God that won’t let more come on me than I’m able to bear. I got a God that will make a way. He’s either going to move the mountain, get me around the mountain, or over the mountain, but God will make a way. Hallelujah. All things are new.

Again, freedom from sin means victory over death. Victory over death. A lot of things people do, they’re doing because they’re afraid of dying. Well just wait a little bit and I’ll explain it. 1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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.

Okay, he’s saying in other words we’re not all going to die. The Lord’s going to come back and some are going to be alive. And if you’re alive, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, he’ll change this mortal body. You’ll put on an immortal body. The mortality will go away.

Amen. And the dead in Christ will raise up first, and God will give them a glorified body. So death is in the world because of sin. The only reason death is here is because of sin. And the Bible says that freedom from the death, we’ll have freedom from the devil because we got victory over sin.

The Bible says the devil uses death to intimidate people. We’re in the book of Hebrews, so we’ll look at it. Hebrews 2:14: Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

You get the Lord, the fear of death is going to lose its power on you. Now that doesn’t mean you’re not afraid to jump off of buildings and run in front of guns. We don’t lose our mind. But we understand that if I’m living for God and doing what God wants me to do, I’m not going to die one second before God is ready for me to go.

The devil can’t take me out. The devil can get planes and drop an atom bomb on me, but if it’s not my time, I’m going to walk away when the bomb’s done. You don’t believe that, but it’s true. That’s true. They can come with AK-47s at your front door and blast the door and blast the house down and run through the house, do all kinds of things, but if God has ordained you alive, when they’re all done, you’re still walking.

Because he’s God. Not them, not the devil. And salvation will deliver you from the fear of death. Hallelujah. Because you’ll have a God, you got a relationship with a God that’s in authority over all things, including death. And the Bible says greater is he that’s in us than he that’s in the world.

You get God in you, the Holy Ghost. That means what’s in you is bigger than the devil. What’s in you is bigger than the devil and all his demons. What’s in you is bigger than the devil and all the evil in the world. Amen, if the grave couldn’t hold him, and the one that came out of the grave is in you, the grave can’t hold you either.

The devil can’t hold you. If the devil could have held Jesus in the grave, he would have done it. But he couldn’t and the Bible says he made an open show. Oh, can you give him praise? We’re talking about Jesus. We’re talking about God. We’re talking about a God that loves us and can give us victory.

Hallelujah. We’re talking about the real Christmas. Hallelujah. When you get the Lord, the Bible says we’ve not received the spirit of fear, but power, love, sound mind. If you’re going out of your mind, you need Jesus. If you’re afraid, you need Jesus.

If you feel weak, you need Jesus. Amen, because God has given us the spirit of power, love, sound mind. You feel like you’re going crazy, you need Jesus. He’s the stabilizer. He’s the one that will anchor. He’s the anchor in the veil. Hallelujah.

So since God gives us everything, what can I give God? In Christmas, we give gifts, right? Usually it’s a two-way street. What can I give God? Well, if you’re saved, you can give him the gift of praise. Right? You can open your mouth and praise him.

Hebrews 13:15 says to give him the fruit of our lips, the praise, the sacrifice of praise. What’s that mean? That means you don’t always feel like praising him, but you know he’s worthy of it, so you do it anyways. You know that even though maybe you don’t like what’s going on, he’s still God.

And he knows what’s going on, and he’s done good things for me. So I’m still going to praise him. Oh, I might have a pain, but I’m still going to praise him. I might have a problem, but I’m still going to praise him. I might feel down, but I’m still going to praise him.

Amen, I might not feel like praising him, but I’m still going to praise him because God didn’t change, he’s still worthy of my praise. And when I praise him when I don’t feel like praising him, it truly is the sacrifice of praise. And the Bible says let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Amen. If you’ve got breath and you’re not praising him, you’re supposed to. You got breath and you’re not praising him, you’re supposed to open your mouth and praise him. Let everything, not some things, not most things, not the educated, not just the Christians, let everything that has breath praise the Lord, praise ye the Lord.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. That’s why we open up our mouth and say hallelujah. Amen, that’s why some people here started to get a little excited when the choir was singing and some were standing up and lifting up their hands. Amen, the breath in them, the breath of the Holy Ghost, amen, was starting to move on them.

I got to praise God. I feel something in my members. Amen, I just can’t sit there, I got to open my mouth. I got to give God some glory. He’s here, I want him to stay, I’m going to praise him a little more. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. And see, you can pray, too. And when you pray, how is that a gift to God? If you really pray, you open yourself up to God and God will start to direct your prayers. God is looking for a vessel that he can work his will through. And sometimes he just needs somebody to be willing to pray it.

See, people don’t understand, well God can do this, why doesn’t he do this, God can do that, why doesn’t God do that, why does God let this? God gave us all free will. And if he starts overriding our free will, now he’s taking, we can’t love him because we want to, he’s making us.

He wants us, want you, just like you want somebody to choose to like you. You don’t want to make them have to like you, you want them to choose to like you. God wants us to choose to like him. But if somebody over here God is trying to get them, God can’t, God doesn’t, he’s not going to just come down override their will, but Brother Tim says, I’ll pray.

God moves on him and says, pray for that person over there. Now God is doing something that he wants to do, but somebody is asking him to do it. Prayer opens up an avenue where God through us accomplishes his will. See, there’s a dimension of prayer where it’s not just your mind, all of a sudden the Holy Ghost takes you into some place, some situation.

