Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/13/13

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/13/13

My introduction to the word epiphany was in December 2012 relating the account of a concert pianist, Roger Williams.  Jo Wheeler said to him, “What was your best concert?”  He knew that Roger Williams had played throughout America if not throughout the world. 

That night Roger had played with such energy that they had to retune the piano and he had to change his tuxedo at halftime.  He told Jo Wheeler that this night was his best.  He practiced and played for each concert as if it would be his last.  Jo wheeler was compiling a Christmas book and thought; I need to prepare for this to be my best work.

I found out the word epiphany came into the English language in 1200 AD.  It was used in reference to the wisemen.  They were said to have had an epiphany when they found Jesus.  They had a life changing moment when they realized that God sent His son from eternity to the earth. 

Way back before Jo wheeler or the wisemen that traveled from the east, way back in eternity, God ordained that a Lamb would be slain from the foundation of the earth so that mankind could have an epiphany. 

I believe that mankind can have many epiphanies.  Not just once in a lifetime does God send life-changing circumstances.  As we meet with God we can often have life-changing moments. 

We can go through life changed and with the expectancy of having prayers answered and having God come to our rescue over and over again.  As Abraham’s servant had the testimony, “I being in the way, the Lord led me.” 

Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Mat 7:25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

In order to have a life built on the rock and withstand the storms that will come to everyone, we must hear and obey.  To build an experience with God that will be able to withstand the storms, we must hear and obey.  Experiencing the storms doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you. 

This message is of a man that heard and obeyed.  He is likened to a wise man that built his house upon the rock.  That rock is Jesus Christ.  He is The Rock.  This rock is the foundation as well as the cornerstone. 

Jesus let us know that the storm came, the wind, the rain and the floods came.  Americans have something in their minds where they think that they should never have a problem in life.  A million love stories have been written and people that read them think that their love story should be as the story in the book. 

The wise man hears, obeys and builds.  God is so good to give us building blocks right out of the Word of God.  You can build a spiritual house that will withstand the storm. 

I don’t know and perhaps you don’t know what your storm is going to be.  I doubt that any would say that the storms of their life were what they thought they would be when they graduated from grade school, high school, or college.  Most storms that come we don’t expect. 

If we are not careful and don’t use the building blocks of the Word of God, we will go off the edge to self-pity and hatred, and be mad at our family and at Jesus.  You can build a spiritual house where when the storm comes and beats upon the house it will prevail and stand.  The only reason this man’s house stood is because the house was built upon the rock.

The foundation is Jesus who is the Word of God.  I wanted to find a pure gold block to show this example of Jesus Christ as the chief corner stone.  It is vital that each one has the epiphany that they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they built an experience on the foundation where Jesus Christ is the corner stone. 

Everything must be measured from Jesus so that you can withstand not only the storms of life but the spiritual storms that will beat around.

Isa 28:5  In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

Isa 28:6  And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

This God that created this world and made you and me, He that sent His only begotten son, is the Lord of Hosts.  There is no inability with Him.  We will find our self praying, “God I don’t know how you could work with Buddy.”  Hold on.  God knows how.  He is the Lord of Hosts.  Don’t limit the Holy one of Israel.  He is God this morning.

He is the crown of glory and a diadem of beauty.  This Lord of Hosts is the most beautiful presence that you will ever experience in your surroundings and in your life.  I don’t take from the wonder and wonderfulness of having a new baby or having fellowship with one another.  But oh the beauty and the presence of the Eternal God! 

He not only is beautiful, but He is as a crown that you look upon.  He crowns the life, the day, the service, the prayer and it is a beauty beyond expectation.  We thank God for that.

This presence of the Lord is for a spirit of presence and discernment for every one of us when we find our self in a position where we need Him.  He turns the battle to the gate. 

I want to leave the emphasis that the conditions of the times and the people when Isaiah wrote this were alarming conditions.  Those that should have known God and had a vision had no vision and did not know God.  They were stumbling in judgment and in verse 7 we see they were stumbling in darkness.

Isa 28:7  But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

Isa 28:8  For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

Isa 28:9  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Whom shall He teach knowledge and make to understand doctrine?  In all that is going on, who will want to know about God?  This is a good question for today.  In all that is going on, who will want to know what the Bible teaches?  The answer is given:  those that are weaned from the milk.

I pray that God will help the pastor and everyone that is mature enough to comprehend, to understand that, “God I want to mature spiritually.”  I am not saying that you are all spiritual babe, but my message is to not plateau.  There is much grace to grow, truth to grasp, and much ground to gain. 

We all reach a spot where we make a choice, “Will I go on to walk with God and will I build a house?”  If we are not careful we will find ourselves wanting to be a babe spiritually all our life.  Babies teach their parents to let them get by with things that mature adults can never get by with. 

God help us to want to grow, to please God and build a spiritual house that aligns with Jesus, the precepts, the commands of the Word of God.  We must build our spiritual house by adding the teachings from the Word of God. 

The Word of God said, “Precept must be upon precept and line must be upon line.”  There is the line of the Holy Ghost and all of us have had the experience where we did something that got out of line. 

The plum-line comes down from heaven. No man on earth controls the plum-line.  When it comes down if things in our life are not aligned with the chief corner stone, He says, “Son or daughter, you need to make the alignment in your spiritual house so that you are rightly related to the chief cornerstone.” 

