Author: E. DeWayne Swann

Sitting at the Table

I grew up in a family of hunters and fishermen, (and fisher’s women my sister and Mother really love fishing too) and when uncles and cousins would drop by, we would sit at the table with my Dad, My Mother would usually prepare a meal or at least a snack and some coffee, and then the stories would start.

My Dad told the best stories, and he really had a way of telling them. You would feel as if you could almost step into the adventure as it unfolded. There was always a lot of laughing, and at times, the others involved in the story would jump right in and add some more parts of the story. Some sounded unbelievable, and when it looked like we were not buying the story you would hear, “Isn’t that right Jimmy, or Charles, or Dee, or Glenn” or whoever was part of the adventure. They all had a chance at telling their stories too. And again, when they needed affirmation, you would hear “Isn’t that right whoever?” usually they would turn to my Dad to confirm the story. Sometimes he would say “It didn’t happen that way,” just to get a rise, but then he would agree and say, “That’s just how it happened.”

Over the years a lot of the stories about how many fish were caught, or how big that Deer was, were told over and over. They never grew old and as the years went on more and newer stories were added on, one of the greatest days for me was when my Dad was telling one of his adventures, and he said, “Isn’t that right Dink?” (I am Dink) Now I’m part of the story, not just a listener, but someone in the story.

Over time and as I grew older more and more stories including me were added. My Dad would say, “Me and Dink we were at Flying S, or Pine Valley, or Big Canoe fishing,” and the story would start, and then as I started hunting and again more stories with me in them were told, like, “we were at the hunting camp, or over at the “he did church”. (that’s what we call one of our hunting spots and that’s another story for another day) See the more time I spent with my Dad, the more stories we had to tell.

 

I was taught not to just go kill something to be killing it, I was taught to hunt for what you would eat, I hunted for 23 years before dropping my first (and only) deer. The main reason I hunted was to spend time with my Dad, and brothers, nephews and friends. I just love getting away and some of my best prayer times are and were in the deer woods hunting. Some of the best bible discussions and witnessing to friends and family is on the lake or in a boat. They have to listen in the boat they have nowhere to go.

My Dad taught me that every hunt and every fishing outing can be an adventure, and a possible story, it’s up to us.

While we sat at the table with my Dad, and others, we would get comfortable and know this is going to be a good night of adventures with people we that love.

 

On July 4th, 1990, I took the pulpit for the very first time. I brought my very first sermon. The title of that sermon was “Sitting at the table with Jesus.”

In the course of the weeks prior to that Wednesday Night, I received all kinds of advice, some solicited, some not so much, for instance a preacher friend named Tiny called and gave me some verses to read and then ask “if I had butterflies in my stomach,” my reply was “yes, very much so,” and he added “don’t worry they will turn to alligators before it was over.”

Another piece of advice was from one of my greatest friends Margie Sprayberry, she told me “When you run out of soap, get out of the tub” other words when you said what needs to be said, shut up and sit down.

That should tell you a lot about my support system at that time.

My sermon was based on the text in John12 after Lazarus was raised from the dead, he had a chance to just sit down with Jesus and tell him about his adventure.

I thought that was very cool, sitting with the very creator of the universe. Having a meal with the Gentle Shepherd and listening to His stories.

John 12:1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  NKJV

In another translation it is rendered “reclining at the table with Him.”

John 12:2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. NASU

 

Now that is when it really got me thinking, reclining with Him, Wow just sitting back and taking it easy with Jesus. Being that comfortable around Jesus that you would just lay back and take in what is being said. Listening to His adventures and telling of the things to come.

They may have heard of the meal that Martha worked so hard on, and Mary just sat and listened to the stories as in Luke.

Luke 10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me.”

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”  NKJV

Or how Peter got out of the boat, or the feeding of thousands with a kid’s sack lunch, I am sure there were stories after stories.

 

We don’t meet Lazarus until John 11. And as that story goes, he gets sick, and the sisters send for their friend and healer Jesus. Now four days later Jesus shows up and well just read it for yourself.

John 11:17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. NKJV

We look at our guy Lazarus, God didn’t let him know when he was laying there dying that everything would turnout okay. Or that it was, so he could be in one of the greatest stories in the bible. God didn’t let him know what kind of witness he was going to become because of what happened to him. He and his sisters just had to trust Jesus, even to them being four days late, that He (Jesus) knew just what had to happen. But look what did happen.

John 11:40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”  41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”  43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”

I heard a preacher say one time He had to call Lazarus by name or that whole graveyard would have emptied out.

44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”  NKJV

“Loose him and let him go.”  Now that is one great ending.

 

While sitting at the table with Jesus in John 12 we meet Mary the Worshiper and Martha the Worker. But now Jesus adds Lazarus name to his list of stories, and Lazarus is now in the story, as I was with my Dad.

Not only does Lazarus get to hear Jesus tell his story, he gets to put some personal input in the story as well, and people come to hear Lazarus’ take on the story and how Jesus raised him from the dead.

John 12:9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. NKJV

So, we see the Worshiper and the Worker but now we meet the Witness.

I believe that God wants the same for us, and it’s up to us, if we sit at the table with Him.

In Revelation Jesus said to the church, us Christians.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  NKJV

 

The more time you spend with The Heavenly Father the more stories you will have to tell as well. And that is our responsibility, to share the Gospel with the world.

 

Are you telling your friends and family the stories of what Christ has done for you? Even in the hard times that we go through, share how God brought us through them. There is a reason for them so you too can have a story to share.

 

The very purpose of the book “Something To Pounder” and this webpage is to share a few of my stories.

So, if you will, pull up a chair and sit with me as we,

 Ponder over what God has to say.

As “We sit at the table with Jesus”.

 

Friend Part 2

 As Christians, we should know that Jesus is our friend, but we also need to make sure that we introduce the surrounding people to Him. One of the talks in a Christian weekend retreat that I work with on occasion, says “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.”

I have this penned in the back of my Bible

“If I just do my thing and you do yours, we stand in danger of losing each other and ourselves, we are fully ourselves only in relation to each other, and the “I” detached from the “thou,” is disintegrating. I do not find you by chance, I find you by an active life of reaching out” by Walter Tubbs

Did Jesus not say in Mark 16:15 …” Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. NKJV

All the world and let everyone as you come in contact with them know about Jesus. As it has been said, “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

I love the Randy Newman song for “Toy Story”:

“You’ve Got A Friend in Me”.

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me,

When the road looks rough ahead, And you’re miles and miles,

From your nice warm bed, You just remember what your old pal said,

Boy, you’ve got a friend in me, Yeah, you’ve got a friend in me.

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got troubles, I’ve got ’em too, There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you,

We stick together and we see it through, Cause you’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got a friend in me.

Some other folks might be A little bit smarter than I am,

Bigger and stronger too, Maybe,

But none of them will ever love you, The way I do,

It’s me and you, boy.

And as the years go by, Our friendship will never die,

You’re gonna see it’s our destiny, You’ve got a friend in me,

You’ve got a friend in me, You’ve got a friend in me.

