Welcome to our evening service tonight. We are glad that you are here. Our service tonight is a special one, as we are very happy that our brother, Pastor Frank DiDerno, and his wife, Clarissa, are here with us, and we have a sending service. And if you're not quite sure what that is, well, it's just a special recognition, as our brother and sister and family, they will be traveling down to Fredericton in order to work in the church that we have there. And we wanted, as a congregation, as our church is overseeing the work in Fredericton, that we would support them in our prayer and support them practically. And so that's the purpose of our meeting tonight. But we'll speak more about that a little bit later on. I want to begin our service in worshiping the Lord, number 587. If God before us And this is a good hymn that we might commit our brother and sister to the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. Let his mercy cheer. He sunders the bands that enthrall. And if God be for us, who can be against us? Let's stand, please, as we sing. And as we come to the final verse, I'm going to ask Brother Fraser if he'll make his way to the pulpit and lead us in our opening prayer tonight. Let's worship the Lord. Enjoy still, O Lord, the bread of mercy giv'n, The sun, which the brethren brought. We need but one, much to fear, God be for us, God be for us, God be for us, every instance through. When he goes astray, we'll be ready for a fight, and he will be our strength and stay. God be for us. God be for us. God be for us. God be for us. ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ If God be for us ♪ ♪ God be for us ♪ ♪ God be for us ♪ ♪ Lord, there be a rest for two ♪ ♪ Lord, there be a rest for two ♪ ♪ I give you my heart, secure in its control ♪ ♪ Till I never must give you up ♪ ♪ Till you walk on this earth with this trembling soul ♪ ♪ And never, never let me down ♪ ♪ And glory for us, glory for us, glory for us, glory for us ♪ Amen. You may be seated. Let us ask for God's blessing on us as we meet together. Let us pray. O Lord, our God, we give thee thanks for the privilege that is ours of being able to meet together in thy house on this Lord's Day evening. We thank thee for the blessing of having thy word in our hands, and that we're not left in heathen darkness or to the ignorance of foolish men who know not God, but that we have the light of life before us. We pray, Lord, that we would appreciate the wonder of thy grace and of thy mercy, and that thou has not left us to ourselves, but that thou has given us thy precious word, and that the gospel of saving grace has reached our hearts. And we pray, Lord, that as we bow before thee, that we would approach thy holy throne on the merit of thy well-beloved, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. with whom thou art well pleased, whose sacrifice has been accepted, and whose precious blood bleeds for us. We pray, Lord, that thou wouldst be with us as we worship thee tonight. May we do so with reverence and godly fear. We thank thee, Lord, for all the blessings that we enjoy at thy hand of a measure of health and strength. We pray for those who are going through times of need. We remember Dr. McClellan tonight, and we pray thy special blessing upon him. We pray thou wouldst undertake and overrule in all things, and we pray that thou wouldst bless him in the coming week. We also remember Reverend Bodnar, and we pray thy special blessing upon him at this time. We also remember those who are sick and suffering in our own congregation. We pray for our brother Ron. We remember our sister Serene. We pray for Ted and Isabel. We pray, Lord, for thy special blessing to be with Anna. And Lord, help us to acknowledge that thou art the God that knows the end from the beginning and art acquaint with all our ways and we cast ourselves afresh on thy mercy. We pray, Lord, for thy special blessing to be with us in this service. We thank thee for Frank and Clarissa and their family. We pray for thy special blessing upon them And we pray that thou wouldst be with them in all that lies ahead. Thou art the great God that has called a people out of all nations, languages, and tongues. And thou art the God that art ruling and reigning in thy cause and has promised, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We pray, Lord, for thy blessing to be with Frank and Clarissa and little Franco as they make their way to Fredericton. We pray for thy blessing upon them, pray that it's blessed the congregation there, and help us to ever be mindful of all thy mercy to us. May thy goodness lead us to repentance. We pray, Lord, now that thou wouldst help us to worship thee in the beauty of holiness. May we sing thy praise from the heart. May we meditate on thy truth. We pray that it's righted upon our hearts. We pray this in our Savior's precious name. Amen. Let's continue in our praise tonight, number 576. 576, we'll stand to sing. Above thine own ambitions here, another voice is sounding clear. Let's stand to sing. ♪ Above my hope and patience lay ♪ ♪ A loud voice is sounding clear ♪ ♪ Rise up, all of God to me ♪ ♪ All in my hope and follow me ♪ ♪ O come, O come, O come to Bethlehem ♪ ♪ Those who did the rest ♪ ♪ And with them he was very blessed ♪ ♪ Our God is so great ♪ ♪ How gracious, how gentle is he ♪ ♪ How holy was the Lamb who trod ♪ ♪ And with the blood flowed on with love ♪ O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, The rest of my life is history now, so to his loving face you see, I've set an empty hand in me. Oh, who I love! ♪ We look to Him for rest ♪ ♪ And pray to Him of every rest ♪ ♪ The Christ is life, so be the test ♪ ♪ For those who love and enjoy God's blessed ♪ ♪ To surrender all the way ♪ of whom we love. Of whom we love our God's name, thy name upon the earth ring, upon the altar of rest, and eternally, God's every gift. Let's turn now, please, in the Word of God for our congregational reading, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus unto the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father, knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy in the Holy Ghost, so that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God's word is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. What a great portion of the scripture and how the Apostle Paul, it seemed, He could not speak enough. He could not say enough. His heart was overflowed with joy because of what God's grace had done in the lives of those people, those believers that were living in Thessalonica. And what an encouragement it is for us to know that when the Holy Spirit comes into the heart and life of a person and we are led by faith to embrace the Lord Jesus as our own, a great change transpires. We are made new. And so when that transpires, when that happens, well, we are to go forward and to be able to speak to others and to share our