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The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Work of the Holy Spirit!

Introduction: The Holy Spirit came to us after Jesus died on the cross and was buried and resurrected, and ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. The Holy Spirit was sent to us as a helper and a teacher of our Christian faith. We are dependant on the Holy Spirit for so many things. We need to know what the Holy Spirit does, so this morning I want us to look at the work of the Holy Spirit. My Scripture today comes from John chapter 16 beginning in verse 5.

Verses 5-15
John 16:5-15
5. But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asks me, Whither goes thou?
6. But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9. Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come.
14. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
15. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take mine, and shall show it unto you.

Here are some of the works that the Holy Spirit does for us. I will mention at least three ways or things that the Holy Spirit does for us. First:

I. Christ’s departure was necessary to the Comforter’s (Holy Spirit) coming.
A. Sending the Spirit was to be the fruit of Christ’s death, which was his going away.
1. His bodily presence could be only in one place at one time, but his Spirit is every where, in all places, at all times, wherever two or three are gathered together in his name.
2. See here the office of the Spirit, first to reprove, or to convince. Reprove means: 1. to scold or correct usually gently or with kindly intent 2: to express disapproval of : CENSUREit is not for me to reprove popular taste—D. W. Brogan
3. obsolete : DISPROVE, REFUTE
4. obsolete : CONVINCE, CONVICT.

3. Convincing work is the Spirit’s work; he can do it effectually, and none but he.
4. It is the method the Holy Spirit takes, first to convince, and then to comfort. Do you remember how it felt when you first acceptrd Jesus as your Savior? What a comfort it was to know the Lord!
B. The Spirit shall convince the world, of sin; not merely tell them of it.
1. The Spirit convinces of the fact of sin; of the fault of sin, of the folly of sin, of the filth of sin, that by it (sin) we are become hateful to God; of the fountain of sin, the corrupt nature; and lastly, of the fruit of sin, that the end thereof is death.

II. The Holy Spirit proves that all the world is guilty before God.
A. He convinces the world of righteousness; that Jesus of Nazareth was Christ the righteous.
B. Also, of Christ’s righteousness, imparted to us for justification and salvation.
1. He will show them where it is to be had, and how they will be accepted as righteous in God’s sight.
2. Christ’s ascension proves the ransom was accepted, and the righteousness finished, through which believers were to be justified.
3. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
C. All will be well, when his power is broken, who made all the mischief.
D. As Satan is subdued by Christ, this gives us confidence, for no other power of sin can stand before him.
1. And of the day of judgment.
E. The coming of the Spirit would be of unspeakable advantage to the disciples.
1. The Holy Spirit is our Guide, not only to show us the way, but to go with us by continued aids and influences. When we accept Jesus the Holy comes to live within us, in our hearts.
2. To be led into a truth is more than barely to know it; it is not only to have the notion of it in our heads, but the relish, and Savior, and power of it in our hearts.
3. He shall teach all truth, and keep back nothing profitable, for he will show things to come. I have learned many things in my education at Bible College, but I can testify of this one thing. I have learned more from the teaching of the Holy Spirit than I have ever learned at any school, Sunday school or college.
III. All the gifts and graces of the Spirit, all the preaching, and all the writing of the apostles, under the influence of the Spirit, all the tongues, and miracles, were to glorify Christ.
A. It behooves every one to ask, whether the Holy Spirit has begun a good work in his heart?
B. Without clear discovery of our guilt and danger, we shall never understand the value of Christ’s salvation; but when brought to know ourselves aright, we begin to see the views of the Redeemer, and more lively affections to him, if we more prayed for, and depended on the Holy Spirit.
IV. The Holy Spirit Bears Witness to our Salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A. We know that we are saved because the Holy Spirit lives within us after we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
B. It testifies within us about our salvation and all the things that Jesus wants from us to do within His Will for us.