 

The word friend is found some 58 times in the NKJV, 22 of those are in the New Testament. Jesus used the word 14 of those 22 times.

Why does one need a friend, Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that two is better than one, and we need to make sure the one with our one is the one that God desires for us to have in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NKJV) 9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

 

I saw this and was compelled to add it to this chapter;

“It occurred to Pooh and Piglet that they hadn’t heard from Eeyore for several days, so they put on their hats and coats and trotted across the Hundred Acre Wood to Eeyore’s stick house. Inside the house was Eeyore.

“Hello Eeyore,” said Pooh.

“Hello, Pooh. Hello Piglet,” said Eeyore, in a Glum Sounding Voice.

“We just thought we’d check in on you,” said Piglet, “because we hadn’t heard from you, and so we wanted to know if you were okay.”

Eeyore was silent for a moment. “Am I okay?” he asked, eventually. “Well, I don’t know, to be honest. Are any of us really okay? That’s what I ask myself. All I can tell you, Pooh and Piglet, is that right now I feel really rather Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. Which is why I haven’t bothered you. Because you wouldn’t want to waste your time hanging out with someone who is Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All, would you now.”

Pooh looked at Piglet, and Piglet looked at Pooh, and they both sat down, one on either side of Eeyore in his stick house.

Eeyore looked at them in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“We’re sitting here with you,” said Pooh, “because we are your friends. And true friends don’t care if someone is feeling Sad, or Alone, or Not Much Fun to Be Around At All. True friends are there for you anyway. And so here we are.”

“Oh,” said Eeyore. “Oh.” And the three of them sat there in silence, and while Pooh and Piglet said nothing at all; somehow, almost imperceptibly, Eeyore started to feel a very tiny little bit better.

Because Pooh and Piglet were There.

No more; no less.”

(A.A. Milne, E.H. Shepard)

 

We must be very careful not only to whom we call friends but to whom we let in our life as a friend.

I like what a young preacher in our Church once said in one of his first sermons, and that is if you take a white glove and put it on your hand and then submerge that hand in mud, the glove gets muddy. It is never said that the mud got glovie. (I know that glovie is not a word, but do you get the point.)

So, we need to be very careful who we accept as a real friend, if the person brings you down, and takes you away from the ones that once lifted you. If that person takes you places that you once would not go it would hurt your testimony. If that person uses language that brings dishonor to God and makes you look cheap. So, if that person has more influence on you. Then you start emulating them instead of representing Christ. There should be warning horns going off big time in your heart and mind. You should step back and look and see if you are getting muddy or if they are getting “glovie.” My bet is the mud is winning, if you step back from real friends and start following this kind of people you are not doing them any good, and you are not doing you any good either.

Well, Jesus hung out with sinners and bad people. Yes, He did, and he showed them love and brought them around to His way, by the example that He led. Not by acting like them. I am not saying you cannot have bad people in your life as friends, I am saying do not let them lead you away from the witness that took you years to build up. Satan would have nothing better than to tear you down.

Remember “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.” Not make a friend, be a friend, and let that friend take you away from Jesus.

So, here is the question, are you getting muddy, or are the ones you are hanging with getting “glovie?” If you are a Christian and you allow someone to take you down the wrong road, and you are allowing them to tear down the witness that God had in you then I say it is time to do as Joshua said in the book that carries his name:

Joshua 24:15 (NKJV) 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

You must choose whether to follow God or follow the world! Sometimes the one that is leading you down the wrong road may be waiting for you to make a stand and say NO, I’m going to follow God. Just so they can see if this Christian stuff is real in your life and if, so then they may want to follow Christ themselves.

James 4:4 (NKJV) … Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

As I have said in the past and am sure I will say again and again. When God is talking about neighbors and friends, I don’t think he is talking about what kind of friend you have but what kind of friend your friend has namely YOU.  Are you loving that friend enough to say to them, I will serve the LORD! Do you love them enough to let them leave, because Jesus did? He gives us a choice, to love them and live for Him and lead them out of hell. Or watch them go on their way while destroying your testimony and your witness.

I beg you to love them enough to bring them to Christ. “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.” That is real love.  They are worth your love, but not at the expense of taking away the love you once had for God and his word.

Let them see the Love of the Lord in you and they may just want it too. It has been my experience that most people living a Godless life are looking for something or someone and I promise you that something is God himself and that someone is you showing them the Love of God.

I heard a preacher say once that he could tell the ones not as close to God as they once were. They were in the Church down front, then about halfway back in the Church, and then in the back, and then in the overflow, and then they were gone. It is always gradual. One small step at a time away from Christ and for every step you take away it is one more step closer to Satan and his way of life, which leads to destruction.

I once had a great quiet time and now my time is quiet. I once went to Church religiously (did you see what I did there?) now my religion is anything except Christ. I once went to Sunday School or Small Group and now I am in places that I know that God is heartbroken over. Does He stop loving you? NEVER!!! But there will come a time when someone who once watched how much you loved God and how you would not compromise your belief in Him. They are seeing something different, and they may say if that is Christianity, I want no part of it. Is your moment of enjoyment worthy of their soul?

As I stated at the beginning, I have several people that I know, but I only have a few people that I call Friends.

The classic 1993 Western Tombstone is full of memorable quotes from Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the infamous Cowboys of Southern Arizona. After a major shootout at the river, our heroes are regathering themselves, and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) walks over to the side of the river leans over, and coughs, and Cactus Jack Johnson (Buck Taylor) Says, “Doc what are you doing out here, you should be in bed,” in which Doc’s reply was, “Wyatt Earp is my friend.” Then Cactus Jack said, “I got lots of friends,” here is where I can relate to Doc because he said, “I don’t.”

God calls everyone his friend. Are you in need of a friend let me tell you where to get a friend.

Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV) A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Can we find a friend so faithful? Whom will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; Are we weak and heavy-laden? Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge—Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms, He’ll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there. Blessed Savior. Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear; May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful? Yes, His name is Jesus!!

I hope and pray that the ones who call me a friend and that I live up to their expectation. I hope that when my name is spoken people can say he is my friend.

I hope that I follow the example set before me in Christ Jesus.

I hope if you ever have called me a friend you still can.

But I know me, I know that I have let people down, and I know that I probably have said or done something that I shouldn’t have said or done. And hope and pray that my friends can forgive me and that I can forgive my friends who have let me down.

I was recently removed from a post and blocked from adding anything to the page on Facebook. The post was my home Church that I have been a part of since I was five years old, at the time of this writing I was sixty-one. So, I was not happy, it wasn’t anything bad I posted it was just an old picture of the Church and I said I miss that, Church. After I put a rebuttal on my personal Facebook page and about 50 people commented on my post, I received a message apologizing and said the block was removed and ended by saying “God bless my friend.” I do not know who misinformed the person writing me that we were friends, because we are not. I have never talked to the man who messaged me. We are not friends, not my definition of a friend. We think because we add the word friend that makes us friends. But in my book, it does not.

