More Excellent*

Continuing this week in our series "Search the Scriptures", we will find that the Word of God teaches us of a more excellent way. The Book of Proverbs contains the counsel of godly wisdom and it says, "The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor: but the way of the wicked seduceth them." (Prov. 12:26. The Hebrew word for "excellent" is tur, meaning to search (for righteousness). Even each Hebrew letter of the word tur, has a meaning that reflects the source of excellence. The Hebrew letters together mean "the cross/the covenant, the nail, and the Highest or the most important person". The more excellent way is to be searched out in God's Word. Proverbs also says, "A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised." (Prov. 12:8). We have also spoken these last two weeks of the condition of the heart, and its importance in our walk. Paul wrote of how the Jews rested and boasted in their knowledge of the law. He wondered why, as they taught others the law, they didn't also teach themselves. If they did, then Paul would not have to ask them: "...dost thou steal?", "...dost thou commit adultery?", "...dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written...if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision...For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision , which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." (Rom. 2:17-29). The more excellent way is to be transformed and circumcised inwardly, in the heart, by the Word and the Spirit of God. This was Paul's prayer for the believers as he wrote to the Philippians: "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God." (Phil. 1:9-11). In the more excellent way, your love has to increase along with the fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ. The Book of Hebrews says that by His inheritance as the Son of God, the name of Jesus is more excellent than even the angels: "...when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.". It is unto the Son that he said, "...Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." (Heb. 1:4-8). The more excellent way is the Son, and for us to follow in the righteousness of His authority and kingdom. Also in Hebrews, the more excellent priesthood of Christ, the Son, is written about: "We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." (Heb. 8:1-2). While earthly priests offered gifts according to the requirements of the law, which was only after the pattern of the heavenly things, this Priest, Jesus, also came with an offering, fulfilling the "heavenly things", rather than a pattern or shadow of them. Because of this: "...now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." (v. 6). This new covenant established after the true heavenly things is not the same covenant which God had established with the fathers, which they broke, and were still breaking, as Paul mentioned above. However, the new covenant promised by God through the prophets, and established in the offering by Jesus of Himself, surpasses the old: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people...for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (v. 9-12). As we saw that Jesus established a better priesthood of the heavenly things rather than the pattern of them, He also fulfilled, and will fulfill, the Feasts of the LORD, as given by God to Moses in the law. Jesus has already fulfilled the spring feasts, but approaching immediately are the fall feasts, which the Lord shall also fulfill. Tonight begins the Feast of Trumpets. This is the way that the fall feasts are written: "...In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. Ye shall do not servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD." (Lev. 23:23-25). The observing of the sabbath, itself, is the first of the LORD's feasts (Lev. 23:2-3), by the way. The Feasts of Trumpets will be fulfilled by Jesus. We know that in the Rapture, the trump shall sound, and we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The next of the fall feasts, which is also soon to arrive, is the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur (v. 26-32), a solemn feast day which comes ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, and calls all of God's people to a sabbath, with the affliction of our souls in fasting, prayer and repentance. It is prayed and hoped at this time that one's name will be written in the (Lamb's) Book of Life. Five days later, the Feast of Tabernacles, lasting seven days, will be observed (v. 33-36). All of these Feasts require a special offering to be brought before the LORD. Have you prepared your offering to Him? All of the Feasts of the LORD are commanded to be observed forever. The Feast days are upon us now. Don't be caught unaware of their meaning, and their importance in God's eyes, and to the salvation of His people. These Feasts represent Christ: the Bridegroom is coming - be ready. Although many churches do not teach these things, this is part of our preparation for the Lord's return. They are part of the more excellent way. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/25/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

