Author: E. DeWayne Swann

Expiration Date

As I have stated My Dad used to say from time to time, “sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit.”

Well today was one of the days that I sat and thought.

Therefore, what I was thinking about was my Mother pouring out some milk, and a statement I saw put on Facebook that said “we don’t have an expiration date.”

Well, I beg to differ.

We do have an “expiration date” the Bible says in:

Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, And a time to die; NKJV

 

We all will face death sometime or another.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, NKJV

With that said, we all have an expiration date stamped on us. For most, we do not know when that day will be.

I truly believe we can accelerate that date and in the same thought, I believe we can also extend that date.

Ecclesiastes 7:17 Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?  NKJV

The milk may have been poured out before its time; even when it was still good and it could still have some use after the appointed date stamped on the carton.

I think a lot our own lives are that way, we can take our own life before its time, or even taking years off our life with things like smoking, drinking, and as much as I hate to admit it over eating, I think we can do a lot of things to take years off our life.

I was playing a game of chess years ago on a computer. After a few minutes of play the game told me I had 12 moves left and I would be in check.

No way I thought, then after the next move it said I had less than 5 moves. Apparently, I made the wrong move. The computer knew every possible move I could make and already worked out how the game would end.

I think life is that way; we make the wrong move, and it cost time on our lives.

I also believe that God knows every possible move we can make and has an end planed for each move we make which gives us free will. However, God is always in charge and always knows the end.

Back to the game, I made 2 more moves and was in check and then mate. Needless to say, that I do not play that game anymore.

But the game of life goes on and what we do with it is up to us.

Ecclesiastes 2:16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!  NKJV

Solomon was the wisest man outside Jesus Himself to ever walk the earth, and he still had the same thoughts, discouragements, and worries as we do.

What is it all about?

We can work our whole life, and what we gather and accomplish, is gone when we are. I don’t have to be like that, I believe that it was Andy Stanley that said “you can’t take it with you when you go, but you can send it on ahead.”

Think for a moment, of the lives you have touched the souls that you were a part of sending on to Heaven eventually.

Through your giving to the Church for outreach and missions. By saying the right thing to the right person at the right time. By you personally to get to lead someone to the Lord.

You may say you never did anything like that. Well did you ever watch the nursery at a Church so the parents could sit in a service, or teach a Sunday School class or VBS class and planted a verse in a young child’s mind?

Ever drop an extra dollar in the plate for missions or for someone in need?

Ever send a card or a letter to encourage someone?

Have you ever dropped by the hospital to visit someone who hurts?

Have you ever brought a meal to someone in need or picked up a check after a meal for someone that hurts?

Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 25:40 “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”  NKJV

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.  14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. NKJV

The saying “it ain’t over till it’s over” seems to apply. As long as you have breath, as long as you are on this side of the grass, you have a mission and that mission is to live for Christ.

Philippians 1:21a “For to me to live is Christ…”

For me to be alive Christ is alive, the reason the first century Christians got so extremely happy with a new convert. There was another person to live for Christ. Christ had another mouth to speak on His behalf, two more hands to carry His gospel, two more feet to go and help those in need.

My mentor Reverend Ben Turner once said “if you are going to hammer at least build something.”  So, since you are still around do something profitable for the cause of Christ.

With that said we all have an expiration date stamped on us.

Don’t you want to accomplish something for Jesus before we meet Him face to face?

I was having lunch at Wallace Bar B Q one day and some waitress knowing that I am a minister, had a question about suicide. After hearing their questions, and hearing their concerns about the subject, I related the following story to them:

In 1991 the office job I had overseeing eight concrete construction crews, was taken away from me and I went from telling these foremen what to do, to working for one of them and asking how to do it. My pay was cut according to my accountant over $30,000.00 that year. I tried to keep living like I was, except on credit cards, but I soon found out that the Visa, Master Card, and American Express company’s want their money back after a while. (as if I didn’t know) I was behind on every payment, and that’s not what I do at all. I made sure the house payment was made, I may sit in a dark and cold house, but at least I would have a roof over my head.

My wife decided she didn’t want to be with me three years earlier, and so for three long years I would pray and beg God to send her home, believing that would happen and happen real soon.

But it didn’t happen, and the day came that a Deputy came knocking on my door and served me divorce papers, and I am now at what I was looking at as the end of all I could take, and that morning around 2:30 to 3:00am I heard Satan say “you don’t have to hurt like this, there is a way out, the 357 magnum is right there.”

I find it amazing when Satan talks to you it’s not in an echo chamber voice, or a dark deep evil voice, but it was in a soft southern draw, and sounded, well it sounded a lot like me, cause that’s how he does it, through my mind and in my voice.

I said God “I can’t take anymore, (and I couldn’t but I learned that night God can if I give it to Him.) so the rest of my talk with God went something like this, “I am about to see you face to face and if you don’t want me to do, what I am about to do you better stop me now” and (another conjunction, there is still more to the story.)

At that very moment as I watched the chamber turn and the shell line up as the hammer went back on that old Colt.

The phone rang. I thought, who could that be at this time of the night, God maybe? So, I sat the weapon down and picked up the phone. Before I could say hello, a preacher friend, Eddie Rogers, said “God told me to call you and tell you to STOP! Do you hear me?” I answered, “yes I hear you.”  Ed then said, “can I go back to bed now?” I said “sure, and thanks” he said goodnight and hung up. I cleared the weapon and went to bed myself believing God was not near done with me.

A few weeks later as we were meeting for a prayer time for Eddies Ministry Sweet Spirit Band, I ask him if he remembered calling me that night, and he said he did, then I ask did he not want to know what was going on that night?

He said he thought I would share the reason with him when I was ready, so I told him the story, and waiting on “are you okay brother?” or “I am so sorry you are going through this.” Or even “just hang in their brother everything is going to be alright.”

Instead, I got “you idiot, (it’s good to have a few friends like that, just a few.) is that how you really want face God Almighty with a smoking gun in your hand?” I said, “no not really, and I promise it will never happen again.””

My Expiration Date could have been that day, my choice, I believe if I had pulled that trigger that moment it all would have ended right then.

A few weeks later after sharing that story that day at Wallace’s, I had a lady come up to our table and say, “I was here a couple a week ago, and I was setting right behind you when you told how you almost ended your life, and that you didn’t want to face God with a smoking gun in your hand. I was here to eat my final meal I have a chronic pain, and I was just going to eat and go home and take every pain pill I had and just end it all. But I thought did I really want to face God with a stomach full of pills. And after seeing how God is still using you, I went home and had a great talk with my Heavenly Father, and I just wanted to thank you for sharing what you went through, because it saved my life too.”

You never know who you are reaching, or how God is going to use you, or even when God will use you. It may be in a Bar B Q house in Austell, Georgia. Or in a pulpit in a church, just know when God is ready for you let Him do the calling, because you don’t want to pour out that milk before its time. You don’t want to face God for the first time with a smoking gun, a stomach full of pills, a bloody wrist, or any other than His reaching down and saying it’s time to come home.

Remember as we read earlier.

A time to be born,

And a time to die.

Don’t punch your Expiration date before Gods time.

Where do I go when I hurt? Part 2

CHASING AFTER GOD

Psalm 42:1-5, 11 (NKJV)
¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
³ My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
⁴ When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

¹¹ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

A young teenage boy had just gotten his driver’s license. When he got home, he asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him into his study and said to the boy, “I’ll make a deal with you. If you bring up your grades, study your Bible a little, and get a haircut, then we’ll talk about the use of the car.”

After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss the use of the car. They again went to the father’s study where his father said, “Son, I’ve been so very proud of you. You have brought up your grades, you’ve studied your Bible diligently, but you didn’t get your haircut.” The young man waited a moment and replied, “Dad, I’ve been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, even Jesus had long hair…” His father interrupted him at that point and said, “Yes son, and they walked everywhere they went!”

He was so close, but so far, from getting what he wanted. The boy was willing to pay most of the price, but not all of the price. The boy knew what he wanted. His desire was strong. But there was a problem: he wasn’t willing to go all the way. He wasn’t willing to pay the entire price.

Listen to me carefully. Most of us know what we want in life. Most of us have goals, objectives, and dreams. Most of us want a good job. Even though the salary is important and pays the bills, it is just as important for us to be happy in the job we have. Most of us would say that what we want in life is for our kids to grow up to be healthy, happy, and well- adjusted. Most of us want our marriage to work. And yes, most of us even know what we want in our relationship with God and the church. In most of those situations, we will do just about whatever it takes to make them work, won’t we?

Unfortunately, though, when it comes to our relationship with God and to His church, we sometimes allow other things to hinder that relationship. We are willing to go only so far with God. We are willing to go only so far with the church. When we get to that point, and I might add that point is different for each person, when we reach that point, we stop. At that point, we find ourselves backing up, pulling away, or being unwilling to get any closer to God or to our church family. We want to get close; we just don’t do it.

I want you to understand something. God has a desire for you. God’s desire is to have a close, personal relationship with you. God wants to be the driving force in your life. God wants to be the Lord of your life. Listen to me carefully. God wants to be more than just involved in your Sunday life. God wants to be involved in your everyday life. That’s God’s desire for each of us.

