Archive for April, 2011

Sorry they are so late but here are the files from last Sunday

April 24, 2011 Terry Laws

April 24, 2011 Larry Gosier

1st Nephi 1:1-3

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians. And I know that the record which I make to be true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.

The Record of the Nephites starts out explaining what it is. It is a record of a people who follow god. The Jews were not the only ones that have a relationship with the Lord back then or today. Will you read the record and believe in its truth?

Message 102:18

Prove all things by the words of truth in the Bible, Record of the Nephites, and The Word of the Lord. All this is established for mankind, the guidelines of hope and deliverance. Man’s idealisms shall come to naught.

All things that we need to know are in the three books the Bible, Record of the Nephites, and The Word of the Lord. We should use these references to learn the true teachings and wishes of Christ. If an idea does not agree with these books, than that idea is not of God. This is important if we want to be counted has one of Christ’s on the last day.

Ezekiel 37:15-20

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

The Lord told us that there was going to be a record of the tribe of Joseph and the tribe of Judah. The references to sticks are to books or records of that people since things were written on scrolls at the time. The record for the tribe of Judah is what we call the Bible. It covers the history of the Jews and Christ’s coming that people.  The history of the tribe of Joseph is recorded in The Record of the Nephites.  In this history the Gospel of Christ is also taught just like in the Bible, but is clearer language.  Christ came for all mankind, just not the Israel.

John 10:16

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Many people assume that the Jews were the only people that Christ dealt with. He himself said that he had other sheep that he was going to visit. These people are the Nephites and their story can be found in The Record of the Nephites. These are members of the tripe of Joseph of the House of Israel.  There will be more about this in the next few days.

Matthew 28:1-7

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

As Yesterday was Easter we need to keep in mind what we are celebrating. Egg and candy are fun, but Easter is about the resurrection. The key to our salvation in Christ is not that he died, but that he arose from that death. Through his resurrection we might ourselves rise one day. And is what we celebrated yesterday.

I want to wish everyone a happy Easter today. I hope you take the day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Although egg and candy come to mind when people think about Easter, Christ is the reason.

Matthew 27:35-54

And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

As we celebrate the Easter on Sunday let us remember what Christ did for us. He took our sins on to himself and died with them so that we could have salvation. The hardest part for Christ of his death was being separated from God. We should feel the same loneness when have sinned ourselves. Luck for us though, since Christ died as our sacrifice, all we have to do is ask forgiveness and our sins are wiped clean. We should thank the Lord everyday for the sacrifice of Jesus.

Matthew 27:15-26

Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Pilot did not want to kill Jesus, but the High Priest of the Jews demanded it. The reason that Christ came to the Jews in the first place was because they were the only tribe that would not listen to him and follow him. The Jews had hardened their hearts to the word of God. Have we become the same as the Jews of old? Do we trust our traditions more than the word of God? When God speaks to you do you listen or do you say that is not what I thought he would say so it must not be true? Please don’t be like the Jews and harden your heart to God. Leave it open so he can speak to you and teach you.

Here are the sermon files from Sunday. Enjoy

April 17, 2011 Edward Coffey

April 17, 2011 William Holden

John 13:36-38

Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

John 18:15-18

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not. And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

John 18:24-27

Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.

Even thought Peter said that he would die for Christ, Christ told him that he would deny him. Peter did do what Christ said he was going to do in denying him. Now this was a man who walked with Jesus and knew his power personally but still denied him even though he said he would die for him. What will you do when the time come for you to answer wither you follow Christ. We do not know what we will do in this situation until it happens. We all say that we will follow Christ no matter what, but that is easier said than done.  Will you deny Christ even though you know what the truth is like Peter or will learn from him and stand with Christ?

Mark 14:10-11

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

Mark 14:18-21

And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

Today as the story of Christ’s death progresses we learn about Judas betraying Christ. Jesus said that it would be better for him if that he would never have been born because of the betrayal. The same is true for us if we deny and betray Christ today. The hurt and sadness that Christ feels, every time that we walk away from his teachings is deep inside him. We will feel the pain too as we will be away from God for eternity. Please don’t deny him.

Click on the link to read the paper or right click and chose “save as” to download it to your computer.

2011 April RD

Matthew 21:1-11

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them,  Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

As we go though the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, let us remember why Jesus had to go through the pain and torture of death and the miracle of resurrection. He had to do it for us, for our salvation. This last week of his life is one of the most important. Let us remember why he did what he did and thank him for it.

Matthew 22:15-22

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

On this tax day of 2011 it is important to remember who we really need to give to. I know we all have to pay taxes and that nobody likes it, but we need to remember that money is an early possession that will not help us with our salvation. Christ already paid the price for our salvation. So as hard as it is to pay taxes, let us remember that it is only money and that we need to be thankful for Christ and what he paid for.

Malachi 3:1-5

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 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’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: 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. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to 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.

God said that he was going to send his messenger before the second coming of Christ. Wither you believe it or listen to it or not is up to you, but the idea is not debatable. God promised he would do it, and he will do it. The Church of Christ with the Elijah Message is the group of people who believe that the messenger is coming to earth as promised from God, and are following his commandments. Do you believe that has kept his promise?

Acts 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The gospel of Christ is ticket into heaven. But like most tickets you have to have the right one for the show. You can’t bring any ticket and expect God to honor it; you have to bring the ticket that he made. The ticket starts with repentance and baptism. Before you can be baptized you have to repent for the sins that you have commented. This has to be your choice and not the choice of others. Will you make the choice to have to correct ticket to the gates of Heaven?

Message 64:2-3

Will the people heed the warning and obey the instructions I bring from the Lord, your God, that there may be a bride prepared and the way of deliverance established, that mankind may learn of the way of the Lord, his words, in these last days. The Lord has sent me with a message when the hearts of his people were bleeding. I have come to minister that comfort may come to all who will walk righteously in this way. All that I have brought and will bring comes from the Lord, your God.

God promised us that he would send a messenger to prepare the way before Christ’s second coming. Most people do not know where to look for such a messenger, if they even understand the coming of him. It is our responsibility to share the message to the world so that people can read it and be prepared. Will you follow the instructions from God?

Here are the two files from yesterday.  Enjoy.

April 10, 2011 Terry Laws 1

April 10, 2011 Terry Laws 2

Matthew 2:13-18

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Just like the Lord did for his Son and earthly family, God will always protect us when we need it. King Harod did was afraid of Jesus because he would become King of the Jews, but what they did not understand was the type of King that Jesus was going to become. When King Harod killed all the little babies, the Lord made sure that Joseph had moved the family to Egypt to save the young Christ’s life. Since we are all God’s children we can be reassured that when we need protection, God will be right there to give it. Sometimes it might be different than what we want, but God will never leave us.