Friendly Chapel Sermon Notes 6/5/16 Brother Paul Holderfield, Jr. (posted by Amanda Pride)

                       


                                                     You could've fooled me


1 Corinthians 4:8-10 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! 9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.

A man at McDonald's was telling another man how much Jesus loved him.  The man replied, "You could've fooled me."  

Be a fool for Christ's stake but don't be fooled by being wise in our own eyes.  Who is Jesus to you.  That's the only thing that matters.  No matter how inconvenient it is, we will have to die one day.  Jesus is the only Way.  Is He your personal Savior?  We can be sincerely wrong.  You can't be sincere and be sincerely wrong.  You can't be wrong about who Jesus is.

The Supreme court is not the Supreme Being, God is.
Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

It goes on to read in the same chapter about the same is true for adultery, fornication, envy, gossipers Romans 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

67% of people in the U.S. believe there is a heaven.  47% believe there are many ways to get there.  We all have a mission and a mission field.  The ungodly lives that some believers are living turns some people away from the gospel.  We have to honor and forgive.  Bro. Paul recites poem:

Your name may not appear down here 

In this world’s Hall of Fame.
In fact, you may be so unknown 
That no one knows your name;
The headlines here may pass you by, 
The neon lights of blue,
But if you love and serve the Lord, 
Then I have news for you.

This Hall of Fame is only good
As long as time shall be;
But keep in mind, God’s Hall of Fame
Is for eternity. 
This crowd on earth they soon forget
The heroes of the past.
They cheer like mad until you fail
and that’s how long you last.
But in God’s Hall of Fame
By just believing on His Son
Inscribed you’ll find your name.

I tell you, friend, I wouldn’t trade
My name, however small,
That’s written there beyond the stars
In that Celestial Hall,
For any famous name on earth,
Or glory that it shares;
I’d rather be an unknown here

And have my name up there(God’s Hall of Fame by Walt Huntley)

Whose fool are you?  Are you a fool for Christ?  

Romans 1

Psalm 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

What we thought was our glory days now when we were young we realize now without Christ they were just good memories.  Now that we know Christ, everyday we have breath are our best days. Our young people are watching us and we need to do what we are supposed to do.  We have an obligation to our children, we are Called.  We have a mission field and we need to live what we preach, the way Jesus said to do it.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me

 John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Give Him everything; family, job, etc.  No matter what happens, He is still God!  We don't have to know everything but we know Who He is!

Sermon Notes: Friendly Chapel Church of the Nazarene Brother Paul Holderfield Jr. 5/22/16 (posted by Amanda Pride)

Seeking & Setting

Colossians 3:1-4   If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your[a] life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Is our life giving the Lord Glory?  He is the Bread of Life. John 6:35

Is heaven your destination?  Have you made reservations?

Some people recognize Brother Paul from when he used to sell bread on his bread truck.  They ask him, didn't you use to sell bread?  He said yes but now I sell the Bread of Life.  One man responded, yes and it never goes stale.

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in, Aim at earth and you will get neither.  Set your affections on heavenly things above.    

Whoever loses his life for Jesus shall find it.  Matthew 10:39.  Seeking and setting our minds on heaven will effect how we live on this earth.  We don't grieve as those who have no hope.  We know our loved ones who died in Christ are in heaven and we will see them again.  The more we realize the purpose why we are here the more we will live right.

People don't set out as kids to become adulterers, thieves, pedophiles but they touch the unclean thing.  The Lord says come out from among the world and the things of the world.  We can know the Word and it not have an effect in our lives if we don't let it.  We have to have a biblical understanding of heaven and it will effect everything we do.  It will directly impact how we live our lives.

We should not be entrapped with this world and things.  Trying to get things to impress people who don't like us anyway.  We need a critical heavenly mindset. Everyone won't be going there. "IF" then you have been raised with Christ. Some people think they are good people and that is the reason they will go to heaven.

Who is Jesus?  Either He was a nutcase or He is who He said He was:  The Son of God.  Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No man comes to the Father except through Me"  John 14:6

Position

Promise 

Practice 

Eye has not seen, ear has not heard the things He has prepared for those who love Him.

He wants us to know and do.  If we really believe there is a heaven, it will effect us.  We should always return evil with good.  What are our affections set on?

Sermon Notes: Bro. Paul Holderfield, Jr. Friendly Chapel Church of the Nazarene, North Little Rock, Arkansas (May 8, 2016 Mother's Day) posted by Amanda Pride

He Never lets go

 Corinthians 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted  beyond what you can bear.   But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

 Romans 3:3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?