However, here’s the question for us. Are we going to let God be in control of our life? Let me ask that question in a little different way: when you think about control in your life, what controlled your life last week? Was it your schedule that controlled you? Was it your job that controlled you? What about your family? What about your free time? What controlled you? What was the driving force behind what you did last week?

When we look at Psalm 42, we quickly see an individual who had one driving force in his life—he had one focus—he had one desire—worshiping God. Everything in his life seemed to revolve around his desire to worship God. For that writer, the greatest priority in his life was worshiping God. Period. That’s it.

That’s an amazing priority, isn’t it? It is really amazing when we read further in Psalm 42. As we continue to read, it becomes painfully obvious that the writer was not in a good situation. The writer was lonely. He was separated from everyone else. He felt abandoned. His entire life seemed to be crashing in around him. However, the writer was determined not to let those things drag him down. His focus was certain—his hope was secure—no matter what came his way—he was determined to worship God.

But, notice what the writer tells us. He was so far away from the Temple or from any house of worship, that he just did not see how he could worship God. Because he could not worship God and without genuine worship in his life, he was afraid, he was alone, he did not see how he could keep going. He wanted to worship; he just didn’t know how he could worship.

Can you identify with those emotions? Maybe a better question would be, who can’t identify with those emotions? Unfortunately, we are so often overwhelmed by our thoughts of loneliness, by feelings of being separated, or by feeling abandoned by those we love that we can’t seem to keep our focus on God. We want to focus on God, we just hurt so much that we can’t. When that happens, we find ourselves in desperation, feeling as if there is no hope whatsoever. It’s almost like we think it is us against the world.

Now, notice how the writer of this passage responded to his problems. As we examine these verses, we see three ways that the writer kept his focus on God. The writer found that these three things would endure no matter what the activities of the week, no matter what the emotion of the moment, and no matter what happened in his life that day. The writer found that these three things kept his focus on God and on worshiping God.

The first thing the writer found was this. He found that a HUNGER FOR GOD BRINGS FOCUS TO LIFE. Too often, here is what we do as we think about worship. When we think about worship, we think that before we can worship that we first must try to get away from the world. Before we can worship, we think that we must find the perfect place to worship. Before we can worship, we think that we must get closer to the heart of God. We think that when we do those things, then and only then are we ready to worship God.

Somehow, we have gotten the idea that we must wait until the work week is over, that we must wait until Sunday, so that we can gather in the appointed house of worship, at the right time, and with the right people. We think that we must have a pastor, a choir, ushers, and a special building before worship can begin. We think that if we do all of that, then worship can and will take place.

But here is what happens when we gather for worship with that frame of mind. We sit down and we wait for the action to begin. When the action begins, we simply sit and watch the action. Every so often, we glance at our watch to make sure that everything is staying on schedule. You know, the football pregame show comes on soon, the restaurant will fill up if the Methodists get out first, or the roast will burn in the oven if we are not home on time.

When we gather for worship like that, with that attitude, with that mindset, yes, worship is going to be comfortable. Worship is going to be easy. Worship will be somewhat satisfying and meaningful. But listen to me carefully. When we worship like that, we find that worship is not very demanding. That is the opposite of what the Bible says that worship should be.

The book of Psalms brings discomfort to that type of worship, it causes us to think, doesn’t it? Look again at Psalm 42. Notice everything that is wrong with these verses. Psalm 42 was not situated in the Temple. The writer was nowhere near a worship place. He was not in a place where life was easy. In reality, the writer was far away from Jerusalem. The writer was so far away from the Temple that he could only look back to the good old days of worship. Happiness and joy from worship were in the past. All he knew in his present was tears and sorrow. Because he could not worship, he was in despair, in hopelessness, and in grief.

Notice how the writer responded to being unable to go to the sanctuary and worship God for so long. The writer was panting. He was dry. He was parched. He had a deep, painful, hunger to worship God. Now, the psalmist was not panting for air, thirsting for water, hungering for food, or crying from pain. The psalmist was not desperate for those things. His one desire, his one focus, was on God and on worshiping God.

Listen. That is what genuine worship is. Worship takes place when we focus on one need—our need for God. Worship takes place when we refuse to be content until we meet God in a real and personal way. Worship takes place when we admit that life is out of control until a relationship with God is restored. Could it be that you have the same need today, a need to meet God? Is that what brought you to church this morning? Are you searching for a real, strong relationship with God? Are you looking for God today? If you are, you have started in the right direction—by worshiping God.

Now, we must understand something here. Just because we have God as our focus does not mean that we are sitting on top of the world. Here’s what having our focus on God means: we recognize our need and we know that there is only one source of satisfaction. The psalmist came to the conclusion that there was no hope that could be found in human solutions. The writer said that there is only one center of focus. God was the only source of hope for him. Only God deserved to be worshiped.

Secondly, the psalmist found that a MEMORY OF GOD LEADS A PERSON TO PRAYER.

Listen. When we are focused on God as our only hope, He becomes the One we talk to when we pray. When we focus on God, He becomes the One that we turn directly to in prayer. When we go directly to God, as our only hope, we find something. When we pray like that, we find that we don’t mince our words. We don’t repeat what we think are the right words of prayer which will please God or will please those standing around us. When we go to God like that, we thirst, hunger, and pant after God.

Notice the verses again. The psalmist remembered the excitement of his hometown. He could still remember the days worshiping with his family. He could still see people marching in procession to the Temple in Jerusalem. He could still remember people expressing thanks for the good things God had given, people praising God for His presence, and people looking to God as the Savior of life. But those were the good old days. Now, there were no more praises, no more parades, no more talk of God. The only question he was asked now by his friends was this: “Where is your God?” His friends told him that God had forgotten him. All the writer heard was mocking— “If God loves you so much, where is He?”

Now, you need to hear me. When we stop to think about God, when we focus on God, our thoughts will always lead us to prayer. But, listen, prayer does not bring automatic success. Prayer does not guarantee that God will grant our request or meet our needs. Now, does that mean that all our hope is gone? No. When we focus on God, when we turn to God in prayer, many of our words will be cries for hope and help. But here is what happens even when our prayers are cries for help: when we pray, our prayer reminds us that we can trust and know that God’s love is still there. Even then, God can remind us that God is still our true source of comfort.

Okay, what is the result of our prayers? What is the result of focusing on God? That’s our third idea this morning. The psalmist found that HOPE IN GOD DISPELS DESPAIR. Here’s the reason we worship. Worship demonstrates our hope in God’s future actions. Listen. We worship—not because we have all the answers. We worship, not because God has cleared all the obstacles. We worship, not because the right people invite us to join them. We worship God because we have a deep-seated need to know God. We worship because we know that God is the only source of hope for our lives.

That is why we worship God. We do not worship for some magical reasons. We do not worship to get our way in the world. We do not worship simply to appease God. We worship for one reason—God is our only true hope in this world! We worship, we really worship because we love God.

Pappy was a pleasant fellow. His face was quite drawn from age, but when he smiled, even his wrinkles seemed to smile with him. Pappy owned a pawnshop. Everyone who knew him respected and adored him. There was a room in the back of his shop where he spent time tinkering with his own precious items. He referred to the back room as “Memory Hall.” In it were pocket watches, clocks, and electric trains. Pappy enjoyed spending time in Memory Hall. Sometimes, he would close his eyes to relive a sweet, simple childhood memory.

One day, Pappy was reassembling an old railroad lantern. As he polished his lantern, he heard the bell on the shop door. The bell had been in Pappy’s family for over a hundred years. He cherished it dearly. Pappy left Memory Hall to greet his customer. At first, he didn’t see anyone. His customer was shorter than the counter. Pappy said, “How can I help you?” The little girl looked at Pappy with her big brown eyes, then slowly scanned the room in search of something special. She said, “I’d like to buy a present for my grandpa. But I don’t know what to get.”

Pappy began to make suggestions. “How about a pocket watch? It’s in good condition. I fixed it myself,” he said. The little girl didn’t answer. Finally, she walked to the door. She wiggled the door gently to ring the bell. The little girl smiled with excitement. “This is just right,” the little girl bubbled. “Momma says grandpa loves music.” Just then, Pappy knew what she wanted, his bell. He didn’t want to break the little girl’s heart. “I’m sorry, but that’s not for sale. Maybe your grandpa would like a radio.” The little girl looked at the radio and sighed, “No, I don’t think so.”

In an effort to help her understand, Pappy told her the story of how the bell had been in his family for many years and that was why he didn’t want to sell it. The little girl said, “I guess I understand. Thank you, anyway.” Suddenly, Pappy thought of how the rest of the family was gone—that was, except for his estranged daughter whom he had not seen in a decade. Pappy thought, why not pass the bell on to someone who would share it with a loved one. He said, “I’ve decided to sell the bell.” The little girl, said, “Oh, thank you. Grandpa will be so happy.” Pappy felt good about helping the child even though he knew he would miss the bell.

