Pastor Paul Karanick gives a brief summary of the popular song “A Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash.

Reference information from the Bible:

Luke 7:36-50 NASB2020

“Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this Man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner!” And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other, fifty. When they were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” And He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying to themselves, “Who is this Man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.””

Psalm 130:3-4 NASB2020
“If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, So that You may be revered.”

I John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Hebrews 10:14-18 NASB2020

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant which I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put My laws upon their hearts, And write them on their mind,” He then says, “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will no longer remember.” Now where there is forgiveness of these things, an offering for sin is no longer required.”

Host: Pastor Paul Karanick

From the Bible:
Psalm 50:14-23
https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/PSA.50.14-23
‘Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.” ¶But to the wicked God says, “What right do you have to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth? “For you yourself hate discipline, And you throw My words behind you. “Offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; “When you see a thief, you become friends with him, And you associate with adulterers. “You let your mouth loose in evil, And your tongue harnesses deceit. “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. “These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you; I will rebuke you and present the case before your eyes. ¶“Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be no one to save you. “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who sets his way properly I will show the salvation of God.”’

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/2692/mat.6.8.NASB2020

“…your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

Isaiah 65:24
https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/ISA.65.24
‘It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen.

Message by Pastor Paul Karanick
Story: Dr. Lee Warren is a neurosurgeon.
“Rushing through the hospital, I grabbed my next patient’s chart. Male. Early sixties. Possible head injury. He’d flipped his ATV while working cattle on his ranch.
I looked at the man’s brain scan images. My heart sank.”

From the Bible:
Three weeks earlier, I’d started a new job at the Wyoming Medical Center, in the city of Casper. I was still getting my bearings. But I had no doubt what that white-and-gray mass in the man’s brain images meant. It had nothing to do with his accident.

Romans 12:1-2
‘Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. ‘

James 1:2-4
‘Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ‘

James 2:14-26
‘What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?

Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness ,” and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.’

Romans 5:3-5
‘And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ‘

1 Peter 4:12-13
‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. ‘

2 Corinthians 4:6-10
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Being a Christian is more than a word without meaning. It means that you are different than the world. You are a new creation in Christ and you seek to live as Christ expects us to live.

From the Bible:

‘Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it— and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, and free, but Christ is all, and in all. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. ‘

Colossians 3:1-17
https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/COL.3.1-17

Message by Pastor Paul Karanick

From the Bible:
1 Kings 17:1-16
‘Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the L ord , the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall certainly be neither dew nor rain during these years, except by my word.” Then the word of the L ord came to him, saying, “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. And it shall be that you will drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide food for you there.” So he went and did everything according to the word of the L ord , for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. But it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. Then the word of the L ord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide food for you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the entrance of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.” As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the L ord your God lives, I have no food, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, so that we may eat it and die.” However, Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said. Just make me a little bread loaf from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. For this is what the Lord , the God of Israel says: ‘The bowl of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil become empty, until the day that the L ord provides rain on the face of the earth.’ ” So she went and did everything in accordance with the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bowl of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance with the word of the L ord which He spoke through Elijah. ‘

1 Kings 17:1-16
https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/1KI.17.1-16

Did a friend, family member, school teacher or college professor tell you that God does not exist? Instead of taking the word of a few people that have not had an encounter with God, why not ask any of the millions of millions of people that have witnessed the Truth of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t make any sense to get advice about God from someone who has never experience an encounter with Him.
First, look at the Bible itself. Governments have tried to destroy it completely, but it can’t be destroyed. It is bigger now than ever. If it is a fairytale; how does it have the amazing power to continue to survive?
Second, not only the Bible, but secular history books also tell us that these believers in the Bible were willing to continue to tell this so called fairytale, even to their death. Why would someone die for a fairytale?
If believing the Bible is not possible, how about believing all the witnesses that can testify to the miracles that happened in the Bible also happened in their own life. The promises made in the Bible are still promises that are being fulfilled today.

How can you discredit millions upon millions of testimonies of people who have experienced an encounter with God; or it is just easier to believe a few friends, teacher, or professors who claim that God doesn’t exist?

From the Bible:

‘Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He stepped out onto the land, a man from the city met Him who was possessed with demons; and he had not put on clothing for a long time and was not living in a house, but among the tombs. And seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and said with a loud voice, “ What business do You have with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” For He had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; because many demons had entered him. And they were begging Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding there on the mountain; and the demons begged Him to permit them to enter the pigs. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. Now when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported everything in the city, and in the country. And the people came out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Those who had seen everything reported to them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been made well. And all the people of the territory of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed by great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city what great things Jesus had done for him. And a man named Jairus came, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began urging Him to come to his house; And as Jesus was returning, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him. And a woman who had suffered a chronic flow of blood for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had left Me.” Now when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and admitted in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” While He was still speaking, someone *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” But when Jesus heard this, He responded to him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.” …
Luke 8:26-56
https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/LUK.8.26-56

‘Then the angel of the L ord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. And the angel of the L ord appeared to him and said to him, “The L ord is with you, valiant warrior.” Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the L ord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the L ord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the L ord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” And the L ord looked at him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” But he said to Him, “O Lord, how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” Yet the L ord said to him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will defeat Midian as one man.” So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then perform for me a sign that it is You speaking with me. Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.” Then Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them. And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the L ord vanished from his sight. When Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord , he said, “Oh, Lord God ! For I have seen the angel of the L ord face to face!” But the L ord said to him, “Peace to you, do not be afraid; you shall not die.” Then Gideon built an altar there to the L ord and named it The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Now on the same night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly way, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.” Then Gideon took ten men from his servants and did as the L ord had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night. When the people of the city got up early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal had been torn down, and the Asherah which had been beside it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar which had been built. So they said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.” Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.” But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you save him? Whoever will contend for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, since someone has torn down his altar!” Therefore on that day he named Gideon Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar. Then all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the east assembled together; and they crossed over and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. So the Spirit of the Lord covered Gideon like clothing; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. And he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them. Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I am putting a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will save Israel through me, as You have spoken.” And it was so. When he got up early the next morning and wrung out the fleece, he wrung the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me, so that I may speak only one more time; please let me put You to the test only one more time with the fleece: let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” And God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.’ Judges 6:11-40

Pastor Paul tells a story of a tragic accident that happened to a family. The power of prayer was the ultimate answer.

From the Bible:

‘And He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” And He *came and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying, so that you will not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to say in reply to Him. And He *came the third time, and *said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough. The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!” ‘

Mark 14:34-42
https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/MRK.14.34-42

The directions say, go through the narrow gate, yet many people refuse and go through the wrong gate.
Following Christ is to be obedient to Him and know that He will not mislead you.

From the Bible:
Matthew 7:13-27′
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.” “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. ‘

Matthew 7:13-27
https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/MAT.7.13-27

There was a dog chasing a raccoon and suddenly went missing. The dog was not paying attention to the consequences of the chase. Sin is similar to this dog chasing the raccoon, it becomes a desire to keep chasing the sin to get the ultimate fulfilment without realizing the consequences. The chase for satisfaction is real and it can be dangerous.

From the Bible:
Galatians 5:16-24
‘But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ‘

https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/GAL.5.16-24