FROM GETHSEMANE TO GOLGOTHA
https://boxcast.tv/channel/yuyyyftbksyppzhnl3il?b=qanxrowxxsx4ic0emlsm
Pastor Wayne Edwards of Heritage Baptist Church, Georgia USA, turns his gaze on Easter in his sermons this week and next. The Service starts immediately on clicking the link above. Do not fail to read the news stories compiled by Pastor Wayne following at the bottom of the introduction.
Gibber! Gibber!
Chugley
March 22, 2024
Dear Heritage Family,
In 1970, cartoonist Walt Kelly penned the phrase, “We have met the enemy, and he is us!” While Kelly’s words were regarding how badly humankind had trashed the earth, I think the same expression could be used to describe how shoddily church leaders have treated the Holy Scriptures, especially regarding the events of the final week of Jesus’ life. Sadly, none of the “religious” events the church has attached to it over the years have anything to do with the God-planned purpose for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When the Scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign to prove He was the Messiah, He told them, “No sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39-40) Of course, liberal theologians say the date and times of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection aren’t important, it’s what those events mean to us today. It’s okay to say Jesus was crucified and buried on Friday evening and that He was raised from the grave on Sunday morning, even though that is not what the Bible says, nor is it possible to get what Jesus said was the primary evidence of His deity within that time frame.
Beloved, it is crucial to understand that for Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, He had to be not only spotless and without blemish, which He was, but according to 1 Corinthians 5:7, He also had to fulfill the pattern of the Law to the fullest, which He did. For at the exact same time the Jewish Priests were sacrificing the Passover lambs for the people, commemorating God’s deliverance of their forefathers from Egypt, God was sacrificing His Lamb to deliver us from our sins, and our bondage to sin, and that event occurred on Wednesday, Nisan 13, at 3:00 PM.
This is the most significant week in human history: the time and the place where Jesus proved Himself to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And yet, in 325 A.D., the religious leaders decided it was okay to adjust the timing of the most important event in human history to fit in with the worldly celebrations of the first day of spring. That very unwise decision diminished the spiritual significance of the resurrection to the point that the celebration became more important than the resurrection, which is why that holy event that purchased our eternal salvation is connected to a worldly event called “Easter.” Really?
This Sunday, we will break from our sermon series on the Pillar and Ground of Truth to set the record straight regarding the last week of our Lord’s life upon this earth. In this sermon, we will walk with Jesus, step by step, from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Hill called Golgotha. If you view the sermon on our website, www.theheritagechurch.org, you may click on the sermon title on the second page and find the sermon study guide in another format.
THANK YOU FOR FORWARDING THESE STUDY GUIDES TO OTHERS.
—
Wayne J. and Linda J. Edwards
PO Box 766
Perry, GA 31069
706-599-3966
PASTOR WAYNE’S NEWS STORIES:
March 23, 2024
Everywhere we turn today, we face the “DEI” agenda.
· “Diversity” refers to the representation of people from a variety of backgrounds – particularly referring to people of different races, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, religions, and more.
· “Equity” focuses on fairness and justice, particularly regarding compensation and whether people are being paid or treated fairly.
· “Inclusion” is about whether people feel like they belong, feel heard or valued in an organization.
DEI has its roots in the 1960’s anti-discrimination legislative movement when laws like the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 addressed labor issues relative to certain classes of people. The DEI movement stems from these efforts to continue to create equitable workplaces and schools.
However, the Government has now added the WOTC, The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which is given to corporations that hire people in certain categories. Once hired using the DEI principle, the corporation gets a $10,000 per person per year tax subsidy. For example, according to one report, Tyson Foods just fired 1200 Americans and will replace them with 5200 illegals. How many other companies will follow suit?
However, the DEI policies have been linked to a series of airplane malfunctions and failures, endangering thousands of lives. They are now being challenged by the medical profession, which, by its own ethical standards, not only requires but demands excellence, and not only from the doctors, but from all who assist them in any way. One doctor referred to DEI as the “cancer” on today’s medical profession.
Whatever happened to “merit-based” employment? My first “paying” job was bagging groceries and delivering them to customer’s car. (50-cents per hour) My boss had the right to tell me how to dress, and if I wanted a raise, I needed to impress him with my work. If I wanted a “tip,” I needed to impress the customers with my care of their groceries – “bread on the top,” and to always thank them for shopping with us. Even though I’ve never been the brightest bulb in the chandelier, I’ve never been turned down for any position of employment I’ve applied for. As one of my references wrote, “What Wayne lacks in knowledge, abilities, and skills, he will make up in his desire to do a great job!”
Whatever happened to Martin Luther King’s dream of a nation where people “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Perhaps we should adapt the word “color” to include the vert “classes” of people the DEI agenda is trying to protect, for it is just such “race, gender, or sexual” biases by the Government that fosters jealousy against those who are advanced, not by their merit, but despite their inability to do the job, and their unwillingness to pay the same price of success as the rest of us. And yet, they want the same rate of pay as those who have earned it.
I believe in giving every person an opportunity to do whatever work they are interested in and are willing to be trained and equipped to do. I believe their advancement should be based upon their achievements, including their understanding that they are working to make the company successful, not that the company owes them a job, or is required to advance them because of their “class!” By doing so, the Government that is forcing the company to hire and advance them is just setting the people up for personal failure in the future, for unless it is renewed, this DEI experiment will end in 2025.
Mistakes at a low-level-entry job are expected, and they can be corrected. Bolts that are left off an airplane are inexcusable. Surgeries that are performed by those who have watched the videos can be irreversible, and foods cooked by those who have to be told to wash their hands after using the restroom can be deadly.
In Ecclesiastes 9:10, and in Colossians 3:23, the Bible says: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” In other words, our WORK ETHIC on the job is the same as our WORSHIP ETHIC when we worship God, and while Government should certainly mandate some equitable guidelines, each laborer should be “worthy of his hire!”
Please forward these news stories and articles on to those you think might be interested. PW
—
Wayne J. and Linda J. Edwards
PO Box 766
Perry, GA 31069
706-599-3966
wnledwards@gmail.com
