There's not one person that's not been tempted. A lot of times we like to give credit to the devil, "the devil made me do it". We like to blame not doing something that God told us to do on ignorance.

Sin is willing to pay whatever price to get in your life. John 10:10, sin is willing to and so will you. Are you willing to make the payment as well? Sin is just pleasurable for just a season. Our season take of a quarter of the year, the rest is another. This means that the rest of the sin payment is three quarters longer.

Sin is just a downward spiral. Sin will pull you down further and further.

Sin will always pull you away from God. There's a wedge, a distance between you and God. You may have created some distance but God ALWAYS knows what you're doing and watching. God isn't going anywhere so if there is distance, you've created it.

Sin will cause destruction. You might bend for a little while but sin will begin to tear and destroy your life. Homes, families, lives, churches have all been destroyed because of sin.

Sin will get rid of the Godly things. The bible will go, the studying, the praying, holiness, righteousness, church attendance, kindness, tender hearted, forgiveness to others, these are all things that will be cast out if you keep the sin in your life.

Sin will sit back and laugh at you when you're fighting for everything you've got. It will run off and leave you deserted.

Sin will get so great that you won't be able to get rid of it. You must give the sin to God and He will rid it for you.

Romans 6:23, death is the payment for sin. We play with sin like a live grenade.

There's a lot of people today that are a saved and in their way to Heaven but God is wanting you to change. The church has become satisfied with their salvation. God has a plan for each and every person. We all need to be broken by God because He is wanting to put you back together in the way He wants you to be. Just as Peter people come to church and witness from afar and never get close to God. Does the Word of God have authority in your life? You've got to apply the Word of God to your life.

A fountain can not bring forth sweet and bitter water at the same time. If your language is of the world, swearing and cussing then you've allowed the world into your heart. You're teaching the world Jesus is nothing to you. Just as the rudder on a massive ship is small but turn the entire ship, our tongue is small but can destroy your witness for God. The Word of God is quick and powerful! God knows your heart better than you do and He knows just how to convict you of your disgusting sin.

Have you ever done something that you know you shouldn't have done? Have you ever denied your savior? When God chastises us it hurts but it also hurts Him when we sin and when He has to chastise us for He loves us and wants us to do better. Just as a loving parent must chastise their children. Thank God for second chances. God could call you home after one time of a sinful act but He loves us and gives second chances.

How hard is it to go out into your community and invite your neighbors? Do you why some churches are dark and cold? Cause their members are not bringing the light with them.

There will be times that God will allow to come on us to simply change us. Sometimes God will allow you to struggle with it until you get to the point till you can't take it anymore and surrender to Him. Just as a butterfly is formed, there is a process to it. What once was a ugly worm will began to transform into a beautiful colorful butterfly. If you've been saved then you've been transformed by God to a beautiful being of Gods love.

When the going gets tough do you just give up? That's like reaching up and slapping God in the face saying you don't need it. Gods got something for you and it will help you. Don't sit and think that you need to wait for your turn. God wants to change you right now.

How near are you to the cross? God doesn't want you to view the cross from afar. He wants you to be within touching distance.

What do we see when we are near the cross?

Supplication. Luke 22:40-44, If praying is good enough for our savior then it's good enough for us. If we get close to the cross we will pray like we are suppose to. Prayer is not to inform God something of something. The purpose of prayer is relationship. We pray to work against temptation. Did you know that you won't get to the cross by accident? It's a deliberate decision that's made that you want to get closer. Strength comes near the cross while praying.

Submission. It no longer about you once you're at the cross. Phil 2:5-8, you've got to be willing to be a nobody. There is a lack of submission in the church today towards God. You're either being a helping hand or a hired hindrance. James 4:6-7, when you submit to God then the devil will leave you alone because he doesn't like the cross.

Suffering. If you take a stand for God then your suffering will be great but if you're next to the cross things get a whole lot better. Luke 24:25-26, Did Jesus not suffer during His scourging? As He got closer to His cross the suffering got worse.