faith. And what was happening here in this body of believers, the apostle encouraged them, the word that you have received of the Lord, you have taken out, you have gone forward, you have spread that word abroad, and your faith has so echoed, your testimony has so spoken out the word that Paul says in all Macedonia and Achaia, In all other places, I don't even have to speak because you have done the work of the evangelist. You have gone forward. You have spoken the word honestly and earnestly, and you have given out the hope of the gospel, which hope we have in Christ. And as we think about our brother and sister going to Fredericton to take up the work of God there, Well, that's our prayer for them, that as they go, their testimony will be bright. It will reverberate across the whole city of Fredericton and far beyond that. And so that we would have to say, we would not even need to go and spread the word and speak it because that testimony has been so articulate, so clear, so far reaching that the Lord has blessed and He will continue to bless, and that certainly is our prayer for them. Welcome to our service tonight. We're very glad that you are here with us tonight. If you are with us for the first time, or maybe you've come back to join with us in person or online, I want you to know you're very, very welcome, and we trust the Lord would bless you and encourage your heart and by the testimony, by the giving out of the word of the Lord tonight, and that you'd be able to come back and be with us again as the Lord permits and allows. I want to say a word of thanks on behalf of Dr. McClellan. I was able to be with him this afternoon in the hospital, and he is looking well and feeling much better. and anticipating tomorrow being transferred to a different hospital where he'll receive that procedure he's been waiting for. And then hopefully in a few days after that, if the examination all goes well and everything is good, that he'll be able to get back to his home. But again, he is very appreciative for all the prayers and the cards and the thoughts that have been directed toward him And I know that he is sensing the weight of those prayers and the support of God's people. So it's great to have a family of a church of believers that are holding up each other before the Lord. And that is a very, very important thing. Remember also in your prayers, our sister, Anna Tan and Isabel Glynn, and also her husband, Ted, and we're happy that Serene is back with us again tonight, was here this morning, and we continue to hold up our sister before the Lord, and our brother Ron is with us tonight. It was great to see Richard Teo in the service this morning, and these ones who, well, they find it difficult to get out to the service, but when they're here, it causes our hearts to greatly rejoice. And I often say to my mom, it's good to see her here in the service tonight, that when you folks make the effort to be out, why, it encourages others in the Lord and in the gospel. And so you keep on doing that as well. We have been praying for the work in Penticton, British Columbia, because of the fires that have been really raging across B.C. and other of our provinces, and Pastor Andy Foster had to be evacuated from his home, but we thank the Lord they are back into their home. There was no damage at that time. It was a precautionary thing. But I don't know that they're completely out of danger yet in other areas where the fires are still burning. So do we give thanks to the Lord. Remember our brother and his wife and family and the congregation in Pentictum. The Lord will bless them and encourage them in the Lord. Well, I've already mentioned to you about tonight being a very special service as we are sending forth with our prayers, practical support, and our financial help and support for our brother D'Aderno as he heads to Fredericton. And we're happy that Clarissa is here with us, his wife. And Clarissa is going to be coming in just a few moments to give a word of testimony and sharing with us. And before we get to that, let me remind you of a couple more ministry announcements for you to think about. starts three orientation service meetings for Whitfield Christian Schools. And we would ask you to remember those meetings this week. And then on Thursday, there will be a team building gathering up north for one day, and we're asking for your prayers for all of those times together. And of course, as school recommences the following Tuesday, We ask for the Lord to pour out his spirit, his blessing upon our school ministry, that he would protect it, help it, provide for us in all things that we put our hand to do for the training of the generation that is before us. Wednesday evening of this week will be our Bible study and prayer time, and our brother Andre Lyons will be bringing the word this coming Wednesday. So come along, not only to support our dear brother, but also to be remembering in prayer all of the needs that we have. And next, Lord's Day, our service is 11 o'clock and 6.30. And after the morning service, we'll be meeting around the Lord's table for our communion service. Sunday school classes will resume the first Lord's Day after Labor Day, and so please keep those things in prayers for the boys and girls, for our young adults, and also for our adult class. Those are all the ministry announcements that I have for you. We're very happy that Clarissa is with us tonight, and I'm going to ask her to come up now and please share with us a word of testimony, how the Lord has worked in her heart. You're very welcome here. We're happy that you're with us, dear. Please come and feel free and at liberty to share what the Lord has done for you. Hello, everyone. I'm thankful to be here tonight and share my testimony with you. I would like to start off with a scripture, 1 Peter 5, verse 7. Casting all your care upon the Lord, for he cared for you. From a baby, I grew up in a Pentecostal church. I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ at a very young age. I knew in my heart that he is my Lord and Savior. There was not a drastic situation that led me to Christ. When I was 15 years old, I came to Canada with my mother. I never knew what loneliness was until I came here. In my late teens, the Lord started to tug on my heart. So I decided to get involved in church and really be a part of the Lord's family. The Lord then placed a calling on my heart, but I did not know what it was. I thought I would be in mission work or just serving in the church. As time went on, I still did not know what my calling was, but feeling of being called was there. As time went on, I became weary. I felt like my life was not going anywhere. I felt stuck, getting an education, finances, getting married, and the list went on. I remember crying numerous times asking the Lord, where is my life going? Then the Lord placed the desire in my heart to