The example that is set before us is Jesus himself. He forgave us even before we let him down and keeps loving us anyway. Let us try to live that way and remember:

“Make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend to Jesus.”

Friend Part 1

Friend, is a word that we throw around a lot, but the question is do you know what a friend is? My computer program definition goes as follows:

Friend [frend] Noun plural noun: friends, plural noun: Friends

1. a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations. “she’s a friend of mine”

synonyms companion, bosom friend, best friend, close friend, intimate, confidante, confidant, familiar, soul mate, alter ego, second self, shadow, playmate, playfellow, classmate, schoolmate, workmate, ally, comrade, associate, sister, brother, pal, bosom pal, buddy, bosom buddy, chum, spar, sidekick, crony, main man…  antonyms enemy

2. a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

Verb; third person present: friends, present participle: friending, past tense: friended, past participle: friended

1. add (someone) to a list of contacts associated with a social networking website.

“I am friended by 29 people who I have not friended back”

2. befriend (someone).

origin

Old English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’, shared by free.

 

Jordan Peterson said this on Instagram:

“Here’s how you know that you have a true friend, there’s a simple way to know if you got a true friend in your corner,

Isabella Lundy said it best “True friendship with stance time distance and silence.”

If you got these three things you got to ride or die.

Number 1

A true friend is a friend for life, you both grow, evolve, and hit different stages but you still rock with each other through it all. It’s not about always being on the same wave it’s about respecting each other’s journey.

Number 2

You don’t got to be in the same place, real friends, they support you even from a distance. Maybe you move away, maybe they start chasing different dreams,

that’s all good, you want them to win just as much as you want to win yourself.

Number 3

Probably The most important one, is you don’t need to be talking every day sometimes you will go weeks, or months without chopping it up. But when you do it’s like you never missed a beat, that’s how you know it’s real.

If you got people like that in your life hold onto them. That’s rare.”

 

I was told: “A friend is someone you call if you are in jail and need bail to get you out.” And a best friend is: Someone you can’t call because he is sitting in jail with you.”

 

My Story about a friend.

In the late 1990s, I had the pleasure of being our Church sound coordinator, this also meant that I was responsible for running the sound for our choir. Running the sound for the choir also came the responsibility of going with them to singing appointments. I enjoyed and loved mixing the sound for the Church and the choir as long as we were at our Church, or close to home where I could drive. The Church choir had gotten a pretty good reputation at that time for being anointed. God seemed to use us a lot at that time.

The problem was we were invited to do the Smoky Mountain Jubilee in Gatlinburg Tennessee, which wasn’t too bad because I would ride up with the drummer who is a dear friend, and help him set up his kit. Tennessee wasn’t too bad of a ride and the Evangelist that ran the Jubilee also was a Pastor of a Church in Virginia, and he invited us to go to his annual Church Jubilee. So, now, we are going to go to Virginia and minister there.

There is one of many reasons that I do not want to go, the main reason is the same reason I don’t like to fly, the same reason I don’t like to be in an elevator, the same reason that I don’t like being in the back of a large crowd. I am and have always been claustrophobic. I don’t like closed-in places and I don’t like being anywhere that I can’t control when and where I can stop and get out of the room or the vehicle. With that known our pastor, Snyder, came to me and asked me to go with them and that I could have any seat on the bus that they chartered. I asked any and he assured me any. So, I insisted that I drive, knowing that that was not going to happen and knowing that I didn’t trust my little S 10 truck to make the trip at the time, I thought that I would get out of going, but I did not.

Now I am on a bus that I don’t want to be on and going somewhere that I didn’t want to go. As I have stated I love my Church and the choir and mixing the music and singers, I went not to please God but to please man, which is never the reason to minister, but God had me where he wanted me for a reason.

I love good preaching and I truly love anointed preachers, such as Tony Evans, Ike Reighard, Dr. Charles Stanley, Andy Stanley, and on and on. A few weeks before we headed out on this outing, I had the chance to go to the Bailey Smith Real Evangelism Conference, in Marietta, Georgia at Roswell Street Baptist Church, Pastored by Nelson Price. After attending there for a week, I had an opportunity to purchase many cassette tapes. (I said that this was in the 90s didn’t I) There were some great sermons and testimonies on these tapes and some would just break your heart.  So, I decided that I would bring all my tapes and my little tape player, some headphones, and enough batteries to make the trip and back, with batteries to spare. Now I was hoping that I could just submerge myself in preaching and never contemplate being on a bus full of people and having little to no control over the situation.

Now I am set, hoping, and praying that no one would bother me and remind me of my surroundings. I was sitting alone and I liked it that way, everyone else was talking and getting ready for a great time together, and as the bus was loading up to go. I made sure that I got a seat next to a window and not too far from the front so that if I had a meltdown, I could be drugged off the bus rather easily. People already knew who they wanted to be with and where they wanted to sit. So, all was going just the way I wanted it to go, Until, (I have said in the past “until” is hardly ever a good word to hear in a story). She said may I sit with you? And everything inside me was screaming NO! But I tried to conjure up a smile and said sure.

I spent most of my time in that Church at that time either in the sound room or in the pulpit. I am sorry to say that I am not much of a social person, don’t get me wrong, I love people and I care deeply for their souls. But, because of certain circumstances, I got to a point in my life where I was really careful who I let get close to me. Way too many people have come into my life and I have gotten close to them and now they are gone. I was not on that bus but for one reason and one reason only and that was to get to our destination and do my responsibility. Not to socialize and definitely, not to make any new friends. But I believe that God had other plans.

As I recall I told her she could sit with me if she left me alone, her name is Dianne, and she seemed to be okay with that because she had a book she wanted to read and acted as if she didn’t want to be bothered either. Boy, was I wrong about not wanting to talk with me? Her son is our drummer and a great friend of mine, so I thought she would be okay to be around because I always enjoy being around Mark.

As the trip progressed, she started asking me questions, and I thought why not talk maybe it would get my mind off the fact that I was still on a bus. It didn’t work, so to get her quiet I offered for her to listen to some of my tapes, and she took me up on the offer. As she sat there listening, I saw her starting to tear up and then I remembered that I had just given her the tape of Ike Reighard testimony. It is a great sermon and testimony, and it broke her heart. After listening to it, she got yet another tape, and then after completing it, she said you sure listen to some tear-jerkers. We then started talking about what she had been listening to. If you want a preacher to be your friend, just ask him a spiritual question about the Word of God and sit back and enjoy the ride.

That happened well almost thirty years ago, and to this day I consider her one of the few friends I call close. She later came to work as my company office manager and was by far my best employee. She was encouraging when I needed encouragement and never worried about my feelings when it came to setting me straight when I started to drift. We all need people like that in our life. She and her husband were in the Journey Group that I have the honor of teaching and is someone I love dearly. You just never know who God is going to put in your life and for what reason.

 

Oswald Chambers said, “Friendship is rare on earth. It means identity in Thought and Heart and Spirit.”

C. S. Lewis said friendships are discovered when you say, “What, you too?! I thought I was the only one” (Four Loves, 248).

