Helps For Daily Life

BIBLE STUDY 2: HELPS FOR DAILY LIFE

 

A SERIES: THERE IS HOPE

LESSON 1: Matthew 8.1-4 THERE IS HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS

 

Matthew 8  (KJV)

1. When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 
2. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 
3. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean.  And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 
4. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

I have started this series because I know there are issues in everyday life that all of us encounter that we are looking for some kind of relief or answers to help us during difficult times.  Those of us who know Jesus as our personal Savior face these issues as well as those who do not know Jesus as their Savior.  Even though I am going to focus on sin and its cure more than anything else, I hope I can also give hope and encouragement to all as we look at this marvelous event that took place with this leprous man.

 

Psychologists sometimes administer what is known as the “Beck Hopelessness Test” to people whom they feel may be on the verge of suicide because it is a test, which measures suicidal indications.  Twenty-two false statements are given and they measure several areas.  One of those areas is concern about the future.  Another one is loss of motivation.  Another area is loss of anticipation.

 

In their Science and Health Center, the University of Texas at San Antonio, released a report stating that the loss of hope among the elderly is an indication of higher rates of death than in any other group.  In other words, it indicates when a person gets older and they get to the point when they feel there is no hope for them, no sense of anticipation or motivation for the future.  This tends to cause higher death rates among the elderly.

 

Hopelessness, no concern, no interest in the future, and no anticipation for good things to happen in the future brings on devastating depression for many people, especially the elderly.

 

In this story, here is a man who came to the Lord Jesus Christ and had he taken the “Beck Hopelessness Scale,” I am sure he would have registered very, very high on the scale.  He is a man who evidently had come to the point where if he did not have any hope at all, he had very little hope whatsoever.  He was hopeless, in despair, and certainly had no anticipation of good or success for his future.  Feeling that way over any situation in your life can lead to paralysis of your activities, depression, and eventually it can even lead to suicide.

 

One of the reasons I am glad the Lord has called me to preach and given me the opportunity to preach and teach is because when I stand before people I hold in my hand a copy of what I call the “HOPE BOOK.”  In this Book, it tells us about the Lord Jesus.  1^st Timothy 1 says, “Christ is our hope.”  In Hebrews 6:19 the Bible says, “Which hope we have as an anchor for the soul.”  In Titus 2:13 it says that “We are looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

 

Have you ever heard anybody say, “Where there is life there is hope?”  There is an element of truth in that, but I am here to tell you today “Where there is faith there is hope, also.”  John Bunyan said one time, “Hope is never ill when faith is well.”

 

We are going to look at a man who came to the Lord Jesus and his situation seemed to be a hopeless situation.  This is going to relate to someone in particular in this Bible Study.  You have been to the doctor and the doctor says we have examined you and done everything we know to do.  Though he may not put it in the same particular words you can tell  by his look, you can tell by his body language that he is saying to you there is no hope.

 

Maybe there is someone else in this Bible Study and your mate has said to you “It is all over.  I do not want any more contact with you.  Do not call me.  It is irreconcilable.  There is no hope for reconciliation whatsoever.  I want out and I am gone.”  Therefore, you see yourself in a marital situation, which seems to be a hopeless situation in which you did not see coming.  You thought all was well and now it is all over.  Nothing you can do will change it.  What are you going to do now?  When you said “I Do,” you meant it for life!  You never expected it to end, especially this way.

 

You have had that job for 25 years; you have worked your way up to the top in your department.  You have been putting back money for retirement, saving up time for early retirement and funds for the kid’s education.  One day the boss comes in and tells you the home office says they are downsizing and you no longer have a job.  Your part of the company is liquidating, your retirement income faces a possible major reduction, you are losing all of those days off you have accumulated over the years, your children may not get the education you had promised them, and you are at the age when no one will hire you.

 

I could name many scenario’s where some of you who are in this Bible Study or maybe someone you know may be facing some difficult issues in life that seem to be hopeless situations.  Now there just does not seem to be any answers to your questions.  You do not know which way to turn.  You never dreamed anything like you are facing would ever be a part of your life.

