Words of Forgiveness in a Small Country Church

By Ernie Robinson

We all have sinned and fallen short of the eternal goal of salvation. Forgiveness is our only hope!

Words of Forgiveness in a Small Country Church assembles messages of love, hope, and, yes, forgiveness for your comfort in today's troubled world. In this book, you will meditate on words of reflection and encouragement focused on h

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Nov 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685569860

Ernie Robinson

The parents of a wonderfully kind autistic son and uber-talented daughter, Ernie and his loving wife, Angie, felt called to begin work on a series of books focused on the seven words that Ernie received in a dream. Words of Grace seeks to bless the reader through the calm reassurance that we serve a loving God who is activelyseeking out those who will open their hearts to His grace and forgiveness.

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WORDS OF

Forgiveness

IN A SMALL

COUNTRY CHURCH

BY ERNIE ROBINSON

AS INSPIRED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

Words of Forgiveness in a Small Country Church

Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780 | Copyright © 2022 by Ernie Robinson

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLV are taken from the New Life Version, copyright © 1969 and 2003. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-68556-985-3 | E-ISBN: 978-1-68556-986-0

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV)

Sermons from The

Small Country Church Series

Dedication

This book is dedicated to

the members of the small country church

in Ringos Mills, Kentucky.

May God’s blessings be forever with you.

Acknowledgments

I give all credit to the words and concepts contained within these pages to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to His Holy Spirit from whom all knowledge, wisdom, and insight come. I can find no other explanation as to how I, a simple servant, was able to provide words such as these to the congregation for eleven years except by His grace and aid. I also want to praise Him for all of the words, stories, and insights that He has motivated Christian authors to write. Words that have been posted on the internet and published in books that I read and drew inspiration from during this time (and in the future).

I want to thank my precious wife, who faithfully read (and corrected) the messages prior to each Sunday’s sermon. This was no small task as the Spirit provided over 400 messages during those eleven years when I was called to preach, yet she never complained. Her strength and support were unwavering, and I am forever grateful.

I want to thank my mother. Each Sunday that she was unable to attend, she would wait impatiently at her home or mine for the typed or handwritten version of the message to be delivered to her. She kept many of these messages in a binder which we found as we were cleaning out her home.

I want to thank Brother Billy Essick, Brother Frank Bryson, and Brother Forest Tackett, who were my spiritual leaders throughout my life. I am sure that their words are intermingled throughout this book with those provided by the movement of the Holy Spirit. I was truly blessed to have been tutored by such God-fearing men and servants of Jesus Christ.

I want to thank my dad, Coach Bill Robinson who was my inspiration and my role model. He set for me a visual example of what it truly meant to be a servant leader in all phases of his life. He made sure that I attended church services three times a week during my youth, accepting no excuse for poor attendance. He was the embodiment of Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV), which says, Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Thank you, Dad. You never heard one of my messages while on this earth, but I know that you were on the front row every Sunday in spirit.

Finally, I want to thank my two brothers in Jesus and servants in other small country churches, Pastor Mark Caldwell and Pastor David Prater. Each week I would discuss messages provided by the Holy Spirit from Monday through Friday with them. Their attentive ear and wise counsel were invaluable to me as a lay pastor. Last but not least, I want to thank all of the parishioners of the small country church at Ringos Mills for their patience and support. They were invaluable as I grew from a complete novice to public speaking to a servant who, with God’s help, was able to learn to serve. I truly appreciate everything that you have done for my family and me during our time worshiping with you in our small country church.

Introduction

Shortly before Christmas 2010, the pastor of our small country church came to me and asked if I would be willing to share the Christmas message. With some hesitation, I agreed. I didn’t realize that it was an audition that would eventually result in my becoming the full-time pastor of the church. The pastor said to me, Speak on anything that you like and feel comfortable talking about. His sweet wife told me, Just read the Christmas story if that is all you feel comfortable doing.

I went home after church that day and randomly, throughout the day, caught myself in various prayers. I prayed a prayer of explanation where I sincerely tried to explain to God why I was not the right person for the job, even if it was only one message. I prayed a prayer of resolve where I told the Lord what a huge mistake He was making by asking me to do this message. I prayed a prayer of petition where I asked the Lord if it would be possible for Him to find someone else to bring this important message. Finally, I prayed a prayer of submission where I quietly explained that I was going to need His help and guidance.

