Heaven's Dictionary

Good Monday Morning To You! Welcome to the first full week of Autumn - or Fall as we always called it. Here in southwest Florida, it still seems like summer. Basically we only have two seasons; a hot summer, and a not so hot summer. Having been born and raised in southwest Ohio, I learned very quickly that I do not like cold, snow, or ice. To me, ice is what you use to drink a good cold glass of Pepsi. Other than chilling a drink, I see no beneficial reason for ice. As I read in my Bible about that celestial city, I see no mention of cold, ice, or snow. That tells me they are not there! That for me draws a loud, “Hallelujah!”

Speaking of Heaven, allow me a moment to tell you about a dream I once had. I dreamed I had entered the gates into Heaven. A very nice young man, who appeared to be in his early thirties, met me and led me to a building that looked like a library. He was wearing a crisp suit with a shirt and tie. His shoes were shined and looked to be new. He took me inside, and indeed it was a library. It was large and spacious, and he told me to be seated at a wooden table. On the table was a large book. He said, “Make yourself comfortable and feel free to browse through that book.” He then turned to leave and said, “I’ll be back shortly.”

The book looked like a dictionary, so I decided to look up some words that were familiar to me. I looked for “cancer.” It was not there. I looked for “death,” but again, it was not there. By this time, I decided to look for some Biblical words. I turned to the “S” section and looked for sin, sorrow, and Satan. Once again those words could not be found in that dictionary! I looked for “poverty“, “heartache“, and “war,” but once again, words that had been so much a part of my life were not there.

As I sat with a perplexed look on my face, my young guide came and sat at the table beside me. He said, “the words you are searching for cannot be found in this book. This is a dictionary of the words used here in Heaven. The former things are passed away and do not exist here.”

He took the book and told me to look. He opened it and I saw the word, “grace.” He turned further and there was the word, “mercy.” “Love” was there, as was “joy,” and “peace.” I saw the word, “blessing,” and “gentleness.” As a smile came across my face, I turned to speak to my new young friend. Suddenly he began to change right before my eyes. He had on a robe and sandals. He had a bright, yet peaceful glow about him. He held out his hands to me. They were nail scarred. It was Him! My guide was Jesus! It made perfect sense, because He had been since the day I received Him as my Lord and Savior. He said, “Forget those things which are behind. Behold, I make all things new.” He took me by the hand and said, “Follow me. I’m going to show you some things you never dreamed possible, and some people you haven‘t seen in a long while.”

I woke up at that moment, and never was able to finish my Heavenly tour. However, I was left with a peace that I could not put into words. I knew one day I would finish that tour. As a child of God, I have His assurance that this is so. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” As the old song says, What a day, glorious day that will be.”

At Friend Harmony yesterday, we had a terrific day. The attendance was very good, and a warm loving spirit permeated the service. It started with our Sunday School lesson being led by one of my dearest friends in the ministry, Rabbi Jim Pickens. Rabbi Pickens is a retired messianic Rabbi, and is a true student of the word; I am blessed to be able to call him my friend. The song service was very uplifting. We are now singing to recorded CD’s, and that is working out quite well. I finished our Victorious People series with the message, “Victorious Over Sorrow.” I must admit, this was my favorite of the four. When I stop to think about how much our enemy, sorrow, torments us day and night, it’s enough to be depressing and cause more sorrow. Even Job said, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1) However, as we also discovered, there is hope. Below are the notes. I hope they are a blessing to you.

Victorious Over Sorrow ©
Job 14:1
Victorious People Series 4 of 4 By Victor Cooper
9/19-22/12


Intro: In this four part series, we have examined how believers are victorious over Satan, sin, self, and sorrow. No believer needs to live a defeated life. We are a victorious people so lets start believing it and living it.