 

I want to talk to you about a man who maybe was hopeless, then he met the Lord Jesus Christ, and in Jesus Christ, there was a revival, a resurrection of hope.

 

LET US THINK First ABOUT - THE MISERY OF THE LEPER.

 

Verse 1 says, "When he (Jesus) was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.”  Jesus had been on the mountain, but you do not stay on the mountain.  I like the mountaintop experiences.  I like to be up there where all of the excitement is.  Nevertheless, Jesus knew that down in the valley there were people who had needs.  Down in the valley is where the needs are.  Down in the valley is where the hopeless cases are.

 

Jesus comes down from the mountain where the multitudes in need are.  The Bible tells us that He encounters a man who is a leper.  You can hear this leper as he cries, “Unclean, unclean, unclean.”  The multitudes around Jesus are startled because this is so contrary to social customs.  A man who was a leper was an outcast.  He did not ever get anywhere around normal society.  He had to wear a rag over his face.  He had to cry out “unclean” when he was approaching someone.  Maybe some of the people were horrified.  Others of them were probably outraged.  They certainly must have given him a wide path as he approached the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

THINK ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THIS MAN.

 

We know some things about leprosy.  Maybe in the leper pit where he had to live he had heard that the Lord Jesus Christ was on the scene.  Maybe he had heard what Jesus Christ was doing for other people.  Maybe just a little flicker of hope began to burn in his heart.  He has come up out of the leper pit and made his way on limping, wounded feet to get to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

WARNING!  THIS IS NOT FOR WEAK STOMACHS!

 

In the parallel account in the Luke 5, the Bible tells us that this man was full of leprosy.  That means that leprosy has just totally consumed his total body.  Leprosy is indeed a nauseating picture when we read about it and learn what leprosy does to people.  It starts with tiredness.  Then they develop pains and soreness in the joint.  One day they notice that a white spot appears on the skin.  It starts with a little white spot and then it develops into a nodule.  Then other nodules begin to appear on the skin.  They turn a pinkish brownish color.  Then they begin to ulcerate and fill up with pus.  They begin to ooze and run.  The next thing you know these nodules, these pus pockets have spread all over the body and become scaly in texture.  Then the different things begin to happen to the body.  The face begins to take on a wrinkled, lion-like look.  The fingers begin to contract and take a claw like appearance.  The feet begin to ooze so that anywhere a leper walks he leaves a wet spot.  His eyebrows fall out.  His hair turns white.  He develops a foul odor about him that makes him obnoxious to be around.  There is a foul taste in his mouth.  Nothing will get that taste out of his mouth.  His fingers and toes begin to fall off.  Then his feet, then his hands disintegrate.  His body actually starts rotting right on the bone.  Flesh begins to fall off.  He loses all sensation.  He does not have any feeling whatsoever.  The average lifespan of a person who contracted leprosy was about 9 years.  When life was over, his body collapsed into a pool of slime.  He became a pile of corruption.  It was a horrible, nauseating form of death.

 

In the Bible, diseases are sometimes illustrations of sin.  I suppose the picture of leprosy is one of the most graphic pictures of the ugly nauseating affect of sin.  We have flower-coated the picture of sin today.  We have put perfume on the picture of sin.  We do not want it to be quite as bad as it is.  However, the Bible tells us that sin is an ugly, nauseating problem in life.  Sin is something that starts on the inside just like leprosy.  Leprosy is an indication that there are problems on the inside.  Sin is an indication that there is a problem on the inside.

 

Every issue in life that brings about heartache, sadness, depression, distress, worry, confusion, and any other negative emotion you can think of, is the result of the leprosy of sin somewhere along the way.  Sin, in either your life, or the life of someone else has given birth to these dreaded side effects in daily living.  The reason it is such a surprise to us at times is because it always starts on the inside.  Sin is an inside job that has outside consequences.