Solitude. Jesus was by himself as He got closer to His cross. John 19:25, once there was a multitude as people would seek Him out and at the cross there was only 5. As long as He was feeding the five thousand the people would stick around. But then when He was dying for the sin of the world then the people left Him. When you get close to Jesus your so-called friends will begin to leave but you'll end up with just a few. Those few are usually the ones that are sold out to Jesus just as you. Do you feel like you're not being feed? It's a selfish excuse. It's not about you.

Sacrifice. We all want something for nothing. Heb 7:26-27, Jesus went to the cross and gave up His life on His own terms, an ultimate sacrifice that only He could do. That sacrifice was for us. Mark 10 speaks of a rich man that simply didn't know the gospel. Jesus explained to him about how to get to heaven. Jesus loved this man throughout their conversation. Jesus told him to basically deny himself and follow Him. But this rich man loved his stuff more than Jesus and couldn't do it. Not we do this same thing everyday but there is a difference and that's Salvation. If we have salvation then we know and should understand what we should do but we choose otherwise. You say you can't come to Sunday school cause it's too early but you'll get up to go to your place of work that's earlier.

Success. Eph 2:13, Jesus blood covers it all. What Jesus did at the cross was simply enough. Gal 2:20, His death should have been our death. It's about being born again and nothing else.

We've been content for too long. The further you get away from the cross the more heartache you'll have. Christ has NOT given up on you. Come back and reclaim your position near the cross.

We live in a time where people don't want to hear the name of the Lord. They want a feel good religious. According to the Word of God, the Word when it's presented it should cut away at the sin which is painful. If you can sit in the church house and the Word is presented and you feel alright, then there's something wrong. People don't want to bare up with the weight of God. They don't want to do the work that God has given them to do. People don't reverence God like they used to. The respect of God is lost in the newer generations.

Heb 4:12 the Word of God is needed as a discerner. We need more pulpits and less stages. We don't need to hear lies about how good we are, we need to hear of how we are but a sinner. You can pick up a bible at just about any place but folks don't want to read them. The attendance number doesn't make it a church.

2 Cron 7:14-15 worship can be done in silence. Praising is done with movement. We need a Word from God. If you get close to God it'll get to the point that you won't care what others think about you. Be careful of the services that you sit thru. If it takes material objects to make you move and the Word of God makes you simply sit, you've got it all wrong. The world is invading our churches all over.

Jer 6:16 we need to get it right. A pulpit, a man that's not afraid to preach it and call sin-sin, a congregation that won't compromise and call sin -sin. Seek out the old paths. We need to get to the root of the problem and get rid of it.

God will hear you when you call out to Him. Did you know that prayer is NEVER out of order? If God has called you to do something, do it and God will bless you. We should have a fear of God, not in fright but in who He is. So what's it take to have a revival? Stand in awe. The world has no reverence towards God but so has the church.

We will see a difference in our sin. Our view of our sin will be different. When our heart and attitude is right then it will defend from sin. No fruit means your not connected to the tree. People shouldn't have to wonder if you're saved or not. Many like to reason with God. If His word says it's wrong, then it's wrong. If you're standing in awe of God then you ain't got time to sin. Take inventory of who God is. How do you see your sin? Are you playing with it, living with it, about to cross over the line with it?

We will have confidence to trust God. What is it that you're holding back from God that you feel that you don't trust Him? Prov 3:5-6 this roles out of our lips good but does it reflect our life? All we need is for God to hear us cause once He's heard it, it's not yours anymore. Did you know that once you trust God then it's easier to obey Him?

We will see His goodness. Psa 34:8 The things that we used to beg for have become a common place. Two leave the church house and you can ask them how church was. One will say that service was the most awesome service they've ever been in. The other will say that it went okay. It's not about the music being good. It's not about the attendance being good. It's not even about whether the preaching was good.