Open Heart Surgery*

This message continues the series: "Search the Scriptures". I believe that the Body of Christ is in need of spiritual open heart surgery, as we have been dealing with issues of the heart (see last week's message). We will see how God works this spiritual surgery in us according to His Word. The Book of Hebrews identifies Jesus Christ not only as our Savior, but as our Apostle and High Priest: "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession (homologia/homologeo - to say the same thing as), Christ Jesus..." (Heb. 3:1). The first "heart problem" is identified here: our profession - are we speaking the same thing as the Word of God? Hebrews continues in warning believers: "...today if ye will hear his voice...", not to harden their hearts, as their fathers did in the wilderness, although they saw the mighty works of God. The LORD said of that previous generation: "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest." (Heb. 3:10-11). Hebrews then says: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God...lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (v. 12-13). Unbelief and sin cause our hearts to be hardened, leading to a departure from the Lord. There is also a rest to be entered into if we hold fast to our belief. It is the "rest" that the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness were not allowed to enter (Heb. 4:1-3). "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (v. 9-11). The importance of the Word of God in dealing with this problematic heart condition is explained: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." (v. 12-13). The Word discerns, and God sees, what is in our hearts, and a godly man places his heart and his thoughts before God for examination: "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Ps. 139:23-24). We read last week in Jeremiah that the heart is wicked and deceitful above all things. Only the Word of God can reveal the things that are hidden in our hearts that cause us to harden ourselves against God. Proverbs also confirms this: "The (re)fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue." (Prov. 17:3-4). The LORD has a refining process by which He purifies the hearts like a smith purifies a precious metal - by fire. Both of the prophets Zechariah and Malachi also wrote the Word of the LORD concerning this purification and refining process by which the God will cleanse the hearts of His priests and His people in preparation for the appearing of the LORD among them (see Zech. 13:7-9 and Mal. 3:1-3). The apostle Peter also wrote to the believers, those "...who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time", about the trying fire of God: "...though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ...receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." (1 Pet. 1:1-11, excerpt, see also James 1:1-4). This purifying fire perfects our way of salvation in preparation for the Lord's appearing. If we need wisdom to understand the necessary working of this refining process in us, the Lord will give that wisdom to whoever asks Him for it (James 1:5). Scripture gives us another reason for the hardening of a heart: Pharaoh of Egypt was experiencing the trying plagues of the LORD for his disobedience of the command of God. However, once the plagues were lifted, Pharaoh would again harden his heart against the Word of the LORD though Moses (Ex. 8:15). King Zedekiah of Judah, was appointed king by Nebachadnezzar of conquering Babylon. However, Zedekiah was an evil king. He broke his agreement with Nebachadnezzar, which he had sworn by God, and "he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel." (2 Chron. 36:11-13). Unfortunately, as the king followed after evil, and hardened his heart against God, his sin influenced others in his kingdom, the chief priests and the people, to do the same. They followed after the abominations of the heathen and polluted the house of God. They would not listen to the messengers that were sent from God, mocking and despising instead God's warning words and abusing His prophets, until there was no remedy left, and the wrath of God broke out against them (v. 14-16). We see the same hardened hearts today, disregarding the Word of God and His servants, and open heart surgery is needed within God's own people. The prophet Daniel dealt with the son of Nebachadnezzar, Belshazzar, who became king of Babylon when his father died. He disrespected the holy temple vessels that the Babylonians had looted from Jerusalem. This king, Daniel said, had known about the terrible event that had overtaken his father when he had tried to exalt himself before the people of God. God had taken his father's sanity from him, and Nebachadnezzar had become like a beast. It was not until Nebachdnezzar had looked up to heaven that God returned his right mind to him. Even knowing what had happened to his father, Belshazzar still lifted up his heart against God and His holy vessels: "...and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.". Ominous handwriting mysteriously appeared upon the wall during the king's feast prophesying of his death to come that night. (Dan. 5:18-23). Even when a man has witnessed for himself the judgment of God, and His subsequent healing restoration, he can still harden his heart against the LORD. God spoke about the spiritual open heart surgery, even a heart transplant, that He has provided for His people: "...I will even gather you from the people...and I will give you the land of Israel...and they shall take away all the detestable things...and all the abominations from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God." (Ezek. 11:17-20). However, as for those who continue to walk after their abominations instead, "I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the LORD God." (v. 21). Ezekiel wrote again the Word of the LORD: "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you..." (Ezek. 37:25-28, excerpt). The cleansing water of the LORD is His Word received into our hearts (Eph. 5:26). This same cleansing Word of God, believed and confessed, saves a heart, and a life: "...The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Rom. 10:8-16, excerpt). Search the scriptures, and get life saving open heart surgery from the Lord. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/18/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

