Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 7/16/14

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 7/16/14

Psa 27:4  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Some think that David wrote this prior to going to war; others think he wrote it when he was getting up into years.  The lesson to us is to have our priorities so that we know what is really important in our lives.

David said that there is one thing that is really important and he was going to seek after that.  “I will seek God and I will seek His kingdom first.”

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord:  it is so wonderful to have our dwelling and our communication in its rightful place of communing with God.

I have been in huge dilemmas not knowing “Should we do this or should we do that?”  Other times I have not known how we could get done all the things that we felt we should. 

When we have come to the house of God then He helps us to know what to lay aside and shows us, “Don’t make such a big deal out of this, I am God.”

In the 70^th Psalm, it shows how it looked like everything was going right for those that were not serving God and everything was going wrong for those that sought after God.

There are times when we are doing our best and the enemy decides to make us a target of whomever it may be.  We go to God and then know, “I need to be in the presence of God.”

It looked like everything was going in the wrong direction on Brother Bill’s job.  There is something about God coming on the scene.  It changes our thought patterns.  He alone knows the good that can come to us through the difficulty.

We will always have decisions.  “Should we or should we not?”  My father was born July 21 1908.  I would like to go see my one living brother.  I am burdened for him like you are burdened for your family.  God knows the right time and the right place.  He always knows.

Jesus Christ clear back before creation was the almighty God too.  All during the time world He is the almighty God.  When time is no more, He will still be the almighty God. 

When you and I go and dwell in His temple, not just going to church three times a week, but daily keep our communication and fellowship clear before God.  “Here this is; God, you know what is your exact perfect will.”

Here is what I desire, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord; this is what I want to see, “That I may behold the beauty of the Lord.”

As Esther put on her royal apparel to gain favor of the king:

Isa 52:1  Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

When we see the beauty of the Lord, the holiness of God, when we see purity, how short time is and how long eternity is…

I’m not going to try to preach on heaven, there is some in the Bible on heaven but not enough for us to visualize it as beautiful as it is.  There will be people in heaven of every language. 

I have mostly been with English and Spanish speaking people.  When I am around people that speak a different language it always makes me a little uncomfortable.  The Amish speak English around us but with each other it is German.  It always makes me a little uncomfortable.

God help me to see the beauty of the Lord so that in the challenges that I am in, I realize, “This is just a little picture in the midst of a great big picture.”  God help me to see the big picture and the beauty of the Lord.

To enquire in His temple:  When we come to God we come to ask counsel not to give counsel.  We don’t come to Him and say, “This is what I want and this is how I want you to do it.”  No, we come and say, “You see this that is set before us and this heartache.”  We all have heartaches; it is a part of life.

Life will leave us with situations that we really need God to help us to know how to handle.  We can usher up before God, “God I want you do this.”  If we do, we are all mixed up on how things are to be.  “God help my prayer to be right, help me to be right.  I am here to enquire of you.”

In the time of trouble, He shall hide me:  when I think of being hid in His pavilion by Christ and God.  I remember the pattern: You enquire of the Lord and then in the time of trouble, He shall hide you. 

The week won’t end for us that are on vacation, or end for us that have jobs but that we will face trouble.  It is troubling when your children are sick. 

I have learned to pray, “God, help me to get this before God.  Help me to enquire of God, help me to put on the garment of submission. God, I am not going to try to make things go the way I want, I am submitting it to you.”  You may wake up in the night and have to say again, “God help me to submit this to you.”

God always gives a scripture to work with what He is dealing with you on.  That written word of God!  There are many songs that say, “I brought my burden to the Lord, I placed it there and He answered prayer over and over.”

Hidden in the secret place:  every one of us will have lots of events in life where unless we know how to get into the presence of the almighty God, enquire of Him, have the beauty of the Lord upon us, and be hid in the secret place, we will be ruffled all the time.

There are enemies: the spirit of unbelief, the spirit of death and hell, and the spirit of apostasy.  It tries to move in with such darkness and confusion.  I have had it where that spirit of darkness has even tried to attack the Word of God. 

Among the things that are forever settled and unchangeable is the Word of God.  You don’t have to be moved because there is a hiding place.

Psa 27:5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psa 27:6  And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

In Romans where Paul said, “Satan shall be bruised under your feet.”  How many times have you felt the enemy come in and begin to press down and down and down?  My mom used the expression of the enemy putting his paw on you as the hound does on a chicken.

We have all felt the old paw of the enemy, ‘hopelessness’. 

One thing I have desired of the Lord that I will not break my communion with God, that I will dwell in His house, and that I will focus on the beauty of the Lord.

I am going to really enquire of God: “God, this thought has come, this thing has been said, the enemy is doing his best, but I will enquire of God.”

Sacrifices of joy:  For every soul that has learned to abide and confide: you don’t have to live under the spirit of oppression, of accusation, under the thought, “This one is unhappy” or What does he or she think?”  You don’t have to go through that rollercoaster.  If you don’t have that victory, seek it until you do.

Psa 27:7  Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

Psa 27:8  When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

How many times has life presented its challenges and we heard a still small voice convicting us, “Before you get too wrapped up in this thing, seek the face of God.”

Psa 27:9  Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

Psa 27:10  When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

Psa 27:11  Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

We thank God for all the helpers in the congregation, all the edification, all that still comes back to us that the former pastors and evangelists taught us.  We want to remember one thing, “Today, oh God, teach me.”

Psa 27:12  Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

Psa 27:13  I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Don’t lose your way, know where God wants you to go and what He wants you to do.  Stay focused.  Don’t put it on automatic pilot.  It is up to you and me to say, “I will stay focused.”

Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Thank God.