Brother Gary Sunday Morning 6/23/13

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 6/23/13

Job 28:7  There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

Job 28:8  The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

I’m going to preach on the path and the way this morning.  Deep in every soul there is a hunger for God.  There is something deep inside the young man in prison that has never found satisfaction.  He chose the wrong path and is paying for some of his sin.  Deep inside there is something left unsatisfied.

One of the richest men that has ever lived in this area brought out a book and showed me how he had worked his way up from being a poor service station owner to being one of the richest men in Montana.  He prided himself in having the best of everything.  After he had achieved his goal, he wrote this book that he showed me about his life.  After closing the book he said, “All of that does not satisfy me on the inside.” 

Deep in every soul there is a hunger for God.  Children hunger for God.  God loves the children.  Young people hunger for God.  We will have some scriptures this morning that are written to the young.  Wise men have given instruction to young people; David and Solomon wrote to them. 

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

There is something in our heart when we are saved where we hunger for God.  You all remember in Ezekiel how a line was used to measure out a distance in the waters and they walked out and it was to the ankles.   Then the line was used another time and another until they had gone out to where there was a depth to swim in.

God wants us to have the depths of His riches.  He is such that He can pour out into your heart and life and not have His resources diminished.  The young man in prison would say, “I am such a sinner.”  The Bible tells us that God has such a capacity that not only would he be able to forgive that man in a state penitentiary but could forgive every man in every state penitentiary and it will not diminish His capacities.

After we have received of His grace it is not diminished.

The wisdom of God is the design of God.  God has a definite design for today.  Part of His design today was for us to gather together to worship Him.  Part of His design today was for us to fellowship Him and fellowship one another, and for us to lift up our heart in thanksgiving for safety, salvation, and traveling mercies. 

A part of the design of God takes in today, it takes in tomorrow, and it takes in eternity.  It is wonderful that you and I can deal with a God that takes in eternity.  We can deal with time only.  We deal with time and those of time.  This God of wisdom not only takes in time but takes in eternity. 

The design of God for you and me when we are here on earth is for us to know Him, to find His way, His ways, and His path and to travel in them. 

I’m traveling a highway, a beautiful road,
It leads to heaven, the home of my soul
It’s marked by His presence, 

Its filled with His love…

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.  “God, I need wisdom from you, today.”  I need to have a vision of the design of God for the days to come.  Knowledge is how to apply God’s wisdom in our life. 

God not only wants you to know Him, He wants you to have a burden for souls, to by love serve one another, and He wants you to know how to put that into practice.

People misunderstand God’s judgment.  They have a negative connotation of it.  It is His verdict on things.  We are blessed to be able to come to God and say, I have my opinions, my wants, and my wishes, but I am asking that you will give your verdict.

We all have decisions to make:  we will be someplace this next week and we will find ourselves here, there, or wherever.  We say, “I am considering this….”  Until you submit you will never open the treasure houses of God.   James 4:7 is the key.  Submit to God and there is an abundance of treasures and riches for your exact situation. 

The promise of God is greater than a promise of tangible wealth.  If we will seek His kingdom first then He will add everything that we need to us.

The kingdom of God is within you.  Jesus taught against these people saying that he was going to be out here or there.  The kingdom of God is within you. 

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

It is not a literal kingdom of meat and drink.  It is not a world where your bread and butter is.  The kingdom of heaven is in righteousness.

Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Rom 14:18  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Aren’t you happy that you can live the song that Brother and Sister Maxwell sang, “No regrets.”  If you aren’t living that life then you can be saved and live in righteousness.

Peace is something that money cannot buy.  Without submission to God, without salvation, sanctification, and bible holiness, there is no peace. 

There is a way to have peace with the past and that is having the Kingdom of God within you and peace which passes all understanding.

I think we have had a lot of grief at Paradise.  We have burried young people; I have helped them bury babies.  We buried my brother and His wife shortly after.  If it wasn’t for the riches of Christ the pain would never cease. 

In the darkest hour He promised that He would be there.  I have seen it over and over and over again.

The riches, the depths of the riches, I’m not more spiritual than anyone else.  There is not a congregation that is more spiritual than another.  There is a depth of His riches that we want everyone to have.  All that matters is our relationship to Him, that we can know the riches of His wisdom and of His design.

We are going into Vacation Bible School and we want a verdict from God.  We go to rest home service and our burden is, “God help us to help some soul.”

Oh the depth of the riches! 

God is wonderful to be given a verdict.  If you are making a decision then feel free to talk to God, “God help me to know how you would handle this.”

God has an answer that will work to His glory and His honor. 

The word of God teaches of His ways,

Psa 119:1  ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

There are many ways and many people that preach that many ways lead to heaven.  That is a thought of man, God never said that.  There is a way that God honors and accepts. 

The way in which God directs is in order to instruct and save us.  He has a way to order our life.  “Remember the old paths,” Jeremiah said, “Stand in the ways.” 

Jer 6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Every one of us has the opportunity to take our own way.  You may think of five or six ways to go in and if you talk to anyone else they will have at least two opinions. 

There is a way that God chooses.  It gives the order of the Lord and brings a blessing to your life.

Psa 119:1  ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

Emphasis on undefiled: When we need something from God we must stand before God opened faced without any pretence.  “God, I really need something from you; I’m not defending myself or making an excuse.  I am not asking for my own way, I’m asking you to lead me.”