We will experience joy in its fullness. Mat 2:10 there was no joy after being with King Herod however when they seen the star they had great joy. One should always expect God to great things and have a great joy about it. Mat 28:6-8 when we stand in front of our Lord it will bring joy that can not be contained.

We will know the peace of His presence. Phil 4:7 how can one have peace when hell is coming against us? It's not our battle to fight, it's Gods. John 14:27 God gave you himself and that's enough.

Annual communion and foot washing services being held at New Providence Primitive Baptist Church, June 2018.

Jesus was God in the flesh. Many don't want to accept the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh. They view Him as just a simple man. Jesus Christ is part of the third part of the Godhead. Unless you accept Jesus Christ as whom He is, you may have NO part of Him. All one has to do is just believe.

The communion service is just a representation of the broken flesh and bitter blood of Jesus Christ. When one partakes of the bread and wine they are saying that they accept Christ as being the Son of God. The only restrictions that we as our church has on the communion is that one must be born again to partake of it.

Jesus was born of a virgin, He walked sinless on earth and He was sacrificed for our sins. There has been NO other person that's done that. It's simple, one must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is the only way to Salvation.

Without the shedding of blood there can never be a remission of sin. In the Old Testament it was a rule that no one was to drink blood. Blood is life. Folks want to be talked to nicely, encouraged, strengthened and uplifted when they walk into a church.

The Old Testament was a dirty part of the bible that blood was given for sins. Many of animals were sacrificed time and time again as their blood poured out.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden an animal had to be sacrificed for its skin to cover their nakedness. Cain and Abel brought their sacrifice before God but only Abel was accepted because it was blood and was his best. Noah sacrificed the clean animals just as soon as he walked out onto dry land because he knew they had sinned and also God saved them. Abraham obeyed God and took his son Izaak to be sacrificed. When God knew Abraham was serious he stopped his hand and gave him a ram to be the sacrifice. Moses was told that on a certain day he was to take a perfect lamb, sacrifice it and use its blood to mark those houses that are believers in order to avoid death. Solomon had a 100,000 lambs sacrificed for the dedication of the temple of God.

Where is your sacrifice?

God has warned us about sin and that something has to die for it to be removed.

Then one night the shepards were told that a lamb was born and this spotless lamb would remove ALL the sins of the world forever more. We have the privilege to get on our hands and knees to pray to God just because Jesus was sacrificed for His blood. Before Jesus' ultimate sacrifice, we would not be allowed to do such a thing. Jesus Christ began His blood sacrifice in the garden for when He wept. He then was tortured and beat almost to death. Forced to carry a wooden cross thru town all the while being mocked and spat upon. He was then laid upon a cross and nailed to it and then stripped naked and rose to the sky for everyone to see. As the blood of His body drained out and He died, a soldier took his sword and pierced His side and blood and water flowed out. Once Christ was dead He took His own blood and presented it to His father as a worthy sacrifice for ALL.

Jesus warned us that we should prepare ourselves to eat and drink of His body. God commanded them to make offerings unto Him as an atonement of their sins. It's all a very serious thing. It wasn't but a few years ago people knew that God was serious. People young and old, saved and lost, respected who God was and still is today. The bible tells us in the beginning a certain man would come as a final atonement for ALL sins. Throughout the bible we read of this man.

The way to Heaven. Christ Himself said that He was going to prepare a place for Himself AND for us. There is but only one way to Heaven and that is thru Jesus Christ and NO other way, He Himself said this.

We often find ourselves complaining instead of giving thanks. There's never a time where we shouldn't praise God. In our darkest hour we should praise God. It's certainly easy to thank God during the good times. No matter what you'll go thru some sort of trouble in your life and when it comes, praise God. We should always rejoice because God has us in His hand and will never let us go. God never said we would live a life of ease. He in fact said that when the trials and troubles come, He would be there...ALWAYS. There are things that we must go thru, difficult things. God knows what you're going thru. God said that whatever suffering you're going thru is for your benefit. Whether we understand what we are going thru, it's always good thru Christ.