get closer to him. So I started studying his word and spending quality time in prayer. When the Lord has a plan for your life and He needs to straighten some things out in your life, He puts your back against a wall and you have nowhere else to turn to but to Him only. And that's what He did with me. My back was against a wall. The more time I spent with the Lord, the more grounded I became. Despite my circumstances, the Lord teached me how to pray by faith and trust in Him fully, even when the situations felt impossible. I began writing down the breakthroughs that I wanted to see happen in my life. Some of them are getting an education, getting a job that pays well and where I can help others, and finding a great man of God. At that time, it felt impossible to find a genuine Christian man, especially the time we're living in now. A lot of people claim they are Christians, but their actions say differently. Even at times when I felt like compromising, the Holy Spirit would not leave me alone. I knew deep in my heart, if I did not listen to him, I would have a lot of regrets. I could not ignore the Holy Spirit, even if I wanted to, because he had such a grip on my heart. Then I met my husband six years after praying and declaring that the Lord would bless me with a great man of God. When I met my husband, we both did not know our calling. As time went on, the Lord revealed the call. It never crossed my mind that I would be married to a minister one day. I am 32 years old. The Lord placed a call in my heart in my late teens, not knowing what it was. And here I am today. And I can see that I know where the Lord wants me to be. The Lord has been merciful to me. He never gave up on me. And when doubt starts coming in about my call, he reminds me every single time. That he chose me for a reason. He sees beyond what I can see. And he is not surprised by who I am. I want to say to you tonight, whatever situation you may be in, Remember this scripture, Proverbs chapter three, verse five and six, trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thy own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. Thank you. Thank you, Clarissa, for sharing that word of testimony tonight. What a blessing it is to know not only that you trusted the Lord, that you're saved by his grace, but you know that your life is on a course to serve him. And it's very clear of what the Lord has done in her life, leading her and our brother Frank together and how they met. That was a unique story as well, but we're thankful that God has brought them together and set them on a course now of serving him and the life that he intends for them. Let's sing again, please, to the Lord's praise, number 560, 5-6-0, and we will stand as we worship. ♪ May I, on earth, anything be ♪ ♪ Possible, greater, nor to be ♪ ♪ Take my hope and send for it ♪ ♪ Let the glory in ceaseless praise ♪ ♪ Let the glory in ceaseless praise ♪ Take my hands and lead me home, and lead also my heart. ♪ Stand and weep, stand and weep for me ♪ ♪ Stand and weep for me ♪ ♪ Take my love, stand and weep still ♪ ♪ Always, only for my dream ♪ He'll give messages from Thee. He'll give messages from Thee. Take my silver and my gold. Love of my heart, I will hold. Take my angel. ♪ Every power that thou shalt use ♪ ♪ Every power that thou shalt use ♪ ♪ Take mine with them, leave me thine ♪ ♪ It shall be no longer mine ♪ ♪ Take my heart, it is mine alone ♪ This final verse, take my love my Lord I pour at thy feet its treasure store take myself and I will be ever only all for thee and ever only, all for thee. I wonder, friend, can you say that in your own heart tonight? Is that something that you know of the Lord's direction and leading in your own case? Well, it's a prayer that each one of us should lay before the Lord continually and make that a rededication of heart, mind, soul, life. Whatever days we have left, we say, Lord, take all that we are for the honor of your name. Let's sing this final verse. Amen. Brother Frank, you come on up to the pulpit here now tonight. We had the joy of having our brother and his wife with us in our congregation during the time of his internship as he had finished his theological studies and then was, you know, getting prepared for where the Lord would lead him. Well, at that time, We did not know, and I don't believe our brother really knew either, that it was going to be a direction at this point to our congregation in Fredericton. I'm sure he's going to share with you his own personal testimony of his upbringing there and how that all transpired. We're very thankful that we have this occasion tonight to be together and to be able to send them forth with our heart, our prayers, our love, and our practical support as well. And we're looking to see just how God will do great things for them there in that place. So brother, you're very welcome here tonight to share your testimony and to bring the word to us. And the Lord's hand be upon you. You got that switch turned on? Yes, sir. Amen. You call me up at the end, and I'll close off. OK. Thank you very much. Thank you. Well, it's a pleasure to be here tonight, and I do thank the Lord for your prayers. It was a great time of internship, and Larry was correct. I did not know where I was to go, but I do thank the Lord for his leading. You can ask any minister, and they can tell you that the call of God is a very intricate thing. You cannot sum it up in one church service. But I pray that the Lord would use his word mightily here tonight in a special way. For those who have come to the Berry Church last week, there was a sending away service there as well. There might be a bit of some things on the repeat. I apologize. It's not my fault, but you're going to have to suffer through it. But I do pray, regardless, the Lord will use it mightily and that we would be able to leave this place encouraged even in the Lord God Almighty. So let us get into it without further ado. Once again, it is a privilege to be here, as you do get to appreciate the pulpit ministry of those who were before you. You know, every pulpit has a history, and I think that's something we ought to know, that something is not just given. There was laborers before on the pulpit ministry, those who have poured sweat and tears. You could say they worked the trenches so that we young foolish preachers have a place to preach, even in this day. But we are very thankful, thankful for the Free Presbyterian Church in all its support, all its prayers. You know, it would be a very foolish thing, it would be a very foolish thing to go into the ministry on your own arm of flesh. That would be a very foolish thing. But to know that there is a people praying for you, and to know that God has gone before you, Well, you see the crooked paths begin to be straight because you know, well, this is all of God. So we do praise the Lord for His name, that we can say