Proverbs 31:10-12 A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.  Her husband lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm,  all the days of her life.

The mind will let go but the heart never does.  People will let us down, we will let ourselves down but when we follow the Spirit, He will make a way of escape.  He will rescue us.

If life deals us a bad hand, it doesn't make the faithfulness of God of no effect.  God gives us the gift of Faithfulness.  He loves us no matter what.  

Spirit filled women, wives, mothers lead their husbands the right way.  They don't hinder but help.  They will not lack anything of value.  

Quit chasing stuff and realize what God has given us.  His Son, the Greatest Gift.  He put Him in the womb of Mary.  He gave our Savior a mother and us a mother's love.

Jesus never leaves me alone

Hearing but not knowing 
Listening but not understanding
like the whispering waves on a warm summer night hurled against the ocean rocks rejected and alone
Now I hear, I listen and understand
You made the whisper
You made the waves
You made the ocean and the rocks
You put the warm in summer and made the day from night,
You made me and I am Not Alone
You love me, I know You love me

Matthew 13:16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

Almond Tree Blossoms

As the almond tree blossom opens her eyes in the early Spring, my soul awakens each morning to the Sweet, Eternal Presence of My Heavenly Father and His endless Love for me, waiting and watching, to see my face; Arms full of Grace, His heart touches mine and I smile. O' sleep, enough for now; I must go to Him. _Amanda Pride

^{Jeremiah 1: 11} Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late winter].

¹² Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.

The Lord delights in our prayers to Him, spend time with Him and watch Him work His Perfect will in our lives.  Proverbs 15:8

You and me

You know I was thinking about how much I need you and I really can't make it without you.  I remember, you spoke up for me at school when some people picked on me, I was really scared but I wasn't anymore, after that.
When I gave my heart to somebody who really didn't care if I lived or died, you said, "Hey, it's their loss, you got diamonds in you cause when you smile I shine." 
You introduced me to Nikki Giovanni and Langston Hughes and man,  I found out I had something to say, something to sing, something to write. 
I don't know if I ever really told you but everything about you matters so much to me because you let me know I matter to you.
I watched you tell the truth when everybody else said they didn't see nothing.
You prayed for me when we laid my baby, your friend to rest and I hugged you and we wiped each others tears, I saw how much you loved him and I started to get a little better then.
You have made things with your mind and your hands that some of us would be left in the dark and without a song to sing.
You raise children and teach them which way to go, you don't care who they belong to.
You helped mama when she needed you.
Thank you for letting me know I matter to you and please know you matter to me.
You forgave me when I disappointed you.  Some of you, I've never met but I'm pretty sure some time or another I'm gonna need you.  I need you and you matter to me..
Oh yea one more thing I know I'm gonna need you tomorrow too,  I hope you're here.



"These things I command you, that you love one another." John 15:17

THE LORD SAYS "I SEE YOU"

   I SEE YOU, SAYS THE LORD.  YOU DON'T HAVE TO HANG YOUR PANTS LOW TO GET SOMEONE TO LOOK AT YOU AND NOTICE EVEN IF IT IS FOR AN INSULT. NO, PULL EM UP.

  I GAVE MY SON, JESUS-HEAVEN'S BEST FOR YOU.  DON'T BELIEVE THE LIE THAT YOU DON'T MATTER, AREN'T WORTH ANYTHING. MY SON'S PRECIOUS BLOOD BOUGHT YOU FOR ME, PULL EM UP.

  IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW THEY SEE YOU, I SAW YOU BEFORE YOU WERE EVER BORN, STILL IN YOUR MOTHER'S WOMB. YOU ARE MY LITTLE PRINCE, PULL EM UP AND COME ON TO YOUR FATHER'S TABLE AND LET ME TELL YOU WHO YOU REALLY ARE...MY LITTLE PRINCE, YOU ARE ROYALTY!  LOVE,  YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah+1&version=MSG

God is still speaking, are we listening?

After fighting the good fight and finishing the race, former President Nelson Mandela has crossed over into Glory to await the crowns the Lord has stored for him.  I have great respect for Mr. Nelson Mandela, and I have always been fascinated at how Almighty God, our Father uses people whom the world sees as weak and despised to carry out His plans and purposes. 1 Cor 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty .  