 

Hanya Yanagihara @deadpoetswilde says; “Friendship is the most underrated relationship in our lives. It remains the one relation not bound by law, blood, or money – but an unspoken agreement of love.”

 

Very few people have met those criteria in my life and I bet the same can be said for most of us. We claim hundreds or even thousands of friends on Facebook and other social media outlets, and have never met many of them, how can they be friends?

 

In the Book of John, it says:

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” … and then Jesus continues “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  NKJV

 

As of the writing of this we as a nation just remembered the 75th anniversary of “D Day” and how these men of the greatest generation of Americans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is a Christian hymn originally written by preacher Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously and only received full credit for it in the 1880s. The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868. William Bolcom composed a setting of the hymn.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

By, Alan Jackson

What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged— Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden? Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior. Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear;

May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright, unclouded. There will be no need for prayer—

Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there.

“Sometimes, I Guess There Just Aren’t Enough Rocks”

In the movie “Forrest Gump”, Forrest and Jenny are walking down the road that Jenny was raised on, and they come upon her old home place, then all of a sudden Jenny starts throwing rocks at the house, all the bad memories of her youth caught up with her all at once and the rocks start flying. She threw and threw until she couldn’t find another rock and falls to the ground exhausted.

That’s when Forrest says. “Sometimes, I Guess There Just Aren’t Enough Rocks”.

And that’s the way it is at times everything seems to hit you all at once. All the emotion of the past comes down on us.

Nothing we can do to erase the heartache and hurt that is long behind us.

Sometimes objects in the rear-view mirror may appear closer than they really are, and we let yesterday destroy our today and control our steps for tomorrow.

So, the things of yesterday sneak up, and before we know it, we are knocked down, we have thrown every rock we could find, every excuse why the things happened and wondering why they had to happen to me?

But the problem is that the past is still there. The memories are still there, the money is gone, the love is gone, and all that I thought I would have, is now gone.

And as the song says:

“I’m diggin’ up bones, I’m diggin’ up bones,

Exhuming things that’s better left alone”

Paul said to the Church of Philippi:

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  NKJV

 

We can’t continue onward always looking back, you can’t go too yesterday; you can only live for today with hopes for tomorrow.

Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” NKJV

The song “The Anchor Holds” says:

I’ve had visions, I’ve had dreams; I’ve even held them in my hand.

But I never knew they would slip right through, like they were only grains of sand.

Slipping through our fingers as sand, until it is gone, and then we sit and think what might have been, or why couldn’t it have been different?

Then it hits me.

I’m the one that has control. I’m the one digging up bones. And I’m the one exhuming thing’s that’s better left alone.

So how do I not let this get me down yet again?

Again, Paul said to the Church of Philippi:

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!

 

Praise God for whom He is and what He has done, Paul said. “Rejoice in the Lord” When?  “Always” that means all the time.

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,

(that means your heart felt burdens and your petitions or request) with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

So, where does this peace of God come from? Keep reading.

Ponder on these things:

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

So, the “peace of God”, come from, the “God of peace”.

June 15, 1989, at my home Church in Powder Springs Georgia around 7:00pm I knelt down in Pastor Ben Turner’s office as Pastor Snyder went over the plan of salvation.

He said, “you know this, you know what to do” and I did know, as I have said I was raised in church, we were usually the first ones there and the last to leave, I had helped build the very building we were sitting in.

I had worked in ministries and even myself lead people to the Lord. I was and I would like to think I still am a pretty good guy, but because I myself had never accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, I WAS HELL BOUND.

The day before this I felt as my world was coming to an end and as far as I cared my life could have ended right then.

But (don’t you just love conjunctions? I do; it means the story is not over yet.) I did bow my head, and I did ask Jesus to save me, and He DID SAVE ME.

Over the last 30 something years He (Jesus) has NOT walked away and left me alone, and he never not once stopped Loving me that I can count on, He said:

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” NKJV

Josh 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. NKJV

Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

And here it is this is how we face tomorrow and not let yesterday control us:

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 

The song “The Anchor Holds” says:

But it was in the night,

Through the storms of my life,

Oh, that’s where God proved, His love to me,

The anchor holds, Though the ship is battered,

The anchor holds, Though the sails are torn,

I have fallen on my knees,

As I faced the raging seas,

The anchor holds,

In spite of the storm.

 

So just drop anchor and hold on, God’s not done with you yet.

From: “Something to Ponder.” Chapter 6

 

” FORGETTING THE PAST AND GOING FORWARD “

Part 2

(3) FUNCTIONING IN THE PRESENT!

Please notice v.13 again ….
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

A) Paul said, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,”
Notice that Paul did not say, “One thing I will do.”

He did not say, “One thing I’m going to do,”
Or “one thing I will get around to someday.”

He said, “One thing I do.”

B) Paul was living and acting in the present!

Many people today try to live in the future.

Do you know what the busiest day in the world is going to be?
It’s not Christmas … It’s not the day after Thanksgiving … It is “someday.”
Everyone in the world has something scheduled to do “someday.”
You hear people all the time saying, “Someday, I’m going to do this or that …”
The problem is that “someday” is not on any calendar.
I’m sure that we’ve all made plans for “someday,” but the fact is, “someday” will never come!

C) Paul is the ultimate example of living each day to the fullest … Living each day as if it were your last!

For example ….

When he was imprisoned in Rome, he did not sit there stewing, thinking about all the things he would do when he got out of jail.
He wrote letters to churches, sang praises to God, and even converted some of the people who had imprisoned him!

Paul used every day to the uttermost.

D) Benjamin Franklin once said, “Do you love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff that life is made of.”

It was Abraham Lincoln who first said, “The leading rule for a man of every calling is diligence; never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

That’s not what I think all the time!

E) Perhaps, the saddest example of procrastination is found in the life of the Roman Governor Felix, who listened to Paul “speak about faith in Christ Jesus.”

Acts 24:24-27

24 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” 26 Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.

27 But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound. NKJV

But as he was discussing “righteousness, temperance and judgment to come,” Felix became frightened and said,

“Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient …”

F) Never again did Felix listen to God’s Word!

Once he had put it off for a time, as with so many things in life, that time never came.
We all ought to be more like the psalmist, who wrote in

Ps 119:57-64

57 You are my portion, O LORD; I have said that I would keep Your words.

58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.

59 I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

60 I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

61 The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law.

62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

63 I am a companion of all who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts.

64 The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes. NKJV

The Room by Joshua Harris

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index-card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “Girls I Have Liked.” I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.

And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn’t match.

A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named “Friends” was next to one marked “Friends I Have Betrayed.”

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. “Books I Have Read,” “Lies I Have Told,” “Comfort I Have Given,” “Jokes I Have Laughed At.” Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: “Things I’ve Yelled at My Brothers.” Others I couldn’t laugh at: “Things I Have Done in My Anger,” “Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.” I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 20 years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked “Songs I Have Listened To,” I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn’t found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked “Lustful Thoughts,” I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.

