Brother Gary Sunday Morning 9/7/14

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 9/7/14

Isa 55:4  Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Bible is an awesome book.  Even if I would preach an hour or two hours or even until choir practice this afternoon, I would not be able to cover this chapter of Isaiah 55.  I trust by God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus the Son that I can open the door to the great teacher: the Holy Spirit, Jesus the Son, and the Father that He would teach you.

The thought is that He would be the witness.  He is a great witness.  It is so wonderful that we have a witness.  There are so many philosophies and ideas that are portrayed in the world.  It is wonderful that we have a witness.

Jesus is the true light.  It is wonderful beyond words to tell everyone here that we have a leader that is from eternity.  Many today: the republican, the democrat, the tea party would ask, “Where are the leaders today?” 

On the spiritual realm, beyond a shadow of a doubt; in our individual lives, our collective lives, and our home, there is a leader. 

For our lives as the church of God in Paradise, there is a leader.  There is a leader for that precious young brother that is looking for a job. 

As I look across our congregation, I know everyone that is here this morning.  There is a leader that is ready to lead in every situation in life. 

Heather turned 18.  There is a designated leader for this precious young lady.  For Sister Simcox, there is a leader.  There is a leader from eternity that is in the time world today and will continue to be alive throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.

I will not be able to preach an exhaustive message this morning.  I cannot exhaust this subject.  I can introduce you to a marvelous study in the Word of God.

We have a commander, a governor in our lives; a governor with the heart of a shepherd.

When this leader from eternity showed up, He was in his early thirties in Matthew 4.  Jesus had left Nazareth and was headed for Galilee.

Mat 4:16  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Jesus is a great light, the true light.  This is confirmed throughout the scripture again and again. 

Region and the shadow of death:  It is not an isolated condition when Jesus passes by regions that are as the scripture says, “Regions and shadows of death.”  These people that Jesus passed by were captured in darkness. 

They were so bound by that darkness that they just sat there in the darkness.  Everyone has experienced to whatever degree, the sad state of seeing an individual whose life is in total shambles.  Their entire being is without any right direction. 

In this ‘region and shadow of death’ is such despondency and hopelessness. These individuals were setting there.

The Bible teaches us that they were residents of the region of darkness.  We know many people that are there.  Because of unkindness, or embarrassment we don’t like to think of individuals being residents of darkness.  Their whole life revolves around darkness.

They were not only the residents of darkness but of the shadow of death.  They were living in darkness, and in the shadow of death.  That ‘shadow of death’ represents the thought of being separated from God, light, and life both now and for eternity.

Talk about a terrible state to be in, to be thinking, “I’ll just go on and on and on in sin.  I’ll just continue dealing with the pain of sin.  I’ll deal with it either by refusing to think of it or by self medication: whether it would be drugs or alcohol or whatever else it might be.”

The true witness passed by and light is sprung up. 

Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Jesus began to preach repentance.  It is vital that we keep it real what the message of repentance is.  There are fewer people preaching repentance today than ever in the gospel day.  They say, “Do the best you can but you cannot help but fail.”  That is not the message.

The message is to repent.  It means to confess your sins to God.  There are millions of religious people in the United States of America that don’t grasp this.

I said something like this to a religious man that believes that he is going to heaven.  He looked at me in all honesty and said, “Where did you get that from?”  I said, “From the Bible.

The next part of repentance is turning from sin.  This is a point where many people draw a line.  They want to continue in sin.  We cannot have God, the hope of repentance, and eternal life unless we confess our sin, and turn from our sin.  Until then there is not forgiveness of sin.

It is not confessing our sin every night.  It is when we turn away from our sin and say, “God I don’t want to sin any more.  I want to turn away from darkness.”  The goodness of God leads you to repentance.  It is a marvelous thing to be led to repentance. 

Matthew 4, Jesus passed by and great light shone into the regions of those that sat in the region and shadow of death.  To those that sat in darkness great light shone on their path.

Four fishermen found a leader.  We look on in this message and Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee:

Mat 4:18  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Isn’t it wonderful this morning to have a leader?  Many people are dealing with the thought, “I’m going to follow my own heart, or I’m going to follow this thought…”  You cannot trust that.  God alone holds tomorrow as well as today.

When He passes by and calls us then we are blessed that He calls us.

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.  I don’t know what God’s plans are for everyone in this audience.  From the age of the youngest to the age of the oldest, we don’t want to ever reach the place where we say, “There is nothing that God can use me for.”  That is the voice of the enemy and of unbelief. 

You may feel, “Our pastor is reaching that age…”  We don’t want to have the attitude and I don’t want you to give me the attitude, “You are just about past the age of being useful to God. 

God has a plan for these precious children that are in grade school.  I believe that we all are called to be fishers of men and women.  We are all called to go to all the world and carry the gospel message.

This light shines upon our pathway and as we go it shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.  Don’t underestimate that child that requested prayer for a classmate. 

