Bro Gary Sunday Morning 3/11/12

Bro Gary Sunday Morning 3/11/12

Following the Lamb.  

It is in the Word of God to not only know what we have come to but to also know what we haven’t come to.

Heb 12:18  For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

Heb 12:19  And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

Heb 12:20  (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

Heb 12:21  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

The effects of the law were so terrifying that the people did not want to hear them.  We are not under the Law; Jesus came to bring us under the dispensation of grace.  Without the Spirit of God though, the Word of God is a terrifying and scary book.  Without the Spirit of God, people will hear the word of the Old and New Testament and hope that it isn’t true; they will feel that they can’t get right and stay right with God.  Moses said, “I exceedingly fear and quake.”

Heb 7:19  For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

With all of the ordinances and sacrifices of the Law, it only dealt with the past transgressions and sins the heart was never made perfect so that they could be free of their sin and made holy.  They were always going back to their sin.

We see clearly in the scripture that Jesus Christ is our hope.  He is a much better hope than anything that was offered under the law although it was prophesied.

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Before Jesus, there could be no heart change.  They could be sorry for their sin and go through a sacrifice of a lamb for the forgiveness of their sin and God acknowledged that He forgave their sin but there was not a heart change.  Abraham and others looked forward to a new and better way but knew that under the law they would go back to their sin.

Let’s look now at what Jesus Christ brings us to.  We haven’t come to what a child would say is scary.  We haven’t come to tempest or blackness or some outward mountain. 

God is concerned about individuals everywhere.  Whether it would be one person lost on the reservation, someone in the far north or way down in South America, as far as souls, God is concerned about souls. 

There are always people that try to figure out scripturally that there is some place on earth that is elevated above other places.  The scripture says: “If they say, ‘Lo here or lo there’, believe it not for the kingdom is within you.” 

God is not looking for a place here on earth to build up and say, “This is where God comes down.”  God comes down where men and women humble their hearts before God.  God is not a respecter of persons in the thought that He would show favor to one in Paradise rather than somewhere else.

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

We’ve heard testimony of those even in the far north country.  The miners on forty mile was a drunken party and as a little boy’s dad got ready to leave to go there, the little boy put a bible in the suitcase and told his dad that he wanted him to read it.  They were drinking and getting gold and realized that they were also miserable. 

They awoke to the realization that God honors children’s prayers.  Little children, pray on; God honors children’s prayers.  They woke in their drunken conditions and realized that there was something missing in the camp, they needed a savior. 

The man said, my boy put his bible in my suitcase, let’s get it out and read it.  You don’t have to read very far in the New Testament until you know to repent and be baptized.  If you make it to Corinthians, then you hear that if any be in Christ then he is a new creature.

God’s eyes look for men and women and boys and girls whose heart will be perfect before Him.  God doesn’t lead us to darkness.  If you follow God he has definite places he wants to lead you.  He has doors to open that are designed for you because of the greatness of God.  He doesn’t elevate one place above others.  He honors if people will humble themselves and pray then He will hear from heaven.

2Ch 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.

We haven’t come to darkness.  There will be times when tempest and darkness will try to overcome us.  There will be all sorts of noise and commotion going on to try to move us wherever.  Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

We’ve come to a spiritual mountain, the city of the living God.  The truth of this will never grow old.  We have come; you are not driven to Zion.  Jesus Christ is a leader not a driver.  When people are driven to do something it is not by God.  He leads, guides, and directs.  When you and I are voluntarily willing to follow Christ, He will lead because we know that we need a leader.  The direction of the Eternal will get us to heaven.

We have come to the city of the Living God.  There is life there.  There is everything that you and I will ever need.  It can be found there.  You and I alike have common needs.  We need an answer from God.  That answer will come as you seek God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  God’s people are not lazy or under the Laodicean spirit, but unless we become violent to get an answer from God the enemy will keep us so distracted that we will not get anything done and we will not have even an answer from God.  He has every answer we need and He may use the saints as a channel for that answer.

It is a heavenly Jerusalem.  The song writer says, “Where Jesus is ‘tis heaven there.”  We sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  We come together to worship God and are taught and trained of one another to lay aside all that would distract us.  We want God to come to dwell among us as we are gathered together but we can also enjoy His presence daily in our individual lives.

We have come to an innumerable company of angels.  Before Karen and I married, I was driving the road between Evaro and Arlee and into my headlights came a herd of horses running up the road, headed to being on the highway.  There would have been no way that I could have avoided hitting them and being a terrible accident.  They turned up the highway rather than coming across.  Karen said that there was an angel there that caused them to turn.

 At every corner and turn in your life He wants the angels there to guide and protect you. He wants the angels there to supply your needs and to give you words when you have none.

You may be challenged this morning because you feel a conviction in your heart that God has spiritual growth and work for you to do for Him.  That is healthy and normal; for you to feel challenged is good.  God wants you to know and you can rest on this: If you will present the man or woman, God will provide the angels to help you accomplish what He wants you to accomplish.

You’ve come to the general assembly: Satan would try to say that you are so small and little.  God wants you to know that His church is in heaven and on earth.  You don’t know how big God’s church is.  We’ve come to the general assembly and church of the first born which is written in heaven.  God adds our name to the Lambs book of Life in heaven when we get saved.  He doesn’t want us joining church but becoming a member of the Church of God that man cannot put you into or take you out of.

