Thanks for joining us at The Feast of the Lord! To learn more about our church, or to find out how to discover your purpose, visit us online at https://www.orangeburgchurch.com

Here are the sermon notes from this week:

Voices in My Head Pt. 2

*- What can thoughts in our heads cause in our lives if we entertain them?

10 He Who disciplines and instructs the nations, shall He not punish, He Who teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vain (empty and futile—only a breath).
*- vain: worthless; that which is of no value, use, or profit.

12 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law,
*- God’s Word, the Holy Bible, teaches us how to be disciplined and instructs us, so we don’t need the voices in our heads…

*- What is an enormous benefit to the Bible’s teaching, discipline, and instruction?
13 That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.
Psalm 94:10-13 AMPC
*- God entrusts supernatural calming power to those who are taught, disciplined, and instructed by His Word.

112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, even to the end.
113 I hate the thoughts of undecided [in religion], double-minded people, but Your law do I love.
Psalm 119:112-113 AMPC
*- double-minded: divided, half-hearted (in a religious sense); divided (in mind), i.e. (concretely) a skeptic thought.

The thoughts of the wicked are shamefully vile and exceedingly offensive to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasing words to Him.
Proverbs 15:26 AMPC
*- God hates the idolatrous thoughts of the wicked, even before the thoughts become words or actions.
*- The thoughts of the wicked are idolatrous because wicked people worship (deeply respect, love) and obey thoughts that oppose God’s will and Word.

The thoughts of the [steadily] diligent tend only to plenteousness, but everyone who is impatient and hasty hastens only to want.
Proverbs 21:5 AMPC
*- thoughts: plans, purpose
*- diligent: constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything
*- plenteousness: abundance, gain, profit
*- hastens to want: rushes to poverty

Lifework Assignment:
When you're unsure or can't remember a relevant scripture in a challenging situation, seek the Holy Spirit's guidance to reveal God's thoughts on your current circumstances.

Thank you for joining us at The Feast of the Lord! To learn more about our church or to find how to discover your purpose, visit us online at www.orangeburgchurch.com

Here are the sermon notes:

Voices in My Head

28 And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.
29 He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus.
30 But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]!
31 Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
Matthew 14:28-31 AMPC
*- doubt: hesitate
When I said, My foot is slipping, Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, held me up.
Psalm 94:18 AMPC

So Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn].
John 5:19 AMPC
*- In Matthew 14:31, Jesus mirrored the action attributed to His Father in Psalm 94:18.
In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!
Psalm 94:19 AMPC
*- These verses in Psalms appear to directly prophesy Peter's struggle with his thoughts while walking on water.

*- How can we stop hearing voices in our heads?
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8 KJV
*- “Neurological science has demonstrated that the human brain is incapable of focusing on two things at once.” -MIT Sloan Management Review
*- The voices in our heads prove we are listening instead of thinking. When we consciously think as Philippians 4:8 commands, the voices must cease.

4 When he has brought his own sheep outside, he walks on before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 They will never [on any account] follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers or recognize their call.
27 The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.
John 10:4-5,27 AMPC

8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 AMPC

Lifework Assignment:
Stop listening to and ultimately obeying random voices in your head, including your own.
Prayerfully, obediently, and consciously think only according to instructions in the scriptures.

Happy Resurrection Sunday! Thanks for joining us at The Feast of the Lord!

To learn more about our church, or to find out how to discover your purpose, visit us online at www.orangeburgchurch.com

Here are the notes from this message:

Why Jesus Prayed (Resurrection Sunday)

5 So too Christ (the Messiah) did not exalt Himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed and exalted by Him Who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have begotten You;
6 As He says also in another place, You are a Priest [appointed] forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek.

7 In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety, in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the Father].
8 Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered
Hebrews 5:5-8 AMPC

Lifework Assignment:
Pray according to your every want and need, using all of your strength and emotions toward God, not out of doubt, but out of desperate need for His miracles in your life.
Always pray while fearing God reverently and because you know He is able to save/rescue you from anything!

We believe that deep, lasting change happens in the context of relationships. Join us as we discover the small group offerings here at The Feast of the Lord— part 2!

To learn more about our church, or to find out how to discover your purpose, visit us online at https://www.orangeburgchuch.com

Thanks for joining us at The Feast of the Lord. Made with ♥ in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

We believe that deep, lasting change happens in the context of relationships. Join us as we discover the small group offerings here at The Feast of the Lord.

To learn more about our church, or to find out how to discover your purpose, visit us online at www.orangeburgchuch.com

Thanks for joining us at The Feast of the Lord. Made with ♥ in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Here are the notes from this message:

What’s Back There?