Our text verse from Job sounds bleak and hopeless,
but as we shall see, we can live with a foe that will
one day be eliminated!
.
I. Sorrow is inescapable. Psalm 38:17 For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
A. Sorrow is part of the curse. Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
B. A pop song from the 60’s said, “No where to run to, No where to hide.” This perfectly describes our relationship with sorrow.
C. The weeping prophet, Jeremiah lamented, “Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame. Jeremiah 20:18 NLT

II. Sorrow is hard to conquer. Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
A. Solomon is saying that even in the most joyous of times, sorrow is lurking just under the surface.
B. Our text verse says, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. Job 14:1
C. Sorrow is hard to conquer because it’s so consuming.
Psalm 102:4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.
1. The psalmist might be saying, “I am consumed with sorrow to the point that I have lost my appetite and cannot eat.”
2. The psalmist might be saying, “I am consumed with sorrow to the point that I do not have time to eat.”
3. It is likely some of both!
Quote: “We must take time out to eat, sleep, work, and rest. Sorrow never takes a break. It’s a bit difficult to defeat an enemy like that, but it can be done!” Pastor Victor Cooper

III. Sorrow can be overcome. Psalm 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
A. It involves praising the Lord in both good and bad circumstances.
B. It involves calling out to the Lord.
Psalm 25:16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
C. It involves an answer from the Lord. Isaiah 14:3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,
D. An answer is assured because, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Cor. 1:9

IV. Sorrow will cease. John 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
A. Our victory over sorrow is assured because Jesus is the Great Overcomer.
John 16:33 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.
Quote: Such a saying as this [John 16:33] is worthy to be carried from Rome to Jerusalem upon one’s knees. Martin Luther
B. Sorrow is the big loser! Rev. 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Conclusion: Take heart dear believer, our two greatest enemies, death and sorrow, will one day be triumphantly eliminated by our Lord, Jesus Christ!

Once again, I hope the notes are helpful to you. I believe the influence of Friendship Harmony reaches far beyond the shores of Pine Island, in Lee County, Florida. Let me make one quick announcement. Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1:00 p. m. at The Island Grill, our ladies will have their luncheon. The Island Grill is located in the Winn Dixie Shopping Plaza on Stringfellow Road. If you are in the area, you are cordially invited. Sorry guys, its for ladies only. I tried once to claim executive privilege and crash the party, but my status impressed no one. I know you ladies will have a fine time. I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!

Sharing Some Time With Jude

Good Monday Morning To You!

Set your breakfast on the table and let’s eat and chat. My favorite breakfast is fried eggs, bacon and biscuit and gravy. I don’t like just any biscuits; I like mom’s. Everybody that knows her knows she makes the best home made biscuits around. They do not come from a tube, or a freezer bag. They are hand mixed, and “hand squashed” as Christian comedian Jerry Clower used to say. I like good gravy, but on occasion I like red-eye gravy. I had planned to ask mom to make some last month when I was in Cincy to see her, but my cardiologist got wind of it and threatened bad things if she did. For those of you who know what red-eye gravy is, you perfectly understand. For those of you who don’t, Google it. It’s definitely country eatin’. I Googled it to make sure it was there, and they linked me to Wikipedia.

After last week’s blog, many at church asked me if I brought my gun with me. Several asked, “Did that really happen?” The answer is yes it actually happened, but no I did not bring my gun to church. I really did have a stare down with a vicious critter with a loaded .41 by my side. I’m definitely a good shot. I could shoot the tail off a no-see-um at twenty five yards, but fortunately I did not have to. For those of you who might not have read last week’s Monday Morning blog, stop here and scroll down and read it. I’ll say no more, because I don’t want to spoil it for you.

I was also asked by a very dear friend and colleague about the planned video outreach. He is as excited about it as I am, and has pledged some financial support. As I’ve said, the Lord has burdened my heart about reaching out through the internet to broadcast the morning message. The exact details are still being worked on, but the next step is purchasing the necessary equipment. We need a digital video camera with good sound capabilities. The cost is somewhere in the $300-$500 range. I wish more of you would come along beside us in this venture. If you could, send a check for any amount to Friendship Harmony Baptist Church; 2296 Date Street; St. James City, Florida; 33956. On your check mark “video.” The quicker we get the camera, the quicker we go online. If we receive more than we need, we will be able to upgrade our computer equipment to be more video friendly. I’m told Apple laptops are the way to go. For now, though, we need that digital video camera. I’m not used to asking for money like a radio preacher, but how else would you know? Besides, for those who donate, you become part of it, and God will reward you for it. In my life I’ve discovered you cannot out give God. Please pray about your gift and send it very soon. We need to reach all we can. Right now Monday Morning With Pastor Vic is reaching 9100 homes. I believe with the adding of good quality video, we can far exceed that number.