that this service is truly not about a person, but it is about God. It's always about Him from cover to cover. It is to worship the Alpha and Omega, to give praise to His name for the work of the Spirit, even upon our lives. I just wanted to share a couple of thoughts with you. about my burden and moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick, to preach God's Word. I suppose you can say, as I mentioned before, you can ask any minister about the call of God in their lives, and I am sure they won't be able to sum it up in only one church service, but I will do my best to keep it timely, as I do have another message to preach. But hopefully I won't go down any rabbit holes, which tends to happen when you're giving testimonies and burdens. But I do pray the Lord would speak to your heart personally here tonight, and I speak from my own heart. I pray it will be a heart-to-heart service here tonight, that the Lord would minister to you in a special way. As I was going through the study of Jonah, a verse spoke to my heart, and I knew that this is the text I would like to leave before you. It is on relating to my call to preach, and Jonah concludes in the last verse, in Jonah 4, verse 11, as it says, And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons, that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand. I want to focus on more when it says that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand. When I was brought up from a young age, I did not have a sad story. My parents were not drug addicts. My parents were not alcoholics. I was never neglected, but I was brought up in a Christian home and was fed the word of God from a very young age. During my time in Fredericton, where I spent 13 years, which was most of my childhood, I witnessed many things. I made many friends and I played a high level of soccer. And after I would ponder in my own soul about how grateful I was to be born in a Christian home. And you see, friend, the older that you get in life, you start to appreciate the fact that God has given you Christian parents and those who are able to bring to you God's Word at a young age. Originally, I thought I was going to get involved with professional sports, but quickly I seen that career dissolve away, and I knew the Lord had a different plan for me. I would often ponder in my own heart about those who never had the upbringing that I had. I would always ponder upon those who would have darkness in the home. Those who had parents that did not bring to them the gospel message. Those who were not brought up like I was. Well, there is a people that cannot discern the right hand from the left. And so it was in Jonah's time, so it is in ours time. There was a time in life where I became a lot like Jonah and I began not to care too much for the souls of others and began to be more of a judgmental character, always pointing the finger on those who were living immoral lives. But I warn you, friend, here tonight, that be cautious about going down that road, as it was told to me by a great giant of the faith that Christians are the only ones who bury their own. And sadly enough, that's the harsh reality. And I tell you, that has been my own personal experience. And I always remember that when I point the finger from the pulpit, there's three more pointing back at me. Jonah was judgmental when he failed to obey God and to preach to the Ninevites, when he would rather go about his way and to see those perish in that great city. It was the same spirit that the disciples had in Luke 9, verse 54, where it says here, and when the disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou we command fire to come down from heaven? after they preached the gospel and that town didn't receive it. But the Lord Jesus Christ, as He quickly corrects them when He says that, "...Ye know not what spirit ye are of." Because that was not the right spirit to have. So we can learn something here tonight about ministering the gospel and to preaching the gospel and not to be doing it in a rebuking heart. But I thank the Lord for working in my own heart to understand that our God is a God of mercy. And friend, until you understand that, until you understand that God is a God of mercy, then I tell you, you're gonna have problems. Because Jonah understood that our God is a God of mercy, which brings us right into that text I leave before you about those who do not know. The left hand from the right. It's those who cannot discern between moral aspects in life. Those who cannot discern, those who are unable to make moral judgments. The lesson is clear. Not only does God's concern for people go beyond Israel, but he is totally justified in doing so. The lesson of Jonah reminds us that God is a God of all people. From the lesson of Jonah is what he proclaimed before being freed from the great fish, that he was able to proclaim in Jonah 2, verse 9, that salvation is of the Lord. It struck a chord in his heart. And not only race or nation or class, that this is the same message that God made clear to Peter in Acts 10, verse 34 and 35, when he says, in truth, Peter was preaching, he says, in truth, I perceive. I understand that God shows no partiality. But in every nation, whoever fears Him. Listen, friend, don't miss this. that whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." What did the Lord say as I come to a conclusion here of my burden and call to Fredericton before I get into the message? Should I not pity Nineveh? that great city." That was the Lord's words. Should I not have pity upon them, those who cannot discern the left hand from the right? My friend, if a preacher goes to town and there's no heart for the people, what possible good can he do? I ask you the question. What possible good can a preacher do in a town that there's no heart for the people? I tell you nothing. Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city? Jewish tradition says that after God said those words of Jonah 4 verse 11, Jonah then fell on his face and said, govern your word, O Lord, govern your word, govern your word according to the measure of your mercy. As it was said, to the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, as he quoted Daniel 9, verse 9, we can only hope that Jonah and we would have such a humble response towards the things of God. Because often enough, we often grow cold to the things of God. We must be truthful with ourselves, We're often a time, we are a call to the things of God. We do not have time maybe to witness to a soul or to lead someone to Christ. So in here, God showed his mercy to Jonah through a lot of preparation. Preparation for the mission field. Maybe some of you maybe have heard that saying that everything is preparation for the mission field. This whole life is a preparation. But God showed his mercy to Jonah through a lot of preparation. The Lord prepared a great fish. Look at