12 And the [two] men asked Lot, Have you any others here—sons-in-law or your sons or your daughters? Whomever you have in the city, bring them out of this place,
13 For we will spoil and destroy [Sodom]; for the outcry and shriek against its people has grown great before the Lord, and He has sent us to destroy it.

14 And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will spoil and destroy this city! But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be [only] joking.
15 When morning came, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, Arise, take your wife and two daughters who are here [and be off], lest you [too] be consumed and swept away in the iniquity and punishment of the city.

16 But while he lingered, the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, for the Lord was merciful to him; and they brought him forth and set him outside the city and left him there.
17 And when they had brought them forth, they said, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you or stop anywhere in the whole valley; escape to the mountains [of Moab], lest you be consumed.
Genesis 19:12-17 AMPC

23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens.
25 He overthrew, destroyed, and ended those cities, and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Genesis 19:23-26 AMPC

What’s Back There?

*- God placed nothing in our past for us.

28 So also [it was the same] as it was in the days of Lot. [People] ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
29 But on the [very] day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all.
30 That is the way it will be on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

31 On that day let him who is on the housetop, with his belongings in the house, not come down [and go inside] to carry them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back.
32 Remember Lot’s wife!
33 Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve and [a]quicken it.
Luke 17:28-33 AMPC

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
*- If you want to go F.A.R., forget and reach! Both are required for success.
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 KJV
*- Press: of one who in a race runs swiftly to reach the goal

61 Another also said, I will follow You, Lord, and become Your disciple and side with Your party; but let me first say good-bye to those at my home.
62 Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:61-62 AMPC

Lifework Assignment:
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you why you like to refer to your past or other people’s past.
2. Once the reasons are revealed, realize that you must change your way and focus of thinking.
3. Stop looking back because what’s back there is not for you.

Thanks for joining us at The Feast of the Lord. Made with ♥ in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Here are the notes from this message:

*- People aren’t inherently bad or good because evil and righteousness are both learned behaviors. What is inherent is the ability to choose.

23 Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches;
24 But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 AMPC
*- God judges because He enjoys judging everyone.

*- Why does God take pleasure in judging people?
Far be it from You to do such a thing—to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as do the wicked! Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth execute judgment and do righteously?
Genesis 18:25 AMPC
*- God wants everyone to be judged fairly and righteously, and that’s why He is the ultimate Judge.

*- Why are people in this world so corrupt and unapologetically evil?
Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the hearts of the sons of men are fully set to do evil.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 AMPC

*- How does God judge?
Now will I shortly pour out My wrath upon you and finish spending My anger against you, and I will judge you according to your ways and will recompense you with punishment for all your abominations.
Ezekiel 7:8 AMPC
*- God judges us according to how our ways differ from or are in accordance with His Word, the Holy Bible.

4 I said to the arrogant and boastful, Deal not arrogantly [do not boast]; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn [of personal aggrandizement].
5 Lift not up your [aggressive] horn on high, speak not with a stiff neck and insolent arrogance.
6 For not from the east nor from the west nor from the south come promotion and lifting up.
7 But God is the Judge! He puts down one and lifts up another.
Psalm 75:4-7 AMPC
*- God’s judgment decides who receives a promotion.

For the time [has arrived] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be] the end of those who do not respect or believe or obey the good news (the Gospel) of God?
1 Peter 4:17 AMPC
*- God always judges His own first. Therefore, before God judges you, it’s always best to ask Him if you acted according to His will in the situation He will surely judge.

Lifework Assignment:
1. Get alone, and ask God to judge your life.
2. Type or write what the Holy Spirit says to you.
3. Ask the Holy Spirit how to correct any wrongdoing that has led to God's judgment in your life.
4. Repent and correct (admit your ways are wrong, stop sinning, and do what God says is right).

Thanks for joining us at The Feast of the Lord! To learn more about our church, or to find out how you can discover your purpose, visit us online at www.orangeburgchurch.com

Here are the notes from this message:

By Appointment Only
1 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt:
2 You only have I known (chosen, sympathized with, and loved) of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your wickedness and punish you for all your iniquities.

3 Do two walk together except they make an appointment and have agreed?
*- Which one of the two agrees with God?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den if he has taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth where there is no trap for him? Does a trap spring up from the ground when nothing at all has sprung it?

6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be alarmed and afraid? Shall misfortune or evil occur [as punishment] and the Lord has not caused it?
7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?
Amos 3:1-8 AMPC
*- Those who hear what God is saying now can’t help but prophesy.

1 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?
2 As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:
3 So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.
Job 7:1-3 KJV
*- How can we know if a trial is appointed or unnecessary?