The Heart of the Matter*

This weekend we, as a nation, have been commemorating the 9/11 attacks, and the lives lost in them, including members lost from our own congregation. The world has also heard the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth, and ascension of a new king. Considering the lateness of the hour on the prophetic clock, and the events taking place throughout the world, it is time to take stock of ourselves, and examine our hearts. Scripture tells us that there is a "heart problem", which is noted from the beginning, from Genesis: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (leb - inner man, heart, soul, mind, understanding, emotions, conscience) was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." (Gen. 6:5-8). The heart of man was evil, the LORD said. As we see above, the Hebrew word for heart is leb, and the letters that form that word, which are lamed and beth, mean "the house within from which we are prodded or urged forward". An evil heart, which all men have as the result of the fall of Adam and Eve, prods us to think and do evil. However, one man, Noah, found grace (chen - acceptance, favor, grace) in the LORD's eyes. The two Hebrew letters used to write the word, chen, or grace, are cheth and nun, which mean together "a fence, inner room, protection of the Heir to the throne". There is the protection of Christ in the gift of grace. Jeremiah wrote of the condition of men's hearts also. He wrote that a man is blessed who trusts and hopes in the LORD. That man is like a tree planted by the waters, which prospers and bears fruit even in times of drought. However: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jer. 17:7-10). Regarding Israel, His own people, the LORD prophesied that although a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of their sanctuary: "...they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters." (v. 12-13). Jeremiah cried out to God as a result: "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise...Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil." (v. 14, 17). After the attacks of 9/11, neither America, nor the Church, took that moment to search their own hearts, and repent, and cry out as Jeremiah did. Instead, a verse from Isaiah was read by our political leadership. That verse from Isa. 9:10, "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars", is spoken by a proud, defiant and unrepentant Israel in facing the judgment of the LORD coming against them (see v. 9-12 for context). We as a nation also spoke those words in the same spirit of defiance. In Psalm 95, a call to praise unto the LORD, the writer exalts the LORD and also brings a warning: "For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods...For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest." The Book of Hebrews brought this same Psalm to the attention of the believers in Christ, adding: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God....lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end....Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it...For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. 3:7-18, and 4:1-2, excerpts). The heart is deceitful and wicked above all things, as Jeremiah wrote. Don't be fooled by it, because God is not fooled, but discerns the true state of our hearts, and we are required to examine and guard our own hearts. The Book of Proverbs tells us the care that is needed to keep our hearts: "...Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom, get understanding...Let them (my words) not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee." (Prov. 4:4-7, 20-24, excerpt). We see here a connection between what is in the heart, and the words that are spoken out of the mouth. Jesus taught the same saying, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." (Mt. 12:34). In saying this, Jesus was speaking to the most religiously observant people of His day, but what was in their hearts, and came out of their mouths made them "vipers". Jesus also warned that we will have to give an account for every idle, empty, vain word which we have spoken, and by our own words we will be either justified or condemned (v. 35-37). According to the verses in Proverbs which we read above, and the words of Jesus, the words coming from our hearts and out of our mouths should be the same Words as God speaks. This is called homologea, or "speak the same". God created by speaking, and our words also have power and effect, for good or evil. We can only speak the Word of God if we have kept it within our hearts. We enter into salvation in the same manner - by what we believe in our hearts, and what we confess with our mouths (Rom. 10:9-10). King David wrote Psalm 26, and in it, he showed us the basis for God's judgment: "Judge me, O LORD...Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth...redeem me , and be merciful unto me..." (v. 1-3,11). In another Psalm of David's, Psalm 51, he pours out his heart before the LORD, because he has committied terrible sins: adultery and murder. David had a deep relationship with God, and God loved David, calling him, "a man after My own heart". However, David's heart, like the hearts of all men, was deceitful and wicked above all things. Now David must bring his heart before God, his only Hope: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight...Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me and I shall be whiter than snow...Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit...Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God...The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise...". As David knew, there is only one solution when we realize the sin hiding in the depths of our hearts. We must bring them to God. When we confess our sins to Him, God is faithful to forgive them. At this time of remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy, and other events in the world, and the approaching fall Feasts of the LORD, when men examine their own hearts, with the hope and prayer that they will be inscribed in the (LAMB's) Book of Life, it is necessary for the Church of believers to come before the LORD in repentance: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14). *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/11/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