Later that evening, Pappy prepared to close up shop. He found himself thinking about the bell. He thought about the child and wondered if her grandpa liked the gift. He knew that any grandfather would cherish anything from such a precious grandchild. Just then, as he turned off the lights in Memory Hall, Pappy thought he heard his bell. But he knew that was ridiculous, he had sold his bell. In a minute, he heard the bell again. He turned toward the door and there stood the little girl. She was ringing the bell and smiling. Pappy was puzzled, “What’s this? Have you changed your mind?” “No,” she grinned. “Momma says it’s for you.” Before Pappy had time to say another word, the child’s mother stepped into the doorway. Choking back her tears, she said, “Hello, Dad.”

Listen. God is waiting for you to come home to Him. He has done everything possible to let you know of His love for you. He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins. Now, He waits for you. Now, He waits for you to worship Him, to put Him first in your life, in every decision, in every avenue of your life. How about it? Will you do that today? Will you come home to God right now?

 

 

Where do I go when I hurt?  Part 1

 Psalm 42

Psalm 42:1-11 (NKJV)
¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
³ My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
⁴ When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.
⁶ O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
⁸ The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me– A prayer to the God of my life.
⁹ I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰ As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
¹¹ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

A young boy had misbehaved and was sent to bed by his mother. Just 5 minutes later he cried out Mom, I’m thirsty, can you bring me a drink of water? No, go to sleep. Five minutes later. Mom? What? Can I have a drink of water? She says I told you no and if you ask again, I’m going to have to spank you. Five minutes later Mom? What??? When you come in to spank me, would you bring me a drink of water?

Psalm 42 is referred to as a Maskil. A Maskil is a teaching, Psalm. While many of the psalms are written by David, I believe this one is written by a different; while many of the Psalms is written as praises to lift up to the Lord this one is written to teach God’s people some specific truths that we need to understand. We need them.

• When we are going through a time of discouragement
• When our walk with the Lord has become dry and plain
• When we are experiencing a time of depression
• When we are simply going through the motions and life has lost its meaning

Have you ever been there? More important, are you there right now?

The writer of this psalm is in a dark place. Many of us know what that is like. Because we have had a loved one who has gone through a very dark time—or on an even more personal level—we have been through this kind of darkness. I read several facts about depression this week. Let me share a few.

• Depression affects approximately 19 million Americans annually. About 10 percent of the population. By the way, these are only the ones who seek treatment.
• Nearly twice as many women are affected as men.
• The fastest growing group using antidepressants today are children—under the age of 5.

The Psalmist gives us 3 questions here for us to consider. Let us look.

1. Where can we go when we need to meet with God?

When we need to hear from God? V. 2b.

¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

The writer here is in great need/pain. He is at a time in his life when his spiritual life had apparently dried up. He is thirsty. He says, my soul pants for you O Lord just as a deer pants for water. The word pant means to breathe quickly in a labored manner.

A deer pants for water when he has been running. Perhaps running to safety, maybe just tired but definitely in need of REFRESHMENT and when a deer experiences this, they move as quickly as possible to take care of that thirst. They want water.

The writer here is in the darkness of his life and he says v. 3 my tears have been my food day and night.

³ My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”

He is too troubled to eat, the streams are streaming down his face; he can taste them constantly. And to top it off people are saying to him all day long, “where is your God?” “Where is your God?” They’re watching him. They watch us. They’re testing him. The test us. Don’t you love it?

When Job was going through so many difficulties—he had lost the farm, His house, cattle, then his whole family—everything—his health, his friends did this exact thing to him. They said, call out if you will but who is going to answer you? Even his wife turned against him and said why don’t you just give up, just curse God and die. I think this is where we get the phrase, with friends like this who needs enemies? Too many of us when we see that someone is down—they’re hurting—we only make matters worse. Men are saying to him all day long—where is your God now? Where is your God?

The psalmist remembers—he says it here—v.4.

⁴ When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

These things I remember. How I used to go with the multitude. I was the one leading the way to the house of God. And he seems to answer his own question. Where can I go and meet with God? ……. right here…at His house.

2. He then poses a 2nd question and again he poses the question to himself. This time he says in v. 5 “Why are you downcast O my soul? Another version says why am I so depressed? Why am I so discouraged?”

⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

Perhaps you have asked that question before. It is a common question that that believers ask. And they ask many times because of one of several myths. Lies that we as believers have bought into.

Several myths.

1. We believed that when we came to Christ, that our lives would be easy. We believed that God owes us something. One TV evangelist told his listeners to put pictures of the things they wanted on their refrigerators

• A Cadillac
• A diamond necklaces
• A husband
• A house

Or whatever and then claim it in the name of Jesus. People shake their fist in the air and demand that God do a particular thing.

What we miss is an important truth. God is with us in our suffering. Immanuel. When all is well, we say we are blessed, God is with me. Let me give you a different truth here. God may be with you more in your suffering than He is in our times of prosperity. You just haven’t realized it.

2. A second myth. When we came to Christ, we believed that our happiness is based on circumstances. It’s not. It’s based on trust. You see there’s always going to be something wrong. But it’s a matter of focus. A matter of perspective. But sometimes we believe in our circumstances more than we believe in God. And we forget how much God has helped us in the past.

Again, he answers his own question. Why am I so discouraged? So depressed? Here is the answer. Put your hope in God. The word is Elpis. Not Elvis. Elpis means hope. When we say hope—I hope for this, I hope for that, we are speaking of desire. But in the NT, elpis means desire plus expectation. Jesus is our hope—I not only desire to be with him, I expect to be with Him.

3. A third myth. We accepted the belief that Christians cannot/should not be depressed. Believers are not immune to this thing called depression. Nor are we immune to cancer. Or heart disease.

3rd question. V. 9. Why have you forgotten about me?

⁹ I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

We usually ask this question when we see a friend who seems really blessed, things are going really well, yet we know they have been living like the devil. And we don’t like it. We shout at God. Lord have you forgotten about me? Have you forgotten my address? Can you not hear me? I’ve been there. You’ve been there. The psalmist asks why must I continue mourning?

My bones hurt. My enemies make fun. They ask again, where is your God? Why am I down? What can I do? Here it is. Put your hope in God.

The story is told of a young man who was searching for God when he came upon a priest who was praying by the river. The young man interrupted him and said sir I want God more than anything in my life. Can you help me?

The priest jumped up, grabbed him by the arm, dragged him into the river, and plunged his head under water. After holding him there for a minute the priest pulled him up out of the river. The priest again said “Tell me, what do you want?” He said I want God more than anything else. He then dunked him another time asked the same question and then again, each time holding him under even longer. He then raised him out of the water and the man was kicking and screaming…… struggling to free himself. The young man coughed up water and was gasping to get his breath. When he eventually quieted down, the priest said now “tell me, what do you want? The man replied “Air!” answered the man. I want air more than anything. The priest said, very well, now “Go home and come back to me when you want God as much as you just wanted air.”

Most of us don’t really want God more than anything else in the world. We want Him especially when things are going very well. When we’re in trouble. When we hurt. When we can’t pay our mortgage. When life is caving in. But what happens when everything gets fixed. What do we want then? Not God. We put our focus on other things. If you are going through a struggle right now. Listen to these words from a pastor several centuries ago. “Don’t let your trials be wasted on you.” Whatever you are facing, give it to God. Ask Him to walk with you all the way through it. And whatever you do, never give up on God.

Next week;

Where do I go when I hurt? Part 2

CHASING AFTER GOD

The Storms of the Night

Text Matthew 14

 

Matthew 14:22-33 (NKJV) ²² Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

Made = NT:315 anagkazo (an-ang-kad’-zo); from NT:318; to necessitate:  KJV – compel, constrain.

NT:318 anagke (an-ang-kay’); from NT:303 and the base of NT:43; constraint (literally or figuratively); by implication, distress: KJV – distress, must needs, (of) necessity (-sary), needeth, needful.

(Jesus had just fed the thousands)

Matthew 14:17-21 (NKJV) ¹⁷ And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ He said, “Bring them here to Me.” ¹⁹ Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. ²⁰ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. ²¹ Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

 ^Then

²³ And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. ²⁴ But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

contrary. = NT:1727 enantios (en-an-tee’-os); from NT:1725; opposite; figuratively, antagonistic: KJV – (over) against, contrary.

(If they went to the north the wind was there, south, there. Ever have days like that, no matter which way you go it seem that there is a storm brewing) (but remember who put them there)

²⁵ Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

(The fourth watch, toward three o’clock in the morning,)

²⁶ And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

(PRAY Please always pray before doing any Bible study)

Introduction:

There are some 35 separate miracles of Christ record in the Gospels and are divided into two categories One are healing miracles where He ether healed the sick or raised the dead… the next are miracles of nature, where He said peace be still and the storm stops, or turns water into wine, the one we just read is of nature. all the miracles of Christ point to the future they point to truths that are listed in the book of Revelations, e.g. the raising of the dead says that all death one day will be done away with, the casting out of demons’ signals to God invasion on Satan and his ultimate defeat. The healing of the sick and the provision of food tells us that someday all suffering will be done away with. But now we see Christ walking on a stormy sea, and this too points forward to a time of complete victory over the kayos of this earth. But it also speaks to us for today for the Storms that we face each and every day. And everyone has storms in their lives.