God works in mysterious ways; in the book of Philippians, chapter 2, verse 13, it says: For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure (NKJV). I didn’t understand that I was beginning a journey that Christmas Sunday when I presented the words that the Holy Spirit had given to me. A story about a child born in a manger in the basement where the animals were kept because there was no room left for Joseph and Mary in the inn. For me, it was to be an eleven-year journey of discovery where the Lord revealed slowly but surely what it really meant to be a Christian.

While I am sure that some of my words are nestled in each of the messages contained in this book, what I desire to share with you in the following pages is the story of Jesus Christ and His grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, and salvation. These messages were revealed to me through impressions, urgings, and even sometimes whispers while I slept by the person of the Holy Spirit who was sent to us on the day of Pentecost so many years ago in that upper room. When His words would come to me, I would write them down on anything that was available (I eventually learned to keep a notebook near), and when I would awake the following morning, I would have a concept of what the week’s message would be. This urging continued within me throughout the eleven years in which I was called to stand in the gap and present God’s message to the little country church at Ringos Mills.

The mission of the comforter/Holy Spirit continues today in large and small churches across the nations of the world as He prepares us for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The burden that was spoken to me was to take what was given freely and write it down in a series of books. To use the proceeds from these books to help struggling small churches with the funding they need to keep their doors open, spread His Word, and save souls for His kingdom. Thank you for helping fund this work through your purchase. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for sending Your Holy Spirit to prepare us for what is to come.

Chapter 1:

So Much Worry

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34, NIV).

Too Much Worry in This Old World

November 5th, 2016

I tell you this: Do not worry about your life. Do not worry about what you are going to eat and drink. Do not worry about what you are going to wear. Is not life more important than food? Is not the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds in the sky. They do not plant seeds. They do not gather grain. They do not put grain into a building to keep. Yet your Father in heaven feeds them! Are you not more important than the birds? Which of you can make himself a little taller by worrying? Why should you worry about clothes? Think how the flowers grow. They do not work or make cloth. But I tell you that Solomon in all his greatness was not dressed as well as one of these flowers. God clothes the grass of the field. It lives today and is burned in the stove tomorrow. How much more will He give you clothes? You have so little faith! Do not worry. Do not keep saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘What will we wear?’ The people who do not know God are looking for all these things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all these things. First of all, look for the holy nation of God. Be right with Him. All these other things will be given to you also. Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have its own worries. The troubles we have in a day are enough for one day.

Matthew 6:25–34 (NLV)

So, a while back, I stood in front of you all and proudly announced that my precious wife was the worrier in our family, not just our immediate family but our extended family as well. I proudly announced to you all that worrying isn’t one of my problems. Do you remember me making that statement? Well, as it turns out, I lied. You see, I have come to the realization that I worry all the time these days. I was worried about a certain recent wedding. I worry about our little barn cats, who tend to wander off for days at a time and then show up half-starved and all beaten up. I worry about my job; actually, I worry about all of our jobs. I worry about my precious wife (you know, the worrier), my momma, and what will happen to our autistic son when we are gone. I worry about our daughter and the many different aspects of her new life as a wife, a new mother, and as a worker in the medical field. I also worry about the lack of growth at our little church. I worry about you guys—your health, your families, and yes, even about your very souls. I worry on a very regular basis about standing in front of you, like now, bringing you a message that it doesn’t meet the will of the God who loves me and you. James chapter 3 verse 1 (NIV) says, Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. So I worry about that. Finally, and yes, I am very ashamed to admit that I am worried sick about the election on Tuesday as I don’t feel that either candidate reflects the Christian values that I would love to see in a future president of our county.

Jesus, talking about worry, says in the book of Matthew,

They will take you in front of the leaders of the people and of the kings because of Me. You will tell them and the people who do not know God about Me. When you are put into their hands, do not worry what you will say or how you will say it. The words will be given you when the time comes. It will not be you who will speak the words. The Spirit of your Father will speak through you.

Matthew 10:18–20 (NLV)

Now, if Jesus is going to take care of me in a situation such as this, what should I have to worry about? Still, I worry. I guess this is what we do as we get older. I’m not able to do nearly all the things that I used to do. I seem to have less control over the external things going on about me today, more than ever before in my life, so I worry. Sadly, when I look out at the many faces of the people with whom I work, with those where my wife works, and even those of you here today, I see worried faces.

Let all people see how gentle you are. The Lord is coming again soon. Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:5–7 (NLV)

Philippians 4:6 reminds us to be focused on what we need. So my first step out of this pit of worry that I have put myself in is to change my focus. My focus should be based on only my daily needs instead of all of my earthly wants. So I will pray focused on today. I will climb out of this pit of worry. My prayer will be one that I learned as a child. A prayer given as an example of how to pray by our dear Lord