I've been thinking about the story of Ruth and I usually do this time of the year as we head towards Pentecost and we're still in the middle of our count. We're five weeks into our count. And you know, this is the same period of time that the book of Ruth takes place. And it is a beautiful story. And I think that most of you are aware that traditionally this book is read by the Jews during this at this feast. So why do the Jews read Ruth on the Feast of Weeks? I did look into that a few years ago.

We answer the question "why does God allow evil?" By examining how He can use calamity to accomplish His purpose of bringing many sons and daughters to glory.

It is interesting that the same questions come up within the church over and over- usually not on a point of doctrine. Why does this occur? One reason is that one of the characteristics of those who follow God’s way, is to follow the instructions of the Bible alone in determining doctrines and in determining which day is the Sabbath, and which are the Holy Days, what are the doctrines of the True Church, etc. Our observations are not based upon philosophy, human reasoning, or tradition but rather on what the Word of God says, and sometimes on what the Word of God does NOT say. So what does the bible say about the purpose of the New Moon?

The people of God are Brethren, we are family, we are His family. Whoever does the Will of the Father, are Jesus' and the Father's family. We are bound together in battle, under the leadership of the Captain of our Salvation. The battles are not finished yet, there are sufferings yet to come, but the Family of God that bands together, are prepared by Christ Jesus through the sufferings, to go to war with the True and Faithful as the armies of Heaven. What will this time bring, this time we have between now and the time of the Final Battle ? ....What we decide to make of it.

As is our tradition we try to have the Blessing of Children on the second Sabbath after the Feast of Tabernacles, in imitation of Christ lifting up the children into His arms and blessing them, as seen in the Gospels. This blessing is not only for the the children but also for the families, and is an example of God's blessing on His Royal Family, His Children that we may grow up int all things unto Him.

The Servants of God will be working with people for 1000 years as priests of God. Explaining to them the plan of God. How to live. How to love. How to be. Think about what it is going to be like for those people, especially at the beginning of this thousand-year period. They will have just experienced the most devastating time in human history. Man will have been at the brink of annihilation and they'll have been fighting against God without realizing it. And here they are alive. What are they going to need?

There are beginnings and endings in life. When the millennium is ushered in, what will God's people be doing, in this New Beginning? Comforting people who just went through the most devastating time in the history of man. Working with people, teaching people how to act, and how to love, and how to become part of the God Family.

The Feast of Trumpets an appointed Feast. The battle shout goes up. It is a call to battle, a call of gathering. It is a day of gladness, a memorial before our God. Numbers 10:10

In this world it is harder and harder to find joy. This makes it harder to connect with the Father and Jesus Christ, though the Holy Spirit. Life events that seem to keep us from finding joy, aren't always what we perceive them to be. What stands in the way? What is the root of the problem? The instructions for finding joy in all things is in the Word of God.

We see Benaiah's deeds carry with them symbols for us, symbols of overcoming the flesh, the physical pulls of your society and culture. Benaiah's deeds of strength and honor uncover lessons for us in doing the will of God.

This starts a series dealing with the third commandment. We get a general background of names and the importance of a name. We look at people whom God specifically named for the purpose prophecy, and even future name changes.

We are to understand that our choices are real. There are consequences for the decisions we make. You shall reap what you sow. When we talk about “you shall know someone by their fruits”- we are talking about the results of their decisions, their actions, their behavior. In Genesis 3, we are seeing the decision and the results, and it is literally about FRUIT!

We are at war! We have the best commander leading us. We will suffer through trials. We need to grow. Through His prophets, apostles and teachers, The LORD admonishes His people the times are upon us: to 'Sigh and cry', 'Do not pray for them', and 'Esteem others better than ourselves'. These compatible admonitions only come as a result of: Knowing the Word and Mind of God, Preparing for the times ahead as He implements these admonitions, and Learning to live peaceably with all men as much as we are able with the same gentle humility of our LORD and Commander .

For whatever reason, when we face some kind of a trial or difficulty, we should learn something from it. If nothing else, we should learn something about ourselves. Also God learns something about us in whatever we face. Reviewing our lives, and examining ourselves through difficulties is part of the process of moving and looking forward.

We are told like to Lot's wife there are things we should not be looking back, but in others, as Paul taught to the Corinthians there so some things that we need to be looking back on, even focusing on. What are the things of 2021 that we need to look back on, need to look on with joy.

Learning from and rejoicing in the tragedies of our lives is to learn to live our lives in a manner that impacts others in the way of God - that others would want to follow our example.

Thriving in an evil world is what our Father expects of us. Enduring doesn't mean curling up in a corner waiting for the storm to pass, but to push forward in a kinetic and active way. We are never alone. We need to walk according to God's Spirit, and there is nothing that can stop us. God wants us to thrive as lights in this dark and evil world.

Today we will conclude this six-part series on The Life of Abraham, by covering the final 38 years of his life following the death of his wife Sarah. There are still a number of lessons we can learn from those years. We will then conclude this series of sermons by looking at the legacy he left for all of us to follow and how that can help us in our journey of learning to live by faith as Abraham did.

In parts 3, 4 and now 5 the conclusion of Abraham's formative years we see what we know what Abraham became. He left the legacy of becoming The Father of the Faithful.

Today I will continue my series of sermons on the Life of Abraham. This will be part 4. Last time, in part 3, we began looking at his life after he departed Haran, at age 75 and we looked at the promise then made to Abraham at the beginning of his formative years. We then looked at how those promises carried on down to our time today, especially at they apply to Great Britain and The United States of America - to Abraham's modern-day descendants. Today, in part 4 we will look at the amazing events that are recorded in Genesis, chapters 13 and 14. As Abraham began to prosper, we will ask the question: "Which is more dangerous, prosperity or adversity?" - which is more threatening to an individual's spiritual growth? The answer is not what most of us would expect. As we will also see, both Abraham and his nephew Lot became very wealthy. Abraham then chose to go down to Egypt, while Lot chose to go to the land/Canaan. Who made the best choice and what did those lead to? We will discover the amazing answers to those questions and more today.