Conclusion: There’s a hymn that we sing that says much of what needs to be said. “Jesus Is The Sweetest Name I Know.” The 1st verse says: “There’s within my heart a melody; Jesus whispers sweet and low, “Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still,” In all of life’s ebb and flow. That is the Holy Spirit of God telling us about Jesus. The Chorus says: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know, Fills my every longing, Keeps me singing as I go. If we are saved we already know that the Holy Spirit of God lives within us, but this morning we have learned that He teaches us the things God wants us to know and understand. Do you let the Holy Spirit teach and lead you through out your life? When you pray, does that sweet voice of God speak to you? Are you aware of His power in your life as a Child of God? If you cannot answer yes to all of these questions, you are missing out on so many things that God wants you to know. We begin our Christian lives as Babes in Christ, it’s the Holy Spirit of God that leads us to maturity in Christ. But I see so many that are still Babes in Christ. So many that are missing out on God’s Will in their lives, simply because they aren’t allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in their lives that He should be doing. Please I plead with you today, acknowledge His presence in you and seek Him as your teacher and leader! Then one day you can thank me for pointing you to the light WITHIN YOU that shares the Will of God to you.

God Bless Each of You. Let us Pray!

By: Rev. Zack Martin Sr.

He Is Risen Indeed

This is my Easter Message for Easter 2018! I am sharing from the 15 Chapter of 1st Corinthians, and concentrating on the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead! HE IS ALIVE AND IS NO LONGER IN THE GRAVE! Check it out!

He Is Risen Indeed

EASTER 2018 REV. ZACK MARTIN SR.

 

Easter Sermon: Risen Indeed - 1 Corinthians 15.

1. Risen Indeed - 1 Cor. 15.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15

Read 1 Corinthians 15 completely. 

Introduction

In our recent presidential election, candidates and media specialists carefully constructed speeches, sound bites, and commercials to persuade the American public to vote for their party. Even with all the hype of new technology, spoken words and personal appearances became the vehicle of choice to gather votes.

Throughout history some words have inspired hope, comforted the grieving, and motivated others to reach for new heights. You may recall the words of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address or the preamble from the Declaration of Independence. Martin Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation with his famous declaration "Here I stand." Jonathon Edwards lit the revival fires of the Great Awakening with his sermon, "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God." FDR's radio address on a "day that has lived in infamy" called for courage to overcome fear and rallied support for America to enter a world war. But of all the words ever spoken, none have echoed through the ages and changed the course of history as the words spoken by an angel at an empty grave: "He is not here. He is risen!"

This Easter we turn our attention to the resurrection. While every Sunday worship service is a testimony that Jesus rose from the dead, Easter provides a wonderful opportunity to consider the significance of the resurrection to our faith. An interesting aspect of early Christian history is that the resurrection, not the cross, was the central theme of Christian preaching.

Many contemporary Christians assume the cross has always been the focal point of Christian faith. They view the cross as the touchdown and the resurrection as the extra point. Certainly the cross is vital to our faith, for it was the means through which Jesus atoned for our sins. But listen to Paul's words: "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith . . . if Christ has not been raised then you are still in you sins" (1 Cor. 15:14, 17).

The early believers saw themselves as "witnesses to the resurrection" (Acts 1:15-16). Peter and John created an uproar because they were preaching about Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 4:1-2). The Bible says with great power the apostles testified to the resurrection (Acts 4:33). Several years after the crucifixion while preaching in Athens, Paul preached the "good news about Jesus and the resurrection" (Acts 17:18).

Chapter 15 of First Corinthians is an incredible passage of encouragement and hope, as it provides comfort to those who are grieving. It presents Christ as the mighty conqueror who removes the painful sting of death, and promises a holy transformation from mortal flesh to the immortal spiritual condition of union with God. It presents the grand and glorious promises in a logical progression as a gift from the resurrected Savior.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, He is able to make and to keep the promises recorded in this chapter. Here is what the resurrection does.