I believe the Lord used Nelson Mandela to end apartheid in South Africa, He used Mahatma Ghandi to  advocate for the rights of Indians, both at home and in South Africa. Gandhi became a leader of India's independence movement, organizing boycotts against British institutions in peaceful forms of civil disobedience. He used Martin Luther King, Jr. to fight for civil rights for justice and equality for all people.  Mr. Mandela dreamed of having one day a "Rainbow Nation" "We enter into a covenant that we shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without and fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity – a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world."
Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address, Pretoria 9 May 1994.

Apartheid as an official policy was introduced following the general election of 1948. Legislation classified inhabitants into four racial groups, "black", "white", "coloured", and "Indian", with Indian and coloured divided into several sub-classifications,^[7] and residential areas were segregated, sometimes by forced removals.

As I'm studying the bible I have seen the pattern throughout with Moses, born a slave, become the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. Joseph, Jacob's son was sold into slavery by his brothers, who were jealous of him.Genesis 37:³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. ⁴ But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.  Joseph was thrown into prison due to an unjust charge by Potiphar's wife but by God's great plan did not remain there but became second in command to Pharoah over all of Egypt. Gen 45: ⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Joseph could've harbored resentment and anger in his heart toward his brothers and with all the power he posessed as second in command over all of Egypt he could have repayed evil for evil for what they had done to him, but he chose instead to forgive them. Genesis 45:⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.⁶ For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Injustice, poverty and inequality are still in our world today but so is God's unfailing love, unending grace and His Precious Holy Spirit.  All of us are imperfect vessels that only the Master can make fit for His use, as for me I would like to be used as a vessel of honor, to plant seeds of love not hate.  When I think of how evil can be inflicted on other human beings depending on the color of one's skin is heartbreaking but I know who our enemy is and it is not each other.  I know nothing takes our God by surprise and His plan of Redemption for us was carried out through The Lord Jesus our Savior and His Finished work at the Cross. 

 In the Old Testament, the Lord gave specific instructions in how the High Priests garments were to be made. "And he made the breastplate, artistically woven like the workmanship of the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen. They made the breastplate square by doubling it; a span was its length and a span its width when doubled.
"And they set in it four rows of stones: a row with a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald was the first row; the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold in their mountings.
"There were twelve stones according to the names of the sons of Israel: according to their names, engraved like a signet, each one with its own name according to the twelve tribes." (Exodus 39:8-14)
 

The Book of Revelation speaks of a rainbow around the throne of God Revelation 4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 

 

 Ezekiel 1:28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

 

Nelson Mandela spoke of a covenant to build a rainbow nation.  Jacob, father of the 12 patriarchs. made Joseph a coat of many colors and Joseph set an example of forgiveness and deliverance. Martin Luther King said he dreamed "one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

 

The Glorious Father of our Lord & Savior Jesus placed our sins upon His only begotten Son and He was bruised and striped for our sins and transgressions,  God has placed on all of us who confess our sins and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Robe of Righteousness.  Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels 

 

 Jesus is now our eternal High Priest, and all of us in all of our different shades, hues and colors lay on His breast, upon His heart.  1 Peter 2 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chiefcornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

 

I do believe the Glory of the Lord is being revealed.. I'm listening Lord, I'm listening.

 

Peace & Blessings to you, my God Family.

A New Day

This morning as I awakened to a beautiful new day, I was reminded that God has already gone before us and prepared this day.  Everything that will happen or not happen He already knows about and because He loves us I know He will be with us in the good times and the bad times.  Deuteronomy 31:8 - And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.  Everything that I see happening in the world, the government shutdown, murders, hatred, wars, rumors of wars, calamities, pestilences,  is all pointing to the return of Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.  Revelation 3:10 - Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Gods children know there has been a change, a shift in the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father and as members of the Body of Christ, we have an indescribable excitement of joy and expectancy.  You see, Heavenly Father, has been speaking to us through dreams, visions, prophetic word and His holy bible letting us know the Bridegroom, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is on His way to get His Bride, us, His children and we are to watch and pray and let His light shine before men that our Father may be glorified in heaven. Like never before we need to pray for the lost, open our mouths and our hands and let them know Almighty God sent His Son, Jesus to take our punishment for sin and He has risen and lives forever and the door is still open, He is knocking and is still ready and willing to save.  By His grace through faith in Jesus Christ we are saved and the lost will be also.  One day we were lost and someone shared the glorious good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ with us and we confessed we were sinners and asked Jesus to forgive us and become our Lord and Savior, we believed it in our heart and confessed it with our mouth and we became His to live with Him forever.  Our names are written in the Lamb's book of Life.