There are bright sunny days of summer and there are the cold windy days of winter,

There are days abundant flooding and there are days of drought.

There are days of joy but there are also days of sorrow.

There are times when our highest hopes are blasted, our noblest dreams are shattered.

There are times when our brightest sunrises are turned to our darkest nights.

The storm of adversity will rage, the wind of disaster will blow, and the tide wave of grief sometimes will beat in against our lives, and emotionally we find ourselves beat to shreds. And as one preacher put it, sometimes we must go to the kitchen of sorrow and lick every pan.

God does not build for us bridges over trouble water that the easy way out.

Sometimes God calms the storm but sometimes He calms the believer and lets the storm rage on.

Now we see Peter and look at who is already in the stormy sea, Jesus.

²⁸ And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” ²⁹ So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

(Look what happened when you take your eyes off Jesus)

³⁰ But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

(Pray your heart and your needs.)

³¹ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³² And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

Mark 6:52 Marks account of the same miracle

52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

They forgot what Christ a few hours earlier had just done, do not forget what he has already done for you, look back and know that he is already there.

or as Dr. Tony Evans said, “We often doubt what God will do because we have forgotten what God has done!”

Hebrews 13:5-8 (NKJV)
⁵ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶ So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
⁷ Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Heart was hardened, over exposure under response to the truth. It’s that You hear the truth over and over and walk out and never do anything with it.

James 1:23-25 (NKJV) ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

We see the three Hebrew boys were not saved from the fire, but in the fire. Jesus was there with them.

Daniel was not delivered from the lion’s den but delivered from a den of lions.

And look at the apostle Paul at his trouble,

2 Corinthians 11:22-33 (NKJV) ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. ²³ Are they ministers of Christ? –I speak as a fool–I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. ²⁴ From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶ in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; ²⁷ in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness– ²⁸ besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? ³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. ³¹ The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. ³² In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; ³³ but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

Jeremiah was in a storm of exile and percussion and tears that his prophecies came out.

Hanna (the mother of Samuel) in a storm of infertile that she emerged as a Godly mother.

It was a storm of exile at Patmus that John wrote the book of Revelations

When it looks so dark and there is no way out, know that God is at work.

There are some things that God can do in a storm that he cannot do in fair weather.

God know that we play in the calm but we Pray in the storm and most Christians will tell You that their closest time with God is in the storms. Understand God controls the storms.

Why Trials come our way.

By Norma Head

It seems when times are getting hard.

And things are looking bad,

That’s when we call on the Lord the most.

When we are very sad,

But if you stop and think a while

We need Him most of all.

When things are good and we can smile

But then we seldom call,

Why trials come our way.

They help to keep Him in our hearts

When on our knees, we stay.

 

The best example in the Bible is Joseph Gen.37: (Potiphar) Butler saves Baker killed,

He was never going down he was going up, from the pit to a palace.

1Peter 4:12-13 (NKJV) ¹² Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

In the Book

Intense Moments with the Savior by Ken Gire

INTRODUCTION

“Our Savior’s life was not an unbroken succession of intimate moments that changed people’s lives, or incredible moments that captured their attention, or instructive moments that challenged their thinking. There were intense moments too. Moments when he overturned the tables of moneychangers and moments when money changed hands and his enemies turned the tables on him.

As we focus on these intense moments, we see the Savior as a son who learned obedience through the things he suffered. But through this apprenticeship of suffering,

Jesus learned something else.

He learned to feel.

He learned the feeling of hunger from his forty days in the wilderness and thirst from his feverish hours on the cross. But he learned to feel a greater hunger in the wilderness than bread alone could satisfy and a greater thirst on the cross than mere water could relieve. He learned the pain of rejection and the sorrow of unrequited love.

We learn to feel in much the same way. We learn to feel when our faith is tested in some wilderness. When our best-laid plans go awry and our bravest prayers go unanswered. When we’re belittled by a crowd or betrayed by a colleague. When we’re deserted by our friends or done in by our enemies.

Whether it’s a single thorn in the flesh or a crown of them mashed on our heads, suffering teaches us to feel.”

 

Do You ever wonder why bad things happen as we see in John 11?

John 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died.

John 11 :32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died.

John 11:35   Jesus wept.

This is why.

2 Corinthians 4:8-18 (NKJV) ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed– ¹⁰ always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So then death is working in us, but life in you. ¹³ And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴ knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. ¹⁵ For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 5:1-11 (NKJV) ¹ For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, ³ if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. ⁴ For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. ⁶ So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
⁹ Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.¹¹ Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

Back to: Intense Moments with the Savior

But learning to feel carries with it both a blessing and a curse: a blessing, because those feelings are what lead us out of ourselves; a curse, because once out we can never again go back and enjoy the simple pleasures of a self-absorbed life. For suffering sensitizes us not only to the world around us, which is needy, but to the world within us, which is needier still, and ultimately to the world beyond us, which we long for in so many ways. Yet in so few ways do we ever fully realize it. Until we suffer.

We go through Storms so the world will see how God’s people will react!

Matthew 27:38-42 (NKJV) ³⁸ Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. ³⁹ And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, ⁴² “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.

Why do we go through such things, so others can see Christ Jesus in us.

As Dr. Charles Stanley said “Nothing speaks louder to an unsaved world than a Christian that suffers successfully!”

Matthew 27:54 (NKJV) ⁵⁴ So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Back to: Intense Moments with the Savior

Then we realize that this is not our home, that our home is with him who suffered and died and left this earth to prepare a place for us. Once we understand that and who it is that keeps a candle burning for us in the window, then the road ahead, however long, however difficult, is infinitely easier to travel.

 

The Story of Paul and Silas locked in a jail and look at the outcome.

Acts 16:22-34 (NKJV) ²² Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. ²³ And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
²⁵ But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. ²⁷ And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. ²⁸ But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” ²⁹ Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
³⁴ Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

 

Til the Storm Passes By

Artist: Bill & Gloria Gaither, Album: Turn Your Radio On

Lyrics

In the dark of the midnight

Have I oft hid my face.

While the storm howls above me

And there’s no hiding place.

‘Mid the crash of the thunder

Precious Lord, hear my cry.

“Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by.”

 

‘Til the storm passes over

‘Til the thunder sounds no more

‘Til the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand.

In the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by

 

Many times, Satan tells me.

“There is no need to try.

For there’s no end of sorrow

There’s no hope by and by.”

But I know Thou art with me.

And tomorrow I’ll rise.

Where the storms never darken the skies

 

‘Til the storm passes over

‘Til the thunder sounds no more

‘Til the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand.

In the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by

Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by

 

How to Sleep on a Stormy Night

Matthew 7:24-29 (NKJV) ²⁴ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” ²⁸ And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, ²⁹ for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

 

What kind of foundation are you built on, and can you sleep on a stormy night.

I saw this story in Instagram:

A farmer was looking for a new farm hand, so as he was interviewing a young man, he asked him what was his qualifications were? The young man replied “I can sleep through a storm. This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, so he hired him. A few weeks later the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm ripping through the valley. He leapt out of bed and called for his new hired hand, but the young man was sleeping soundly. So, they quickly began to check things to see if all was secure, the found the shutters on the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The farmer and his wife then inspected their property, they found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements, the bales of wheat had been bound and wrapped in tarpaulins, the tractor had been moved into the garage, the barn was properly locked tight. Even the animals were calm and had plenty of feed. All was well. The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man’s words “I can sleep through a storm” because the farmhand did his work, Loyally and faithfully when the sky was clear. He was prepared for any storm. Moral, preparation and diligence during calm times leads to peace and security during difficult times.

Just always remember:

God is too good to be unkind, to wise to be mistaken, and when you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.

Give Me A Man

 1 Samuel 17:10 (NKJV) And the Philistine (Goliath) said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

As we look at the world today, we quickly see the how they are trying to do away with masculine men. Telling the young men to be in touch with their feminine side. We are being bombarded with television shows that are taking the lead masculine role and filling it with women. And emasculating the men. They whip them down and will not allow them to be the leaders. The police programs now show little tiny girls taking down a big bad man. I stand six foot and go over 350 pounds and I doubt that I would even know if one of those little women hit me, other the less than whip me down, throw me over, and cuff me. I do not see that happening.

In the 1960’s and 70’s my Uncle Dee would often pay us a visit, I remember his after shave lotion smell to this day. It was “Old Spice,” and the advertisements at that time made me want to wear “Old Spice” too.

The scene was a manly man returning home from the sea, walking along the coast line town and all the women running to the doors, and windows to get a look at him. The man always had somewhat of a smile on his face. He would throw a bottle of “Old Spice” to their husbands and boyfriends.  In the 80’s their ad even said “nothing say masculine like “Old Spice”.

Today’s ad has a big burly man sitting on a sofa with his wife, girlfriend, or significant other, whatever the case may be. And we see the wimp sitting there crying because the girl has used his body wash and bragged about how it makes him smooth and soft and she was using it up. How right he is SOFT. I do not want anything that is going to make me a blubbering idiot because I do not feel smooth like a little girl. Give me a break.