all the preparation the Lord had done. The Lord prepared a great fish in Jonah 1, verse 17. The Lord prepared a plant in Jonah 4, verse 6. The Lord prepared a worm in Jonah 4, verse 7. The Lord prepared a wind in Jonah 4, verse 8. Nevertheless, the real work of preparation happened in Jonah that what God really prepared. was a prophet. And I can tell you in my life, what God really prepared in my life was a preacher. I can tell you that. I can tell you that all through my life circumstances, whether it was good or whether it was bad, I can tell you as I was just like Jonah, but God prepared me. Just like He prepared the prophets of old. I would suggest to you, some of you here tonight, that be careful not to read into your circumstances of life. I give you great caution. Be careful what you say. Because God could be using that same circumstance to prepare you. Is not this life one big preparation for eternity? And as we get into the message, I want to conclude with that, with my burden. But there is another prophet who was preached about preparation. Solemn text of Scripture, prepare to meet thy God. Let us get into it then, friends. Let us turn to Amos chapter 4. Amos chapter 4. I will read you the first 12, I guess the entire chapter here, as we will be conscious of our time. Amos chapter 4, and we will commence at verse 1. Hear the word of the Lord. Hear this word, ye kind of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, bring and let us drink. The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that lo, the day shall come upon you that he will take you away with hooks and your posterity with fish hooks. And ye shall go out of the breeches, every cow at that which is before her. And ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord. Come to Bethel, and transgress at Gilgal. Multiply transgression, and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years. And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim, and publish the free offerings. For this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God. And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and I want of bread in all your places. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. And also I have withholden the rain from you, and there were yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city. One peace was reigned upon, and the peace upon it reigned not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord? I have smitten you with blasting and mildew when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased and the polymer worm devoured them. Yet have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord? I have sent among you the pestilence after the manor of Egypt. Your young men have I slain with the sword and have taken away your horses and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For lo, he that formeth the mountains and createth the wind and declareth unto man, what is his thought that maketh the morning darkness and treadeth upon the high places of the earth? The Lord, the God of hosts, is his name. Let us bow our heads in prayer, asking for the Lord's blessing in this evening's worship service. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee once again that we can come boldly to Thy throne of grace here tonight. Lord, we thank Thee that we do not come with any merit of our own, but we only come through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous. Lord, we thank Thee for the work of the Spirit upon this place. We thank Thee, O God, that Thou art a God that is above all else. We confess unto Thee, O Lord, that we have become cold towards the things of God. So, Lord, we pray that Thou would still our hearts here tonight. Kindle that flame of fire, O Lord, that burns within our hearts. Give us that holy heartburn, we pray, that we would be able to leave this place knowing that God was at work. May it truly be a message tonight, a message in the ministry of the Holy Ghost. Lord, we pray that thou would do the unexpected here tonight. Give help through the preaching of thy word. And Lord, if there is but one person here tonight that has not come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, then Lord, we pray that thou would save that person. Remove the blindfold, we pray. Do that great work of salvation here. Give help to the speaker. Speak to every heart, we pray. In Jesus' precious and holy name, Amen. A great portion of Scripture I want to leave before you here tonight is a message I really wanted to preach. We are living in days of great national calamity. The days of great natural disaster. I suppose that if you did not have a TV or a radio or no means to the outside world, you would be a fairly odd fellow, but I suppose it could be true. You wouldn't know that what is going on right now in the world. It is hard not to notice all of the natural disasters that are occurring during this present time. As our brother just prayed, reminding us of those raging wildfires that go to continue and consume the green forest around itself. According to news reports, wildfires in Canada have burned a staggering of 25 million acres so far this year. An area roughly the size of the state of Kentucky. With more than a month of peak fire season left to go, in 2023 has already eclipsed Canada's previous annual record from 1989 with over 18 million. The country's worst wildfire season is on record as it continues to rage, occurring at the exactly same time. In the eastern coast, we have heavy floods like you've never seen before. Heavy flooding as well as due record setting rainfall amounts in the eastern provinces. Risks and constant warnings are going out to caution those who are in the affected area. Divinely appointed weather is something that the world cringes at in our day. As it was in times past, many ancient civilizations have failed to see the divinely appointed weather of their time. The national calamities, the national disasters that we read throughout history that civilizations were unable to pinpoint exactly where it came from. But in man's rebellion, they have put their trust in false gods who they have claimed that have power over the forces of nature, such as Zeus, the Greek storm god, Thor, the Norse storm god, Yuko, the Finnish weather god, excuse me for my pronunciation, Tezcapalooka, the Aztec hurricane god, Yu Shi, the Chinese rain god, Chak, the Mayan rain god, and Indra, a Hindu storm god. In the context of this reading, I pray that you would leave this place knowing that it would be clear who is behind all the national calamity. Although not much is mentioned about the prophet Amos, it is stated that Amos was a farmer. tending to his sheep before the Lord's call came upon him. He was a sycamore farmer, as stated in the scriptures, as well as having sheep. And Amos chapter 7, verse 14, then answered Amos and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet. As