The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. (KJV)

The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. (NKJV)

Unfortunately, there are still many people who completely misunderstand those three words comprising the title of our subject today. I would venture to say that a full 98% of those who profess Christianity will recite the example prayer that was given the disciples by Jesus, verbatim, and feel that you could not possibly say anything incorrectly since it was Jesus who said it. There are several reasons for it. Some few, have no idea why it is said or what it means. And have no interest in knowing. And many (a large majority perhaps) thinks it is a kingdom yet to come. A physical kingdom where Jesus will reign on David's throne for a thousand years. And I have heard a very minor few who think that it refers to a kingdom to be after the judgement day. I would hope that my readers would already know the correct explanation for this phrase, but we will briefly go through it again.

Jesus had the very same kingdom in mind that He spoke often of in His parables, in His conversation with His disciples in Matthew 16:18-19 and the one He told Pilate about in John 18:36. Possibly, the answer He gave Pilate explains the true meaning better than any. His kingdom is not of this world. It is His spiritual kingdom, that one is born into when he obeys the gospel of Christ. It is His church. The word "church" did not have or intend the meaning which is now primarily used. The church was to be His "called out". Those who answer His call to become His disciple and live according to His teachings. Not some formal organization or social group, or some building. His obedient people. The terms "kingdom" and "church" are used interchangably in scripture. Read the two verses above (Matthew 16:18-19): And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. and it is also referred to as His body.(Colossians 1:18) The record of it's beginning is explained vividly in the 2nd chapter of Acts.

"The basic framework of the theory is that evolution is a two-stage phenomenon the production of variation and the sorting of the variants by natural selection. Yet agreement on this basic thesis does not mean that the work of the evolutionist is completed. The basic theory is in many instances hardly more than a postulate and its application raises numerous questions in almost every concrete case." (Ernst Mayr, Emeritus Professor of Zoology, Harvard University, "Populations, Species and Evolution," [1963], Harvard University Press: Cambridge MA, 1974, reprint, p6)   [And over 40 years later, it remains only a postulate, no evidence whatsoever...JHH]

"If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity." -Daniel Webster

Call me a pessimist if you must, but I believe Daniel Webster's quote above, beginning with the word "but", is definitely the future of this nation. The reason for my thoughts are because we truly have, as a nation, neglected it's (the bible) instructions and authority.

The bible is no longer read by the masses but only by the few and the few neglect to proclaim it as we should. And we are all without excuse.

The apostles and early disciples had to walk, sometimes trips of several hundred miles in their effort to spread the gospel of Christ. But their zeal and energy has dwindled from generation to generation until there is neither left. God Allowed man to invent cars, busses, trains and aircraft to assist them in their travel. Some, though few, have utilized these methods. He allowed them to discover and produce the airwaves and invent radios and television to make spreading the gospel easier. Some, but few, have utilized those inventions.

Now He has given us the world wide web, the internet, that makes it possible for even individuals to proclaim His word throughout the world with only a reasonable personal investment. Some few have accepted this opportunity. But with all of this great technology, these inventions are used far more by those who would spread wickedness rather than God's word. The internet is filled with pornographic sites, gambling sites and all manner of evils. We, who profess to be His children, ought to see that there are at least as many sites glorifying His name, as there are that glorify satanic activities. As they used to say before an execution, "May God Have Mercy On Our Souls."

"As we know, there is a great divergence of opinion among biologists, not only about the causes of evolution but even about the actual process. This divergence exists because the evidence is unsatisfactory and does not permit any certain conclusion. It is therefore right and proper to draw the attention of the non-scientific public to the disagreements about evolution.

But some recent remarks of evolutionists show that they think this unreasonable. This situation, where scientific men rally to the defence of a doctrine they are unable to define scientifically, much less demonstrate with scientific rigour, attempting to maintain its credit with the public by the suppression of criticism and the elimination of difficulties, is abnormal and undesirable in science." (W.R. Thompson, Entomologist and Director of the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control, Ottawa, Canada, "Introduction," in Darwin C.R., "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life," [1872], Everyman's Library, J.M. Dent & Sons: London, 6th Edition, 1967, reprint, p.xxii)