  

A man went to the watch repairperson with his watch and said, “Something is wrong with the hands on my watch.”  The watch repairer looked at it and said, “The problem is on the inside.  I’ll have to dig on the inside.”  Sin is a problem of the inside.  That is why no perfume on the outside will do.  It is going to take radical surgery.  It is going to take chemotherapy to deal with the problem of sin on the inside.

 

THINK ABOUT THE WAY WE DEAL WITH THE LITTLE WHITE SPOTS IN LIFE

 

It starts on the inside and then it spreads on the outside.  Sin seems so innocent at the very beginning.  It does not seem like there is a real problem there.  It starts just like a little white spot.

 

I heard of a man many years ago who loved to fish.  He developed a small white spot on the inside of his thumb, which later turned into a wart.  That wart hindered his fishing so he decided he would use “Compound W” wart remover and get rid of it.  The little spot became infected, but rather than going to the doctor with that little thing, he tried taking care of it himself.  It developed into cancer and they had to remove his thumb.  Time went by and the cancer had spread into his hand, so they removed his hand.  As more time went by the cancer had spread into his arm and they removed his arm.  Eventually, because of that little white spot on his thumb he died with cancer.  It was just a little spot – a little wart, yet it began to spread and cost him his life.

 

It was just a little thing in the life of King David.  It was a time when kings went forth to war.  Yet, David is lounging around the palace.  It was just a little laziness on the part of David.  The next thing you know it has moved into lust.  The next thing you know it has gone all the way to murder.  It was just a little white spot. 

 

It is just a little harmless social drink.  Just a little white spot starts so innocently with a can of beer with the boys.  Does not seem like a whole lot and it does not seem to have too much effect.  You feel like you are always in control of yourself and what you do, after all, you are mature enough to make wise decisions.  Nevertheless, it begins to spread and the next thing you know you are dealing with the problem of alcoholism or other social problems.  It was just a little white spot.

 

Hey, it is just a little joint of pot!  I’m not hurting anyone and I am just experimenting.  They say it makes you feel good and it is not like being a drug addict.  Then the next thing you know, you are not satisfied and you begin to want a little more, a little more often.  Then you start thinking about trying something stronger.  Before long, you have a daily dependency and you have a real problem you never planned to have that started with that little joint of pot.  It was just a little white spot.

 

It all began with just a little flirtation.  There was a little wink, that certain kind of smile, that extra effort to meet or make contact at just the right time with an ulterior motive in mind just to talk and spend time together for a little fun.  It was just a little something going on in the office or at work.  It did not seem like a big deal, but it began to escalate and the next thing you knew you had full-blown adultery.  It was just a little white spot.

 

Everybody does it, just a little cheating on an exam in school.  That does not seem like a big deal to you.  However, as time goes by, the next thing you know you are stealing from the company that put their trust in you and hired you.  It starts on the inside; spreads on the outside.  It isolates people from society.  It was just a little white spot.

 

WE WOULD HAVE MUCH LESS HEARTACHE IF WE TREATED SIN LIKE LEPROSY

 

LIVING WITH THE DISEASE WAS SERIOUS AND SAD

 

When this man contracted his disease, as the normal pattern would have been, he would have gone to the priest and the priest would have diagnosed the fact that he had leprosy.  He would say to him, “You have to go back and tell your family that you are leaving and that you will never return.  You have to stand at a distance and say to your wife ‘I’ll never be coming back.’  Do not get too close to her.  Say to your kids, ‘I’ll never be coming back.’  However, do not get too close to them.  Isolate yourself from your family.”  

 

Sin has a way of isolating.  There is someone sitting in a motel room somewhere and by court order, not allowed to get around their children because they are dangerous to them.

 

Sin has a way of isolating.  There is a person in jail who never dreamed they would be in jail.  It is dangerous for them to get anywhere around normal society.  It starts on the inside and spreads to the outside.  It isolates them from people and leaves them hopeless.  There was no hope for a person who was a leper.  His life as a normal, productive person in society was over.

