Friday 10/19/12 One Way

Dear Father in Heaven, forgive us of our sins this day so we may start fresh, and Father, hear these words of praise this day.  For the man we prayed for that was hit by a car in Florida, thanks to Your healing hand, he is headed home to Pennsylvania, please keep Your hand upon him in travel as he rehabs at home.  Also for bringing Cindy through arm surgery and she is on the mend, all glory and  honor to You, dear Lord, in all healing.  Thanks for always hearing our prayers.  Thanks again for our daily needs and taking care of us.  Thanks for watching over this line, please keep it free of bugs or whatever things that cause the crashes on computers.  I love You, Jesus, and I pray in Your name, Jesus.  Amen.

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to SALVATION FRIDAY on this line.  Thanks for reading and being part of each day with us.  Remember, two weeks from today Carry The Light Ministries is having dedication of Santa's House and rededication of our food pantry.  The time of the dedication is 6:00 PM.  Please arrive early, and then hang out, no need to cook as we will be serving up hotdogs,  hamburger BBQ and turkey chili corn carney (no misspelling, there is some corn in my chili).  Plus we will have cakes and pies, coffee, water, and soda.  This event will go REGARDLESS OF WEATHER.  The Southern Location of the North Pole is 16 Dewalt Dr., Mechanicsburg, PA  17050.

Prayer list today, for Stanley (stroke), Luella (needs full care in nursing home).  Beverly (depression), Michael (marriage problems).  Beth and Craig (for a healthy baby which is due very soon).  Beth is the daughter of Grant and Wanda Crockett from our ministry team!  For Vicki (who has a plate full of health issues).  Also being Salvation Friday we need to pray for all the unsaved and pray that God will use us who are saved to help bring in the lost.  Also on Friday we pray for all those who are working the mission fields.

Starting Monday we will have a food drop off point at the AACA Museum, 161 Museum Drive, Hershey.  An antique pickup truck is in the lobby for both food and toys.  Last year we emptied the truck four times.  This truck will remain in place until December 23rd.  Now for the message.

One way!  10/19/12.

John 14:6 - Jesus answered "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  (NIV)

I am sure you heard about the young man who was driving on a one way street and going the wrong direction.  A police officer stopped the young man and said, "Do you know this is a one way street?"  The young man gave this answer to the police officer, "Sir, I was only going one way!"  And of course at that point Officer Friendly got out his ticket book ... NO, I was not the young man, thank you!!

You know, in life, we get lots of choices, lots of them, and we must all make those choices and then after they are made, we must live with our choice.  Sometimes the choices are hard, and like my example, may have to do with traffic.  Sometimes we are in the wrong lane and say we want to go straight but find ourselves in a right turn only lane.  Some people choose to hold up traffic while they make a correction and have others wait and cause a safety problem, while others will go around the block and make a safe correction.  Sometimes it might be a wrong line at the checkout counter.  You get in the short line and something happens to the only person ahead of you and price checks are needed, etc.  The longer line moved out right away.  We have choices of lots of things, after all, we live in a free country!  (Except when it comes to paying taxes.)  The truth is, there is not a lot we do not have a choice in.  Someone once said we only need to do two things in life, pay taxes and die!  Let me put an end to that.  In life we have lots of choices but one is that we DO NOT NEED TO DIE.  We even have a choice there.  We can choose between Jesus and eternal life, or sin and really die.  As for the part about taxes, well, if you are going to buy anything, you are going to pay taxes on it.

Now let me go back to the "one way signs."  On the road they are going to be pointing one way or the other, but always either to your left or to your right.  Or straight ahead or if you are going the wrong way, they are pointed behind you.  Now I want you to take that one way sign and do this with paper if you want, point one up and one down.  Getting my message?  On the side of our van we use when singing, we have one way arrows on each side and they point up.  In the middle it states "one way".  Of course our one way is to go to heaven.  Again here you are free to make your very own choice.  You can go "up to heaven" or "down to hell".  No other choice when it comes to the end of our time here on earth.  Now here we go again with the one way thing.  Listen to me here.  Listen up, folks.

If we really do want to go to heaven, it is a ONE WAY choice again.  One way, and here it is from the Bible ...

John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

You do see it, right?  Jesus answered, and while He was talking to Thomas and His disciples, we know that we are the disciples of today (some of you even have the name Thomas).  So let me state it this way.

Jesus said to all of us:  "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  And folks, as far as I am concerned, the way I see it, it is not just to be saved, no, it is when we pray, do we talk straight to the Father?  Yes, for Jesus did teach us the Lord's prayer and it starts with Our Father Who Art In Heaven.  However, He also told us that the only way to the Father is through Him.  So when you are calling on the Father, please be sure to send it "home to the Father, through His Son Jesus".  For He, Jesus, is the one and only way to the Father, He is our one way sign pointed up.  And brothers and sisters, Jesus still answers prayers, sometimes we forget to listen and sometimes He tells us NO, and sometimes it might take more than one prayer, but please remember this part of it ... THY WILL BE DONE!  For even when Jesus prayed the night before He was put to death, He prayed to His Father, our Father in Heaven, "Thy will be done."

Not saved today?  You can start by going with we who are saved to prayer asking Jesus to talk to His Father about us, and inviting Jesus into your heart and life and to live for Him daily in all you do.  Not just saying I love You, Jesus, but by working with Him and having faith in what you are praying and doing.  Let's go to prayer.

Dear Father in Heaven, I am a sinner, needing Your touch and the Blood of Your Son Jesus to wash me clean.  Wash me, Lord, wash me clean and help me repent and work for You.  I love You, Jesus, and I pray each day I will walk with You.  I pray today in the wonderful name of Jesus, the one who died for me.  Thanks, Jesus, I love You, Jesus, and I pray in Your name, Jesus.  Amen.

Hey, go forth and have a great weekend, enjoy it and walk with our Lord Jesus, and please, please, share your blessings that have been given unto you.  You do remember that when you give in faith, truly give in faith, your giving will be rewarded by our Lord Jesus.  In faith, and only in faith, you can test Him on this one.  Love ya Pastor Dan.

See you on Monday.