Brother Gary Sunday Morning 9/28/14

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 9/28/14

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s thoughts and His ways:  I have pondered this.  These are God’s intentions.  I’m so happy that I know beyond the shadow of any doubt that God’s thoughts and intentions for everyone present this morning and to everyone that is absent this morning; his thoughts and intentions are the best for everyone that can possibly be.

His ways are His actions and his moves.  We can boggle our mind trying to figure out some things, but if we can grasp His thoughts to us and ways of dealing with us we will see beyond a shadow of a doubt that His thoughts and ways and dealings are above any of ours.

They will be much higher and better than anything that we will be able to generate of our own thoughts and ideas to carry forth.

Isa 55:10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

This gives us a practical understanding of nature.  Verse 11 gives us a spiritual understanding.  We have been in rain storms where the rain was pounding so hard that it looked like it was bouncing back up.  The snow has fallen and looked like it was going back up.  All of us know that the rain falls to the earth and the snow falls. 

As the earth cools, the snow gains in inches and then on into feet depending on how much.  If the temperatures are above 32 then the rain goes down into the ground.  It is God’s way of replenishing the aquifer.

The rain waters the earth and makes it bring forth.  You that have a garden and orchards know that unless there is moisture there is no use planting seed.  Unless there is moisture our fruit trees will bear no fruit. 

An orchardist told me that the apples this year were not normal.  Usually the Macintosh apples could not be ripe until after the frost.  He showed me the outside of the apple and it was even different.  The year was a lot warmer than usual.

The moisture makes the tree bring forth and bud.  After the dormant season and spring begins to come and it begins to warm up, the sap comes into the apricot and peach tree and the blossoms come.  If it doesn’t frost and cause them to drop, then the fruit begins to form. 

There are a lot of things that will reseed.  In my mother’s day she would buy buckets of cucumbers from Maxine.  She would allow everything that would go back to seed to go back to seed.  In that day they didn’t plant hybrids.  The vegetables would just produce over and over again. 

I thought of onions.  There are those that are planted from seeds, and those that are planted from bulbs that have been dried.  I tried to find how many onion seeds could come from one onion plant.  Milton who almost knows everything about gardening said that he didn’t know. 

I asked him how much an onion weighs.  He said that on average there are three onions per pound.  I then found that you could buy a thousand onion seeds for five dollars.  Think of how many onions if we could get it together; how many onions that we could grow if we would pool our financial resources, come up with five dollars, and a thousand onion seeds.  At three onions per pound you talk about onions; onions, onions, and more onions.

There are some things that are necessary, the seed itself must have water and must have earth.  I have never picked a mess of beans from a packet of beans.  They must be planted.  This year I am happy to say that we only planted beans one time and it all came up.  Last year I planted three times.

The seed must be sown.  In that day they didn’t buy seeds.  You had to save seeds from the crop that you planted for seed to plant next year.  It also gives food to the eater.

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

This is God’s way for the spiritual man, the fiber of your soul, in whatever need it might have.  If any of you in this audience are unsaved, it takes the Word of God applied with the teachings of the blood and repentance. 

If there is sin in your life, the only way to get to God is by repenting.  That is God’s word.  That changes the heart.  It changes it from perhaps the hardened marble that it has become, to fiber.  He can then use it to knit a pattern in an individual’s life and then into a pattern with others.

The Word of God from God:  Dear ones this morning, the precious children, young people and adults, I am so glad that you are here.  It is vital that you read the word of GOD.

Every morning the Word of God goes forth.  There is no place on earth that the word of God doesn’t speak to man.  If there is man there, the Word of God is speaking to man.  It speaks in every language.

God said that tongues would cease.  It is just a matter of time until languages change.  How many people speak Greek or Latin?  In her Sunday school lesson, Sister Alice brought the thought of a book written in England.  At that time it was said that in fifty years the most popular book in England would not be understood because it was written in the popular language of England. 

For the Eskimos in Alaska:  God will speak to them with the language that they will understand.  For those aborigines in Australia whether they have maintained their original language or not, God will speak to them.

Genesis chapter 22 I don’t know if it was morning or evening but God appeared to Abraham.  Pray that I will have sensitive ears and a character about me that when God speaks I will hear.  God appeared and said, “Abraham.”  I want to be that type of a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Abraham said, “Behold, here am I.”  Awesome! 

As Sister Karen prayed this morning, however limited you may feel that you are this morning you have great wisdom if you hear the voice of God say your name and you say, “Behold.”

If Sister Alice speaks to one of her grandsons and calls them by name and they immediately turn and say, “Behold, grandma, here I am.”  It may be humorous but it would be acceptable.  Wouldn’t it sister Alice?

The God I know has already spoken to me this morning and I believe will speak to me again today.  I believe that He will speak to everyone in this audience.  When He speaks the challenge is for our focus to go to Him, “Behold, Here I am.”

God’s Word will not return to Him void. 

When God speaks, He desires to reveal His intentions.  His intentions are good, wonderful!