Becoming Bereans*

We will be continuing in a series of messages that began with last week's message, "Search the Scriptures". Jesus told His listeners: "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (Jn. 5:39). Jesus is the Word of God who came in the flesh, and the scriptures continually illustrate the Savior, the Messiah, to whoever searches them. When the Apostle Paul travelled to Thessalonica, he preached for three Sabbaths in the synagogue there. He reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening the Word of God, and showing in them that the Messiah (Christ) must suffer and be raised from the dead (Acts 17:1-3). Some believed after hearing Paul, including some Gentiles, but others reacted with envy. Those envious hearers joined with a rough element and created an uproar in the city, and converged upon Jason's house, one of the believers in Christ. The mob took Jason and other brethren to the city elders and accused them saying: "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also...and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus." (v. 6-7). Even though this outcry against Jason and the believers of Thessalonica began with the envious Jews in the synagogue, who should have been worshippers of God and followers of His Word, they used the worldly kingship of Cesar, and his decrees, to accuse the believers. They let Jason and the others go after they received money from them (v. 9). Money, rather than the revealed scriptures, is the interest of the world and those who reject God's Word. The believers in Thessalonica were accused of "turning the world upside down". Are we, the church, also turning the world upside down as believers in Christ? Many "megachurches", with vast resources, are not even having an effect on their own communities. Our weapons of warfare are not carnal but spiritual, and mighty through prayer in the pulling down of strongholds. Is the church praying? The believers of Thessalonica sent Paul and Silas to Berea, where the Jews in the synagogue there: "...received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:10-11). As a result, many in Berea believed, including again, Gentile men and women (v. 11). Because of the readiness to receive the Gospel, and the diligence they showed in confirming all that they heard by searching the scriptures, the Bereans were recorded in scripture as being "more noble than those in Thessalonica". The resentful Jews from Thessalonica then came to Berea to try to stir up the people there against the Gospel. The Bereans, however, sent Paul on to Athens, while Silas stayed with them (v. 13-15). Upon arrival in Athens, Paul began delivering the Gospel there, disputing with the Jews in the synagogue, and meeting with others in the marketplace. Finally, those of the Stoic and Epicurean philosophies met Paul, and at first, thought of him as being a "babbler" when he preached to them of Jesus, and the resurrection (v. 16-18). Paul soon used the example of an altar that he had seen on Mars Hill which had the inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Paul then taught them about the God Who had been "unknown" to them, but was now making Himself known. Paul told them about the God who made the world and all things within it, the Lord of heaven and earth. This God does not inhabit temples made with human hands, Paul told them, because God does not need anything, but gives life to all, gives breath, and all things to us. This God made all men of one blood, "...that they should seek the Lord...feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being..." (v. 23-27). Paul revealed that God was not found in gold, silver or stone, like an idol, and God had ordained that it was time that man repented of this idea, because there is appointed a day of judgment. All the world will be judged in the righteousness of that Man whom God ordained and sent, and God had given men assurance in the resurrection of that Man from the dead (v. 29-32). Some Greek hearers mocked this idea, but othere believed and joined with Paul (v. 32-34). We can see that the hostile and envious Jews of Thessalonica had only caused the Gospel that they so hated and persecuted to be spread successfully to other cities, even Athens, the stronghold of the worship of mythology and men's philosophies. One powerful truth in the scriptures that Paul taught above is that all men were made from one blood. The divisions between Jews and Gentiles, and among various labels of men's philosophies could not overcome that truth. All men have one Creator, one God, and are of one blood, and are also saved by one Blood, the Blood of Jesus, the Son of God. Any Christian organizations that try to divide men along racial or ethnic lines are not speaking the Word of God, because God has said that His Kingdom is made out of every nation, tribe and tongue. Search the scriptures for yourself, like a noble Berean, and see. Paul wrote to his faithful assistant Timothy about the importance of the Word of God: "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not...even to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain," (1 Tim. 6:3-6). Pul wrote that one of the great temptations and snares for believers and all men is the desire to obtain riches. There is no contentment to be found in that trap, but rather destruction and perdition: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (v. 9-10). Paul encouraged Timothy to fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which he was called and of which Timothy has professed before many witnesses. Jesus professed the Word of truth before Pontius Pilate, and Timothy is to keep this commandment "without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ...keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.". (v. 12-21, excerpt). The temptation to seek the false knowledge and love of riches offered by the world and by men, rather than receiving and searching the Word of God, is always with us. Even the priests of the LORD fell into the temptation for riches and lusts. Eli the priest was warned by a prophet that because he would not restrain his greedy sons who oppressed the people of God, his priesthood and his house would be cut off. Eli ignored that Word, and his young trainee, Samuel, had to deliver to Eli the final Word from the LORD that the time of the prophesied judgment had come (1 Sam. 2 and 3). God's people, who are His priests, are expected not only to seem godly, but to be godly, and to be led by His Word, so they may live. The Prophet Hosea called God's people to return to Him, and in doing so, Hosea's prophecy testified of Jesus Christ: "Come and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." (Hos. 6:1-3). The prophet wrote that God's people had fallen into iniquity, treachery, lewdness, whoredom, murder, pollution, and defilement, but God has set a harvest for them in their return from captivity (v. 4-11). Search the scriptures for the knowledge of God and return to Him, and for the scriptures' testimony of the Son's third day resurrection, that you may live in His sight. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 9/4/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