I. Proclaims Christ's deity

The resurrection proclaims the deity of Christ. His death on the cross may have accomplished our redemption as He paid for the sins of the world, but it did not prove to the world that Christ was God in the flesh. Some view the crucifixion as an honorable sacrifice made by gifted teacher. Others would point to the cross as a failure of Jesus to demonstrate His power. Like the thief who mocked Jesus saying, "If you are the Messiah then get us down from here," critics view the cross as an insignificant death. They see Jesus as one of many who rebelled against the Roman Empire and suffered the consequences.

The Bible paints a different picture. The crucifixion was not a tragedy. It was a triumph as illustrated and declared by the resurrection. The apostle Paul declared that the resurrection proved that Jesus was the Son of God (Rom. 1:4). In this text of First Corinthians 15, we read that Christ conquers all enemies and destroys all dominion, and hands the kingdom over to God the Father (vv. 24-27). Everything is under the authority of Christ because of the resurrection.

Others have made similar claims of deity. They are all dead, or will be. But the tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive. He is the holy Son of God who is worthy to receive glory, honor, and praise!

II. Promotes our dignity

Look at the pronoun used the verses 22-23, "those who have fallen asleep" and "those who belong to Him." Who are those? We don't know who they are. We know what they did. They placed their faith in Christ as the Savior of the world, and therefore belonged to Christ or died in Christ. "Those" refers to ordinary people like you and me. They collided with Jesus at an intersection in life, and accepted the gift of eternal life. They are the "whosoevers" of the world. Eternal life is not just for the luminaries of the faith like the apostles. All who call upon the name of the Lord can be saved. Men, women, young, old, rich, poor, educated, and the uneducated are all welcome into the family of God.

Jesus died for your sin and rose again to prove His sacrifice was not in vain. He is alive to declare to you and to the world that you are an unique creation of God with significant role to play in His kingdom. You are one of the "those" precious souls who are too many to name, but considered to be the fruit or blessing of the resurrection.

III. Protects against despair

Verse 19 says that without the resurrection we should be pitied more than all men. Then in verse 32, we read that without the resurrection we should just "eat, drink, and die." But Jesus is alive and protects against a life of despair and selfish indulgence. The resurrection communicates a higher purpose. We understand that we are loved by our Creator who has gone to great lengths to communicate His love. The resurrection reminds us that trials are temporary. We may have to carry a cross for a short time, but there is a resurrection into eternal glory. Despair is like a locked door keeping one trapped in a room of pain. Hope remains at an unreachable distance behind the locked door, but the resurrection kicks open the door to freedom, peace, and hope for a better future.

IV. Prepares our future

Verse twenty-four declares "the end will come." The resurrection is the guarantee that the promises of Christ are true. Jesus declared that He was going away to prepare a place for His followers (John 14:1-6), and He promised that He would return. The end is coming when all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Those who have received Christ's offer of eternal life will be "made alive" as proclaimed in verse 22, but those who reject Christ will experience an eternal death of torment in hell. The Bible calls this punishment the "second death" (Rev. 21:8).

Conclusion

The resurrection is an invitation to receive what Christ has prepared for you. His offer of eternal life is a gift that must be received. What have you done with your invitation? Jesus is alive and calling for you to receive Him today. Will you be made alive to spend eternity with the risen Savior or reject his offer to experience the second death?

I don't usually have an altar call each Sunday, but, if you do have a decision that you need to make, you can contact me and I will come and see you and pray with you about any decision that you need to make. I live on South 2 Hall in room 713-B. And I can be reached through the nursing staff there. My cell-phone number is xxx-xxxx. Fill free to call me if you need me to come and discuss a decision with you or just to pray for you! However, the Chapel here is always open should you desire to come here at the altar and pray. I often come here to pray. I usually have the quiet and solitude of just me and the Lord. If I have something to pray about, I come here and do it. And, because it's always open, I invite you to do the same. All that is asked is that if you turn on any lights, that you remember to turn them off when you leave. 

Let's Pray!

Rev.  ZACK Martin Sr.

