The Truth Church

The minister preaches from Deuteronomy 28, a passage he calls one of the most difficult in the Torah. He notes the severe curses—pestilence, failed crops, enemy occupation, madness, and even parents eating their own children. The key question is what sin could warrant such horror. He points to verse 47: "Because thou servest not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things." The curses come not from failing to obey every command, but from serving God without happiness. The minister traces the connection back to the Garden of Eden, where God gave Adam and Eve every tree to enjoy, but they focused on the one forbidden tree. Their sin was dissatisfaction—having 99.9% of everything but craving the 0.1% that was not theirs. The antidote, he teaches, is "hakarat hatov"—recognition of the good. Happiness does not come automatically from having good things; it requires being consciously aware of God's goodness and thanking Him for it. He illustrates this with the law of bikurim (firstfruits), where the farmer recites Israel's history to recognize his blessing and then rejoices with the Levite and the stranger. The minister applies this to believers today: ingratitude and grumbling bring a cursed existence; gratitude and joy in every circumstance bring life. He closes by pointing to Jesus singing a psalm on the night of His betrayal, showing that joy is not dependent on circumstances.

Pastor Hilton preaches on the biblical significance of dreams, arguing that they are not merely fleeting subconscious experiences but primary means by which God communicates His purpose and plan. He grounds this in Job 33:14-17, where God speaks in dreams and visions to open the ears of men and seal instruction. The message distinguishes between ordinary dreamers and God’s prophets, citing Numbers 12:6, where the Lord declares He makes Himself known to prophets through visions and dreams. A true prophet, Pastor Hilton explains, does not speak by human will but as moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21), and carries a mandate to faithfully declare the dream God has given (Jeremiah 23:28). He illustrates this through the story of Jacob, who after years of labor under Laban received a dream revealing his future prosperity. In that dream, an angel showed Jacob that the spotted and speckled livestock were his inheritance—a message God commanded him to see and act upon. Jacob then carved peeled rods with corresponding patterns and placed them before the flocks at watering troughs, visually imprinting the dream so that the animals would reproduce according to that vision. Pastor Hilton applies this as a metaphor for spiritual leadership: the pastor repeatedly sets before the congregation the imagery of God's dream for them, even when they struggle to perceive or remember it. He concludes by exhorting the congregation to recover the dreams they have buried or dismissed as childish fantasy, insisting that God has not forgotten His promises and is ready to restore them.

The minister uses Matthew 20 and Isaiah 66 to convey that revival has already arrived, and the church must shift from waiting to active labor. In Matthew 20, the vineyard owner hires workers at different hours, teaching that all who enter God's kingdom receive eternal life, but those who come early have more time to work. The minister likens this to childbirth: preparation, labor, and the sudden birth of a baby. Just as a hospital room is prepared and a mother labors, the church must prepare for the birth of revival, which is already here. Using the analogy of his own newborn, the minister explains that once the baby is born, the cord is cut—the new believer is no longer sustained by the old life but must be nurtured by the church. The church must clean, feed, and strengthen these spiritual babies, teaching them to walk. The minister emphasizes that the harvest is plentiful and laborers are few, citing Luke 10:2. He calls every believer to be a laborer, equipped with spiritual gifts as described in 1 Corinthians 12. The devil will attack, but believers have power over him. The minister testifies that God heals and fills with the Holy Ghost, urging the congregation to put action behind their faith, believing that what God says is already done, and to go into the city as lambs among wolves, bringing the kingdom of God near.

Reverend Merriman preaches on the necessity of coupling faith with action, arguing that faith without works is dead. He takes his text from James 2:17-18, where the apostle insists that genuine faith is demonstrated by what a person does. The sermon contends that many believers intellectually affirm that God is a healer and a miracle-worker, but their faith remains inactive—and therefore lifeless. To illustrate the point, the preacher uses three Old Testament examples: Joshua’s army marching around Jericho, which looked foolish but brought down the walls; King Joash striking the ground with arrows, who stopped after three strikes and thereby limited his victory; and Naaman the leper, who was angry at the prophet’s simple instruction to dip in the Jordan seven times, yet was healed only after he obeyed. The central spiritual purpose is to move hearers from passive belief to active, risky obedience—what the preacher calls 'foolish faith.' The sermon climaxes with an altar call, inviting those with desperate situations to come forward and, by a symbolic act of turning around, demonstrate their faith that God has already turned their circumstance. The message is a direct call to activate faith through concrete, even embarrassing, acts of obedience, trusting that God will honour the step.

The minister examines Psalm 52, which David wrote after his encounter with Doeg the Edomite. Doeg observed David receiving help from the priest Ahimelech, then reported it to King Saul, leading to the slaughter of 85 priests. David realized his own lies contributed to this tragedy, prompting his repentance. The minister contrasts David’s desire to be like a green olive tree in God’s house with the wicked who are like a green bay tree that produces no fruit. The olive tree symbolizes endurance, renewal, and fruitfulness; even when cut down, it can regrow from its root system. The minister highlights Psalm 84, noting that it is better to be a doorkeeper in God’s house than to dwell in wickedness. He references the sons of Korah, who, despite their father’s rebellion, chose to serve faithfully. The valley of Baca represents weeping and spiritual dryness, but those who pass through it can find wells and refreshing rain, going from strength to strength. The minister emphasizes that being planted in God’s house provides safety, purpose, and the ability to bear fruit even in old age. He points to Asaph, who regained perspective only after entering the sanctuary. The message calls believers to commit to the house of God, trust in the pruning process that leads to new growth, and find that God’s way is perfect, offering restoration and blessing to all who remain planted.