God brings His Word to us and we align to the Word and that is how we build a spiritual house. 

If any in this audience has any trouble being independent then I want to preach this message to you.  With stammering lips and another tongue will I speak to this people.  Some people can only hear something if they say it.  They say, “I hear you” when others speak, but they do not. 

You and I must take the gospel and there are some things I will only know if I am taught by someone else.  If I am prejudiced, then my house will suffer shipwreck.  Prejudice can be color, it can be personality, you say, “I don’t like his personality.”  You may be looking for a good looking preacher that has hair and things that are more desirable to you.  Unless God tells me myself, I’m warning you, if you want rest and a house that withstands the storm then you must be teachable. 

It doesn’t matter what skin color a preacher has or if they are smart like Brother Goble, maybe it is someone can hardly speak English or has never gone to school that God will use to edify you. 

We know about storms in Montana, they now about storms on the east coast.  We know about spiritual storms, the cold breezes that would destroy our spiritual lives, divisive spirits of individuals that would come and do whatever was in their mind to do.  Terrible spirits!

One of my grandsons wants to build a house that gets tall quick.  It may be tipping a bit but “Let’s put one more block on.”  God isn’t interested in people that get tall spiritually quick.  He wants you to start with the foundation and say, “God, How am I doing?  Am I building according to the foundation?  Am I measuring to the message and to your word?”

Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Isa 28:11  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

Isa 28:12  To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

Literally and spiritually we must have rest.  Each of us must figure out in our lives how to have enough time to rest so that our physical man gets rest.  Spiritually God doesn’t want you always in a turmoil. 

You and I know already about the troubling spirits that are out in the world, accusations, and pressures from people.  People want to manipulate things so that they are how they want it.  They never rest because they are always putting their hands to things so that it is how they want it.

If we want rest, we must add the truths of God’s Word as building blocks and build our house upon the Word of God.  We need to build it so that the lines measure right.  This line comes across here perfect. 

“God help me to have things lined up in my life.  Help me to take the line of the Word of God and of the Holy Spirit and put it right along here and have things lined up perfectly.” 

Long before the fancy equipment that builders have today, they took lines and found out if the foundation was the same distance from corner to corner.  If it was not then things were not lined up right.  One stump can affect the whole building.

Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

The only foundation to build upon is Jesus Christ; the only Corner stone to build from is Jesus Christ.  God said, “I’m going to lay the foundation.”  That is Jesus Christ.  He said that He would provide a precious cornerstone.  Jesus is the chief cornerstone.  He is right there on the sure foundation.  This is the only sure foundation and the only way to build.

This will deliver you from confusion. 

1Pe 2:6  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

You’ll not be all mixed up; you’ll know where you came from, what you came to and will not be hindered.

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

If you are building right then you are not afraid of being inspected.  Because we are just temporary then we want to have a lot of epiphanies.  “Come and check me out.  Draw the line so that I will not be hindered.”   You can go and talk to so in so but don’t expect them to have the plum-line.  That comes from God. 

When you get all aligned with the Word of God then you will build a house that will withstand the storm.

The hail sweeps away the refuge of lies.  Measuring to the Word of God will take care of a lot of things.  When people don’t measure then they will always be in confusion. 

The foundation and the cornerstone is Jesus.  God provided the foundation, and He gave the building material for you and me in His word:  the precepts.

I’m not going to tell you how many rows of building blocks there are in my life or how tall I am.  This year, 2013, I want to be the best year in my life.  I say, “Hand me another building block.  The winds and rains are going to come, the flood will come.” 

I have experienced the floods of heartache this last week.  A friend of mine is suffering financially. 

The floods will come.  I’m not saying what floods will come.  I have walked the road as best I can with Brother and Sister Figeroa.  It could be my wife that has cancer.  They will never be the same.  They have had a flood come into their life. 

Don’t think for a minute that it only floods in FL.  It will come to Paradise, to our congregation and to our very own.  You say “I’m so afraid.”  Stop.  Instead say, “God prepare me.”  Then when He sends a precept, start building another row. 

When He sends an epiphany, I want to be ready.  When He says, “Here son”, I want to measure.  When He brings growth, there is a challenge.  Growth causes some things to not look as pretty as they used to.  I say, “God send another precept.”

It is so sad for those that didn’t add precepts when you see where they are today.  It is so sad for lives that are all bound up and without God.

We begin building on the foundation with Jesus and He sends a precept.  The children that are here this morning are blessed.  Don’t let the world put in your mind all the things that you cannot do.  Let me tell you what you can have.  You can have a precept and build a house that will last for time and for eternity.

God sends another precept and you add another row of building blocks.  Your heart says, “I want to add another row, I want a house that will stand.  God help me to hear, send the message through whoever will get the message to me.” 

God you’ve been so Good, I want to check against the plum-line.  Send the plum-line down on the walls of this house, it has to measure right.  I am not afraid of the storm.

We try to check the weather and it says that it is going to be zero or five below.  Karen asks if we have enough wood.  Yes, I’m not afraid of the storm.  When we brought children from the agency they wanted to know if we had enough gas.  We know why, they had been stranded a few times.  I assured them, “Yes we have enough gas to get there.”

When the tough times come I want to go back to the wall and say, “there is a precept that you gave me.”  My mom always went back to that wall to the scripture that God had given her, “You’ll never leave me or forsake me.”  She said, “God said that it would be a lonely road but He’d never forsake me.”