Zack Martin - Birth and Calling to the Ministry

ZACK MARTIN – MY CALLING FROM GOD!

 

1 Samuel 1:8 - Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?".

1 Samuel 1 : 11 - Then she made a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head."

 

In this text of Scripture we see Hannah making a promise to God if He would give a male child! Long story short, Samuel was born to Hannah and Elkanah, and Hannah was true to her word giving Samuel to the Lord! I have a similar story in my own life!

 

My Birth - In 1951 there wasn't all the modern marvels that exists today. When the time of my birth came, there was only a town doctor, Dr. Bush, available for my parents to have assist in my birth. I was a breach birth, which meant that I was turned wrong, and I had to be turned in order to be safely born. The doctor worked many hours trying to do this so that I might have a chance to be born alive. Not only was my life at risk, but also my mother's life. As the day passed the situation drew more dire. Finally in the eve of a new day, he got me turned enough that I could be born. He cautioned my parents that he didn't know if I would live or die. So on March 3rd, 1951, I was born just before midnight.

 

After my birth, I was so bruised that when my oldest sister saw me, she burst into tears. Even after I was born, the doctor had doubts that I would live. Here is an important part of my story! I didn't learn of this until after I accepted God's call to me to become a minister for Him. My mother prayed to God for my life and promised Him that if He would allow me to live, that she would give me to Him. Like I said, I didn't know about this until after I accepted His call to be His minister at the age of 20. My mother knew that she had given me to the Lord when I was born.

 

So she raised me in this light, and she made sure that I knew so many things that would make me good in whatever work that God should choose for me. As a family, we always had our evening family devotion time every night before we went to bed. She would take time to explain things to me about what we may have discussed during our devotion time. We were just a poor farming family and had my mother and dad, four children, and my grandmother living in a two bedroom house. Well, that meant we had to double up. Since I was the baby (youngest) of the family, my bed was in the same room as my mother and dad's room. We shared that bedroom, so many nights mother would lie down on my bed with me, and we would discuss the Bible and stories from the Bible. At that time I didn't know why we discussed the Bible and stories from it, but she was preparing me for a life of service for Christ. When most children would have bedtime stories read to them, I would have Bible stories read to me.

 

Then when I was twenty years old, I felt the Lord speaking to me and felt that He wanted me to do something for Him.  I didn't know what He was wanting so I talked with my pastor and he felt that God might be calling into the ministry, so we prayed about it together at first and then I prayed about it during my own time in prayer. And I felt the calling of God on my life to be a servant of for Him. So I committed my life to God to use in what ever way that He desired for my life. 

 

Remember I didn't know that mother had promised me to God if He would let me live when I was born and the doctor didn't think that I would live. So it was after the call by God for me to be a minister for Him that she told me the story of my birth and her promise to God if He would let me live. And that's the story of my calling in the ministry. I have tried to be the best servant for the Lord that I could be!

 

ALL THINGS ARE IN GOD'S HANDS - SO LET IT BE - LET GOD HAVE CONTROL

Hi,

Here's the link to the file:

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AkusbueSrbROhEjn-tHZ8CfYZxi1

Shared from Word for Android
https://office.com/getword

The Way, The Truth, and The Life

JESUS OVERCOMES THE WORLD!
The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
I. He is the TRUTH, as fulfilling all the prophecies of a Savior; believing which, sinners come by him the WAY.
A. He is the LIFE, by those life-giving Spirit the dead in sin are quickened.
1. Nor can any man draw high God as a Father, who is not quickened by Him as the LIFE, and taught by Him as the TRUTH, to come by Him as the WAY.
2. By Christ as the WAY, our prayers go to God, and the blessings come to us; this is the WAY that leads to rest, the good old WAY.
B. He is the resurrection and the LIFE.
1. All that saw Christ by faith, saw the Father in Him.
2. In the light of Christ’s doctrine, they saw God as the Father of lights; and in Christ’s miracles, they saw God as the God of power.
C. The holiness of God shone in the spotless purity of Christ’s life.
1. We are to believe the revelation of God to man in Christ: for the works of the Redeemer show forth his own glory, and God in him.