When God speaks He desires to teach and direct us.  If I would take a toll after church and say, “All of you that are not busy I want to meet with me.  I wouldn’t even need a chair.  All of us are busy. 

That is not bad, but what is important is that when He calls our name then we listen and say, “Behold, here I am.”  If we will do this, all of our schedule will immediately fall into place.  We will end up feeling less stress instead of more. 

Isn’t it wonderful to have someone talk to you because they love you, to have someone visit you because they want to share your thoughts and your burdens?

He speaks to us because He wants to give us spiritual growth.  I am so impressed with God.  He didn’t design our soul to be the size of a golf-ball and never grow or a marble that becomes a steely with age.  But he designed it to be fiber that could be knit into a beautiful pattern.

He wants to speak to us often.  He speaks to us to give a warning.  Always take His warnings.

If he speaks and you turn and go the other way and you don’t listen, then the snare that you get into you may never get out of.  I had two prominent people in my life tell me recently, “I have regrets.”  Somewhere they did not listen when God spoke.

These children have marvelous opportunities.  I think of God speaking.  He promised, “My word will not return to me void.  If there is something that I need to be warned about or you need to be warned about you are so blessed to have one of an eternal nature speak to you.

He speaks to give victory.  If you have a job there will be things there that are really tough.  God will speak to every one of us that finds ourselves in this situation. 

It is not bad to have challenges in your professional life.  That is why they call it work.  One of these days there will be a still small voice speak.  It will be to your particular name at a particular time.  When He speaks and you say, “Behold, here I am.”  I guarantee that He will say, “I am going to give victory.”  I don’t know how or when, “This is the victory that over comes the world even our faith.”

We wrestle at times, “what does this scripture mean?  What should I do?”  Take every decision and say, “The Lord willing.”  Even to an invitation that you have been waiting for or to something that looks like it would be a really good thing.  God’s word will always prosper.

Let us consider the ways of man: 

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2Ti 3:8  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

2Ti 3:9  But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

I’m not going to exhort on these scriptures.  You live in America and are exposed to all of it.  If you know anyone that is messed up, they want to blame someone and say that they are the victim.  Go to this scripture and say, “Had they yielded to God then they will not be messed up.”

Let us consider the thoughts and ways of God:

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

This word of God comes down to the fiber of our souls.  “If any man will do the will of the Father He shall know of the doctrine.”  If we will allow God then He will teach us the doctrine.  It will be line upon line, and precept upon precept.

It is profitable for reproof.  It will convince men of truth.  But if they don’t believe the Word of God then they are hopeless.  When we destroy the Word of God or take away from it then our names are taken out of the book of life. 

It is profitable for correction.  Part of my walk as a pastor is having the attitude, “God anything that I need to be corrected of I want you to correct me of.”  Part of our doctrine as the church of God is that we believe in being corrected.

There are a lot of rebellious spirits.  They don’t want you to tell them anything.

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Part of our spiritual growth is saying, “God anything that you can help me on I want you to correct me on.   You can use the pastor, a brother, a sister, or a child.”  A lot of people will not take help from the pastor, or a brother or a sister… stop.  We need to have the attitude, “I love God so much I want Him to correct me when I am in error.”

If God comes to correct you and you don’t take it then you will receive a scourging.  God is really kind.  But I have had Him give me some lessons, talks, and some whippings.  It was because I didn’t listen the first time.  We must take the correction and the scourging to be one of His children.  If we don’t then it is like not having a father.

It is profitable for instruction in righteousness.  Everyone in this audience wants to grow spiritually.  The Word of God will cause us to have growth.  Every time I grow literally it shows.  The belt goes out further and further.  It is the same spiritually.

Jas 4:13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

Jas 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Jas 4:15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

The affects to the obedient:  they shall go out with joy.  “There may be dark things in my life but God said that I would go out with joy.”  Being sick is tough but God wants you to go out with joy. 

It is tough for these dear ones whose mother is in a facility, a stroke victim.  The bible says, “You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace.”  My mind has wondered, “How?  What are they going to do about this or that?”  Let me tell you, “God will lead you forth with peace.  You will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way…”” 

There may be a situation in your life that is a real wall and you butt up against it all the time.  You will hear His voice and then the next thing is yours: you are to say, “Behold, here I am.”

Karen and I are making decisions.  When I feel good it is ‘go ye’, when I feel bad then it is ‘go to bed’.  How am I to know what I want?  You shall hear a voice behind you…

Instead of the briars will come up the myrtle tree.  From what I have been able to learn, the myrtle is beautiful: it produces flowers, it smells, and you can pick the fruit off of it. 

We will be as the fir tree.  You can build with a fir tree.  They have much strength.  The fir tree and the larch are next to the hardwoods in strength.  God wants us to be a tree of righteousness that will give out a fragrance wherever they are.

Everyone loves to come in the presence of someone with clean clothes that have bathed and smell good. 

Every one of us likes to see fruit appearing, young people singing testifying playing their instruments, smiling, having a burden and a prayer request.