An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: “No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!” In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore “People I Have Shared the Gospel With.” The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.

But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus.

I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one?

Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn’t anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn’t say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.

“No!” I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was “No, no,” as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn’t be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood.

He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side.

He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, “It is finished.”

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

By Joshua Harris. Originally published in New Attitude Magazine. Copyright New Attitude, 1995. You have permission to reprint this in any form. We only ask that you include the appropriate copyright byline and do not alter the content.

CLOSE

A) What if there were no church tomorrow because we were too busy to worship God today?

What if God could not hear your prayers tomorrow because you were too busy to pray today?
What if there were no Bible tomorrow because you would not read His Word today?
What if there were no forgiveness tomorrow because you did not stop sinning today?
What if there were no invitations tomorrow because you did not respond today?

B) As we embark on the journeys of this New Year, let us determine ahead of time that it will be a year of victory!

Let us choose our attitudes and follow the advice of the Apostle Paul.
Resolve to … Forget your Past: Look beyond the sins and failures of yesterday; learn from them, repent of them, and then move forward.

C) Focus on your Priorities: Place God at the top of your “to-do” list every day!

Worship Him … Study His Word … Put His Kingdom first in your life and everything else will fall into place!

D) Function in the Present: Stop living in the future!

Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Invitation: Would you bow your heads and close your eyes for a moment?

E) This morning, the absolute best way to start this year is to become a part of God’s eternal Kingdom!

Focus your priorities by making Jesus the Lord of your life … Allow the cleansing power of His blood to wash away your past sins, and start living your life for Christ everyday!

The Bible says in

2 Cor 6:1-2

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:

“In an acceptable time, I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation, I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  NKJV

The invitation is open to all!
If you are ready to begin your life anew today … Or if you are already a Christian, but need a fresh start … The Lord invites you to please come!

 

” FORGETTING THE PAST AND GOING FORWARD “

Part 1

Phil 3:12-16

Pressing Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.     NKJV

There is an old story about a happy little boy who went out into the field wearing a baseball cap … And in one hand he carried a baseball, and in the other his trusty bat!  His face had a look of tremendous confidence … Cocking his bat, he tossed the ball into the air, saying, “I’m the greatest batter in the world!”

Then he swung and missed.  “Strike one,” he said.  He picked up the ball, examined it, and then threw it into the air again.  As he swung, he repeated, “I’m the greatest batter in the world.”  Once again, he missed … “Strike two,” he said. * This time, he stopped to examine his bat to make sure there was not a hole in it.
Then he picked up the ball, adjusted his cap, and tossed the ball into the air for the third time. He repeated, “I’m the greatest batter in the world,” and swung with all his might, and missed for the third straight time.
Now most boys might be discouraged by that, but this boy said, “Wow! I am the greatest pitcher in the world!”

Today in this Lesson for 2025, and as we look back over the last 12 months, I am unsure whether most consider ourselves pitchers or batters!
One thing for sure is that we have all struck out occasionally.
So, I guess it’s good to be able to start fresh.

Kids are going back to school.
Young people will be headed back to college.
And most of us will soon recover from the holiday season and will be well into doing our jobs and the activities of the new year real soon.

As we anticipate the next 12 months, some people might eagerly look forward to what each day will bring!
Others might be filled with dread, worried that this year will be worse than the last.
Like the little boy with his baseball bat, I would suggest that our attitude will make all the difference in the coming year.
How we react to its event will largely determine whether it is a year of victory or a year of defeat.

The Apostle Paul was never one to let circumstances conquer him …….
Rather, with the help of God, he was determined to win the victor’s crown.
Paul’s personality, I believe, really comes through in these verses!
And, with these thoughts, Paul lays out some principles concerning our attitude that we can carry with us into the New Year!

The first of those principles is this …….

(1) FORGETTING YOUR PAST!

 

* At the end of v.13, Paul said, “… forgetting …”

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

A) Humans are very special beings, in that God has given us the ability to remember!

However, your memories can be you friend or your enemy.
Paul had a dreadful past and it could have easily haunted him for the rest of his life if he allowed it to!

He persecuted the church … He used his authority to kill Christians.
By his admission, he said, “I am the chief of sinners.”

B) He could have walked around all his life with this tremendous burden of guilt crippling him!

And he would have never become the great Apostle and missionary for God that he went on to be.
Many people dwell on their past failures, mistakes, and sins so much so, that they become spiritually paralyzed, unable to live productively for God.
Paul is telling us that we can turn our past sins and failures over to God and start moving “forward to what lies ahead.”

C) Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall!

We have failed many times, although we may not remember.
We fell down the first time we tried to walk … We probably almost drowned the first time we tried to swim.

Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.

D) R. H. Macy failed seven times before his New York department store finally caught on!

We can’t allow ourselves to become obsessed with our failures.
We are all human … We make mistakes … We sin … We fail … But what is worse, is missing the opportunities that God puts in front of us because we are afraid to fail.

E) In a Nike advertisement some years ago, a voice came over the television saying;
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career … I’ve lost almost 300 games.”
“Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed.”
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life … And that is why I succeed.”
Those words were spoken by Michael Jordan, by most standards the greatest basketball player who ever played the game!

F) God once told the prophet Jeremiah that He would, one day, establish a New Covenant with the children of Israel!

 

And when He did, He said …….

Jeremiah 31:34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”   NKJV

That covenant was established when Jesus Christ died on the cross.
Since that day, God’s forgiveness is so complete that it is forgetfulness.

G) If we have been washed in the blood of Christ, God has forgotten all of our failures and sins!

It is time that we forget them as well!
Let’s follow Paul’s example here, “… forgetting those things which are …….”
The first principle Paul teaches us for the New Year is Forgetting the Past, and the second is …….

(2) FOCUSING YOUR PRIORITIES!

In v.14 Paul says, “I press toward the mark for the …”
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

A) He introduced that statement in v.13 with “but this one thing I do.”

Obviously, Paul did more than one thing!

He made tents … He preached sermons.
He planted churches … He wrote books … Paul did a lot of things!
But what he is telling us is that his top priority in life was to “press toward the mark for …”

Paul is saying, “I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.”

In other words, Paul’s number one priority was the Kingdom of Heaven!
He was running straight toward that goal, and he wasn’t gonna let anything distract him from it!

B) A while back an expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business students!

After speaking to them for a while, he said, “Okay, it’s time for a quiz.”
He set a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar on the table in front of him.
Then he produced about a dozen tennis-ball-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, inside the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”

Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”

“Really?” he said.
Then he reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of small gravel.
He dumped some gravel into the jar and shook it, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”

By this time the class was starting to catch on … “Probably not,” one of them said.

“Good!” he replied. * Then he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand.
He started dumping the sand in and it filled all the spaces between the rocks and the gravel.
Once more he asked, “Is this jar full?” * “No!” the class shouted. * Again, he said, “Good!”
Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.
Then he looked back at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try hard, you can always fit something more into it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point … The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

C) What are the big rocks in your life?