 

Some people today feel like there is absolutely no hope for them.  They are so deep in sin they do not see any way out.  They are down in the pit of their spiritual leprosy and they do not see a solution whatsoever.  That was the condition of this leper.  So many people are without Jesus Christ as his or her Savior, which is their sad leprous condition.

 

BUT THINK ABOUT THE CONFIDENCE OF THIS MAN.

 

The Bible says that he comes to Jesus and worships Him.  He says, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”  Maybe he had heard about Jesus.  Maybe he had heard about the miracles that Jesus was performing.  Maybe he had heard about the blind man who received his sight.  Maybe he thought if Jesus could make the blind to see maybe there was hope for him.  Maybe he had heard about Jesus calming the storm on the water.  Maybe he thought if Jesus could calm a storm, maybe he could calm the storm that was raging in his soul.

 

He comes to Jesus and worships the Lord and says, “If you will you can make me clean.”  He has absolute confidence in the ability of Jesus.  I have some GOOD NEWS today!  So can anybody!  Over these 30+ years of ministry, I have absolute confidence in the ability of Jesus Christ to save the soul from the “guttermost” to the “uttermost,” to change the life, and to lift people from the horrible pit of sin.  This Leper had confidence in Jesus Christ and I have the same confidence in Jesus Christ because He saved me.

 

The question is not the Lord’s “ability;” the question is the Lord’s “desirability.”  I am certain Satan was whispering in his ear and saying, “Jesus is not going to be bothered with you.”  This very moment, there are probably some of you sitting there saying, “I’d like to be cured from this sin leprosy.”  I am certain the devil is whispering in your ear, “You have had people fooled for years.  You have done all of those wonderful things.  You have been so faithful to be and act religious.  You are such a good person.  You have been such a good leader in the church.  Admitting to everyone that you have been lying all of this time would be so embarrassing.  It is too late now; Jesus is not going to do anything for you.  You are such a hypocrite and a disgrace, you are not worth anything.”  

 

Friends, I have some more GOOD NEWS!  No one is saved because we are worth anything; it is not because of our worth, it is because of His worth that we are saved in the first place.

 

“If you will, you can make me clean.”  FIRST, WE SEE THE MISERY OF THE LEPER.  WE SEE THE CONDITION OF THIS MAN AND WE SEE THE CONFIDENCE OF THIS MAN.

 

LET’S THINK NEXT ABOUT - THE MERCY OF THE LORD

 

It says in verse 3 that “Jesus put forth His hand and touched him and said, I will, be thou clean.”  This is a beautiful thing.

 

NOTICE THE LORD’S COMPASSION

 

The Bible says, “Jesus put forth His hand.”  I think about the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The hands of Jesus Christ never were made into fists in meanness.  The hands of the Lord Jesus Christ always were outstretched in mercy.  He reached forth His hand and the book of Mark says, “He was moved with compassion.”  It was the compassion of Jesus causing Him to reach out to this man.  Many people want to see people come to the Lord, but they do not want to make contact.  Many people want the lost to be saved, but they do not want to get their hands dirty with it.  Compassion is a Savior who reaches out and makes contact.  We have to make contact.  We have to touch people for Jesus Christ.  We have to touch people with the love of Jesus Christ.

 

It says that He put forth His hand and He touched him.  That must have had a tremendous psychological affect on this man.  Probably years had gone by and no one had ever touched this man since his leprosy.  Oh, what an affect it must have had when a human hand touched this poor leper.

 

There was a story in the devotional “Our Daily Bread” sometime ago about a missionary in Madagascar who encountered a leprous woman.  Her fingers and toes had fallen off.  Little village children were harassing the woman, and saying, “Leper, leper, leper.”  In compassion, the missionary reached out and touched the poor woman.  The woman said, “You touched me.  A human hand touched me.  In seven years no one has ever touched me.”  