First, the end of questionings.
John 16:23-33
23. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
25. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.
26. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
27. For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
28. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
29. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
30. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
31. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
32. Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33. 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.

‘In that day ye shall ask Me nothing,’
I don’t think when the disciples heard that, they were tempted to say.
‘What in the world are we to do?’
To them the thought that He wouldn’t be at their sides any longer, to go with their difficulties, must have seemed despair rather than advance.
In Christ’s eyes it was progress.
He tells them and us by LOSING Him. And we are better off than they were, precisely because He does not any longer stand at our sides for us to question.
It is better for a boy to puzzle out the meaning of a Latin book by his own brains and the help of a dictionary than it is lazily to use an interlinear translation. And, though we do not always feel it, and are often tempted to think how blessed it would be if we had an infallible Teacher visible here at our sides, it is a great deal better for us that we have not, and it is a step in advance that He has gone away.
Many eager and honest Christian souls, hungering after certainty and rest, have cast themselves in these latter days into the arms of an infallible Church.
I doubt whether any such questioning mind has found what it sought: and I am sure that it has taken a step downwards, in passing from the spiritual guidance realized by our own honest industry and earnest use of the materials supplied to us in Christ’s word, to any external authority which comes to us to save us the trouble of thinking, and to confirm to us truth which we have not made our own by search and effort.
We gain by LOSING the VISIBLE Christ; and He was proclaiming PROGRESS and not retrogression, when He said: ‘In that day ye shall ask Me no more questions.’
Secondly, satisfied desires.
This second great promise of THE text, introduced again by the solemn affirmation, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you,’ substantially appeared in a very significant difference.
‘Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name that I will do.’
‘If ye shall ask anything in My name I will do it.’
There Christ presented Himself as the ANSWERER of the petitions, because His more immediate purpose was to set forth His going to the Father as His elevation to a yet loftier position. Here, on the other hand, He sets forth the Father as the ANSWERER of the petitions, because His purpose is to point away from undue dependence on His own corporeal presence.
But the fact that He thus, as occasion requires, substitutes the one form of speech for the other, and indifferently represents the same actions as being done by Himself and by the Father in heaven, carries with it large teachings which I do not dwell upon now.
Only I ask you to consider how much is involved in that fact, that, as a matter of course, and without explanation of the difference, our Lord alternates the two forms, and sometimes says,
‘I will do it,’ and sometimes says, ‘The Father will do it.’
Does it not point to that great and blessed truth,
‘Whatsoever thing the Father doeth, that also doeth the Son likewise?’
Jesus and the Father are One (God).
Lastly, the Perfect Joy Which Follows Upon These Two.
‘That your joy may be fulfilled.’
Again we have a recurrence of a promise that has appeared in another connection in an earlier part of this discourse.
The Connection Here is Worthy of Notice!
The promise is joy that comes from the satisfaction of meek desires in unison with Christ’s will.
Is it possible then, that, amidst all the ups and downs, the changes and the sorrows of this fluctuating, tempest-tossed life of ours we may have a deep and stable joy?
‘That your joy be full,’ our text says, or fulfilled,’ like some Jewell, golden cup charged to the very brim with rich and quickening wine, so that there is no room for a drop more.
Can it ever be, that in this world, men shall be happy up to the very limits of their capacity?
Was anybody ever so blessed that he could not be more so?
Was your cup ever so full that there was no room for another drop in it?
Jesus Christ says that it may be so, and He tells us how it may be so.
Bring your desires into harmony with God’s, and you will have none unsatisfied amongst them; and so you will be blessed to the full; and though sorrow comes, as of course it will come, still you may be blessed.
There is a contradiction between the presence of this deep, central joy and a surface and circumference of sorrow.
Rather we need the surrounding sorrow, to concentrate, and so to intensify, the central joy in God.
There are some flowers which only blow in the night, and white blossoms are visible with starting plainness in the twilight, when all the flaunting purples and reds are hid.
We do not know the depth, the preciousness, the power of the ‘joy of the Lord,’ until we have felt it shining in our hearts in the midst of the thick darkness of earthly sorrow, and bringing life into the very death of our human delights.
It may be ours on the condition that my text describes.