They even have one commercial in which he comes into a hotel restaurant and wants to know who used his bodywash. And when all three of the women sitting at the table start saying how good it is and passing it around, he grabs it from the last one takes some of her food and storms off. Really makes me want some of that sissy stuff.

We are seeing the demise of masculinity daily, at first little by little. But now with boldness. The world today is doing its best to remove the man and his role in the work place, the home, and even the local Church.

We need men. Men of God, and to be a Man of God one must be a Man of prayer, E.M. Bounds in his book “Power Through Prayer” one section says this;

Men of Prayer Are Needed

“WE are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day tends to lose sight of the man or sink the man in the plan or organization. God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. “There was a man sent from God whose name was John.” The dispensation that heralded and prepared the way for Christ was bound up in that man John. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” The world’s salvation comes out of that cradled son…. This vital, urgent truth is one that this age of machinery is apt to for-get. The forgetting of it is as baneful on the work of God as would be the striking of the sun from his sphere. Darkness, confusion, and death would ensue.

What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use, men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer.”

We need not just Men but Men of God!

What does it mean to be a man of God This term is common in the Old Testament, but very rare in the New Testament. In the Old Testament it is used to refer to prophets’ example such as Samuel, 1 Sam. 9:6: Shemaiah of l Kings 12:22; Elijah in 1King 17;18; then we see Elisha, 2 Kings 4, Next Igdaliah, in Jeremiah 35:4. We also see the writers of Scripture such as Moses: Deuteronomy 33:1; David, in Nehemiah 12:24,36); We also see angelic messengers (Judg. 13:6,7). In all these cases, “man of God” refers to someone who is sent by God to speak for Him.

In the New Testament, “man of God” is used once to refer to Old Testament

prophets 2 Peter 1:21, once in a general sense 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, and only once specifically of an individual. This individual is Timothy. In 1 Timothy 6:11-16, Paul addresses Timothy as “Man of God.”

1 Timothy 6:11-16 (NKJV) ¹¹ But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, ¹⁵ which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

Why should “Timothy be singled out as the only man in the New Testament to be called a man of God?

First, in the tradition of the Old Testament men of God, he was one: Who was called by God to proclaim His word (2 Tim. 1:6).

Second, Timothy had been sent by Paul through the Holy Spirit to minister in Ephesus, in a very difficult and challenging situation: Paul called Timothy “man, of God” – in order to remind him of the awesome responsibility he bore to safeguard the truth against the false teachers in Ephesus, and also to encourage him with the reminder that he belonged to God, and therefore God was standing with him in his trials.

(1) A man of God is known by what he flees from. Verse 11, “But you, O man of God, flee these things…” what things?

1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

(2). A man of God is known by what he follows, after. Verse 11 “…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness

(3)  A man of God is known by what he fights for. Verse 12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

(4) A man of God is known by what he is faithful to. Verse 13 and 14. “¹³ I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing,”

This is an excellent practical outline for every man of God who is called to speak divine truth.

The problem is we do not even have “The Man of God” in the modern Church today, now we are seeing even in the Churches a falling away of masculinity all in the name of getting along and coexisting with this failing world system. The Church now has Pastors that wears pink and purple pastels, has man buns and ponytails and makeup. They are more concerned with the paint colors of the interior and exterior building rather than the fact that the Church is dying under their so-called leadership. And we as Christians are call to do the very opposite of that.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (NKJV)
¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” ¹⁷ Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” ¹⁸ “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”

We are to set the example not play “follow the leader” if the leader is the world.

We need to choose the right path and be the manly man that people will follow. I remember a Pastor in a weekend retreat I was working say. “If you are the leader and you turn around and no one is following, then you are just a man going for a walk.” Not a leader.

The Former Pastor of my Church that I was raised in, Pastor Ben Turner was a Man’s Man. A real leader. If he asked you to do something like stucco the wall outside the foyer. He was there plastering the wall while I, a 15-year-old kid mixing the cement and brought it up for him as he did the work. The leader gets his hands dirty.  I saw him day after day nailing up stain grade oak with my Dad. Or putting up ceiling grid and the tiles again with my Dad as I was cutting the tiles as they installed them. Not sitting high and mighty in the pulpit just telling people what to do and never doing anything but spend the money that he did not sacrifice for. We did not hire the work out; we did the work with our own hands. I would have followed that man anywhere he asks. I would have fought and died for him. Pastor Ben was a leader; the other guys, they are just a men going for a walk.

Men have a choice to make, either we will be the Man that Goliath is calling for and prepared for the battle against Satan. That is the man God is wanting us to be, or we can be what is being sold by the world today as a wimpy watered-down version of a man.

Without the Men in the Church leading, the Church will fall, it has been proven over and over. The same is for the family. Without the Godly influence of the Man in a family, in most cases it will fall. And in all cases, it makes a difference. We see across America, 2022 data indicates there are approximately 18.3 million children who live without a father in the home, comprising about 1 in 4 US children.

About 80% of single-parent homes are led by single mothers.

Children from single-parent families are twice as likely to suffer from mental health and behavioral problems as those living with married parents.

Children with an actively engaged father perform much better in school, some data shows that they are 33% percent less likely to repeat a class and 43% more likely to get A’s in school.

In a study of 56 school shootings, only 10 of the shooters (18%) were raised in a stable home with both biological parents. Eighty-two percent grew up in either an unstable family environment or grew up without both biological parents together.

So, we see not only Goliath call for a man, but also every fatherless child.

63% of youth suicides come from a fatherless home,

90% of all homeless and run-away children come from a fatherless home,

85% of all children exhibiting behavioral disorders come from a fatherless home,

80% of rapist motivated with displaced anger come from a fatherless home,

71% of all high school dropouts come from a fatherless home,

70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from a fatherless home,

85% of all youths sitting prisons come from a fatherless home.

Do men matter? YES, now more than ever.

I saw the following graph on Facebook and it makes the point of how important the masculine Fathers is in the converting the family to following Christ. When you convert the Dad in most cases you get the whole family. With the Dad first 93% chance of the whole family. With the Mom it drops to 17% and when the children first it is down to 3.5%.

Not only the Church is needing men, real men. The family needing them just as much. As Tony Evans says, “the Church is made up of families”

And without the dad’s the family is NOT a God designed family.

We have a choice to make, one of the most masculine men in movies is Clint Eastwood. And in one of my favorite films is “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” in one of the later scenes Josey (Clint Eastwood) met up with the Comanche Chief Ten Bears (Will Sampson). We see Josey as he meets with Ten Bears to negotiate a truce:

Josey Wales:
You’ll be Ten Bears?

Ten Bears:
I AM Ten Bears.

Josey Wales:
I’m Josey Wales.

Ten Bears:
I have heard. You are the Grey Rider. You would not make peace with the Bluecoats. You may go in peace.

Josey Wales:
I reckon not. Got no place else to go

Ten Bears:
Then you will die.

Josey Wales:
I came here to die with you. Or live with you. Dying ain’t so hard for men like you and me. It’s living that’s hard when all you’ve ever cared about has been butchered or raped. Governments don’t live together–people live together. With governments, you don’t always get a fair word or a fair fight. Well, I’ve come here to give you either one or get either one from you. I came here like this so you’ll know my word of death is true, and my word of life is then true. The bear lives here, the wolf, the antelope, the Comanche. And so will we. Now we’ll only hunt what we need to live on, same as the Comanche does. And every spring, when the grass turns green, and the Comanche moves north, you can rest here in peace, butcher some of our cattle, and jerk beef for the journey. The sign of the Comanche, that will be on our lodge. That’s my word of life.

Ten Bears:
And your word of death?

Josey Wales:
It’s here in my pistols and there in your rifles. I’m here for either one.

Ten Bears:
These things you say we will have, we already have.

Josey Wales:
That’s true. I ain’t promising you nothing extra. I’m just giving you life and you’re giving me life. And I’m saying that men can live together without butchering one another.

Ten Bears:
It’s sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all Comanche to see, and so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life… or death. It shall be life. [Draws his knife and cuts his palm, and Josey does likewise. They then grasp hands with each other, becoming blood brothers] So will it be.

Josey Wales:
I reckon so.

What choice do you make as a man? Do you choose life or death?

Alistair Begg. Says it this way; “God’s word is the key by way of the invitation that comes. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever.” The instrument that God uses is His word so that we might come with faith, you see because when I teach the Bible to you it either becomes an instrument of life or becomes an instrument of death either we receive it and then inter into life or we rejected and we continue perishing.”

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

I chose Life

So now Men you have a choice to make you either will choose “Life” to be a Man of God or you can choose “death” the way the of the world. And that is the way Satan is leading the man to go. For me;

 “It shall be life.”

Great & Mighty Prayer Part 2

Remember our text: Jer 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.‘

 

Gods Part (Answer) He will always answer

Direct          (Right away)

Different      (Paul’s Thorn)

Delayed       (Daniel answer took time)

Denial         (NO is an answer) ball bounced better on the road

“THY WILL BE DONE” (HIS PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE) even Jesus had to hear no.