Search the Scriptures*

In Acts 17, a special group of people in Berea were mentioned as those to whom Paul preached the Gospel. They were commended in this regard: "These (Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed...". (Acts 17:11-12). The Bereans looked through what we call the Old Testament scriptures to verify what Paul was telling them about Christ and His suffering and resurrection (see v. 2-3). These scriptures caused them to believe. Jesus also said: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (Jn. 5:39). If we search the scriptures, we will find Jesus. On this same occasion, Jesus spoke of His unbreakable connection to His Father in heaven: "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth who he will...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. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." (v. 21-27). Jesus also spoke of the two parts of judgment: "...the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice; and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (v. 28-29). There is a judgment for all. For those who believe in Christ, and live according to that belief and do good, eternal life awaits them. If we will search the scriptures, we will find that David spoke about this in Psalm 23. He spoke of experiencing the "shadow of death" without fear. Death has become just a shadow, rather than the reality, for those who believe and know the LORD as their Shepherd. Paul wrote, referring to the prophecy of Isaiah (64:4), that man has not seen, heard, nor understood the wonderful things that God has prepared for them that love Him. These things are revealed to us only by His Spirit: "...for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God." (1 Cor. 2:9-11). As we search the scriptures, the Spirit of God also searches on our behalf, to reveal to us those things that only God knows. Peter gives us an interesting look into how this mystery of Christ is revealed by the Spirit. He wrote to those who had never seen Jesus Christ, yet believed, and connected this to the prophets: "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." (1 Peter 1:8-11). It was the Spirit of God that revealed Christ to the prophets, not for their sakes alone, but to benefit us later. The very things that the prophets saw ahead by their diligent search of the Spirit of God, are the things that were revealed to us many centuries later for our salvation. We received this revealed Word by the same Holy Spirit sent from heaven for that purpose (v. 12). David, searching the Spirit of God, was given a prophetic revelation in Psalm 22, of Christ's suffering and crucifixion, a form of execution not invented until seven hundred years later by the Persians. Search the scriptures, and search the Holy Spirit as the prophets, the Bereans, and David did, and you will also find the Person of Jesus Christ, as Jesus said. This kind of revelation is to keep our minds, our soberness, and our hope, until the appearance of Jesus again (v. 13). Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:25-31) the prophetic revelation of the resurrected Jesus given to David. David wrote this revelation in Psalm 16: "I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (v. 8-11). Peter said that David was both dead and buried (the Upper Room of Acts 2 is located above the Tomb of David), but, speaking to us as a prophet, and according to the promise which God had sworn to him, David was speaking of the Messiah to come, who would be the fruit of his loins, of his flesh, in a future generation of David's, to be raised from the dead incorruptible, and seated on David's throne (Acts 2:29-31). Those who search the scriptures are kept and made strong in the discovery of the prophetic promises and their sovereign fulfillment. Ezekiel prophesied of this same King and Shepherd, whom he called "David", even though David was dead long before this prophetic word came forth: "...Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen...and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation...; and one king shall be king to them all...I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them." (Ezek. 37:21-24). The LORD also prophesied the everlasting covenant of peace that He will make with His people, and of His sanctuary that will be in the midst of them forever (v. 26). This refers to the millennial reign of Christ. The prophecy regarding David as their King and Shepherd immediately follows a prophecy shown to Ezekiel in which God will unite as one, Ephraim, the son of Joseph, and a tribe of Israel, and Judah, another tribe of Israel. Joseph's son Ephraim, meaning "doubly fruitful", was born of a Gentile mother in Egypt. The name's feminine form, Ephratah, refers to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, and the place where the Passover lambs are pastured during the year. The Book of Revelation confirms the prophecy of Ezekiel, and David as well: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." Rev. 21:3-5). Serch the scriptures, for His Word is indeed true and faithful. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/28/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