Near the End

With all of the talk about this eclipse and to not look at it when the moon darkens the sun? That's not what men need to be concerned about. After God's children are taken from the earth when Jesus comes to get us, the Bible speaks in the sixteenth chapter of Revelation of how in the end time that God will pour out his wrath on mankind. He will do this through seven angels with seven bowls or vials of the wrath of God. Here is the Scripture of the fourth Angel that poured out his wrath on the sun.

Revelation 16:8-9
[8]Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.
[9]And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

This will be a far cry worse than looking at the solar eclipse of the sun. But, mankind doesn't see God's viewpoint of a lot of things. All man wants to do is bring up past things that just stir up trouble one people against another and protest and kill each other because of past things that have nothing to do with the main problems.

The bad part is that man doesn't see God's will, only man's desires. We worry about things that are really NOT what we should be worrying about, when we should give God His rightful place and Love and NOT hate one another.

When I posted the above post, I hadn't seen the below article, but the Bible has an answer for it in Matthew 24!

Matthew 24:29-31
[29]“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
[30]Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[31]And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Jesus tells His people to watch and wait for He will come as a thief in the night. WATCH, WATCH, WATCH!

Click on the below link to read the story from NASA.

http://reflectionofmind.org/nasa-confirms-earth-will-experience-15-days-darkness-november-2017/

updated by @zack-martin: 08/21/17 11:49:12PM

I Am Back After Several Months Away

Because I am in a Nursing Home in Dothan, Alabama, I have been unable to get on the network here. I'm in Wesley Place on Honeysuckle Nursing Home in Dothan, Alabama. I came here August 15th, 2015 after much prayer and searching. I was unable to care for myself at home because I couldn't get a bath by myself or even completely dress myself so I had to seek a facility to help me. After much prayer and searching I came to the conclusion that this was the best place for me because God instilled in me that this was going to be a new ministry for me. After only two weeks here I began preaching and have been doing that every week since coming in here. I am a licensed and ordained minister of 40 years full time service and Wesley Place is a faith based Nursing Home run by the United Methodist Church, so they encourage faith based programs and ideas. I started by having church every Sunday, and then was given the privilege of being in charge of our Wednesday Morning Worship Service where different preachers come each week to speak to us. We have a beautiful Chapel here and it is the perfect place to conduct a weekly Sunday Morning Worship Service.

Anyway the Internet Service that the Nursing Home here furnished us residents went down and was off for several months so that I couldn't get on the network here. I had a phone, but it wasn't economically feasible to use. But they got the wyfy network back up this past week-end and I am able to once again return to Indie Gospel Network. I am so happy about this. I am planning to share some of the things I am doing here with you.

Of course I enlist your prayers for us here and know that prayer really works. I thank you for them as I know that you will pray for us.

Rev. Zack Martin Sr.

updated by @zack-martin: 08/15/17 12:35:06AM

Revelation Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – the Final Text.

In this chapter we have an account of the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets, the appearances that attended them, and the events that were to follow; the fifth trumpet (v. 1-12), the sixth (v. 13, etc.).
The Fifth Trumpet, or First Woe
Back in the 1970s, our writer lived for a few months at an ecumenical study center outside Jerusalem. One afternoon his son spotted a large scorpion in our apartment. We tried bug spray on it with little effect. It seemed in no hurry to go anywhere, so we called our friend Elias, the Palestinian Christian who worked the front desk. His advice was, "Don't do anything! Wait for me and I will be right down." We assumed Elias had an old Arab formula handed down from his ancestors and approved by the management for dealing with scorpions. When he arrived, Elias stared at our unwanted guest for a second or two. Then in one sudden move he brought his right foot down quick and hard on the tile floor, crushing the tiny monster to a pulp. This has been a standing joke in our family ever since. We all knew that any one of us could just as easily have done what Elias insisted on doing for us. The serious side is this act--intimidation and fear of the unknown. The hostility between humans and certain creatures of the earth is very ancient, and in the Bible it becomes a symbol of the great conflict between good and evil. Jesus told his disciples in Luke, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Lk 10:18-19).