he's conversing him here, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son, but I was a hurt man. and a gatherer of sycamore fruit. But despite his occupation, God has called his servant to action, to deliver a message to sinful Israel as it reads in the next verse, as he reads in 7 verse 15, And the Lord took me as I followed the flock. And the Lord said unto me, Go prophesy unto my people Israel. Perhaps the most imperative language we see used in the book seen in chapter Amos is Amos 4, verse 12, a solemn portion of Scripture. When the command is given to the people, this farmer, I tell you, he knew how to preach. Notice what he says in Amos 4, verse 12, prepare to meet thy God. Therefore, I'd like to preach to you today about your divine appointment with God and touching base upon who is behind the national calamity. God is trying to get the attention of the people, as he was in the Old Testament times. Well, you say, well, this is just an Old Testament story. It doesn't apply in our time. Well, I tell you, it does apply in our time. Because the Bible says that my God, He never changes. He is the same God yesterday, today, forever. Jesus is the same. All may change, but Jesus never. Glory to His name. He is the same God of the Old Testament as the New. But here, as we get into it, verses 1 to 5, I want to show you the context of this verse here. The husbands of Samaria met their wives in demands for luxury by denying the poor justice and then taking their land through excessive taxation and usury. Verses 1 to 5, I'll sum it up for you. We see the language of the cows of Bashan. a very, you could say, provocative language, because they're comparing the people to cows, were in turn using their wealth to enrich themselves by taxing the poor. Well, you'll say, well, not really much has changed in our day. Well, what's really different in our day? But here, this was very explicit, where we can see that the extreme taxation of the poor, so that those were able to live in lavish lifestyles. And they were, as it says, fattening themselves for the slaughter of God's devastating judgment. Amos 4, verse 1, it reads, Hear this word, ye kind of Bashan that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor. This is the prophet giving warning to those who do not heed, who do not take the seriousness of God. And here, the farmer, you can say, as he preaches to them—he uses a lot of farming analogies, perhaps because he was a farmer—but here we can see that in 4, verse 1, he calls them out, which oppressed the poor, who crushed the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. Yekind of Bashan is an indicament against the woman of Samaria. The cows of Bashan were noted for being very well fed. A very place where the luscious land and the pastures were known to be green and the best pastures in all the land, which in turn produced the best cattle. The women of Samaria, they lived in luxurious wantonness and covetousness and never living in content in their own hearts. Instead of helping the poor, they oppressed the poor and they crushed the needy. You think here how it is to those in high positions that how you see the neglect of the poor. How much homeless do we see today? How much homeless do we see today? How many people without a meal to eat? Here, the kind in the verse above, it means a heifer. And we know it's speaking of an analogy here. The speaker goes to speak of the woman. You see here, it's a terrible thing as Amos here has to compare them to the animals in the field. But he's trying to paint you a picture on how bad it really was. A very serious message in Amos 4, verse 2, it says, The Lord God hath sworn by His holiness that lo, the day shall come upon you that He will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fish hooks. This is the context of before we get in, you can say, towards the meat of the message. As sure as God is holy and true, so certainly will he bring the threatened judgment upon what he says. Amos knew what God was talking about. And here, as he was delivering the message, in this life as human beings, we are constantly preparing. As I mentioned to you in the story of Jonah, it was a constant preparation. God used preparation to make a profit. In this life as humans, we are constantly preparing. We prepare food for the next day. A tradesman prepares his material and his tools for the next job. An older married couple, they prepare for their retirement. We are always preparing. But naturally, man is distant and ignorant to preparing himself to meet God Almighty. That's the message that Amos is making clear here. The greatest thing, friend, you might go through very horrible things in this earth, maybe very terrible things, but the greatest thing that you can ever do in this world is prepare yourself to meet God. It's the greatest preparation that you yourself can ever do. There's nothing in your life that will never amount to the fact that you are prepared to meet your maker. Notice what it says here, days shall come. As the prophet, he begins to build his climactic message. Days shall come, literally are among upon you. He's saying it's only a matter of time. He's saying it's only a matter of time that God's day and eternity are ever coming. Every day you put down your head to go to sleep, it's one day closer to eternity. And Amos, he brings that here to the minds of the people. I pray the Holy Ghost would use this. He would use this to those who are not saved here tonight, to show you the seriousness of the message. He reminds them of their continual approach and their continual ignorance towards the things of God. He says not only that these days will come, but he says that they are ever coming. I tell you in our day, you know what we need in our day? We need more preachers like Amos. We need more preachers like Amos to bring God's Word and to preach messages like these messages. Prepare to meet your God. These are the messages we need today as Amos goes on, and they're holding on their steady course, that this world, through even the pestilence you just witnessed, a worldwide plague, Yet have they not returned unto me, saith the Lord." What has changed in our day, friend? I guess you can say not really much, but here the prophet, as he goes on, each day that passes by, they advance a day closer, even upon those who are in their sin, most people out of their minds. What will come? What will come? in that evil day. Even Hollywood itself, in many films that were made, they have the notion that dwells in the deepest part of the souls of men, that one day they will have to meet their Maker. But here, as Amos goes on to point the finger to God Almighty, He says, He will take you away with hooks and of your future descendants with fixed hooks. The enemy, the king of Assyria or God, by Him would take them out of their own land. Just like a fish out of