Brother Gary Sunday Morning 10/26/14

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 10/26/14

2Ti 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

2Ti 1:2  To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I exhorted some last Sunday on grace, mercy, and peace.  But it came real to me as I was before GOD that there were some more things to be said.  If there is something that is beneficial to you and your life, return and give God the praise.

As I looked at this book it is called an epistle, it was written with definite spiritual value.  It was not written out of wrath or because there was competition between this older brother and younger.  It was written by Apostle Paul to a younger man that he had met when the young man was about 15 years old.  It was written about twenty years later.

The thought is how God deals with souls.  He addressed Timothy as “my dearly beloved son.” And then he brought out three things that are vital. 

Grace is a very needed factor in our lives; it is vital that we know what grace means and have it in our lives.  It is vital that we recognize the need of grace and recognize when it is running low in our lives.

Grace is the unmerited favor of God.  None of us are born into this world with naturally something given to us as a privileged child that we don’t need to do what is necessary to receive the grace of God.

His grace came to us when we were very young, everyone here can undoubtedly remember when God spoke to you as a child.  It means the divine influence upon the soul. 

We can probably all remember our first sin.  It is very important.  We have heard it asked and maybe everyone here has asked, “What has happened to America?” 

In this audience there are those with young children.  It has been a while since Karen and I have had young children in our home.  It is vital as grandparents and parents to have the divine influence to be that example to them and influence on them.

It is such a responsibility to have children and it is so important that we have the grace, the divine inspiration to deal with them.

A man I met told me that he had dealt with anger all his life.  He thought it was because he was mistreated as a child.  Parents, it is your responsibility to treat your children right and to protect your children.  There is a certain amount of responsibility as grandparents and as citizens that if we know a child is being mistreated then it is a heavy burden.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Without the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we will be opinionated and influenced by whatever comes across our pathway.  Whether it is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, or having an attitude caused by misfortunes of the past.  If we have a bad attitude it causes us to be unacceptable to God.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

This older man was writing to this beloved son.  Beloved daughters, Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ this morning, it is so vital that we possess the grace of God.

Paul wrote to Timothy and said, “My dearly beloved son, grace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Grace brings joy to our heart and gracelessness brings such sorrow, such bemoanings, and such situations that need to be lamented over.  It is wonderful that we can have grace and joy in a world that is so upside-down.

It is wonderful that grace gives us liberality.  It allows you to be free to love, to give, to worship, and free to accept.  Often times we find, as a minister visiting with someone, they will make an expression of a situation; you perhaps give them a scripture and they brush it off, “I know all that.”  That tells you they are graceless.  Liberality receives.

We need the portion of grace that we are at liberty to receive from one another that which would be beneficial to our soul.

Grace makes the simple things in life so enjoyable.  I think of the misery of sin and of carnality.  How dissatisfied, and unsatisfied precious souls are.  It all comes back to the lack of receiving the precious grace of God.

Timothy was undoubtedly a promising individual.  Every individual is promising that will yield to God.  It is not so much their IQ; as an individual yields to God the grace of God becomes such a benefit.  It will be there to help you have the inspiration that you need for the moment.  It will help you to have the right word to say in a very awkward situation.  It will help you to speak a word to him that is weary.

It will help you gird up the loins of your mind and take a troubling thought and replace it with a positive thought according to Phil 4:8.  Then it helps you to help others to do the same and think on the good things: maybe things that were in the service.

What a benefit it is and it happens over and over again as our thought pattern is replaced by grace.  Isn’t it wonderful when our minds are being challenged with something that is going over and over, isn’t it wonderful to replace it with the benefit of a song or a scripture.

Paul thought it important to mention mercy to his beloved son.  I trust I have never taken for granted the mercy of God.  I don’t keep that thought as alive as I’d like to have it.  I told you all a little bit ago about our brush with death.  I personally am convinced that it was the mercy of God that my wife and I were not instantly killed.

Mercy is compassion for the miserable.  When I found that definition, my next thought was, “No wonder God’s mercies are higher than the heavens.”  This morning in Sanders County there are so many miserable people.  Sin and carnality and all that goes with them make men and women very miserable.

We had an anonymous request twice in service of a troubled youth in Mineral County that is so miserable.  That night I was praying, “God help him to come in contact with someone that can help him.”  That young lady that was here last Sunday was here because her daddy was taken to jail because of alcohol. 

Sin and self make people so, so miserable.  Anyone here that has an attitude, “I want to be saved but I don’t want to go on and become sanctified, you are going to be miserable.  Life is miserable with carnality.  All the injustices of the past come back and no infilling of the Holy Spirit of God to say, “I will not yield to that thought and go back to that injustice.”

All the parents that have the thought of protecting their children from injustice is a good thought, but let me help you to know: a part of life is injustice.  Without the grace of God and the Holy Spirit of God we will allow the injustice that has come into our life to come alive again.

My dear uncle Doy was a nice man, a clean and loving man.  My uncle Doy inherited as part of his makeup to get angry all over again over what happened 1 week, 1 day, 1 year ago or however far back.  The majority of people have this.  Without the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit of God your mind will go back to some very unjust thing and then you will allow it to make you miserable.

For every man, woman, and child that recognizes that something is not right because they are unhappy and miserable:  They are acting like everything is alright but deep down inside it is hurting.  That is how it is unless you have taken the mercy of God and said, “I want to be free from this thing and the bondage of it and have the blood of Christ applied to my heart.”