The Opening of the Abyss
I. In John's vision of the fifth trumpet in Revelation, the power and promise given to Jesus' disciples in the Gospel of Luke is turned upside down.
A. Here it is not Satan who falls from heaven to earth, but a star (9:1), recalling the star
1. Wormwood a few verses earlier (8:11).
2. The fact that this star had fallen does not imply some kind of defection or rebellion against God.
(a.) It falls as any star might seem to fall, based on ancient observations of meteorites or comets (compare 6:13).
3. This star, like Wormwood, is a messenger from God, but the judgment it brings is even more terrible.
(a.) It does not strike the earth or poison the waters, but with the key to the shaft of the Abyss (v. 1) opens a pit into the very heart of the earth.
4. From the pit, or Abyss, comes smoke like the smoke from a gigantic furnace, darkening the sun and sky (v. 2).
(a.) "Then from the smoke," John writes, "came locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions of the earth" (v. 3 NRSV).
B. The situation is exactly the reverse of Luke 10:19.
1. Instead of humans having "authority to trample on snakes and scorpions" and protection from "harm" or injury, the "authority" or power is that of scorpions (v. 3), and the strange demonic locusts that wield this authority use it precisely to harm or injure human beings (v. 4).
II. The words of woe just preceding this section (8:13) now begin to be borne out.
A. The plagues introduced by the trumpets are getting worse and worse.
1. The terrible locust plague now described is differentiated from the preceding four trumpets in that it affects humankind first of all, while the natural targets of natural locusts--grass, plants and trees--are protected (v. 4).
2. These are no ordinary locusts, such as those that attacked Egypt in Moses' time (Ex 10:1-15).
(a.) About them it was written, "Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again" (Ex 10:14).
3. John's locusts are more like the locusts in Joel's vision centuries later, "A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness.
(a.) It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees.
(b.) It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white" (Joel 1:6-7; see also 2:1-11).
III. Joel's locust plague, like John's, heralds nothing less than "the Day of the Lord" (Joel 2:1, 11), yet in Joel the invaders are still part of the natural order.
A. In John's vision they are supernatural demons from the Abyss.
1. Natural locusts do not physically attack humans, but John's locusts do, with the sting of the scorpion (vv. 4-5).
2. Natural locusts, according to a biblical proverb, have no king (Prov 30:27), but these locusts do--the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon (v. 11).
IV. This brings us to another difference between the fifth trumpet and the first four.
A. They were, as we have seen, judgments from God and from above, in keeping with the description in 8:5 of an angel who (in response to "the prayers of all the saints") took "fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth."
1. The fifth trumpet, by contrast, introduces a judgment from below, from the Abyss, or depths of the earth (vv. 1, 2, 11), and consequently from the evil powers that live under the earth, associated with death, destruction and the grave.
B. God, of course, is still sovereign over the whole process, for the star . . . fallen from the sky (v. 1) was given the key to the Abyss, and the terrible locusts were given the sting of scorpions (v. 3) and were told not to harm plants or trees, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (v. 4).
1. As often in biblical language, the passive voice points to God as the one who does the "giving" and the "telling"--and who also sets limits to the judgment.
(a.) John adds that the locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five montes (v. 5).
V. The situation is reminiscent of the book of Job, where the righteous Job suffered terribly at Satan's hand, but only because God permitted Satan to put him to the test (see Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6).
A. The difference is that the ones suffering in connection with the fifth trumpet are not the righteous people of God, but rather "the inhabitants of the earth" (8:13), further described here as those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (v. 4).
1. John's language shows that he remembers from his earlier vision the sealing of God's people on their foreheads for protection (7:3-8).
2. Those "144,000" (7:4), transformed before John's eyes into "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language" (7:9), are the only ones spared from the terrible plague of locusts.
(a.) For them, Jesus' promise of "authority" (Lk 10:19) still applies, with the caution Jesus added: "Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Lk 10:20).
(b.) But for the moment we hear nothing of them.