*- How can we know if a trial is appointed or unnecessary?
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
John 16:33 AMPC
For His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime or in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5 AMPC
*- We will have trials, guaranteed. We will also have power over the trial with added joy!

27 And just as it is appointed for [all] men once to die, and after that the [certain] judgment,
28 Even so it is that Christ, having been offered to take upon Himself and bear as a burden the sins of many once and once for all, will appear a second time, not to carry any burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to bring to full salvation those who are [eagerly, constantly, and patiently] waiting for and expecting Him.
Hebrews 9:27-28 AMPC
*- appointed: [the time of death is] awaiting him or her [to arrive there]

Lifework Assignment:
1. Time belongs to God, not Jesus, the angels, or us. Therefore, never pray according to time because God appoints the time for all we receive, whether a blessing or death.
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to appropriately respond to God during each of your appointments in life.

Thanks for joining us at The Feast of the Lord! To find out more about our church, or to discover more about fulfilling your purpose, visit us online at www.orangeburgchurch.com.

Here are the message notes for this sermon:

Are we fully aware of what angers God?
*- Demons using us to undo what God has done.
*- Why do we think Jesus came to Earth and performed miracles?
[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].
1 John 3:8 AMPC
*- Jesus’ reason for performing miracles is the same for us performing them — to undo devils’ works.

6 For a [heathen and hostile] nation [of locusts, illustrative of a human foe] has invaded My land, mighty and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jaw teeth of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste My vine [symbol of God’s people] and barked and broken My fig tree; it has made them completely bare and thrown them down; their branches are made white.
Joel 1:6-7 AMPC
*- The vine in this verse represents God’s people, and the fig tree represents Israel.
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
Hosea 9:10 KJV

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Matthew 24:30-33 KJV
*- Jesus referred to the fig tree in reference to His return because the fig tree represents Israel.

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
2 Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.
3 For, note well, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will release from captivity My people Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.
Jeremiah 30:1-3 AMPC

*- God promised Israel that they would be their own state, but HAMAS continues fighting to overtake Israel to join the two states as one, with HAMAS controlling Israel. That’s not what God promised

*- What does the acronym H.A.M.A.S. mean? Ḥarakah al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, meaning "Islamic Resistance Movement"
*- H.A.M.A.S. was founded in 1987. The ancient Hebrew word, ḥă·mas, means: cruelty, damage, false, injustice, oppressor, unrighteous, violence (against, done)
*- When we see evil happening to Israel, that’s when Jesus said He’ll be at the door of His return.

Lifework Assignment:
Stay tuned to News Channels about Israel to become more aware of how close we are to Jesus’ return, and pray for Israel.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper who love you [the Holy City]!
7 May peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces!
Psalm 122:6-7 AMPC

Thanks for joining us at The Feast of the Lord! To find out more about our church, or to discover more about fulfilling your purpose, visit us online at www.orangeburgchurch.com

Here are the messages notes for this sermon:

*- Why are so many evil actions done on Earth, and why won’t God exterminate wicked ways?
God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.
Genesis 1:26 AMPC
*- God gave us free will to choose whatever we want to do because He wants us to freely and wholeheartedly choose to love and obey Him.

*- What does God plan to do about all of the evil and sin in the world because it’s getting worse?!
*- Why are virtually all the events Jesus said would occur before He returns of a negative nature?

When Are We Leaving?

*- The negative nature is prophetic, noting how unrestrained sin will look and how nature will respond to God’s dissatisfaction. God, our loving Father, plans to rescue us from Earth’s increasing evil as sin becomes more normalized and legalized. Also, the approaching gloomy events are prophetic judgments on sin. Hopefully, people will now return to God. Jesus’ teachings about the end times serve as warnings and preparation to strengthen our faith, encourage us to persevere, and prepare to be ready for His return.

*- Since God won’t stop evil on the earth, how does He plan to rescue us?
51 Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed)
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed).
53 For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us, this nature that is capable of dying] must put on immortality (freedom from death).
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 AMPC

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord!
18 Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 AMPC

*- When will God reach His limit of tolerating sin on Earth and instruct Jesus to return for us?
And He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world
1 John 2:2 AMPC
*- propitiation: the means of appeasing (calming God’s anger) which restored (and still restores) man’s relationship back to God.

Lifework Assignment:
Make a list of ten people who you’ll commit to share this message with.
Go to youtube.com/TheFeastoftheLord to copy today’s link after 5:00 PM today.
Be brief and persuasive, explaining why they should engage with this message.
Also, share this message in conversation with people in your life because we want people to go to Heaven.