The Prayer For These Times*

Considering the times in which we are living, a quote from one of our nation's founders, Thomas Paine, is very appropriate: "These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." from The American Crisis, 1775. These words apply not only to physical hardships, but to spiritual struggles as well. There is an ongoing struggle for spiritual fullness and maturity in the Body of Christ. The prayer that speaks to our goal of the fullness of Christ was prayed by Jesus, Himself, for His disciples, but also for those who would later believe as a result of His disciples' Word, which includes us (Jn. 17:20). Jesus had a vision for His believers, and He prayed accordingly to His Father in heaven, and that prayer is especially timely for all of us today who believe in Him. Jesus had been preparing His disciples for the coming tribulation, and then said: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (Jn. 16:33). Jesus then prayed to His Father that His hour had come (to die), and asked Him to glorify His Son, so His Son might glorify Him. The Father had given Jesus authority over all flesh so that Jesus should give eternal life to all who were given to Him (Jn. 17:1-3). Jesus prayed to His Father about the glory that He had with the Father from the beginning, and that He had finished the work which the Father had sent Him to do (v. 4-5). The presence of Jesus was in the very beginning of the Book of Genesis, and is found within the Hebrew language used in chapter 1 and verse 1 for the word "God", in the phrase "In the beginning God...". This word "God" is written as Elohim-aleph tav. The "aleph tav" is the same as the Greek "Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, ...the beginning and the end", by which Jesus is identified in the Book of Revelation. John Ch. 1 also identifies Jesus as the Word of, in, and with God at the beginning of creation. As Jesus continued to pray to His Father, He said: "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world...they have kept thy word." (v. 6). In His prayer to the Father, Jesus spoke repeatedly of the Word, the glory, the Father's Name, the truth, and the love which had been received by His disciples from Him, as they had believed Him (v. 8-19). This was the finished work Jesus spoke of to the Father which was accomplished through Him: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me...the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (v. 21-23). Our oneness with Jesus and the Father brings the believers into the fullness and perfection needed, not only for our own spiritual life, but as an illustration of the truth of Jesus and the Father to the world. This is the purpose of the new birth, to become one with Jesus in our hearts, yet, we see divisions within the Church and the individual believers over political and social issues, race, and doctrines. The apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 also wrote about the connection that the unity in Christ has with the fullness of Christ: "And he gave some, apostles;and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge (epiginosko (Grk) - to know thoroughly and accurately, to recognize, to perceive who a person is) of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ..." (Eph. 4:11-13). The Body of Christ has difficulty accepting the ministry of apostles and prophets, but they are appointed by God until the Body becomes unified, perfect and full in the stature of Christ. We have not attained these goals in Christ yet. We are not to be separated and pulled away by deceiving doctrines of cunning men (v. 14). We are to speak the truth in love, and we also increase and edify the Body of Christ in love, Paul wrote (v. 15-16). The new birth produces a new man, who walks in righteousness and holiness, putting away the ways and thoughts of the old, corrupt man. We can walk in it by the renewing of the spirit of our minds (v. 17-24, also Phil. 3:13). We press, like Paul, toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This is the path we walk to perfection. It is in Christ. (Phil. 3:12-16). Jesus prayed to the Father about His disciples becoming one in Him as He was one with the Father. Paul wrote of this as being his ministry, which fulfills the Word of God: "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory...that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." (Col. 1:24-29). This is not accomplished by religion, but through the mystery that was not known before Christ prayed it: Oneness in Christ and His glory, Who is one with the Father and His glory. This newly manifested knowledge of God and of the Father, and of Christ, causes us to be knitted together in love. (Col. 2:1-2). Paul wrote: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." (v. 6-7). Again Paul wrote, "...put on the new man", and that new man, who is renewed in knowledge and in the image of Him that created him, is not divided by racial, ethnic, cultural or social considerations because "Christ is all, and in all." (Col. 3:10-11). This renewing knowledge must change our attitudes and behavior, as our walk is a walk in Christ, where the Word of Christ dwells in us richly (see v. 12-17). Peter wrote that we were to humble ourselves before God, and resist the devil with our brethren, as God has called us into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus (1 Peter 5:6-11). In this we join a great multitude in heaven from among all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues who came out, and will come out, of great tribulation and now stand before the Lamb of God clothed in white robes. They have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:9-13). This is the prayer of Jesus to His Father for all of us, and for this time. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/21/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.