SIX THINGS NEEDED FOR REVIVAL!

SIX THINGS NEEDED FOR REVIVAL!

1. Love One Another!
John 13 : 34 - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

God gave us LOVE, and Jesus even committed to us a new commandment!
Quote: "That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
After our belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are given the Godly love that only comes from God! Our duty is to share this love with each other, as God shared it with us! Love, therefore, is a necessary commodity for Revival, because if we have lost that first love we have also lost the effects of the Holy Spirit!

2. Pray For One Another!
James 5 : 15 - And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Prayer is the Communication that is between us and God, and God's word tells us that the PRAYER OF FAITH DOES WONDERS NOT ONLY FOR THE SICK, BUT ALSO THOSE THAT ARE IN SIN! In fact James tells us that if we pray for the sin sick that God hears our prayers and that person's sin can be forgiven. Even though it is an individual thing between a person and God, God does forgive sin! Forgiveness of sin is a Revival of ones soul! After all, it is sin that separates us from the love of God, but when we ask God for forgiveness He hears our prayers and the forgiveness of our sins brings Revival in our lives.

3. Forgive One Another!
Ephesians 4 : 32 - And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

If we expect God to forgive us from our own sins, then we have to forgive others of their sins! Some of the greatest Revivals that I have been apart of didn't happen until people who weren't even speaking to one another walked down and hugged one another, and forgave each other of the faults between them! That was when the Holy Spirit came and a HUGE Revival broke out! Most of the time that what was keeping the Revival from happening!

4. Forbearing One Another!
Colossians 3 : 12 - Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
Colossians 3 : 13 - bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Forbearing and forgiving are two different issues. Forbearing means ceasing from all acts and thoughts of revenge. What it says, in other words, "Don't take matters into your own hands. Instead, endure the hurt. Lay the matter down and leave it alone. Forgiving encompasses two other commandments: (1) Loving your enemies, and (2) Praying for them! One wise old preacher said, " If you pray for your enemies you can do all the rest!" I have found this to be true in my own life! So we need both to forgive and forbear one another!

5. Bear One Another's Burdens!
Galatians 6 : 1 - (Bear and Share the Burdens) Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Galatians 6 : 2 - Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
The meaning is that by showing sympathy to others in their distress, of whatever ... Bear ye one another's burdens — Sympathize with and assist each other, in all your weaknesses, grievances, trials. It is our duty as believers to help bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). When someone staggers, we help steady the load. If he is straining, we help bear the burden. And if he stumbles, we lift him up. Helping fellow believers carry the weight of their worldly troubles is one of the chief practical duties that ought to consume every Christian.
When the Altar is opened up during Revivals, and people come to the Altar seeking help from God, they need someone to help them bear their burden or burdens, and be a shoulder for them to lean on, but further than that to assist them through the difficult times, whatever it may be! I can't say enough what such times as these have meant to me in difficult times in my own life!

6. Rejoice with one another!
Romans 12 : 15 - Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
In our Christian walk there are good times and bad times, and just like we are with one another in bad times when we forbear one another's burdens, there are also times when we are happy! During these happy times, Paul tells us to REJOICE with one another! Some of the happiest moments that can happen is when Revival breaks out between all those of a congregation, and we can share in that Joy together, and rejoice with one another! When we get to heaven with Jesus there will be MUCH REJOICING as we PRAISE GOD TOGETHER and CAST OUR CROWNS AT HIS FEET! For all eternity!!! I think of it as a CONSTANT REVIVAL!