As you look ahead over this year, what are your priorities?
Jesus said in Matt. 6:33–34 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  NKJV

Drawing closer to God through worship, spending time with Him in prayer, and seeking His
guidance for your life, by reading His Word … These should be the big rocks in your jar!

D) If you are considering resolutions for the New Year, let me make two suggestions:

(1) set aside time every day to read your Bible and pray, and

(2) determine to be more involved in God’s Kingdom.

By that I mean, attending the worship of the Church and participating in other fellowship and evangelistic activities!

E) It is a sad, but true fact, that many Christians do not make God’s Kingdom a priority in life!

There will be, generally, one third fewer Christians lifting their voices in praise at 6:00 pm than at 11:00 am.
Those who feel like they are doing their spiritual duty by going to church once a week, and punching their spiritual timecard, are not seeking “first His kingdom.”
If we intend to press on “toward the mark to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers,” then we need to make God and His kingdom our top priority in life!

There is just one more principle that Paul offers us for the New Year, which is ……. Next week’s lesson.

 

LORD WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO Part 2
Is our question to God, “Lord, what would you have us to do?”

1. The Question Acknowledges The Lordship Of Christ
   – “LORD” an address of respect
   – “LORD” to describe absolute ownership

   II. The Question Is An Expression Of a Surrendered Heart
   – By this question, Paul was giving voice to his inward repentance toward God
   – a decision was made to surrender himself
   – God was sovereign & supreme in every area of His life
   – Allegiance to Christ was Paul’s passion
   III. The Question Was The Beginning Of A New Career
   – Paul identified himself with a person and a cause
   • The person was Christ
   • The cause was the Kingdom of God
   • It was visible in the churches he established

   A. – Life is made up of relationships
   • relationships are created by choice
   • Have you found a person that you can identify with?
   B. – Life without a cause has no purpose no reason for existence
   • What’s your cause?
   • What is consuming your time your energy your money?

2. The Question Opens The Door To What The Will Of God Is For Me
   – If we are willing to do God’s will than it is possible to know God’s will.
   HOW?
   1. It is revealed through the reading of the Word
   2. Discovery is made through prayer
   3. Worship brings our heart and God’s together
   4. Christian counsel by mature people leads us to discover God’s will
   5. Life circumstances and interest brings us to God’s purposes

 

Isn’t it amazing how people always remember the bad things you’ve done.

Peter’s Denial not His preaching at Pentecost
David’s sin with Bathsheba not him bringing the ark home.
Jonah running from God not his preaching in Nineveh,

Eve’s sin as opposed to her beginnings

The World remembers the bad things that we have done, Praise God, He forgive us.

Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

What do we want to be remembered for?
What legacy do we want to leave behind? Not to take any credit, but to say how God has used us.

Don’t let your past stop you from serving God, we can all find an excuse to use from our past, “I was too bad…” “I was a drunk…” “I was a thief…”

Look at who God used,

Abraham was a liar, yet became the father of a great nation
Moses was a murderer, yet he led the children of Israel out of Egypt
David was a sinner, yet he shows us how to truly repent (Psalm 51)
Peter was a denier yet preaches an awesome message and sees 3000 saved.
Paul was a persecutor, yet wrote 13 books of the NT

Their past did not stop God from using these men; God used them in a mighty way.

Paul is a prime example. He goes from persecuting the church to preaching to the church. God would use him to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.

It doesn’t matter what we’ve done in our past – God has forgiven us – Through Christ – and He will use us.

Are you willing? – Are you willing to hear God’s call? Are you willing to put Him first?

Are you Teachable? – Do you think you know it all already?
Are you receptive? – Spend the time with Him, in study / prayer. Pray for God’s guidance. Often times God is speaking but no one is listening.

Are you yielded? – Are you willing to do His will no matter what the cost? If God calls you to do something, don’t delay – do it!

I told my brother Glenn about hunting place and fishing place of course I want to tell him about the LORD.

If you had the cure for cancer, would you share it with people? If you held that cure in your hand, would you let people know? We have in our hands the answer to eternal life – don’t keep it to yourself

CONCLUSION

Saul was instantly and eternally changed in the flash of light.

Where he was threatening, now he was trembling
Where he was in control, now he was under God’s control
Where he could see his future under his own control, now he was blind to the world around him and blind to the future that lay before him.

For three days Saul was blind – that gave him time to focus on the things that God wanted him to do. It gave him time to think about his life, to repent and learn to depend on God’s voice and leading in his life.
Sometimes God must lead us into a blind corner and take away our ability to do anything before we will stop long enough and listen close enough to hear His voice.

This man who had once persecuted Jesus became a great missionary, and his life has touched the life of every man since that day. He is remembered for his writings and his church planting and his missionary journeys.

What do you want to be remembered for?
What do you want out of you Christian life?
What legacy do you want to leave for your children?

Will we walk in our own power and understanding?
Will we fight battles in the flesh and try to use our own strength to change the world?

Or

Will we be changed by the light, hear God’s Voice and obey His call? Will we preach the gospel and let Jesus change the world? It’s up to us!

 

16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

 

LORD WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO Part 1
– Paul in Acts 9
– A decision that made a division

DIVISION
In the Rockies is a stream called Divide Creek. At a point in its course, the creek divides around a large boulder. Waters that flow to the left of the boulder rush on into Kicking Horse River and finally into the Pacific Ocean. Waters that travel to the right go into the Bow River which courses into the Saskatchewan River, on into Lake Winnipeg, the Nelson River, Hudson Bay, and to the Atlantic Ocean Once the waters divide at the rock there is
no turning back.

Acts 9:1-16 (NKJV) ¹ Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. ⁴ Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” ⁶ So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ⁷ And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
¹⁰ Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. ¹² And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” ¹³ Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

 

Let us briefly look at Paul’s life

1) Very religious – blameless according to the Law of Moses, a Pharisee among Pharisees, very zealous for the faith of his fathers.
2) Rich Heritage – a Jew among Jews, born into the tribe of Benjamin
3) Well educated – Trained at the feet of Gamaliel, one of Israel’s greatest teachers of the day

GAMALIEL [guh MAY lih el] (God is my recompense) – the name of two men in the Bible:

A famous member of the Jewish SANHEDRIN and a teacher of the Law. Gamaliel, who had taught Paul (Acts 22:3), advised the Sanhedrin to treat the apostles of the young Christian church with moderation. Gamaliel’s argument was simple. If Jesus was a false prophet, as many others had been, the movement would soon fade into obscurity. If, however, the work was “of God,” he pointed out, “you cannot overthrow it” (Acts 5:39).

4) Ambitious – advancing quickly up the ranks of the Pharisees and had ability, desire, and talent far above his peers.
5) Full of bitterness and hatred – hated anything and anyone who could be a threat to the things that he believed, and those who would cause trouble for his people and those who opposed the teachings of the high priest and the Law of Moses. He hated those who preached and taught heresy against the Law that had led Israel for so many years.

I. He Saw the Light

Saul had set off on a mission, to stop the spread of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and arrest or kill its followers. God had other plans.

