Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/6/13

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/6/13

My wife enjoys reading Christmas stories.  We have a quite a collection of them.  Many of them were compiled by Jo Wheeler.  Many times when I open one, I page through to find one that looks good to read.   I don’t usually start at the beginning.  This time I started to read at the beginning. 

As I read the first writing, I found that it was written by Jo Wheeler.  At this time, he had compiled a little over a dozen books.  As he began this book, an incident came to him that had happened when he was in Texas.  In that season he was working in the concert business and took part in hiring professionals to come in and sing.  At this particular concert there was a man that was playing with the professional name of William Rogers. 

William Rogers was playing in this concert and played a marvelous first edition and at half time he had put so much effort into playing that he had to change into a different tuxedo and they had to retune the piano.  Jo approached him and asked what the best concert he’d ever played in was and he said, “This one tonight.  I’ve learned that if I don’t prepare, practice and give my very best then there is a real danger of plateauing and if you have ever plateaued there is only one place to go and that is down.”

When the man who’s professional name was William Rogers was a boy he’d gone to listen to a famous pianist.  As a boy he longed to get this polished piano player’s autograph.  He waited 45 minutes in the rain for this purpose.  When the pianist came out he didn’t have time for the boy. 

He told himself that if he ever became a professional, he’d take the time for everyone.  It is said that if the audience clapped for an encore he would play again, and again, as many times as the audience would ask.   He played for every president from Truman up through Regan.  He played for Eleanor Bush in 2008. 

When Jo Wheeler remembered William Rogers saying, “Tonight is my best”, he was determined that this book would be his best.  I have aged, I am not as sharp as I used to be, but God has not changed.  I may not be able to preach as good as I used to, but I can prepare and I can pray. 

I have worked on this message for about a month.  We are in a new year.  If anyone here has plateaued, I hope I wake you up this morning.  If you have not, then if we meet any that has, may our love for God and love for them motivate them to seek God.

In the last couple weeks I met a man by name of Stephen Yoder.  I met a brother Yoder in the Sixties that was a godly man of the gospel.  I wanted to visit with that man.  As a child, I could feel the genuineness. 

A year later I went back and was excited to meet him and visit with him again.  When I saw him, he had changed.  He had plateaued.  It was really sad.  He was different than he had been the year previous.  It was a sad experience in my life and I trust he has it together today.

An epiphany means a life changing experience.  I began to think of life changing moments in the sixty-six books of the bible and it is full of them. 

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

It was not an afterthought that Jesus gave his life for mankind.  Something took place in eternity that would have a profound effect on the Father, God, and upon the son, Jesus.  It was because of Jesus coming that the Holy Spirit came after Jesus ascended to the Father.

Jesus was slain form the foundation of the world.  It was an experience, Him coming into the world.  The father knew all that would happen to the son, but Thank God the Father and the Son were willing.  It had tremendous effects upon the Son.  Jesus grew up in a society where undoubtedly many knew that Joseph was not His real father.

After the crucifixion the Holy Ghost was sent.  We thank God for that.  When Jesus came there was a life changing event to Mary and Joseph and it has and had a profound effect upon every one that has been born.

Joh 1:9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

It is because of Jesus coming that everyone in this audience has had the experience of their conscience being lit.  I’m not going to speak of the moment in time when an individual’s conscience becomes defiled, but we are so blessed that Jesus came into the world to light our conscience.

Many in the world have refused to keep their conscience alive, but Jesus lights the conscience.  There are many life-changing moments in our life where we come to the place where we realize, “If I go against my conscience then my life will change and life and truth mean more to me than anything else in the world.”

These life-changing moments start at childhood.  Everyone here probably as a child realized that there is a God in heaven and through that gained an identity with a world beyond.  God begins dealing with us as children. 

I have every reason to believe that God dealt with Gary Thompkins as a child.  He was born a few years before me and died a few years ago without ever having answered the conviction of God.  He always planned to but never did.

I’m happy for the parents and grandparents that are here this morning.  When God speaks to children we need to realize that it is vitally important.  God is drawing upon a little soul that is going to make life choices because of God moving upon that soul.  God meets with children to mold their lives.

Life changing moments for us adults:  One thing that I have experienced with life changing moments, they are not to be dealt with as great big revelations.  It is when you know that the eternal God has spoken to you because He has something very definite that He wants you to measure on and be aware of. 