Okay, I don’t mean physically, although he can do that sometimes. But he takes you into a dimension where all of a sudden you get an impression to pray for something or somebody. And now you’re praying and God is now being authorized because somebody is asking him to intervene in his world that he’s created but given us all free will.

That’s called intercessory prayer. That’s what that is. So you can give God a gift by allowing yourself to pray in a way that God can use you to pray about things he wants you to pray about. Do you believe that?

We can give ourselves to God, give our life to God. And really that’s what we’re supposed to do. Now we get this in our mind that giving our life to God means I’ve got to go away to the seminary and become a missionary and go to a foreign country. God sends some away, but God keeps some where they’re at.

All the Lord wants is permission to do what he wants to do with you. Give your life. Be willing to go where God wants you to go and do what God wants you to do. Paul said: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

In other words, God’s saying trust me. Remember, he knows why you’re here. Your members are written in a book. He’s the manufacturer. Trust me to know what’s best for you. Trust me with your life. And you present your body a living sacrifice because it really all boils down to God wants your heart.

David understood it. That’s why David was a man after God’s heart. It wasn’t that David was perfect, but David understood my heart God. I want to give you my heart. And in Psalm 51 verse 10, David says: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

A few verses later, verse 17: The sacrifices of God—in other words, the gift I can give to God—are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Now what does he mean by broken spirit? He means a heart where you reach the point that God, have your way.

My spirit is not resisting against your will anymore, God. Have your way. A broken and contrite heart and spirit. Amen, I repent of my sins. God, do whatever you need to do with me to accomplish your will. Our hearts, our hearts, our hearts, amen.

The Lord came to save us. That’s the gift he’s given us. Jesus is that God manifest in the flesh. It’s God tabernacled. So let’s stand here this morning. We see that really the ultimate gift that God’s looking for is our heart. We read that God dwells with those that are of a contrite heart and humble spirit.

If you’re saved, give God your heart. Recommit. Maybe it’s time to recommit. Maybe you recommit today, that’s great. If you’re already saved, recommit to God. Give him the present, your heart. If you’re not saved, the true gift God’s looking for is still your heart. Will you give it to Jesus?

He’s given gifts unto men. Are you willing to give a gift to him? Let’s start to worship the Lord. Amen. You want to really have a Christmas, you want to really give a gift to the King of Kings, you want to give a gift unto the God that loved us enough to put on humanity, come down and be abused by his creation, be rejected by the people that he formed, but yet he did it because he knew there were some that wanted him.

Do you realize that God would have gone to the cross for one soul? The Lord would have gone to the cross out of all the billions, if from Adam and Eve to the Great White Throne of Judgment, only one person was going to come to God, the Lord would have come down and allowed himself to be crucified on that cross for one person.

That’s how much he loves you. This altar’s open here. Is there anybody who just wants to come and say, Lord I love you, Lord I want to give you the gift? Maybe you’re struggling. Lord, I feel like I want to, but I don’t know that I’m ready to let go. Help me. Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

Hallelujah. Come on, just stand and worship God. And if you feel like you need to kneel, that’s okay, but just otherwise just worship God. Lord, Lord I need you, Lord I want to know you more. Lord, you see the things I’m struggling with. You see the questions in my mind, in my heart.

You know the obstacles. Show me how to navigate this. Show me, Lord God. Draw me. If you’re not filled with the Holy Ghost, you could have the Holy Ghost this morning. If you’re willing to reach out. God, I need you inside of me. I don’t just need a miracle, I don’t want to just feel some, I need you inside of me.

Lord, I’m sick of myself, sick of my situation. Lord, I need you to come in. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Sin will alienate your mind. But you come to God and God will take away the alienation. Hallelujah. Because when you get saved, God gives you a new nature. Look over in Romans 8:15.

In Romans 8:15, Romans chapter 8 is the chapter of walking in the Spirit of God. It’s what happens when you walk in the Spirit versus following your own humanity, your own flesh. Romans 8:15: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption.

What’s that mean? That means like you feel like God is your father. You feel like a part of the family of God. You don’t need somebody to come up and tell you you’re part of the family, there’s something that God’s put inside of you that makes you feel like a part of the family.

That’s called his Spirit. Because you’ve been born of the Spirit. Amen. And so you don’t have the spirit of fear, but you got the Spirit of adoption, and notice what it says: whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Abba is a term of endearment. Amen. A slave couldn’t say that to a master, but a son could say, Abba, Father.

In other words, when you get that Holy Ghost and it’s alive, you cry out, Thank God, God I love you, Lord I love you, Abba, Father. Oh, I praise you Lord, I want to be in your presence, God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The Spirit of adoption. Amen. I’m not afraid to go to church because I’m part of the family.

I’m not afraid God’s going to show up in my bedroom because I’m part of the family. I’m not afraid he’s going to show up, I’m looking for him to show up. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Tina Ouellette: Thank you for joining us today as we have studied the word on Apostolic Truth Radio. My name is Tina Ouellette, wife of Pastor Craig Ouellette of South Shore Pentecostal Church, located at 58 West Street in Whitman, Massachusetts. If you love praise and worship, you will love services at South Shore Pentecostal Church, and we invite you to come and worship with us.

Sunday School for all ages begins at 10:00 AM and our Sunday evening service begins at 6:00 PM. Adult Bible study and children’s church is held on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. You can learn more about our church on our website at southshorepentecostal.com or you may call us at 781-447-1668.

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