Psa 85:10  Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

When you are worshipping before God in the stillness of the morning, you and God are there together and you are telling God how much you love Him, want to serve Him, appreciate what He has done for you, and how you have enjoyed the mercy of God.  You go into the Word of God and read and see truth.  It is so wonderful when God reveals His truth; mercy and truth meet together. 

God gives you grace to say, “I will walk in the light of that.”  After mercy and truth meet, righteousness and peace embrace.

Psa 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Every one of us here in this audience faces great challenges.  They are always bigger than we are.  Don’t ever think that you can handle it on your own.  However small it may seem it will handle you.  God is a God of mercy and great compassion.

Mat 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Lam 3:22  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Lam 3:23  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Isn’t it wonderful that His compassions don’t fail?  Perhaps you are weary with something that you have struggled with way too long.  It is ok to get violent with something like that.  Remember when you come to God it is of His mercies that we are not consumed.

Great is His faithfulness.

“May you have grace, mercy, and peace.” 

When you think of the life of Paul, you think of a life of hardship.  It would really be something for most of us to be shipwrecked once.  Paul was shipwrecked again and again.  There were a lot of troubles in his life.  He wrote and said, “You need grace, mercy, and peace.”

I needed peace this week.  I needed peace in my mind.  I felt unrest and such need to get a hold of God.  When you need to get a hold of God the most, everything is against you.  You feel more like you need to run a marathon than that you need to pray and seek God.  I needed to pray and seek God.

That word peace means one.  That shows me that you are not going to fly apart when you have God’s peace.  It shows me unity between your entire being.  People talk of “not really serving God” but being dysfunctional.  God wants you to get it all together and be one.

The second meaning is quietness.  The last part of this message is the best to me.  Quietness:  You say, “Brother Kelly do you know what is going on over there?”  No, but if I can have the peace of God I probably will be able to handle the shock.

If we have the peace of God, then in the disappointment that you think is on the horizon, I will not tell you it won’t happen, but you can have peace and quietness.

Don’t you love to walk into a home where there is quietness?  It takes more than it being written on the wallpaper. 

When the mind is churning, flooded with thoughts that are not thoughts of peace, when the mind is in turmoil, in confusion, you know what the definition of peace is?  Quietness.  God is not the author of confusion. 

Another meaning is rest.  Peace with God, with the blood of the Lamb, with the word of God, in our soul, in our life.  Rest. 

For every individual in this audience that works.  This goes for the schools, real-estate, hospitals, everywhere where people work.  Make sure that you keep peace in your life.  There is such changes with personnel, new policies, and the whole thing. 

You say, “I am afraid something is going to …” Your worrying is not going to do anything.  If you don’t have grace, mercy, and peace I guarantee that you will make the wrong choice.  When you feel the pressure, “Things are not going how I thought life would go.”  That is the way that life is. 

Things change, but if we have grace, mercy, and peace then we will be able to handle it.  We may not know the days that are ahead.  We have to have peace.

Peace means to set at one again.  I said, “OK, God, I am the man.” 

Whatever the challenge was, battle confusion, temptation, disappointment.  Whatever the challenge I was faced with.  God said, “Let me set you at one again.”  I felt like my mind was rotating in several directions at once.  I said, “God only you can set it at one again.”  I wish I had set a time, God began to move and I felt peace that passes understanding.

The angels to the shepherds were saying, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace, good will to men.” 

Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple.  There was an older brother there by the name of Simeon.  He was moved on by God and when they brought in the baby Jesus, he came and took the child into his hands and said, “Blessed be God, for mine eyes have seen God’s salvation. Let me depart in peace.”

Mark 4:39 Jesus and some of the disciples were out on the sea and there was a great storm.  Jesus stayed asleep.  The disciples woke him and said, “Carest thou not that we perish?”  Jesus got up and said to the storm, “Peace be still.”

In the crucial hour of Jesus’ life He said, “Peace I leave with you.”  Don’t keep the peace that Jesus has left you on the shelf setting there as a bouquet.

Jesus before His betrayal said, “Those that are so close to me will be scattered.  I feel alone.”  We are so blessed to be loved so much by each other.  I don’t get many phone calls from out of the area but there are a few, Brother Figeroa, Brother Davis, and Sister Griffin call once in a while.

There are times that I feel all alone.  I have daughters that call, saints call when I am sick and I appreciate it very much but there are times that I feel alone.

Jesus said, “I feel alone but I am not alone.  The father is with me.  I am telling you this so that you will know; that when you have troubles you can have peace.”

Joh 16:32  Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

After the resurrection the disciples were gathered together, fearful, locked up in security.  Jesus came in and said, “Peace be unto you.” 

Quietness, oneness, rest, and set at one again. 

Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial like strains it unceasingly falls
O’r my soul like an infinite calm. 

Things don’t give peace.  Peace can only come down from the Father above.  There is no peace with a new car.  You cannot buy peace. 

What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace
Buried deep in the heart of my soul;
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll

I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day
And His glory is flooding my soul.

And me thinks when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the author of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing,
In that heavenly kingdom shall be

Peace, peace, wonderful peace
Coming down from the Father above
Sweep over my spirit forever I pray
In fathomless billows of love.

Ah! Soul are you here without comfort or rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your friend ere the shadows grow dark;
Oh accept this sweet peace so sublime.