He has something definite that He wants you to prepare for.  The events are real, but we realize that they are counteracted immediately by things endeavoring to crowd them out.  I am not personally of a mentality to tell you that everyone had a life changing moment last week and crowded it out. 

We are facing a new year.  I have experienced already the feeling of a little strength and desire to do something.  These are good desires and we appreciate them.  I’ve experienced a conviction from God already of things that God wants me to do this year. 

It is very easy to crowd out God dealing with us.  I think of one of the great men that had a life changing experience:  Saul that ended as the Apostle Paul.  He said, “I feel the weight of all my responsibility.”  He didn’t have a wife or children but was heavily involved in evangelism, writing to the saints, and pastoring. 

I don’t see a bunch of people that are idly standing around as I look across this audience.  We believe in working and being busy for God.  I am not preaching to a bunch of lazy bums that don’t have a desire to do anything.  I am preaching to people that are ambitious and know how to work and get a project done.

These moments of conviction are moments of God convicting us to prepare by prayer.  We thank God for everyone that is here this morning.  You that are parents have a great responsibility.  The best way that you can prepare for that responsibility is by prayer.  I know that God will be faithful.  The best thing that you can do is order your life so that the secret closet of prayer is known to you and God knows that you’re there. 

God comes down and visits us.  Among the greatest challenges afterward is the knowing how to properly apply what God has spoken to us.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I want to emphasize that when God speaks to you with the thought of a life-changing moment then you will know that it is God.  When He speaks it is vital that you don’t begin to argue but step to the line and say, “I am going to trust Jesus.”

Your mind may say, “There will be no use doing that because…”  That is unbelief.  When God speaks to you to write a letter, to make a phone call, to sing a special song, maybe you have never sung a special song.  If God speaks to you to prepare, then get some songs and get ready, if He speaks to you to make a bible study then start by prayer and prepare. 

Would God speak to someone in this audience this morning to write “This is where to begin reading in the scripture:  If you are saved, begin here.  If you need to be saved, begin here.” 

God knows what needs to be accomplished in 2013.  It will be accomplished if men and women realize that, “God has spoken to me and I need to pray and make sacrifice.  I need to present myself a living sacrifice.  God has spoken to me and I need to present the vessel.”

We want to be a very warm, hospitable congregation.  I told that lady (that I requested prayer for her son) that I hoped that we get to meet and invited her to come to church and then to dinner.  It was like, “Are you real?” 

There is nothing as wonderful as spending my time working for God.  I think I like to hike and fish as well as anyone.  I like to see a well manicured garden and yard as much as anyone.  But when God speaks and says, “There are some things that I want you to prepare for”, then that comes first. 

This totally does away with man rule.  Many have fallen under man rule because when God spoke to them they were too busy.  They didn’t follow What God wanted.

God designed that the light never go out. 

Lean not to your own understanding.  Everyone needs a sound mind.  Everyone needs to be taught how to handle their mind.  No matter what God speaks to some people their mind will argue it away from them.  May God help me and you to never try to talk someone out of doing what God has burdened them to do. 

We worked hard on outreach last year and didn’t see as many come in as we wished, but we learned a lot of good things.  When God moves upon us, may God help us to realize that “this is a challenge from God and I want to go forward for God.” 

This eternal God of heaven speaks to us to tell us to come up higher.  Our own understanding tells us to reach a plateau, to get everything set up and there remain content.  You will not stay there if you get there; you will plummet.

In all of your ways acknowledge him.  Among the things that many are so challenged with including myself is that I so fear rejection.  What if someone didn’t like that or what if they didn’t like you knocking on their door, or what if they didn’t like what you took to them?  Hold on, “lean not to your own understanding acknowledge him and He shall direct your paths.”

We know that God will direct our path no matter what age we are.  Life-changing moments are designed that we live without regrets.

King David said:

Psa 31:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

We want to have the attitude that, “God I’m going to be listening to your voice.”  We can believe that God will be speaking to us in 2013. 

“Let me never be ashamed.”  God has a way of warning us and of helping us to prepare for things.  He comes with the reality, “Prepare for this, set your things in order, get your finances in order, get your mind in order, if there is unfinished business, wherever you are, have things in order so that you will not be ashamed.”  God is a God of order.