Jesus passes by us this morning and the light shines.  When the light shined upon these fisher men’s pathway, and Jesus spoke to them, they felt the witness of the son of God.

Mat 4:20  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Everyday beyond a shadow of a doubt, God has good things in store for us.  One of the toughest things is to lay aside what our plans are, “God these are the plans that I have.” 

Karen and I usually have four things on our plan for the day, the thought is, “This is what we plan for the day but if you have something past this that is more important, then we are glad to sacrifice our plan for your plan.”

Jesus called and His words were, “Follow me.”

The wonderful thing about those four men is that they took immediate action.  You may not be able to complete what God has spoken to you about today or tomorrow.  When God reveals something to you and you start building upon it, it is not half hearted service.  The foundation is being laid, the stones are being laid, the preparations is being made to complete what God has dealt with us upon.

We are blessed to know that Jesus is the leader of the sheep.  We can press hard upon not being able to lead a goat that is not my message this morning.  My message is that sheep desire a leader.

There is a natural thing in individuals that some are gifted to be excellent leaders, others to be excellent followers.  There is one supreme leader that is designated to be the leader of all the sheep, Jesus Christ.

‘Verily’: I am teaching the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Joh 10:1  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Every one of us that is saved, are considered sheep to God.  Jesus wanted you and me to know the thought of being in a sheep fold and the example of them coming in at night and the shepherd coming in to them. 

God wants you in the sheep fold, in the safety of the fold at night, protected by the fold.  There will not be one that is away from the fold that will not try to tell you how you should handle your life.  Jesus said that all that ever came before me to the sheep fold is a thief and a robber.

Precious souls listen this morning.  Make sure that the voice of influence that comes to you comes by the way of the door and is Jesus Christ himself.

There is something wonderful about pastoring sheep.  When God begins to deal with me to deal with a subject or an individual, He has already visited the sheep and prepared them. 

The enemy likes to rush in on souls.  It is usually the thought that: he rushes in and gets their adrenalin going really fast, “You have to get something done fast.”

When God, His Son, the Holy Spirit comes to speak to you, it is not a harassing voice, an accusing voice or a crisis voice. 

We need to learn the voice of crisis.  God is not in that voice.  The voice to jump in and do something, God is not in it.  When you are faced with a crisis, immediately run and put it in the lap of the Lord.

Joh 10:2  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Joh 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

Jesus will come speaking to you the Word of God according to the Spirit of God.  That attitude of the sheep must be right.  It must be, “God you can teach me through my sister, my brother, or the children.”  But it is never the voice of harassment.

He calls them by name and leads them out.  He goes before them.

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Every morning when you arise for your devotions and you meet with God and He meets with you:  You read, you pray, and you go over your prayer list.  Before you go out, He looks us over with the eye of a shepherd. 

There are some that He will look over and will tell you, “I’m going to lead you out to a pasture where I will increase your faith.”  To others He will say, “I’m going to lead you to a shady green pasture; you need your rest.”  To some He will say, “I’m going to lead you to a high mountain.”  God often speaks to His son in the secret of the stairs, in the climbing of steep places. 

When you climb there is a process in the body that purifies.  He looks at every one of us and is intent about each one as an individual:  “This is the path that I want you to follow me on today.”

To those that He calls to the shady green pastures just go right on over.  I know that He has excellent food and still calm waters. 

If you have a mind frame that life is always hard. I don’t believe it.  If you say, “My life is always full of battles”, stop.  Listen for the voice of the shepherd to come.

You will hear Him coming.  You will know His voice.  We have a leader.  Life is not always so hard.  Your knee hurts.  There are times when we have to quit thinking of the knee.  Your eyesight is dim.  We must get past what we cannot see to what we have seen. 

 I have seen my mother.  My mother had a nervous breakdown.  My daddy came home from work and said, “I’ll fix supper.”  He washed his hands from working in the woods, from pouring oil and gas.  He went to the cupboard and found a can of some kind of salmon.  He opened the can and found the crackers. 

I don’t know what else he found and I can still see his hands mixing that together and began to make salmon patties.  In my mind’s eye I can still hear them frying.  You say, “Life is hard.”  He had heard that song, “It is not an easy road.”  He said, “Don’t sing that song for me.  I was lost.  I know what it is to be drunk and hung over.” 

God wants to lead us.  I say to everyone in this audience that is praying, “Lord lead me to some soul today.” 

We cannot even reach all of Sander’s County.  Lord lead me to one soul.  There is a special spot that Jesus wants to lead me to and you to. 

“Lord lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me.”  Everyone needs a burden for at least one soul past your family.  Lengthen our cords.

We have heavy burdens but we must go past the Kelly’s.  We want to see all of them saved but if we are not careful our mind will become captured with our own.  We don’t want that to be.

I want to love my grandchildren but I must go past just those grandchildren.  My brother’s grandchildren are in this audience this morning.  There is a special place that God wants to lead us.

He goes before them.  The sheep follow Him for they know His voice.

They will not follow the voice of a stranger.  Don’t live without the witness of Jesus the true light in your life.