Psa 119:5  O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

Psa 119:9  BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Young people you are blessed to have an opportunity to have a clear conscience and a clear heart at this exact day.  God has blessed you with an opportunity that you are only afforded one time in your life.  Look to God to cleanse you.

The world, the spirit of the world, the flesh, sin, and carnality will lead you away from God and into rebellion that will ruin your life.  There was a young man in the days of Newark that had lived a good life.  One day he came to the pastor there and said, “Sir I am going to go out and live it up in sin and then come back and get saved.”  

Brother Wilson said to him, “Go out and come back with a board and some spikes.” When he did Brother Wilson said, “Pound them in and then pull them out.  What do you have?  The young man answered, “A board with a lot of scars.”  Brother Wilson helped him to know that is how his life would be if he left God and then came back.  The young man decided that he didn’t want to go that way.

For each one that comes in, God has a way to clean up a life.  But you young have one opportunity to not scar up your life. 

There will be someone that will open the door to that which will put images and thoughts in your mind that you don’t want there.  The affect that it will have on you will affect you in every way.  It will affect your emotions, it will affect how you treat your mother, and it will affect how you treat your father.  It will affect how you may be able to relate to your son or daughter if time tarries and you have one.

I am not smart enough and not a good enough preacher to tell you how sin will ruin your life.  If in your life there is sin, the Word of God teaches only this, “Repent and be baptized.  Forsake sin.”

DS Warner wrote this testimony, “I yield to God my hands, my feet, my entire being.”  The reason that he did this is that he wanted to be kept so that he could be used of God.

I believe in forgiveness and restoration but the sooner you start sowing good seed, the less scars there will be.  You may have messed up here and there, do a thorough job of repenting and communicating to God and immediately begin sowing good seed. 

If you have talked too much then immediately begin to talk less and pray more and pray, “Oh God set a watch over my mouth.” 

If we involve our self in doing nothing, then we will get in trouble every time.  Involve our self in sowing good seed.  Then good will return to us.  We can stand around and say, “I wish someone would visit me.”  You go visiting.  You may say, “I wish someone would invite me to dinner.”  You start cooking; sow good seed.

You say, “I don’t have many friends.”  The scripture says, “He that has friends must show himself friendly.”  You start loving these little children and they will poor it back to you.  You start loving these neighbors and they will be waiting for you in the alley.  Even the dogs will be friendly if you pack a treat.

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

We are so blessed this morning to have someone concerned about the way that we take.  He is concerned with your relationships with one another.

Thy word is a lamp and a light.  I don’t know much about snares, but a snare is what the devil sets for you.  Don’t think that you are the exception.  Snares are set for me and for you.  A snare is a trap and it comes down and grabs whatever is near the trap.  The harder they pull the more they are trapped.

You don’t have to fall into the snare, “thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Always obey the Word of God. 

God speaks His word and it always agrees with the Word and the Spirit of God.  He shows us the snare and says, “Don’t go there.”  We obey and in His mercy, avoid the snare.

Isa 35:8  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

Isa 35:9  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

Isa 35:10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

There is going to be a way that is a highway.  It is the way of holiness.  There is a highway; Jesus is the way onto this highway of holiness.

People that say that they love God and do not live right are not on this highway.  The scripture tells us this.  It is not for those that think that they know everything.  But any can make it.

You cannot travel this highway and be a bear to get along with.  You cannot travel this highway and have an attitude that stinks.

Jer 6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Ask for the old paths, these old paths are the old paths of the Word of God.  They work today.  It emphasizes that therein is the good way.  Walk in them and you will find rest for your soul.

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

The preacher is not above you, he just has a different job.  God abounds to all of us in wisdom.  The key that opens the treasure house of God is: ‘submit to God.’

Pro 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Don’t trust yourself and don’t trust someone else, you must know from God what the way is.

The very word baptized means submersed.  The Bible teaches us to first repent and then be baptized.  Baptism is an outward sign of a work done on the inside: “I have confessed, repented, and I am clear on the outside and clear on the inside.”  If you need to make an apology or restitution then I would do it before lunch.

We had a wonderful experience of that.  A little lady told me that she had some restitution to make.  I told her to put it on the table and she said, “I stole from the dime store and the grocery store.”  I told her to save up money, write a letter and tell them that she got saved and send money and a track.  She did this and sent one to Bill Obeck.  He wrote back to her, “I’m glad you found the straight and narrow and here are your fifty bucks back to help you along the way.”

It is wonderful to bury that old life of sin, make the restitutions, and be ready for heaven.

The way that you can know truth is that it is taught in both the Old and the New Testament.  The Word, the Spirit, and the blood of Jesus Christ all agree.  When it is truth then there is no question.

Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

Isa 66:4  I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

They chose their own way.  I was raised church of God but I was not church of God until I got saved.  You may have been raised however but choose God’s way.  When they chose their own way then God chose their delusions with fears.  It is a sad thing to go through life and now know if you are right with God. 

You can know that your name has been written down in the Lambs book of Life.

Isa 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Not in my parent’s ways, not the deacon’s, not any man’s, but in God’s ways.

Psa 119:45  And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

A great price was paid that we could be free.  Free from the past, from our ways, from worries.

Jesus said, “I am the way.”  If we have a need He says, “I am the way.”  The thought is that whatever your need is, He supplies the need and He is the way.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Truth frees us.  You can have life in this world: a living hope, a thrill about today, and a thrill about tomorrow.