Suddenly – a blinding flash of light knocked him off his high horse.

GOD KNOWS HOW TO GET YOUR ATTENTION!

Saul encountered the Lord Jesus Christ on that Damascus Road and it changed his life forever.

I can certainly say amen to that, I know each Salvation experience is different, but the end result is the same, a changed life 2 Corinthians 5:17.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

My life has certainly changed since I accepted Christ as my Savior, since His Light got my attention. … what is your Testimony

Is Christ the center of your life? Is there anything in our lives that take priorities over the Lord?

Once we accept Christ as our Savior we are: –
• To live a certain way – Romans 12:1-2
• Treat our wives a certain way – Eph 5:25
• Bring our children up a certain way – Proverbs 22:6
• Study God’s Word – 2 Timothy 2:15
• Pray – 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Keep your eyes on the Savior…

The snow covered the ground, and three young boys were playing in it. A man said to them, “Would you like to try to race, with the promise of a prize for the winner?”
The boys agreed, and the man told them that his race was to be different. “I will go to the other side of the field,” he said, “and when I give you the signal, you will start to run. The one whose footsteps are the straightest in the snow will be the winner.”
As the race commenced, the first boy began looking at his feet to see if his steps were straight. The second lad kept looking at his companions to see what they were doing, but the third boy just ran on with his eyes fixed on the man on the other side of the field.
The third boy was the winner, for his footsteps were straight in the snow. He had kept his eyes on the goal ahead of him.

We have seen the light; we have been changed by the light, keep your eyes on the “Light of the World”

 

II. He Heard a Voice

Saul had only ever heard one voice before; he had heard the voice of religion and of the world.

It frustrates me that people are happy the listen to the voice of the world today, they will believe a newspaper article or a history/science book, but not God’s Word!!!

Paul now hears a different voice – a voice with power and authority that shook him to the core of his soul.

This same voice had spoken the world into existence.
This same voice had called to Adam in the Garden
This same voice had spoken judgment upon Satan, the serpent, and all of creation as a result of sin.
This same voice had spoken to Moses on Mt. Sinai and given the Law
This same voice had spoken to Lazarus and raised him from the dead
This same voice had raised the Window’s son.
This same voice had caused the Soldiers to fall backward in the Garden of Gethsemane
This same voice had cried out, “It is finished” as He paid the price of redemption on the cross
This same voice cries out to us today – follow me, and I will make you fishers of men
This same voice speaks to each of you – this is My will for your life, now do it
This same voice will someday say to us “Well done my good and faithful servant”

When that voice came from Heaven, Saul knew this was no ordinary voice.

People say that God does not talk today. I beg to differ; He speaks to us through His Word. How can people expect to hear His voice if they do not read His Word? If they are not in Church listening to His Word?

God did not call me to preach when I was on the Golf course, on the lake, or in the woods hunting, but through the preaching of His Word, He spoke directly to my heart.

When God called me to preach, He showed me in His Word, He couldn’t have been any clearer. Romans 10:14
He will reveal His plan for you, His will for your life, what He would have you to do for Him.

Study His Word and hear His voice.

III. He Obeyed a Call

A converted cowboy put it very well when he said, “Lots of folks that would really like to do right think that serving the Lord only means shouting themselves hoarse praising His name. Now I’ll tell you how I look at that. I am working for my Boss here. Now if I would do nothing but sit around the house telling what a good fellow my Boss is and singing songs to him, I would not suit Him. But when I buckle on my straps and hustle among the hills and see that my Boss’s herd is all right, not suffering for water and feed, or being driven off the range and branded by cow thieves, then I am serving My Boss as he wants to be served.” Let that be our philosophy, too, when the temptation is to talk instead of serving the Lord.

Don’t misunderstand me; we should be in Church Praising God and shouting Halleluiahs.
Is our question to God, “Lord, what would you have us to do?”

 Children Go Where I Send You

There is an old Christian song by this title, and the question is “Will you go?”

“Go Where I Send Thee”
The Kingston Trio Lyrics

Children, go where I send thee. How shall I send thee?
Well, I’m gonna send you one by one, one for the little bitty Baby
Was born, born, born in Bethlehem
Children, go where I send thee. How shall I send thee?
Well, I’m gonna send you two by two, two for Paul and Silas
One for the little bitty Baby was born, born, born in Bethlehem
Children, go where I send thee. How shall I send thee?
Well, now, I’m gonna send you three by three, three for the Hebrew children
Two for Paul and Silas, one for the little bitty Baby was born, born, born in Bethlehem
Children, go where I send thee. How shall I send thee?
Well, I’m gonna send you six by six, well, six for the six that never got fixed
Five for the gospel preachers, four for the four that stood at the door, three for the Hebrew children
Two for Paul and Silas, one for the little bitty Baby was born, born, born in Bethlehem
Children, go where I send thee. How shall I send thee?
Well, I’m gonna send you eight by eight, eight for the eight that stood at the gate
Seven for the seven that never got to heaven and six for the six that never got fixed
Five for the gospel preachers, four for the four that stood at the door, three for the Hebrew children
Two for Paul and Silas, one for the little bitty Baby was born, born, born in Bethlehem
Children, go where I send thee. How shall I send thee?
Well, now, I’m gonna send you ten by ten, ten for the ten commandments
Nine for the nine all dressed so fine, eight for the eight that stood at the gate
Seven for the seven who never got to heaven and six for the six that never got fixed
Five for the gospel preachers, four for the four that stood at the door, three for the Hebrew children
Two for Paul and Silas, one for the little bitty Baby was born, born, born in Bethlehem, He was born, born, born in Bethlehem

 

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)
¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Well, will you? Will you go? There was a saying that said “If not you, then who, and if not now, then when?” so if you are reading this, you are the one that God is saying to GO! I cannot find anywhere in the proper content that the Word of God says to go to Church, as far as that goes, there was not a Church as we know it at the time anyway. The Church as we know it did not start for a little over 300 years after Christ walked the earth. (So, now some have stopped reading and are going after ammo to counter what I just wrote instead of reading on and hearing me out) but it does say to go INTO THE WORLD (all the nations). What I want you to see is we all have a different world that we need to go into. The point is to get to the ones in need.

I am big-time pro CHURCH; We need the Church as a place to Worship and Praise a living, Savior collectively. We need the Church to educate and comfort other believers. We need the Church to do its job and to take care of the people in their communities. We need the Church for a haven, to get out of the world, and to regroup with fellow believers. We need the Church to help the orphans and the widows. We need the Church to reach a lost and dying world that is hell bound. And here you go, we need to do all the above regularly. SO DON’T SAY I AM ANTI CHURCH.

But because we sit up in our pulpits looking down on those who are not like us—they do not sing like us, they do not read the same translation as we do, they do not dress like us, they do not look like us, they are not the same race as us—then we judge them and wonder why no one wants to come to “my church.” I can tell you why, and I think I did just a little.

I love what I heard Jase Robertson say in their podcast “Unashamed” just recently. He said something along the lines of “people worship the book more than they Worship the Author.”