Matt 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

1 John 1:9. (Our part)9 If we confess our sins, (his part) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

In the Bible we see many times prayer was answered:

Abraham’­s son Isaac
Gen 21:2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

Elijah’­s prayer for fire:
1 Kings 18:37 38 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench

David’­s prayer for freedom from fear
Ps 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

 

Peter was put in jail. The Church offered constant Prayer and it was answered. ACTS 12:3-7.          Don’t miss God’s answer … Peter was set free and the ones guarding him was executed.

 

Samuel felt it a sin to stop Praying for the people.

1 Sam 12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

Hannah’s Prayer in 1 SAM2:1-11 we have the prophet Samuel

But that’s just Bible people, it just happens for them not us …

Elijah’s earnest Prayer was answered;

James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, (just one of us)and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

So why don’t we have that, Power?

We don’t want it bad enough. 

Seek His face before you serve Him. Worship him before you work for Him.

Add praise to the prayer.

The Philippian Jailer Saved

Acts 16:25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said,”Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 So they said,”Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Add Fasting to the prayer. And see what happens. It changes you.

Matt 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”  

God is ready to answer our prayer.

HOW TO PRAY.

PRAY SERIOUS AND WATCHFUL.

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

What did the Disciples ask for. To learn how to pray. That’s where the power is!

Luke 11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.  3 Give us day by day our daily bread.  4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

Ask in Faith,         JAM 1:6

“WHATEVER YOU ASK IN PRAYER, BELIEVING, YOU WILL RECEIVE”

(IF IT IS GOD’S WILL) – Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking

Luke 11:9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

(NOT IN WRONG MOTIVE) James 4:2-3 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

IF WE: HUMBLE AND TURN FROM WICKED WAYS

GOD PROMISES: TO HEAR, HEAL, AND FORGIVE. 2 CHRON. 7:14

2 Chron 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

IF WE: ARE RIGHTEOUS GOD PROMISES: TO HEAR. 1 PET 3:12

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

IF WE: PRAY ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL GOD PROMISES: TO HEAR US. 1 JOHN 5:14

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

IF WE: DRAW NEAR TO GOD. GOD PROMISES: TO DRAW NEAR TO US.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

3. But we have to pray and ask.
   a. Ask for Renewing in your own heart.
   b. Ask for healing in our lives
   c. Ask for the Power of God to manifest itself in such a way that He can get the glory.
4. The power of prayer is not in who prays but in the one who hears our prayer. Ex. …Conclusion:
   He says He will show us “Great and Mighty Things which You don’­t even know about”
5. God says Matt 17:20 if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

What Mountain is in your life that needs moving???

4. There are no limits with God.Do you want to see Great and Mighty things???
   Accept God’­s invitation today
   1. Pray for your homes
   2. Pray for our church
   3. Pray for your own life
   4. Pray for our renewal of Gods love in this place
   5. Pray for those who are lost without Christ.

   If You don’­t know Christ, pray for your own salvation: God will answer.
   Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
   13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Pray

Great & Mighty Prayer Part 1

Jer 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Realize – Jeremiah live in tough times:
1. Jeremiah was a prophet called by God living in the midst of a sinful nation. Sound familiar?
a. He preached to the Jewish nation and it’­s people about their sin but they wouldn’­t listen to him.
2. He had prophesied that if the Nation of Judah wouldn’­t turn from their sin and turn back to God, they would fall into the hands of the Babylonians. (Exactly what happened)
3. His message was rejected. People didn’­t listen.
4. Today, people hear the message of the Gospel but turn a deaf ear and reject the Lord when the Lord has said ;

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Before Going on please Pray.  Speak Lord for Your Servant is Listening!

Chuck Swindoll:  Had a simple Quiz, it’s just Yes or No answers. So here we go:

1. Are you satisfied with your prayer life? Yes or No ?

2. When you pray, are you confident?

Do you pray with confidents?  Are you absolutely certain that you know what you are doing? When you finish, are you absolutely confident that God is in control of the thing that you prayed about? Do you pray with confidents?  Yes or No?

3. When someone says to you please pray with me about this, Do You?

A good check point would be that 3 days latter you could tell someone else precisely what the prayer request was and or you are back in touch with that person asking about the answer. When someone says pray for me about this do you really do that?  Yes or No?

4. If you were asked to name 4 or 5 specific request that you ask of God this week could you stand and give those requests? Yes or No?
5. Is your time in the word of God balanced with time in meaningful prayer?

Yes or No?

Now it’s time to Grade yourself, if all yes then you don’t need this lesson.

If you have 1 or 2 no’s then you pass.

If you have 3 or 4 no’s, this is the reason for this lesson.

Great things can happen here in your life. If you ask and believe …

Jer 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

He Promises the POWER OF GOD
The Lord said: “Call unto Me”

Above everything else, we should pray for the Power of God.
Jeremiah knew that he could call on God and God would answer.

Do you know that God can answer our prayer?

Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

So, Jeremiah prayed and Called out to God.
Call in Hebrew is “qara” means to “cry out”­, call aloud, roar, summons, to call together
OT:7121 qara’ (kaw-raw’); a primitive root [rather identical with OT:7122 through the idea of accosting a person met]; to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications):

KJV – bewray [self], that are bidden, call (for, forthself,, upon), cry (unto), (be) famous, guest, invite, mention, (give) name, preach, (make) proclaim (-ation), pronounce, publish, read, renowned, say.

This is a powerful word with a powerful meaning.

When we “call”­ on God, when we “cry out”­ to God, we are summoning the Power of God in our lives.

We acknowledge that He alone is God and that we can’t accomplish in our own strength all that He is able to accomplish.

Jer 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

Jer 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

Many times, we try to handle out lives under our own power. (I can do it myself today)

The world wants to do it their way-just like the people of Judah but we need to be doing it God’s way

Abraham Lincoln was asked if God was on his side and he said “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

It is time to rely on Christ, CALL UPON THE LORD so that HE can show us great and mighty things that only He can get the credit for.
It is not our great faith in God that can move mountains but faith in a GREAT GOD!!!    Not Great faith but a great God
Folks, we need to place our Faith in a LIVING GOD who has the power to answer our prayer!!!

I don’t put my faith in the miracles of God but in the God of miracles.

Michael Youssef: Faith is not believing in spite of the evidence; Faith is obeying in spite of the consequence.

 

As a Christian we have Power within us to:
Overcome Satan
Satan is Aggressive in today’s world.
There is a lot of opposition in this world.
Just like there is a personal God, there is a personal Devil —
He is aggressive (TV, Newspaper)
He is behind every evil thing and aggressively moves against Christians today

Where God is seeking to love, Satan is seeking whom he may devour.
We can overcome Satan and all his forces thru the Power of God.

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

As a Christian we have Power within us to: Stand against the world and the sin it has to offer
People need to realize that preaching the blood of Jesus Christ and the cross is offensive to the world.
When the Word is preached today, people think they are being scolded and they resent it.– (Conviction of sin)
But in many of today’s churches, we deny the problem of sin.
But some people will act upon that conviction and receive the forgiveness that only Christ can give.
Unfortunately, most will not and will continue to live in a world of sin just like Judah.
But God has given us the power to overcome the world!

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

 

As a Christian we have Power within us to: See lives changed

Mark 9:23 If thou can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth

God will change your life if you believe He can.

Maybe you are here and you say “but you don’t know how bad it is or how bad I am.” Could be……but I know how good God IS !!
Maybe God is saying to you “Call unto ME”
What an invitation.
An invitation to come before a living God who is able to transform your life.
An invitation to receive eternal life thru His Son and be saved.
An invitation to receive the power that only God can give.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Power to: Move mountains, Part the sea, Change lives, Save your soul from hell.
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by Me” ¨ He is it the only way, not Allah not Buddha not Mohamed…  Go to there grave. They are still there. Go to Christ grave.
He is not a good, great, wonderful, awesome, way He is the Only way!
When we seek the Lord with all of our hearts, ask the Lord to come into our lives, He opens a new and exciting life.
*How much more great and mighty can it get??

When we call upon God, our lives become new….

He makes us into a new creature, old things are passed away behold all things become brand new.

Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Remember our text: Jer 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.‘

Call unto me and I will answer you.

He PROMISES TO ANSWER PRAYER
In order for God to answer our prayer, we should understand:
#1. That we serve a LIVING God.
#2. He is ABLE to answer our prayer

Ps 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in prayer.

He wants us to have the desires of our heart.

Prov 11:23 The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

Mans part our part is to Call (Prayer Asking)

The source GOD!

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

 

The Simplicity Is Prayer

The Scope of Prayer (anything anywhere anyone anytime)

More to come next week.

What Kind of Bait are you Using?

From: Chapter 19 of “Something to Ponder”

 

In March 2000 a great friend of mine and former employer Ceylon Plemmons let me borrow his timeshare at Big Canoe in the mountains of North Georgia. I wanted to take my parents on a vacation and I knew that they had a couple of lakes and that would be right up my Dad’s alley and it was in the mountains and that is my Mothers favorite place to be.

