Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 1/9/13

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 1/9/13

The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.  (Rev 13:8)  Life changing moments didn’t start on this earth, they started in Eternity.

Pro 8:1  Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

Where does wisdom call from?  I firmly believe that the cry of wisdom is from eternity.  For many that were requested prayer for in the past and for those that were prayed for tonight I am believing that they will have an epiphany, a life-changing moment to get right with God.

For all of us that are saved, we need life-changing moments over and over again in our spiritual walk with God.

Proverbs chapter 8 is full of instructions given to Solomon from Eternity.  They are worthwhile instructions that I need to read often in 2013. 

Pro 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pro 8:14  Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

Pro 8:15  By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

Pro 8:16  By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

It is so easy for our minds to be clogged with worthless things.  A young man’s father was a minister and told him to never have children.  I told him that he need to read Pr 31 and pray that God would help him to be worthy of a virtuous woman.  Any of those alternate life styles are evil.

We need to fear God so that we can stand against wrong.  When something is sin then it is wrong.  We don’t have to be ugly or obnoxious about it.  It is just wrong. 

The Counsel here is to hate pride, arrogancy, and every evil way.

Pro 8:17  I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

We are blessed to have as many children under the gospel as we have in this congregation.  I think of how important it is that the young people grasp seeking God early.  Our grandchildren in this congregation that are exposed to the gospel, that they grasp seeking God early. 

We may have the thought, “They are just children.”  Children really pick up on things.  Cole mentioned that Brenda didn’t have up her January decorations.  He knew that she had the December decorations up.

 Jesus had time for children.  Little lives.  Oh that they will seek God early! 

Pro 8:18  Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

Durable riches:  for everyone that has been saved a while, God has given you something a lot better than money in the bank.  To be able to pray and to be able to tell someone simply and thoroughly the marvelous plan of salvation is durable riches.  

If you have a grasp that God requires holy living then you are blessed.  Many in this religious world are so poor spiritually that they cannot pay attention.

People may think of an epiphany as something big.  Sometimes it is as small as being led by the Spirit of God:

Pro 8:20  I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

When God leads us then we have a life-changing moment.  Many have no direction.  They don’t have any leading to go visit someone or make a meal.  The reason is that they have totally refused to follow when wisdom called.

Pro 8:21  That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

Pro 8:22  The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

Before the works of old or anything was ever done, Jesus and the Father were one with eternity.  We need to have the understanding of the trinity.  Everywhere heresy is going forth against the trinity.  You cannot deny Jesus and have the Father.  You cannot deny the Father and have Jesus. 

Pro 8:23  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

From out of eternity came Jesus.  He was there before the mountains were made and before the deep places of the earth.

Pro 8:24  When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

Pro 8:25  Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

Pro 8:26  While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

Pro 8:27  When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

Jesus was there when God was making it all.  He said let there be and it was.  He established the clouds. 

Pro 8:28  When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

Pro 8:29  When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

Pro 8:30  Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

Here we see the beauty of the Father and the Son.

Pro 8:31  Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Jesus was concerned about us in eternity.  Isn’t that marvelous!  I wouldn’t try to tell you how many people have lived since Adam and Eve or what the population of the world is today.  Yet Jesus was concerned about all of us.

Pro 8:32  Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

Pro 8:33  Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

Pro 8:34  Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

God wants to meet with us every day.  He wants to give us life-changing moments every day.  What I want to hear from God is what He wants me to get done.

Pro 8:35  For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

Pro 8:36  But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

From Eternity comes life-changing moments.

Acts 3 tells us a life-changing moment for an individual that was crippled from birth.  If we can learn the message of Acts 3:1-11, there are a million people that have been crippled in their lifetime by sin that can be healed.  This was a life-changing moment not only for the man lame from his mother’s womb but also for Peter and John.

Can you imagine being carried all your life?  I know that I was carried about when I was born.  But I have been walking for over sixty years.  This one was a man and they were carrying him over to the gate beautiful.  John and Peter went to the temple at the hour of prayer and they saw this man.

This was a life-changing moment for Peter and John too.  God moved on them that they didn’t have anything to give the crippled man but that they had everything to give him.  He had his hand out but they looked at him and said:

Act 3:6  Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

What a life-changing moment for them to see this man made whole.  We can thank God for every time that God moves on us and every time that God moves on us for someone to be made whole.

There was a life-changing moment for Cornelius.  He was fasting and praying.  He had an experience that I’ve never had but that doesn’t mean that we cannot have it.  A man stood before him in bright clothing.  I believe that it was an angel.  Isn’t this a beautiful scene tonight? 

He was fasting and praying because he was a needy man. 

Act 10:3  He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

Act 10:4  And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

The angel told him that his prayer was heard.  I believe that God moved in heaven and dispatched an angel with a message that called him by name, “Cornelius, your prayer is heard.”

Whatever your burden is, we all want to have burdens past our own.  I wouldn’t tell you to not have a burden for your children and grandchildren.  But you must get past your capsule.  If you don’t then you probably will be torn up. 

If we don’t get past our capsule, then we will be disappointed and heartbroken whenever the capsule doesn’t come through.  You can count on God to come through.  This is why He spoke to Isaiah to lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.

That angel told Cornelius his prayer was heard.  That is wonderful.

Lydia was a little lady of Thyatira. 

Act 16:14  And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

Act 16:15  And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

She was a business woman and if I have it right she was about 300 miles from her home.  It sounds like she also had a home in Philippi.  She heard Paul preaching and she heard Phillip. 

Where ever you are you have people eavesdropping on you.  Where ever I go people seem to be listening to what Karen and I will be saying to each other.  When she tells me something funny and I laugh, they are startled: “You mean you people are normal?”

They wanted her to hear them.  We like for people to hear us preaching, to hear the saints praising God and singing.  This Lydia had an epiphany.  God opened Lydia’s heart.  She heard them worshipping, God opened her heart, and she grasped the things of God.

Let’s pray that God will open the hearts of those that we are praying for.  There is nothing impossible with God.  If you tell me that you are going to a man whose heart is closed but God is sending you, I will tell you that I know a God that opens closed hearts.

Our times are filled with lukewarmness, slothfulness, people being over charged with cares, and people overcharged with information.  People can actually ruin their hope of getting to God by knowing way too much of what is happening in the church world today and it hinder them from getting to God.

I remember my dad, Brother Maconahae, and Brother Turnbow saying, “If you are to get to God you must have your mind cleansed and purged.  You must take the Word of God and believe God and allow Him to lead you.”

I was invited into a home and I couldn’t believe what I was told, the people there were bruised by their own family.  There is a God in heaven that knows how to open hearts.

God gave John a life-changing experience on the Isle of Patmos with the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I believe God wants to give a season of refreshing, a season of revival, and a season of our soul being satisfied.  You don’t always have to live in the thought, “I just wish I could get a hold of God.”  You can.

There is fresh anointing for the pastor and for those in the congregation.

The trumpeters prepared to sound the trumpet.  This is not just for the pastor.  We need a life-changing moment that we are ready to sound the trumpet.  You will preach where I cannot go and you will be invited where I will not.  God wants us prepared when we step in there.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, there are we changed into the same image from one meeting with God to the next.

Enjoy a life-changing moment from the God of Eternity.