I think that it can also be applied to the Church building rather than the architect of the Church or Assembly. To the preacher rather than the one he should be proclaiming. The singers rather than the songs glorifying Christ. The outside of a person rather than the heart of the individual. It can go on and on.

But we need to GO into the world. (All the nations).

Mark 16:15 (HCSB)
¹⁵ Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

For some, their world is to go into is their work, whether it is an office, a factory, an assembly line, on a sales floor, or even working outdoors, cutting pulp wood, pouring concrete, or building a house, being a doctor or nurse, EMT wherever you are, that is your world. For some their world to go into is a school, either as a teacher, student, or in the administration, all the way to the people cleaning, that school, college, or university, this is your world. For some that are retired, you have a great big world of stores and parks to go into, your children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren. When any one of us goes into a restaurant or store that is a great world to go into and “preach the gospel”.

But I am not a preacher you may say, the word preach in Greek is Kēryssō and its definition is; to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel), and the English Words used in KJV: is preach 51 publish 5 proclaim 2 preached 2 preacher 1 [Total Count: 61times in the KJV Bible] from the Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.

So, you and every believer are to proclaim or tell the gospel so what is the gospel? It is to (euaggelizo); a good message, or (aggelos); to announce good news (“evangelize”) declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, is to preach (the gospel). From Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.

 

That makes the verse say we are to herald as a public crier, especially the divine truth of the word of God. That is a good message, and to announce good news by declaring, to bring and show glad or good tidings, that is to preach the gospel. So, you need to tell what God has done and according to the word of God what He is going to do, that, is Preaching the Gospel.

I have a redneck Yankee friend, and he does something that I have tried to incorporate into my life. He will ask for a blessing (Prayer) over every meal when he is out eating. As we should, but he always asks the servers if they have a prayer request. He has Preached or proclaimed the Gospel or the good news of Jesus with several people, those who served him and the people around his table. He has brought several people to Christ just by showing compassion.

If there is a person to preach to then there is your opportunity to “GO” and share the Gospel. I do not mean in any way for you to go get in their face and yell “You’re going to hell” which is probably true but no one wants to hear that or would respond well to that. What you must do is live it in front of them in such a way as to let your life preach the Word.

I once had a company and worked with quite a few different people, I had one man that was only there for a few months. I thought because I was a preacher and he knew it, if there was a spiritual example in the room it would be me. Boy was I wrong, do not get me wrong I showed kindness and respect, I spoke of Christ and tried to share the Gospel as much as possible. I would tell of a great sermon I heard just for a chance to preach. But it was not working.

We found out that one man working with us was really down on his luck, and words were not helping him much then. It reminded me of a story in the Bible about loving our neighbor, we call it the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus was asked how to have eternal life. His answer is recorded in the book of Luke:

Luke 10:25-37 (NKJV)
²⁵ And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
²⁷ So he answered and said, “’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ “
²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
³⁰ Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
³¹ Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
³² Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.
³⁴ So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
³⁵ On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’
³⁶ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
³⁷ And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The question is not what kind of a neighbor I have, but what kind of neighbor my neighbor has, namely YOU! Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”

My business partner who is a Christian found out and informed me that our worker and now great friend didn’t even have enough money for food. So, for lunch, I would hear a song on the radio that I knew and was pretty sure he knew the title too. I would say name that tune and I will buy lunch, and boom! Just like that, he would call out the title and we were off to lunch. He chalked it up to my bad luck and his knowledge of pop songs. I was trying to help the needy and let them keep their dignity. He was slowly seeing compassion in us. I love what I heard a preacher say once “Compassion is man’s way of showing God’s Grace.” Grace is what he was getting.

My business partner would have his wife make a little extra food when preparing their dinner, and he would take what was left to him and say “We had too much left over would you like it? Again, compassion with dignity. Our new worker and now friend saw God’s hand in supplying his needs,

Matthew 10:29-31 (NKJV)
²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Our friend later told me that he heard about Christians and how they were supposed to act but this was the first time that he actually saw it.  He ended up rededicating his life to Christ and is as of the time of this writing serving in a Church playing his guitar in their youth church.

 

As Major Ian Thomas said in one of his great sermons. If we do as instructed, then we are PUT.

1 Timothy 1:12-13 (NKJV)
¹² And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Major Ian Thomas then said if you are Sent, and if you Went, then you are Put. If you could ask Jesus Christ while he was on the cross why He was there He would simply say He was PUT. Put? “Yes, I was Sent and I went.”

 

John 20:19-21 (NKJV)
¹⁹ Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
So, Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Are you waiting for a call? Well, there it is, I was Sent and I went. “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

And now the question is “Will you go?”

The Gift from GOD to You,

The Christmas Present, if you will.

I love to see people happy; I like to crack jokes and see if I can bring a smile to someone. (Like I said it runs in the family my Uncle Dee and my Dad was like that too, even with Alzheimer’s he tried to play with people everywhere he went and to make them laugh.)

I also love to give things to people; I guess that why I love to preach so much, what better one can give to someone than Jesus’ message of salvation.

With that said I have learned the past few years that I am not a good receiver.

I truly would rather give than get.

Moreover, I do not know if I feel that I do not deserve the gifts as much as others, and they may need it and I should pass it on to them.

When we come to the Christmas season, I see a lot of Christian post on Facebook, and other outlets saying “Jesus is the reason for the Season”. I don’t want to take away from them pointing to Jesus rather than shopping, buying, wrapping, giving, and cooking, and eating, and all the lights, and trees, and the tinsel and bows.

But I believe if we ask God the Father, what’s the reason for the season?

He might just say, “YOU”.

Allow me to take a little freedom with a few verses that we know and love so well and change a few words, so we can see it a little better.

John 3:16 For God so loved YOU that He gave His only begotten Son, that if YOU believe in Him YOU would not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son to YOU to condemn YOU, but that YOU through Him might be saved.

Or to put it directly to you, read it this way.

For God so loved me that He gave His only begotten Son to me, that if I believe in Him, I would not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to me to condemn me, but that I through Him might be saved.

Are you getting the reason for the season? Is it YOU?

Isaiah said it this way without me changing a word.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; NKJV

Are you getting this? “Unto us” all of us!

Me, you, that dirty stinking sinner that you don’t want anything to do with, the cheat, the liar, the thief, the adulterer, the homosexual, the bigot, we need to see that “Unto us” covers all of them too.

Luke 2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  NKJV

Again, I didn’t have to change a word.

We have to get better at receiving but also sharing the story of His Son our Lord Jesus.

Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season, but look at the reason he came, so

He, some 33 1/2 years later on Calvary’s cross could say:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

And Paul said:

Christ in Our Place

Romans 5:6-11 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 1 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.  NKJV

 

The reason for the season was for you and me. Let’s not miss the cost of the gift that God gave some 2000 years ago.

He did it all for His Love for You.

I pray you receive His Present to you.

The Gift that had Worth, Jesus gave it all.

Therefore, who did He do it all for?

You that is who!