Christ taught us to pray: “Your Will Be Done, On Earth, As It Is In Heaven.” In order to ask God in a meaningful way that His will be done on earth – -and especially in our lives, we have to meet certain requirements. Otherwise, we cannot expect an answer to our prayers. These requirements include knowing and understanding God’s will, agreeing with it and desiring to do it, and, receiving God’s strength to do it. When we submit to God, He will see to it that His Will is done.

The modern descendants of the house of Israel will suffer devastating punishment and national captivity for their sins prior to the return of Jesus Christ. The Bible contains very specific conditions for blessings from God as well as His warning of severe punishment for disobedience. In spite of warnings from God, the history of Judah and Israel was that they ignored the message of the prophets who were sent to them. Along with preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, a warning of punishment is to be given in our generation–both to Israel and to the nations of this world.

The so-called Christian world is deceived and confused regarding God’s gift (that of eternal life which is offered independent of works), and our reward, which is dependent on works. It is important how we live based on what we know — how well we perform.

Our reward has to do with rulership. We will be able to beautify life — to guide and to help others to live a peaceful and happy life, in accordance with God’s way. Ruling others means, helping them to live God’s way of life. We must develop the desire to do so today.

In times of trials, we must look beyond the present and focus on the future, as to how we can serve others on a great scale.

The really good news for each of us is that the struggle to keep sin out of our lives will have an end. In the Biblical account of Abraham and his descendants, we find both good and bad examples of those who sought to answer God’s calling. The lesson is one that transcends mere physical blessings of this life. The true promised land is the Kingdom of God–the end of our struggle and our final victory over sin.

A battle is going on — at least, it should be going on — in the mind of every converted Christian. It is very important to realize that our human carnal mind was hostile toward God before our conversion, largely due to Satan’s influence. Even after conversion, Satan will try to continue to bombard us with his evil thoughts. We must therefore refuse to permit evil thoughts to settle in our minds and our hearts. Instead, we must replace them with right thoughts. God’s Word, Faith and the Understanding that God knows every thought that we might think, can help us to win the battle of our minds.

God has called us to be involved in the fulfillment of His great purpose. We must be sure we understand that purpose and what we are to do to have a part in it.

How important are God’s Truths? How important is His Law, His Statutes, His Judgments? How important are the days He has established as Holy? The Scriptures tell us that our “eternal lives” depend on how we relate to these Truths!

The importance of self examination going into the days of unleavened bread to see how we are doing when compared to an employees performance review done annually by ones employer.

While the Church of God celebrates Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, the world, including Orthodox Christianity, celebrates Easter — that is, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and, in some countries, Easter Monday. Why do they do it, and why don’t we? Does it make any difference? This sermon will show that it makes a world of a difference. It is so important that we can safely say that it is a matter of life and death. It is a matter of accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. It is a matter of receiving forgiveness of sins, or of still living in sin, being cut off from God. If we believe in the Good Friday crucifixion and the Easter Sunday resurrection, we are rejecting the only sign that Christ gave to the people of His time that He was the Messiah — namely, that He would be for three days and three nights dead in the grave, and that He would afterwards raise from the dead.

The commonly held definition of the word “saint” as generally used in both secular and religious settings is different than that of the Bible. The Bible reveals that “saints” is a designation to the company of God’s people and applies to ALL believers–that is, to all who live holy lives based on God’s calling and selection. As used in the Bible, the term saint or saints conveys righteousness or goodness as illustrated by godly and holy character along with consecration (being set apart by God as His own). Furthermore, along with the remarkable opportunity to be called at this time, Christians, who the Bible also describes as saints, bear a great responsibility and accountability to God.