Truth And Lies*

The Nazis, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, are often quoted as having said that if you tell and repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. They said that truth was the mortal enemy of a lie, so truth is therefore the mortal enemy of the state. This philosophy of governing worked successfully for them for a while until it didn't! There are still people today that believe a lie and deny that the holocaust ever happened, ignoring the proven facts of history. Our own history is filled with ommissions and lies about the land grab from Native Americans and their genocide, slavery, and the violent destruction recorded in history of several black towns and communities. Anti-Semitism, even among so-called Christian groups, is on the rise. Although we profess to be "one nation under God", it must be asked because of current conditions and past history, "What god are people under?!". Political "talking heads" on both sides lie for their own agendas. Scripture says that "all men are liars" (Ps. 116:11), so how can we tell who is telling the truth? The Apostle Paul wrote that the Jews have an advantage in every way because God committed to them His oracles, which is His Word, the Truth, even if some did not believe. The Word is still here, preserved because of them, and faith in God is still in effect. Paul wrote, "...yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." (Rom. 3:1-4). He also wrote that, contrary to those who had twisted his words, he has proved both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin: "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one; There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God...there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (v. 8-12). Mouths are full of poison, deceit, cursing, and bitterness, Paul continued: "Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." (v. 13-18). We must acknowledge that these are the ways of men today also. Abortion and same-sex marriages are justified as righteousness, liberty and freedom in the eyes of men. However, the truth is this: If it is against the Word of God, it is a lie, no matter how many men say the lie, nor how often the lie might be repeated, as Goebbels encouraged governments to do. Proverbs says that there are six things which God hates, and seven are an abomination to Him: "...A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Prov. 6:16-19). A form of lying occurs twice on the short list from Proverbs. All of these things are more prevalent than ever before, and God still calls His people, not the wicked of the world, to repentance: "If My people...". (2 Chron. 7:14). The prophet Malachi asked a question that mirrors a statement of Jesus (Lk. 21:36): "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope:...and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Mal. 3:2-3). In order for the purification and restoration to be fulfilled, the LORD said that He would come near to them in judgment: "...and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." (v. 5-6). Among those that will be dealt with in the judgment of purification are false swearers, a type of liar. As the Lord establishes His reign on the earth, and dwells among His people, He promises that sorrow and death shall be ended, because "...the former things are passed away...Behold, I make all things new..." (Rev. 21:1-5). He also makes promises to the righteous in Him and the unrighteous who are without Him: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death...And there shall in no wise enter into it (the holy city, new Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomintion, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (v. 7-8, 27). These, including all liars, will not enter into the new Jerusalem, and will face instead the second death of eternal fiery judgment. However, Jesus said of those who believe in Him, and therefore having part in the first resurrection, "on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Rev. 20:6). The law of Moses carries the command of God regarding the reparations and restorations that a liar, who harmed others with his lie, must make to those he harmed, before he may bring the required trespass offering to the LORD. Only then, was the priest to make atonement for him to restore him (Lev. 6:1-5). Jesus spoke often of the importance of truth to life. He told those who listened to Him that they were of this world, and He was not of this world, but from above. If they did not believe that He was Who He said He was, they would die in their sins, because the One Who sent Him, and is always with Him, is true. You can either die for the lie, or you can live in the truth, because to those who believed in Him, Jesus said: "If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Jn. 8:23-32). To make things clear to those who choose lies, Jesus identified the source of all liars, and lies: "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." (v. 43-45). The devil has been lying to man since the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, when he asked the woman, and her husband with her, "Yea, hath God said...?", and then falsely assured them, "You shall not surely die." (see Gen. 3:1-6). And they believed the lie that makes dead. However, we don't have to believe the lie and die. Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." (Jn. 8:51). Jesus told Pontius Pilate that He came to bear witness to the truth, and not a lie, and only those who are of the truth can hear His voice. Even Pilate, who questioned what the truth was, had to proclaim to the crowd that he found no fault in Jesus by which to condemn him. (Jn. 18:37-38). All around us we can see people who are choosing the lie. However, the Word of God guarantees us that if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us. Eternal life is available to us who will seek His face and His forgiveness. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 8/14/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and endtimeschool, also on Facebook.