Psa 31:19  Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

David had a grip on God.  God had impressed him that He had wonderful things laid up for him.  For everyone here and to everyone that will repent and turn to God: the situation may be bleak, but remember that this God comes along and because He and His son love us so much He witnesses to us and speaks to us and gives us these moments that will be life-changing experiences if we will listen to Him. 

You may feel that things don’t look good on the horizon.  That is our own understanding.  I am not thinking that everything is rosy out there or that there will not be trials, temptations, or difficulties. 

This man, Roger Williams contacted cancer but said, “I’m not quitting or giving up just because I have cancer.”  After having cancer he performed a 12 hour concert.

There is a God in heaven that comes down to us and if we will yield to Him, “Oh how great is thy goodness, which you have laid up for them that fear thee.”

If you will allow yourself, you will become a victim of blackness and darkness.  You’ll not see anything on the horizon.  You are “alone sad, weary, and this or that one did me wrong”.  That never comes from God.  There are a million people on that pathway.  They have a good memory of the trespasses in their life.  They have had them, but that is part of life.

Jesus told us to forgive all of our debtors, those that trespassed us.  He has a lot of goodness laid up for us.  He gives us a portion and an earnest of our inheritance before we ever get to heaven, but we must heed when he speaks to us.

Life-changing moments require humility.  You remember that.  The toughest for many is to own up and realize that, “I really need to make some changes.”  They may say, there are a lot of people that need to change, but I’m glad that I am not like them. 

It requires teachableness, obedience in the small things, and it requires great faith in God.  It requires trust.  You can trust Jesus.  Your mind will tell you to figure it out for yourself or that it would never work out. 

If God would lift the veil and show you where He was working you’d say, “I never dreamt that God was working there.”  Don’t hesitate to go where God sends you.  God is working there.  To do this it requires life-changing consecration, dedication and reverence.

God’s design is to give the young people life-changing moments.  You see individuals that have made and are making choices that they are going to regret.  Children and young people, God will visit you.  Those visitations will be real and your part is to have faith and to climb.  God will visit you with convictions. 

You and I already know that there are a million people probably even alive today that wish they would have waited on God instead of running ahead.  God will visit you with moments of true value.  It is value of a pure heart, clean hands, a good name, and an appreciation for this moment of time.

Young people, appreciate your health, appreciate hope, and appreciate a family.  It is an old story that is repeated over and over again, “I just wish I had a family.”  There are those in this audience that testify, “I’m so thankful for the family of God.” 

Many out there are without the family of God and don’t have moms and dads taking care of them.

Appreciate strength.  As I hear these children sing, some are musically inclined.  God will talk to you about your talents.  Use your talents for God; develop them to be used of God.

Have character and a good name.  Develop good character.  There are life-changing moments that really affect us and our family. 

Worshipping God: I know that everyone has to work.  There are family things to take care of, you need your rest, and you need things that you enjoy.  I’m not taking away from that.  But I want to emphasize:  don’t let anything crowd out worship.  Prepare to worship and be ready to worship.

God gave us something within to grasp the moment by faith.  Is God talking to you about something?  I know that He is; that is how He is.  When he talks to you about something, He is right there to build your faith. 

The effect: the path of the just is as a shining light that builds more and more

My best concert is this one.  This is my best.  He didn’t say, “That was when I was in Carnegie hall, or in Steinway hall when I was younger.”  One of these days is going to be everyone here’s last day. 

The one that you think is getting close to the end of the journey may be to your funeral or to mine.  When someone asks, “How is it today?” you can say, “Today is the best.  God spoke to me.  I didn’t get the message from the internet or ask dr. someone if I could have their notes.”

You may have a crippled body by arthritis.  If you listen to God, and if he has spoken and you have prepared and done what he has directed you to, then you can say, “Today is the best.”  I want to be able to say, “This is the best.  I have this moment, and I have this time.”

Some may think, “I overrode those checks and now I am in an altogether different situation.”  God is a God of forgiveness and of restoration.  Get right with God so that the next time He speaks you say, “I will prepare.”  So that the next time you can say, “This is the best day of my life.  God spoke to me and I did what God told me to do.  The light is shining bright and I did what God told me to do.”

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We are blessed to have a new year and to have a God that speaks to us and is going to speak to us.  If he has spoken to you then the altars are always open.  “What God has told me to get in order, I’m getting in order, what God has told me to prepare for, I am preparing for in prayer.”