So off I went to prepare the Villa for my parents’ arrival, I went up on Saturday and stocked the cabinets and the fridge, and returned on Sunday afternoon and picked up my Mother and Father. At first, we just road around the lake and up and down the mountains and took in the scenery because my Dad wouldn’t fish on Sundays.

We rode around and got our bearings, learned our way in and out of the resort, from the main gate to the north gate. We saw deer, turkeys, and a number of other animals as we rode around. The mountains were beautiful, and the lake was beyond our expectations. We were told that they had just the week before stocked the lake with a fresh batch of Rainbow Trout, we could hardly wait to try out our skills trying to catch some of those trout.

The next day came and off to the lake my Dad and I went. We were used to catching stream trout stocked by the state about 10 to 12-inch-long, but we were about to get a surprise. We talked over or options that we had to try to land a trout, and my Dad finally settled on a yellow doll fly, because it resembled corn. After a few casts My Dad said there he is, which meant he had one on the line, and boy did he, he worked and fought for a few minutes and landed a two and a half pound and around twenty-something inch long beautiful rainbow trout. He then looked at me and said “are all the trout in here this big”? And my reply was “that’s the first fish I have ever seen come out of this lake; I really don’t know”.

Within the hour we had our limit of four fish a piece around a pound and a half to two and a half pounds. After my Mother saw our catch we went back to the lake, and within 30 minutes we were back at the Villa with her limit cleaning and freezing our trout. It was a great day, and we went exploring the rest of the day. My Dad ask if he could stay another day and I told him we were there till Saturday if he wanted to stay, and the reason I got the Villa was for Him and Mother, I got no complaints about him staying.

The next day back to the lake we all three went, but this time we cast and cast and cast and cast and no luck. There was a man about fifty feet down the dam from us, and he didn’t seem to have any problem getting his limit that day, so as he was headed back to his car, he stopped and talked with us for a while. My Dad ask him how he managed to get his limit, and we were not, and here is the question the man ask. “What kind of bait are you using”?

My Dad was the best Bass fisherman I had ever seen, he could catch a boat load of bluegill bream with ease and I have seen him about fill up our old boat with crappie, when no one else on the lake was catching anything, but he had not yet mastered this elusive fish my brother Charles got him fishing for called trout.

Our new friend talked for a while and told us he was from Alabama, and has been fishing here for a few years and that we were using the wrong bait and that we needed some “Power Bait” for trout. I love that name “Power Bait”, then he went on to tell us how to rig up our line and even went as far as giving us a jar of the “Power Bait”. We finished listening to him teach us how to fish with this bait, and he then went on his way.

Within the hour my Dad and Mother had their limit then a little while longer I had mine (I was busy helping them land their fish is the reason they were ahead of me). Then off to The Bargain Barn Sporting Goods store we went and bought us some new hooks, some new sinkers, and of course, some “Power Bait”.

We caught our limit every day that year, and we have learned how to catch trout over the years, but the lesson is, when one bait didn’t work, we quickly changed bait.

Ceylon gave us that timeshare a few years later and every March since we make the trip to Big Canoe. Over the years we have had a number of family members come up that week, and we always enjoy a week of getting together telling stories about the one that got away and reminiscing about the things that happened while we were there.

When you cast and cast and cast and cast, and don’t catch anything it’s time to change your bait. We knew that fish were there, we were told that they had just stocked the lake. But we were fishing with the wrong bait at that time.

Jesus said in John 4:35 that the fields are white and ready to harvest, then why are people not being harvested? Why are they not coming to church anymore?

I have heard some pastors saying “people just don’t go to Church anymore” They want to make sure it’s not their fault people are not coming; they just don’t go anywhere is their thinking. The very week I heard that statement in a church running about 25 people on a good week I went into a Church the next week that had about 1200 people in the early service that I was in, and they still had 2 more services left to do.

Well then, they do go somewhere, they just don’t go to your church, then why are you not getting people to come to your Sunday services, and the question is “What kind of bait are you using”?

Don’t get me wrong I know that there are numerous folks that don’t attend a Church at all on Sundays, and my heart is breaking for Churches that I love, and I am watching them dwindling down to nothing because they are too stubborn to change,

Albert Einstein is widely credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

But that is exactly what a lot of Churches are doing and not accepting the responsibility of their actions by saying Gods word will draw them to Jesus, and they are right God’s word will draw them to Jesus,

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9 to preach the Gospel of Jesus.

The message never, and I mean never changes but the method must change. The message is Jesus and Him crucified, and dying for our sins. The message is Jesus’ resurrection from the grave and ascending to the right hand of our heavenly Father.    The message is Jesus’ interceding for us and being the, “propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Heb 2:17) That is the message, not your legalisms, not your bias, and not your opinion.

 

God cannot draw people to the altar or to the conviction of the Holy Spirit if they are not there. If you don’t get them into the Church then how on earth do you expect them to hear the word? Paul said in Romans 10:17 that faith “accepting and believing” comes by the hearing of the Word, but they have to hear the Word to get the Word, and they have to be where the Word is being presented.

But we can’t get people to come! And again “What kind of bait are you using?”

I heard a preacher say years ago, “If you can bring them in with a hot dog, I can take them out with a hamburger.” Maybe so, but while they are there eating that hot dog, they’re going to get a lot more than a hot dog, they are going to be under the Word of God.

My dear friend and brother in the faith and prayer partner Tim Croft, works with a ministry called “Truth In Nature” They mentor fatherless boys, and teach them how to fish, and hunt, and to enjoy the great outdoors, they teach them gun safety, how to hunt and track deer, how to turkey hunt, squirrel hunt, and how to plant a garden and reap the rewards of the said garden and the rewards of the hunts and fishing trips that they go on.

Just a few weeks before this writing, Tim said that Truth In Nature had a fishing class to teach the young men how to tie different lures and hooks on their lines, and then they took them fishing for a while, but every Truth In Nature outing has a devotion, and on this particular weekend two young men made a profession of faith. Not bad for a fishing knot tying class.

Tim said he asked the young men if they would show up, because they do have a choice, if all they did was read the Bible and preached and prayed the whole time, they were together. And their response was NO! but they get together play games, eat dinner, hear the word of God then go to bed, the next morning they have breakfast, learn to tie fishing knots, and have a devotion, and go fishing. See what’s happening? These guys get under the word and enjoy Gods creation at the same time. The fishing and hunting, they are just a bait.

Are you getting this?

So, what kind of bait are you using?

My services are starting to dwindle, Change your bait!

My youth group is getting smaller and smaller, Change your bait!

We can’t get visitors to come back after one visit, Change your bait!

There are not as many people coming for midweek Bible study as they were, Change your bait!

I was the interim Pastor for a while at a little Church and the Wednesday night service was down to about 5 or 6 people. My brother Charles and I went to the Church and sat on the steps and prayed. We asked God what to do, and the answer came while sitting on the steps. I said, “I wish it was like the Journey Group I teach on Thursday nights,” and my brother said, “Why can’t it be?” He said, “Why don’t you just meet in the fellowship hall and have a “Fill Your Cup” service?”

A “Fill Your Cup” service (that is what my brother named it), is to bring a coffee cup and some snacks and enjoy each other’s company (We as Baptist call this fellowship) and sit and listen to the lesson and have some cake and coffee at the same time, and it worked.

So, the next week, we met in the fellowship hall of the Church with about 10 people. They came to see what was going to happen. We had coffee, cokes, and hot cocoa, whatever they wanted to put in their physical cup. Someone brought a cake, and we were off. I taught out of the book of Acts starting with the first verse and did the kind of teaching I love most, Expository teaching, by going verse by verse and poured out my cup for them. I love what Pastor Andy Stanley once said “It’s not my job to fill your cup but to empty mine.” It’s up to you to bring a cup and fill your own.”

The next week more people and more snacks more coffee and brownies and cakes and more teaching the word, an open forum formed, they had the freedom to ask questions and to give their prospective on the scripture, and we all were enjoying the Wednesday night classes, the attendance grew each week. We had to sit up more tables, bring more coffee, and cakes and more of the Word of God. At the last gathering had over 35 people, and God was truly blessing the “Fill Your Cup” services.

See, the coffee and snacks were just bait, and it was working.

So, what kind of bait are you using?

In the early 1990s I have mentioned I helped a ministry called Sweet Spirit Band, we would go into the Youth Detention Centers or YDC and preform and the leader Eddie Rogers would speak to them and tell them about the Love of Jesus and how much He cared for them. Over the years the local Churches around us would tell us we were doing it wrong because we had a full band with two keyboard players, a bass player, a guitar player, a drummer on a drum rise, backup singers, a smoke machine, a light bar with flashing lights and a sound board and sound man and some big honking speakers.

The young people in the YDC’s had a choice to come hear the band or go to the rec room or stay in their cells, so we needed something to get them out to hear the message. That something was the Band, “BAIT” and it worked, hundreds of young souls was saved as a result of that ministry, I was told one day by a preacher that did not like us even a little that we would answer for doing all the wrong we were doing at the time, my response was I like the results of us doing it wrong better than the way he wasn’t doing anything at all. The last year of that ministry we saw over 500 young people make a profession of faith. Pretty good bait, wouldn’t you say.