water. Those of you who have been fishing, if you see a fish out of water, it's completely helpless when it's out of its element. God swears by himself because there is no one above him. There is no other God but him. He is holiness. He is absolute truth. He is absolute holiness. The mention of the hooks means that the people will be helpless to save themselves. Another notion of the inability of man to save himself. That perhaps you've come to this place trusting in religion. Maybe you've come to this place trusting in ritualistic practice. God will take them away as if they had a hook in their mouth. A fish is helpless when he has a fish hook in his mouth. When a fish is out of water, and look at Amos chapter four, verse three, and ye shall go out of the breeches every cow that which is before him, and ye shall cast them into the place, saith the Lord. As those who have any experience of farming, you can see that when there's a hole in the gate, When one cow passes through the hole, you can be assured there's going to be a line to follow. And so it was compared to those who were following those who would not adhere to the word of the living God. Here, as we get into it, in verses 6 to 11, as we come to make progress, past warnings were futile. We often think of the warnings in our day of those much weather, catastrophic weather and the warnings and catastrophic events that are to come. Past warnings here in verses six to 11 were futile, in fact, repeatedly emphasized by the Lord in many statements. He goes on to say that through all that he has done and all the famine that he sent and all the wars that he sent, yet have he not returned. unto me, saith the Lord." Before confronting sinners in final judgment, God has often used drastic measures to bring them to himself. Sinner, I address you here tonight. Is it going to take a drastic measure in your life? Are you going to be like those of sinful Israel who completely rejected Amos' preaching there? Yet have they not returned unto me, saith the Lord? Before confronting sinners and final judgment, God has often used drastic measures. In this case, notice here as we start to talk about the national calamity, the great disasters upon the land. We have famine in chapter four, verse six, where the Lord claims responsibility as he goes to them and he says, I have caused it to be dry. It's not the God of the Greeks. It's not Zeus, not any false god, but Jehovah God who has claimed responsibility. I have caused the drought in 4, chapter 4, verses 7 to 8. The devastation of crops in chapter 4, verse 9. He brought war when he caused the land to stink of the corpses that have died with the swords. Chapter 4, verse 10. All in an effort to get the people's attention. Still, Israel would not return to him. Every person, small or great, whether you have the highest position in this world or whether you have the lowest position, whatever color your skin is, if you're a son of Adam, we are all to prepare to meet God. It's a solemn message. A solemn message that the Apostle Paul, as he goes on to confirm this teaching in Hebrews 9, verse 27, where it states, "...and as it was appointed unto man once to die." But after this, the judgment is not the final judgment. But here he's talking that face-to-face, for at death every man's final state is determined. It's already done. You see, there is a divine appointment that you have to meet with God. Amos 4, verse 6. I have also given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities. Mention of the famine. Notice those words. I have. I have, saith the Lord. I have sent the pestilence. I have done this. And I have caused the great rain. You see, but they were not satisfied. The polymer worm devoured them just as they were budding and blossoming, as we know that even to the little worm that it's such a specific thing that God has sent. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Amos chapter four, verse 10. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt, the sickness, the COVID-19 we just experienced." It goes on to say, in the climactic message, Amos 4, verse 11, as we come to our conclusion, I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand. plucked out of the burning. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. As a firebrand plucked out of the burning, only because of God's mercy was Israel saved from extinction. Only because of God's mercy. Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed by fire and brimstone falling from God in heaven. A very similar thing happened to some of them, but they were not moved enough to repent and believe the gospel. The general concept was used first here in Israel's preparation to receive the covenant at Sinai. Here in Exodus 19, verse 11 and 15, here she was implored to prepare for his judgments. Obadiah preaches about the day of the Lord, even before the first coming of Christ. They're already preaching that there's a day that you will have to meet God. To some, it's going to be a great day. Which is it going to be for you? Is it going to be a great day? Because the Bible says that for some, it's going to be a horrible day. In Revelation 6, verse 12, it says, "...the terror for them without Christ. And I behold that when He had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind, and the heaven departed as a scroll when it was rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their place. The kings of the earth and the great men, the rich men, the chief captains and the mighty men, those are those with high positions and low, and every bondman and every free man hid themselves in the dens and the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne. Will you hear His voice tonight? The last punishment will be so great that it ends with that great verse 17 in Revelation, and who shall be able to stand? Who shall be able to stand? It goes on to end in Amos 4, verse 13. For lo, he that formeth the mountains and createth the wind, even to this day they cannot predict where the wind goes. And declareth unto man what is his thought, he even knows your thoughts, that maketh the morning darkness and treadeth upon the high places of the earth. The Lord God of hosts is his name. Don't miss the message here tonight, friend. Don't miss the message. Don't leave this place without preparing yourself to meet God. To answer the question as we come to an end, national calamity is divinely appointed by God. The world might cringe at the notion that God is behind the forces of nature. But if I have to stand here tonight and tell you that I stand alone to show you that God is behind all the catastrophic events that we see, then I stand alone. This is no here, no idle threat to be compared. Friend, I tell you there is much horrible things that you might go through in this earth, many terrible things. but it's not to be compared to spending a Christless eternity in