You’ve come to God.  We haven’t come to darkness or tempest or to a bunch of noise; we’ve come to God.  God is light.  In Him is no darkness at all.  This is wonderful this morning.

We have come to the spirit of just men made perfect.  We are blessed that after we get saved, confessed and turned from our sins, God forgives and we know that our name is written in the Lambs book.  We have begun a journey up the Highway of Holiness.  God Himself, Jesus His son and the Holy Spirit of God begin to lead you and guide you to fulfill this scripture: spirit of just men made perfect.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

It is wonderful to have all the testimonies of those that have gone on before: those that are recorded in the Word of God and all others that sought God and found Him to be precious to them. 

Lay aside every weight.  Each of us has weights in our lives.  No one would want to take the attitude that they have it harder than anyone else. 

Paul traveled light.  He said, “Lay aside every weight.”  Spring is coming, find out what God wants you to do this spring and don’t take on more than you can get done but take on what you need to get done.

Are you weighted down with things that God doesn’t want you to have on you? 

We each have others that would weight us down.  Sometimes we need someone to talk to so we can get it out so that we can see it through the eyes of someone else.  Sometimes we need someone to help us understand if we are all weighted down. 

It is not bad to have weights but it is important, if I may use the term, to have some place to hang them.  In the old days they had a scale with a weight on one side and would weigh what was on the other with those weights.  If your weight is a pound or a ton, you need to have someplace to hang your weights.  If you don’t you will get all weighted down.

Lay aside the sin that does so easily beset you.  We did not ask for the nature to sin but each of us was born with the nature to sin.  Adam and Eve sinned and passed the nature down to us.  Paul wanted us to know this as we travel the highway of holiness and to fix our eyes on Him.  As we love Jesus, His ways, His truth: I love Him for giving us Matthew chapter 5, blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, and blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

We find Jesus is concerned about us individually.  There will be times that you wonder if God is working with others as He is working with you.  You feel God working with you, melting you and molding you.  God told Malachi that he would refine his people as He refines silver.

When the silver is put into the pot it is important that the refining process is done right.   There must be intense heat so that the ore will melt.  God is willing to take the time to get us where He wants us to be.  He knows how much heat you can take at once. 

My mother used to tell David and me that for not having children we sure knew everything about raising them.  We cannot ask David if he’s learned anything since his firstborn since he is not here this morning. 

As we had children we learned.  I was taught to work so I wanted Kathy and Kayla to work.  One Saturday morning, I was giving them 6 or 7 things to do.  One of them looked at me and said, “Daddy, please, one thing at a time.”  I should have known that because that is how God worked with me. 

God is able to bring us to the position of realizing that we have dross in our life.  God begins to look down and in conversation with you and me says, “I see some things there that are hindering you.  I can take it away through my Word, my Spirit and my blood, but you have to let it go.” 

A song writer said, “There was a lot of me and my ways that needed to go.”  My ways, when God revealed them to me, I saw were self and carnality.  We say, “God I want you more, I want you shining.  I want the world to be able to see you in me.”  When we say that, we are asking for Him to refine us. 

God knows it is pure silver when he sees a perfect reflection of Himself.

When there are things in our life that displease God, there are some things that we can just lay aside.  Slang must be laid aside.  God helps you to know that you need to let your yeah be yeah and your nay be nay.  God teaches you that you don’t have to one up everybody with your stories.  There are some things that you can lay aside. 

But there are some things that only the blood of Christ can deal with.  Only the blood of Christ can deal with the carnal man.  There have been whole libraries that have been written to try to teach how to suppress it.

To succeed in this race we must lay aside impatience.  We must be gifted with the fruit of the Spirit of patience.  Let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus.

We must lay aside the weights that would pull us over one way or the other.  God doesn’t want you fanatical or compromise.  He wants you running with patience, going forward. 

Look to Jesus.  Carnality will distract you, the lust of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life will distract you.  In Zechariah they were distracted for 17 or 18 years. 

Get your eyes on Jesus Christ: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

God wants to have joy on our way going to joy.  A fruit of the Spirit is Joy.  Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him.  I cannot over emphasize what it will be like going to heaven.  We all face dying.   

There are people that are doing everything that they can to buy a little time.  Sometimes trying to buy time causes one to lose time. 

As far as God and His son and the Holy Spirit is concerned may we keep the same testimony as Jesus, “Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.”

The cross of Jesus Christ is a lot lighter and easier then the cross of the world.  I’ve seen both worlds.  The way of the transgressor is hard.  It may not be a cross but it is a heavy burden and it is hard.

He is set down on the right hand of the father to make intercession for us.

We haven’t come to darkness and tempest.  We have come to mount Zion.  He said that He would put His law in our minds.  It is wonderful to have it settled in our minds that we are going to obey the word of God.  He writes the laws in our hearts.  There is a vast difference between being religious people and having the law written in our hearts.

Live soberly righteously and godly

This grace of God is the divine influence upon the soul and its reflection into our life.  It is beautiful.  You cannot buy or earn it.  It is a gift.  When you cry out to God to forgive you of your sin, He forgives and sends grace upon your soul. 

Dear ones, if this is my last message, follow the Lamb of God.  Don’t follow your heart or what people say, follow the Lamb.