It sounds like a broken record, but yesterday was another great day at Friendship Harmony. The attendance was good, and the service was exceptional. We sang a congregational song called, “Count Your Blessings.” We sang it “Gratitude style.” That is where you sing a verse then the director stops and calls upon someone to share a blessing. The second verse is sung and then someone else is called on. The song continues that way until the last verse is sung and the director asks if anyone has a blessing to share. Not only is it a good testimony time, but since no one knows who will be called on, everybody starts thinking about received blessings. It’s a fine way of worship.

The morning message came from Jude verses one and two. We looked at Jude’s statement of mercy, peace, and love. We discovered that he didn’t just list these, but did so in a specific order. Mercy is first, followed by peace. You can have no real peace outside God’s mercy. Love then follows peace. You cannot truly love if you have no peace. The sermon notes are below. I hope they are a blessing to you. When we go video, you’ll be able to actually see and hear the message and follow with the notes. Hopefully that becomes a reality soon.

Mercy, Peace, and Love
Jude v1,2
Encouragement From Jude Series 7/5-7/12
By Victor W. Cooper

Intro: Jude, the half brother of Jesus, writes a short letter of encouragement and warning. He is warning about false teachers and wrong doctrine. False teaching has been a threat to the church since the days of Jude, and his words are still relevant today.

I. Mercy
A. Not receiving from God that which one deserves.
1. In our sin we deserved punishment.
2. God’s punishment is eternal Matthew says it is a place of darkness. Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
3. He also says it is a furnace of fire. Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
(a) The logical question becomes, “Doesn’t a fire give off some light? How can it be a place of total darkness if fire illuminates?”
(b) The answer is a phenomenon known as black fire
Cited by www.firetactics.com/BLACKFIRE.
Black Fire -- This term has only recently been officially recognized. This describes a situation where HEAVY, dense, black smoke is being emitted by a fire. This smoke will be of high velocity, turbulent, high volume, and extremely dense. It will also be hot. For all practical purposes, this is a dense superheated cloud of fuel that is too rich to ignite. The smoke may be doing as much damage as fire. It can (but not always) be a sign of eminent flashover. Old time fire fighters have known of this for years.
4. Luke also gives a ghastly picture.
Luke 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
B. Our sin had to be judged. God’s righteousness would allow for nothing less.
C. A believer’s sins were placed on Christ and He bore the punishment. That is mercy
D. It is also grace; receiving from God that which one does not deserve - forgiveness, and a future with Jesus Christ.

II. Following mercy is peace.
A. You cannot have peace without mercy. You cannot have peace when your soul is stirred with sin.
B. Paul tells us that in our sin we were an enemy to the cross. Philip. 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
C. A sinner might be thinking, “I don’t see myself as God’s enemy.”
D. You might not, but God does.
Romans 8:5-8 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. [8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
E. God’s people are promised peace.
Psalm 29:11 The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
1. David testified that he had peace.
Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
F. The Bible calls it an unexplainable peace. Philip. 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

III. After mercy and peace comes love. You cannot love if you have no peace. You can have no peace if you have not received God’s mercy.
Definition of love: Doing right by someone.
A. You can love God.
1. How can one do right by God?
2. Two ways: by trusting Him and following Him.
Hebrews 11:6 /Ezekiel 20:19 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. / I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
B. You can love fellow believers. Jude 1:21-22 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. [22] And of some have compassion, making a difference:
1. Note the progression; love for God, then love for others.
2. An unrighteous lawyer agreed.
Luke 10:27-28 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. [28] And he said untohim, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Note: Jesus told him his answer was right!
REMEMBER: Pity says, “I feel sorry for you.” Compassion (v22) says, “I feel sorry for you and here is what I can do to help.”
C. You can love the unsaved.
Remember, love means doing right by someone.
Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
A. You can love someone without liking what they do, or even liking them for that matter.
B. Modernists say you should never scare someone into Heaven. Jude begs to differ.
1. A sinner needs to be reminded of the reality of Hell.
2. False teachers will tell you that hell is not real. Jesus warned about Hell more than He taught about Heaven.

Conclusion: Have you received God’s mercy? Is there peace in your soul? Do you love in the Biblical manner, by doing right by others? It starts with mercy. You must take that step before you take the next.

Thank you for allowing me to spend these few minutes whoever you are. One of my greatest joys is meeting with you through this blog. I hope it blesses you as much as it does me. Stay safe and well this week, and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!