VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH

“… I being in the way, the Lord led me…” Genesis 24: 27

When we discover the context of these words of Scripture we realize they are teaching us a principle of how God often works in the lives of His people. It is easier to steer a moving vehicle than one that is stationary. God can sometimes steer us more easily when we are moving. That’s why we will find that one step frequently leads to the next step when we have faith to be led by the Holy Spirit.

The words above were spoken by Abraham’s servant who was commissioned by Abraham to travel to the land of his people to find a wife for Isaac. As he journals the events of his search he writes that while he was in the way the Lord led him he encountered the family of Rebekah. When he met her he knew that his search had ended.

We who are committed followers of Christ were commissioned two thousand years ago to go to all nations and make disciples for Jesus Christ. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Like the servant of Abraham, as we embark on the adventure of obeying our great commission, we should expect that each step will lead to the next step.

We don’t always have to know where the road leads as long as we know it is the right road. While we are in the way our Lord has commissioned us to go we must have the faith to take that first step and then, one step at a time, expect our Lord to show us His will about the next step.

The Prayer God Can’t Answer

The prayer God can’t answer is one not prayed,
We are unwise when we don’t seek His face;
He still watches over us lovingly,
Waiting for us to tell Him what we need!

The prayer God can’t answer is one unsaid,
As life gives us a busy schedule instead;
God’s power & grace is still strong today,
There’s nothing He can’t fix when we pray!

The prayer God can’t answer is one not cried,
Yet He knows all that our heart feels inside;
Even if we can’t find the right words to say,
The Spirit intercedes if we only pray!

The only time God won’t answer or reply,
Is if a prayer is not prayed in a life;
We have the blessing to seek His face,
Praise God! He hears every word we say!

I’m Blessed By The Best

I’m blessed by the best in more than one way,
God’s loving hand cares for me day after day;
I’m given much more than my heart deserves,
The most precious thing is His living Word!

I’m blessed by the best grace I can know,
God walks beside me, everywhere I go;
When the trials of life trouble my way,
He’s there with me, every night & day!

I’m blessed by the best love ever known,
God’s loving kindness nourishes His own;
He loved me so much, His only Son died,
Shedding His blood, for my eternal life!

I’m blessed by the best, God, in my heart;
His presence is there, never to depart;
My loving God, the Truth, Life, and Way,
Deserves all the glory, honor and praise!

Keep Your Eyes On God

Keep your eyes on God, every day & night,
Whatever you face, His hand leads you right;
He’ll guide your steps in how you should walk,
If you listen, He’ll give you right words to talk!

Keep your eyes on God, if you have a need,
Your life from His hand, He will oversee;
Focus on His will, that’s when things change,
You’ll be very blessed by calling on His name!

Keep your eyes on God, He’ll make you strong,
Anytime He leads, He won’t guide you wrong;
Ask Him for wisdom and unending grace,
You’ll never go wrong by seeking His face!

Keep your eyes on God, trust Him in all things,
He gives great reasons you can shout & sing;
God will be faithful, His love changes not,
For all things in life, keep your eyes on God!

The Sure Foundation

Christ is the single & only foundation,
The Truth, Life, & Way, Door of salvation;
The building will never be more secure,
Than upon the Rock, where it will endure!

He’s the sure foundation, on whom we stand,
The Solid Rock keeps us from sinking sand;
Jesus is the One who stood the test of time,
The perfect, sinless Son of our God Divine!

His foundation is holy, righteous, & smart,
The best place for the faith within our heart;
Standing on the Rock won’t keep us from trials,
But His grace each day makes us sing & smile!

God doesn’t force man in doing His way,
Giving us the option, how to live each day;
He allows everyone to make a choice,
A wise man will choose God, then rejoice!

FUNERAL

An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests.

First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart.

‘Wal-Mart?’ the preacher exclaimed.

‘Why Wal-Mart?’

‘Then I’ll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week.’

OLD FRIEND

I bumped into an old school friend at the store today. He started showing off, talking about his well paid job and expensive sports cars.

Then he pulled out his phone and showed me a photo of his wife and said, “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

I said, “If you think she’s gorgeous, you should see my girlfriend.”

He said, “Why? Is she a stunner?”

I said, “No, she’s an optometrist.”

WRONG WAY

A man was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang.

Answering, he heard his wife’s voice urgently warning him,

“Herman, I just heard on the news that there’s a car going the wrong way on Interstate 77 Please be careful!”

Herman said, “It’s not just one car. It’s hundreds of them!”

Who By Him Do Believe In God 1 Peter 1:18-23

A.  In these verses, we find the importance of biblical faith.  God ties two things together:  both the blood and the Bible.

1.  We have looked at the importance of the blood of Christ.  “The precious blood of Christ” (19)
a)  Not just any blood but the blood of the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.  It was referred to as “His own blood” or “the blood of God” in Acts 20:28. 
b)  It was perfectly pure blood; it was the innocent blood of Christ without any tint of Adamic sin.