Those Churches have a band and loud music. Bait.

They have a worship leader instead of a song leader, Same thing, but Bait.

They have a parking lot crew that tells you where to park, greeters that open your doors and give you this week’s bulletin, people that help you find a seat, Bait, Bait and Bait.

They greet you with a smile and make you feel welcome to be there. Bait.

Don’t get me wrong, these people are there because they love the Lord, and this is their way to serve, so they hold doors open on stormy days and on freezing days to show you God’s love, they don’t see it as bait they see it as service and that is exactly what it is.

The Church that I attend and teach a small group, has a parkway that brings you down to the Church building where you turn to get to the parking lot. There is a little lady there every Sunday, just pointing out the way to go and smiling and waving to everyone as they come by, She makes my day every time I see her, I have seen her in the pouring rain, manning her post, I have seen her with snow piled up on her shoulder and the hood of her coat, and no matter what the weather she is there, smiling and waving, and no matter how bad of a mood I was in when I saw her I could see the Love of Christ and it cheered me up right then and there.  This is showing God’s love, and Bait to get people back.

See I don’t want you to fake it till you make it; I just want you to go a little further in showing the Love of our Lord and Savior.

That’s why they send their youth group to Florida, or to the mountains on ski trips, or play basketball in the gym before the services. Again Bait, Bait, and Bait.

My dear friend Rick Stephens inspired this chapter. He said if you are hunting for deer, you use a different baited field and style of hunting than when hunting turkey. You use a different weapon for hunting squirrels than deer. So, we need to apply that same principal to the church.

You can’t expect the youth and the older adults to like the same kind of service, so give them what they like. Change the method not the message.

There is nothing wrong with having a strong youth program, by having games, and snacks and then presenting the word. And having a more contemporary music for them than what the older adults are listening to, after all they are different. And it’s just Bait.

Having an open forum Bible study for the older folks, and allow them to ask their questions and concerns. Have a “Small Group” Bible study for couples and a singles small group, a new families and newlywed small group whatever the case may be. It’s all Bait to get them involved. But we get them under the word.

So how can we Preach to them, or teach them, or counsel them and lead them down the right path if they are not here. And how do we get them here. We need Bait.

But what if they still don’t come? Change your bait until we find what works. It’s different at times in different Churches, sometimes what works in one church may not work in another, you just have to keep on changing bait until you find the one that works.

First start with prayer, and then pray about it. after a while I think you need to lift it up in prayer, and then maybe spend some time praying and seeking God’s response, and if that doesn’t work, I would just pray about it. Because you don’t want to use your bait but you want to use His, His “Power Bait.” The reason is that without His power we have nothing.

Are you getting this, it must be God’s plan or it will not work?

Church not growing? What kind of Bait are you using?

Paul said to the Church in Corinth that he became all things to all Men,

1 Corinthians 9:22-24 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (Though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under Christ’s law), so as to win those not under the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (NIV)

Paul was saying if you want to win people to the Lord you sometimes must change your Bait to suit the people you are addressing.

So, your church not growing, people not coming as often as they use to, the young people not wanting to come to the youth services?

What kind of bait are you using?

If it is not working, I have one thing to say:

CHANGE YOUR BAIT!!!

And keep changing it till you find one that works, and after a while when it stops working, and it will stop after a while, my advice is again:

CHANGE YOUR BAIT!!!

Good fishing advice, better Church advice. After all, are the lost not worth it. Jesus thought so as I have mentioned Jesus treat us all different because we are all different, what bait that doesn’t work on one group may work on another.

Don’t give up, don’t throw in the towel, it’s not over until God says it’s over.

The little Church that I was raised in went from six to eight people to running over one hundred in Sunday School in just a few years, from meeting in a gutted little house to a Church building in the same few years, and then to a larger Church building a few years later. And every note paid off, God blessed us then because we were doing it His way, and I believe that he can do it again. They just have to change what is not working to what God wants that is working. In other words, CHANGE YOUR BAIT, and use GODS POWER BAIT. Guaranteed to work every time.

After all, did Jesus not say “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 ESV

Gods will Gods way works every time so:

So, What Kind of Bait Are You Using?

 

The File Room

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 “People 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.” Other 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 and 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 the 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 in 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, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”

 

“Two Great Hopes”

Text:  1 Peter 1:3-5 (NKJV) ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Introduction: There are many hopes that Jesus has for our lives. But there are “Two Great Hopes” that that he has for everyone.

1. He hopes to do something “TO” us.
2. He hopes to do something “Through” us. 

First, we need to know what HOPE means!

In Hebrews 11 we see the writer saying what faith is,

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The Word Hope here means an overwhelming confidence in something. Not wishful thinking, but knowing absolutely in something, and that something is God.

1. TO US: “Regeneration”

Jesus wishes to come into our lives and perform “Regeneration.”

Luke 19:10 (NKJV) … for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

John 3:3 (NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

If Jesus comes into our hearts at all, He comes in as Savior, and giver of eternal life. When a person experiences conviction of sin and is ready to repent (turn away from) sin, then they are ready to, “in faith” receive Jesus as their personal Savior. —Without this experience, the individual, though he be baptized and add to the church roll, is not a Christian!!!

Salvation is something that, if we allow Him to, God wants to do “TO” us.

1.  TO US: “Regeneration”
2. THROUGH US: “Transformation”

—Many Christians today have received Christ as Savior, but they have yet to make Him Lord!!! God cannot “Transform” us unless we surrender the control of our lives to Him!!! Jesus cannot remold and remake us after His will unless we permit Him to have control of every area of our lives.

Illustration: A Southwestern professor wrote.

“The failure of such a large number of Christians in our nation to yield this control to Jesus has brought a tragic result: So many non-Christians cannot see or feel any differences in the lives of great throngs of Christians and do not, therefore, feel any need to become followers of Jesus!

A great Eastern leader, after spending time in our country, said, “I might have become a Christian, had I ever saw one.”

People cannot see our “Regeneration.” It takes place in our heart!!! They could, however, see, and be deeply impressed by, our “Transformation”!!!

What we do will always speak much louder than what we say!!! The world does not need to hear about your “Regeneration,” it needs to see our “Transformation.” Have you made Jesus your Savior, and Lord? Or just Savior?

1. Joy or Misery???

Not to permit Jesus to “Transform” our life is to miss the most gratifying part of Christianity!

Illustration: Dr. Chester Swor wrote:

“The non-surrendered Christian is likely to be a most miserable person: close enough to know the claims of the Lordship of Christ yet unwilling to pay the price. Yearning for maximum joy yet unwilling to admit that it comes from maximum surrender.”

—Folks, believe it or not, Christian Joy comes from “Transformation” not “Regeneration”!!! The two cannot be separated, but one produces eternal life, while the other produces Joy in life!!!

Consider this 100+ year old statement: A Christian write….

“I am amazed that I fought so long against my own best welfare! Though I tasted of all the cups the world offered, I have found nothing to compare with my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It produces pure joy, deep peace, and real thrills.”

And this person died 100 years before Henry Blackaby every said that God peruses a love relationship with you!!!!

Are you living a life of Joy, or something less?

Have you made Jesus Lord and Savior, or just Savior?

1. God’s Masterpieces:

The canvas’ only hope of becoming a masterpiece is that it surrenders its surface completely to the plan of the artist; but when it does so, it becomes a masterpiece!

A raw diamond only becomes a piece of fine jewelry when it completely surrenders to the cutting and design of the diamond cutter.

You and I will only be all that we can be for God, and experience God working through us, when we completely surrender and make Jesus Lord, and not just Savior!!!

1. Jesus desires to reach and change others through us:

A new look at an old passage….

Matthew 5:13 (NKJV) “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

You are the salt of the earth: That is a Christian!

but if the salt has lost his savor: That is an un-transformed Christian!

It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

This is the misery suffered by a Christian that has only allowed Jesus to save them, and not to transform them!!!

Examples of Jesus’ work through “Transformed” Christians:

One boy in a non-Christian family, permitted Christ to touch and transform his life, and all the members of his family came to faith in Christ.

A young man in basic training had the courage to read his Bible and pray in his barracks nightly, and the courage to live his Christian live consistently and openly every day. Before the end of basic training, his entire barrack joined him in nightly devotions.

A high school of 1800 students experienced a remarkable spiritual transformation primarily because of one glorious example of a dedicated, transformed Christian student!

Biblical Examples:

Jesus used Andrew to reach Peter.

Jesus used the woman at the well to reach a city.

Jesus used Phillip to reach an Ethiopian eunuch, and his country.

Jesus used Steven to reach Saul of Tarsus.

Jesus used Paul to reach non-Jewish people all over the world.

Who would Jesus use you to reach if you would surrender and allow Him to “Transform” you into the likeness of Himself?

If not now, When?

If not here, Where?

If not you, Who?

Conclusion:

Is Jesus’ HOPE of “Regeneration” a reality in your life today…….

Is Jesus’ HOPE of “Transformation” a reality in your life today……

Is your “Salt” salty? Or is it good for nothing???

Romans 15:13 (NKJV) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Happy New Year and I encourage you to start it on HOPE.