 

Think about what it did for this man psychologically when Jesus reached out and touched him.  Think about what it did for this man spiritually when Jesus touched him.  Somebody said, “According to the law you weren’t supposed to touch a leprous person.”  That is correct.  Nevertheless, there is something different in this touch of the Lord.  When Jesus Christ touched this leper, the leper’s corruption was not communicated to Jesus.  However, our Lord’s cleansing was communicated to the leper.  It does not work that way in our society, does it?  Just think of the many young sweet girls and the sorry lustful boys that get hold of them.  The sweet innocent purity of the girl does not touch him; his impurity touches her and in many cases scars her life forever.  Think about how in our world, we communicate our corruption, but in His world, the Lord Jesus Christ communicates compassion.  You remember King Midas.  Everything he touched turned to gold.  He would touch a twig and it would turn to gold.  He would touch a cup and it would turn to gold.  He touched his own daughter and she turned to gold.

 

Everything Jesus Christ touches turns to blessing.  Everything Jesus Christ touches turns to benefit.  Everything that Jesus Christ touches turns to honor.  He reached down, touched this leper, and said, “I will, be thou clean.”  I do not know what you have gone through and I do not know what you are going through but I do know that Jesus Christ can touch you in your need.  Hopeless though you may feel and hopeless though you may be, Jesus can touch your heart and life and communicate to you what you need and turn your darkest night into the brightest day. 

 

If your life is hopeless, sin filled, and you have been the Devil’s plaything all of your life, Christ can touch you and communicate His cleansing to your heart and life and make you a child of the Heavenly Father.  “Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”  One touch and the mad race of that leprosy that was to destroy that man’s life suddenly reversed.  One touch from Jesus Christ today can reverse the sin problem in your life.  In a prison cell, the touch of Christ can reverse the problem of sin.  In that home in the city, town, or countryside where ever you live, the touch of Christ can release that chain of sin.  Jesus touched this man and he was immediately cleansed.

 

I think about that beautiful old song, “HE TOUCHED ME.”  There are many people in the Bible Study who can give testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ has touched their lives.  All around everywhere today there are cured lepers.  In every direction you go, North, South, East, and West there are people whose lives have been transformed and changed by the compassionate touch and power of Jesus Christ.

 

WE HAVE SEEN THE MISERY OF THE LEPER AND THE MERCY OF THE LORD.

 

However, there is a third scene to notice in verse 4.  “And Jesus said unto him, See thou tell no man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.”  

LET US FINALLY THINK ABOUT - THE MINISTRY OF THE LAW.

 

In the Old Testament, there was a law that governed the cleansing of the leper.  There were specific guidelines that had to be followed.  There was a type, or a picture in the Old Testament to show what Christ can do for people today.  In Leviticus there is a beautiful picture concerning the cleansing of the leper.  In the 13th chapter, you will read some of the nauseating affects of leprosy.  It is 59 verses long.  It shows you the devastating effects of leprosy, and a picture of what sin can do.  Now in the 14th chapter we are given the type for the cleansing of the leper.

 

It says in Leviticus 14:3, “And the priest shall go forth out of the camp.  And the priest shall look and behold at the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper.”  

 

Jesus said to that leprous man, “You go to the priest.”  There had to be a confirmation that a cleansing had occurred.  A priest was not only a spiritual leader; he was kind of like a public health officer.  They would send the cleansed lepers to the priests.  The only thing was, they had never had one of those cases before.  It had never happened before.  When Jesus sent this leper, we can imagine the surprise.  By the way, Jesus told that leper – do not tell anybody.  We are told in other accounts that he went and told everybody.  Is that not an amazing thing?  Jesus told us to tell everybody and we hardly tell anybody.

 

The Priest would go to the leper and would go where he was outside the city – outside the camp.  That is a beautiful picture of what Jesus did to cleanse us from the leprosy of sin.  In our sinful condition, we could not go to where Jesus was.  Therefore, Jesus came from heaven to where we are.  Hebrews 13:11-12 says that Jesus Christ came out of the camp, out to a hill called Calvary, outside the gates of Jerusalem, to take upon Himself our sins and to die on a cross for us.  He came to where we were.  That is what Jesus has done for us.