2.  We now look at the importance of the Bible.  “By the word of God”  (23)
a)  Not just any book, but the Word of God!  As the blood of Christ was perfectly pure and free of Adamic sin, the Bible must also be perfectly pure and free of Adamic “tampering!” 
Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”
b)  How can we have a perfect Bible?  Only if God inspired it and God also preserves it.  The Bible declares both inspiration and preservation in what we have today.  2 Timothy 3:16 does not reference the original manuscripts but the Word of God that Timothy had in his possession which was the preserved Word of God.  God said it was inspired and profitable.  The originals are not profitable because we do not have them! “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
c)  In the Bible, we find the foundation of our salvation and doctrine.  Jude spoke of the “faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”  If the Word of God was only pure in the original transcripts, then we have inherited a “Bible” that is the work of man and not a work of God. 

B.  Faith in both the blood and the Bible are essential for salvation. 

1.  In Psalms 11:3, the Word of God says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  The word “foundation” is plural. 
a. 1 Cor. 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

2.  Destroy the foundation of the blood of Christ and there is not salvation.  Destroy the foundation of the Bible and there is no salvation.  No wonder Satan hates the Blood and the Book!

C.  Now, let us look at what the Bible says about the Bible!  Isn’t that better than to look at what man says about the Bible?  Let God be true!

1.  The Bible is the Agent of the New Birth.  “Being born again.”  Salvation requires a new birth.  As our natural birth was sinful, our new birth is sinless.  By the natural birth, we were birth into the family of mankind, by the new birth, we are birthed into the family of God.  

Romans 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2.  The Bible is Incorruptible.  (23) “Not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible.”  The Bible declares itself to be not corrupt nor corruptible!  That means that it is pure and will remain pure. 

Matthew 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  (The last time I checked, the heaven and earth were still here and intact.)

3.  The Bible is the Word of God. (23) “By the word of God.”  The Bible declares itself to be the Word of God, not the word of man.

John 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

1 Thessalonians 2:13  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

4.  The Bible is the Living Word of God. (23) “Which liveth.”  Notice again the present continuing tense of the word “liveth.”  If you use a word processor such as Word, you have a red line under the word “liveth” because we no longer use that word but it is a good Bible word.  It is living; therefore it is life giving! 

John 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

5.  The Bible is the Abiding Word of God. (23) “And abideth for ever.”  Once again, the “eth” ending shows a present continueing tense.  The Word of God will always be with us as is clarified in verse 25 which says, “The word of the Lord endureth for ever.”

Conclusion:  Both the blood of Christ and the Word of the Lord are eternal because both are essential to the new birth.

Victory Baptist Church 17 May 2023 victorypalmetto.com

the LORD did unto Sarah as He had promised. Gen. 21:1

TRUST in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.–David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.–God will surely take care of you, and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.–

‘I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT, AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO DELIVER THEM. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.–Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

He who promised is faithful.–Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? –Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.–The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

Praise God In All Things

Praise God in all things with a sincere voice,
Fellowship with Him makes the heart rejoice;
He still holds the world in His mighty hands,
All that takes place is under His command!

Praise God for comfort He gives in the storm,
Awesome and righteous is all He performs;
Life may be troubled, causing us to cry,
Perfect peace comes by grace He supplies!

Praise God for being almighty and great,
Give Him the glory for His loving ways;
He strengthens us if we become weak,
His wisdom is there for our heart to seek!

Praise God for His glory, honor & might,
For being our Light in the darkest night;
His goodness we’ll continue to adore,
And glorify His name forevermore!

Exodus 12:14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

We often make the trip to our lake cottage in Indiana over the Memorial Day weekend to “open up the place.” It’s a family tradition that dates back to around 1910. And if things follow their normal course, I’ll take Mother, who still lives in my birthplace, Montpelier, Ohio, out to Riverside Cemetery where we’ll place flowers on the graves of our loved ones. Homegrown flowers–peonies and irises–were the bouquets of choice when I was growing up, because they usually came into bloom about this time of year.

At my father’s grave, Mama will point to the vacant space next to his, and remind me again that that is where she will be laid to rest. She won’t say it forebodingly–her Christian faith is too strong for that–but matter-of-factly. I think she wants to prepare me. I’m prepared. Only a few yards to the east are some plots reserved for my family.

Not long ago I stopped in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, and visited a cemetery said to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. There, three young women–Emma Hunter, Sophie Keller and Elizabeth Myers–began the custom of decorating soldiers’ graves in 1864, while the Civil War was still being fought. They wanted to recognize the contributions of villagers who had paid the ultimate price, and they did it with what was at hand, some homegrown flowers.

The idea of decorating graves caught on, and today, because of the thoughtfulness of Emma, Sophie and Elizabeth, millions of people across the nation this Memorial Day will remember with deep affection those whose lives once touched theirs.

Teach us, Lord, the best way to pay an unpayable debt is to show with our lives that we didn’t forget.

from ourdailybread