hell. The mountains are from generation to generation, and from the most permanent of His creations, no one knows where the wind comes from. Even the Lord Jesus Christ, when He says in John 3, verse 8, The wind bloweth where it listeth. Now hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, or whither it goeth. God is the God of all His creation, the Lord Jehovah, the Eternal One, the Alpha and Omega, the One who exists, the All-Powerful, is still in control of all. Even the national calamities you see today, is it going to take a drastic measure in your life to get your attention? Friend, if you ask the question, if you're not saved here tonight, how can I be prepared to meet God? How can I be prepared to meet God? I tell you, it's very simple. Repent and believe the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ can prepare you to meet God. Remember the thief on the cross in a split second. The thief was on his way to a Christless eternity. He wasn't prepared to meet God, but in a split second, He was rejoicing with his Lord in Paradise. We're here for no man can meet God with his burden of sin because our God is a holy God, but thank God the thief repented and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot meet God with your sin. You cannot meet God with your sin. You need an advocate. You need someone to save you. And thank God he sent us his son. May that be your story here tonight. Repent and believe the gospel. Let us end with prayer. Let us end with prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee, Lord, for Thy solemn message here tonight. We thank Thee, O God, that Thou would speak to us according to the Scriptures, that there is a divinely appointed time that we will have to meet Thee. We thank Thee, God, for Thy mercy, and we thank Thee, God, that Thou has sent Thy Son to prepare us to meet Thy hand. Cleanse us afresh, we pray, Lord, we pray, if there is one here, that thou would save their soul. Lord, that we would see thy hand move in a mighty way. Save this land of Canada. May, O Lord, that through the natural disasters of this land, that many would turn to the living God, that they would see the frailty of life, their need of a savior. And, O Lord, that we would be able to see the hand of the Lord move upon this nation. God help us, we pray. Bless everyone here. In Jesus' precious and holy name, amen. We're going to bring our service to a close tonight with number 638, hymn number 638. I appreciate our brother's testimony and sharing and the solemn word of God to our hearts tonight. Friend, if you're online listening or here in our service, that the gospel door is open to you tonight. And it is wise for you to take those words solemnly, seriously to your heart. And as you seek the Lord, you will find him. He is open to you tonight, and you can know him as your own. Number 638, I have only one life on this earth. As vapor is passing away, I must labor for treasures of worth. Airtoil ends at the close of the day. We'll stand and sing these three verses. I have only one life on this earth, and as labor is passing away, I must labor for treasures of the world. Bare hands, I will close down the day. I will hold on with life today, I will never Only one life to live, I must not disavow my God. Only one life in my heart with Thee, I will live, and will live all I can and will do. All in all, life to live, I will never be fallen from God. All in all, life to live, I must learn this still well and know. Yes, my answer was easy to resist. How I serve, how impressed am I all. Only one life to live. I will never be going from God. Only one life to live. Friends, as we bring our meeting to a close now and end in prayer, I want just to make sure to invite everyone to go downstairs afterward, a time of refreshment, a time that you can take a moment and chat and greet the Doderno family and let them know you're praying for them and to encourage them in the Lord. Friend, if you're not a believer, and we encourage you to speak to us at the end of the service, and we'll show you from God's Word how you can know that you are truly born again of His Spirit. As we bring our service to a close and in the closing prayer, we certainly make it a dedicatory prayer to our dear brother and sister and their time to go down to serve the Lord in Fredericton. Loving Father, This time of worship tonight, in this evening service, we are thankful for the time we can be together. Thankful for the testimony of our sister and of our brother Diderno sharing tonight. And Lord, we want to commit them earnestly into your hand. As they go forward, Lord, they are not going in their own strength. They dare not. And as they go, there will be uncertain days in front of them. And so therefore, we earnestly commit their way into your hand. And Father, we pray that from the opening Lord's day, when they're there, that it will be evident, there will be signs following the ministry, the preaching of the word, and that souls will come into the service that believers will be edified, that there will be a building up in that ministry. And Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit would be upon our brother's work and service, whether it be in the personal outreach that he does, in meeting the people in the congregation, the neighbors and friends that are around, the communication, Lord, with those that he knew in the days he was growing up there, the times he stands behind the sacred desk to open the scriptures and preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, we're asking, Lord, that very evidently the power of heaven will be upon him. He will know the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and he will know in those quiet times in his study the Savior coming near to him, that you will not be distracted by the things of this world, that you will set a high barrier around him, that he will not fall into sin, that you would keep his testimony clear and pure. And we pray exactly the same for his dear wife, for his little child, Franco. that you would raise them up as a bright light and a shining testimony in this evil day. Lord, the devil will be after him. Satan will try to hinder his work. There will be opposition that will come. But, O God, may he rise above those matters and issues and may stand strong and true in this day as a servant of the Most High God. Father, put your hand upon him, we pray, and bless him and take him forward in the service of the Lord. And so, Father, receive tonight our worship, our praise, our thanksgiving. And Lord, bless our fellowship now downstairs. We're thankful for all the food provided. Thankful, Lord, for the sweet and blessed fellowship we can have one with another. It is but a sample of what glory will be like. And so, hear our prayer. Receive our thanksgiving. For Lord, we ask all these things tonight. In Jesus' precious and holy name, amen. Yeah. you