 

Notice what happened.  In Leviticus 14:4, the priest would take two birds, alive and clean.  Then he would take some cedar wood and scarlet and hyssop.  With those, he would make an applicator kind of a brush.  As you read on down you will notice that one of those birds would be killed.  The blood of that bird ran down into that earthen vessel that had been filled with water.  The dead bird is a picture of the death and burial of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Then the priest would apply the blood of the dead bird to the wings of the living bird and then would go into an open place, an open field, and would let the living bird loose.  That living bird would fly toward heaven, picturing the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.  A picture that cleansing was made possible based on the shedding of blood.  If you will study all through the scriptures, you will find this principle is consistent - “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.”  There is power in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ shed on Calvary for our sins.

 

Sometimes dry cleaners advertise that they have a new ingredient that will clean all kinds of stains from clothing.  The only ingredient that can cleanse sin stains from the human heart is the blood of Jesus.

 

There may be someone thinking, “But Pastor Frank, you don’t know how deep my sin is.”  No, I do not, but I do know the blood of Jesus goes deeper.  You say, “But, you don’t understand.  My sin has gone too far.”  No, I do not know how far you have gone in your sin, but I do know that the blood of Jesus has gone farther.  You say, “Oh, Pastor Frank, my sin is so serious.”  Friend, all sin is serious, but the blood of Jesus Christ is more serious than all your sin.  He has paid the price for your sins in the shedding of His blood.  You can go to Christ and be cleansed of all your sins, no matter what those sins may be.  The Bible says, “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from [ALL] sins.”

 

THAT BLOOD THAT CLEANSES ALSO KEEPS US IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

 

Jesus was about to ascend back into Heaven to take His rightful place back at His Father’s right hand.  He knew his disciples and other believers were going to be facing some very difficult days.  Many of them had been by His side faithfully for a long time listening to Him as He taught them the things of God.  Now they felt they were going to be on their own because He was leaving them behind.  However, nothing could have been further from the truth.  Jesus told Philip in John 14:12 “He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.  And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it.  If ye love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever;  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you.  And shall be in you.”  Then Jesus said in verse 27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

 

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, you have the Holy Spirit – The Comforter – living in your heart to lead and guide you in all truth, give you peace, and calm your troubled heart.  No matter what you face, there is hope because Jesus is with you and knows all that is happening by and through the Holy Spirit who is making intercession for you.  You could never be safer or in better hands than in the Lord’s hands.  Do not lose hope!

 

Verse 7 says “And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times.”  Not only was there shed blood, but also the blood had to be sprinkled.  The blood had to be applied.  What does that mean to you and me?  You see, it is not enough that Jesus died on the cross for your sins.  You must by faith, personally receive the benefit of what Christ did on that cross for your sins.  The blood must be applied by faith.

 

Would you like to have that blood applied to your life by faith in the Lord?  When you go to Jesus Christ in prayer and confess to Him that you are a sinner, and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and ask Him by faith to come into your heart and into your life, that is when the blood of Christ is applied to your soul by God.  Then Jesus said to that leper, “You go for a testimony unto them.”  

 

I like to imagine how it must have been the day that cleansed leper went to the priest.  He had never seen one of these cases before.  I can almost hear him when he went home for supper that night.  He says to his friends, “I have seen something today I have never seen in all of my life.  I have seen a hopeless case changed.  I have seen a leper cleansed and made whole.”  “How did it happen?”   “He said that a man named Jesus touched him and when He did his leprosy was gone.”

 

Do you not think it is about time some of you gave a testimony to what Jesus can do for you?  Do you not think there are some of you who publicly need to declare your faith in the Lord Jesus? 

 

THERE IS HOPE FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE SAVIOR.

THERE IS HOPE FOR THOSE WHO NEED THE SAVIOR.

 

THERE IS HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS

 

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Be sure and go to Sunday School and Worship Service and listen to your Pastor preach the Word this Sunday and do not forget to TITHE from your gross income – that is your first fruits.  Honor the Lord in all you do.  Remember everything you have and are belongs to the Lord and on loan to you – so manage it well!