Hello again, everyone. It's good to be giving this sermon this week. I trust you all had a good weekend. If not, then that is OK as well. Sometimes there are cloudy days too.
Well, let's get to the sermon this week. It's called Better than saying I'm Sorry. It's about several topics, obedience, respect, responsibility among others. It is important to understand that these things are linked together with other virtues of the Bible, and that following these traits will cause you to transform into a person of great nobility, honor and a Christian who really does serve the Almighty God. Good? Definitely. Hard? At first. Will you become rich and famous from it? Not usually, but that depends on your purpose with the Lord. So, let's begin, by reading 1st Samuel 15:22, "And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.  Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what Jehovah hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.  And Samuel said, Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed thee king over Israel;  and Jehovah sent thee on a journey, and said, Go, and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of Jehovah, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.  And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
    Now, I understand that's a long set of verses, but I will break it down. Essentially, God spoke to Saul, explaining to him that He had made Saul a King over men, and when Saul had defeated the Amalekites, instead of destroying all of the filthy idols, gold, and so on, they instead, took it with them, and then later burnt sacrifices to the Lord! WHY? God quickly pointed out that it is better to OBEY than to return with a peace offering later. Obey first, and you do not have to apologize later. :) Got it?
    This brings us to Luke 11:28, "But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." This verse is quite simple to understand. Those that hear the Word of God and keep it in their hearts, i.e., applying it in everyday life and learning from it, will be blessed above those who simply listen to the Word, and glean nothing from it.
Too many times do you see people in Church listening as the Pastor speaks on and on (no offense to any Pastors who choose to speak thoroughly on the subject at hand, in which I applaud..), and Mr. Smith has fallen asleep in the pew. It happens, but what have you learned from it? Don't fall asleep in the pew. What has Mr. Smith learned from it? The backs of pews were not meant for a head to rest on. Sound advice.
    While we're on the subject of Mr. Smith, let's take a look at Mr. Smith's children. Are they paying attention? Are they learning from the Word? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Mr. Smith needs to set a good example by showing his children that learning from the Lord is very important. And very crucial in their lives. Even as children, the Lord can do wondrous things for them. So, Mr. Smith, are you teaching your children as they should know? Or, are you trying to, yet they do not listen. That is important as well, especially when most parents look at the old adage, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Very true. So, you show the horse the benefits of drinking the water. And children, show your parents you are willing to listen. Ephesians 6:1 says, " Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."  There is no excuse for you not to know the Lord. Any age can understand the Lord. Yet we are given a large amount of time (nearly a decade or so from birth) to become involved and understanding with the Lord. We can do this folks, we can teach these children to love thy neighbor, and to never steal or lie. Our world can benefit greatly, so that when the Lord rapture us, the children will say, "It is Jesus! Praise Him!" And believe me, children will do this. They will recognize what many adults cannot.
So stay tuned for part 2 of this sermon, RESPECT.

God Bless you and keep you,