Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 11/19/14

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 11/19/14

1Pe 5:1  The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

If a minister fails to partake of the things of God, if he fails to, as Isaiah when he went into the temple, to see God high and lifted up, His presence filling the temple, and seeing the many angels singing that song and echoing back and forth, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

I don’t know much and I don’t want to know much outside of Western Montana.  We have a job to do here.  With just the exhortation from Sister Annette, Sister Hayen, and Sister Sue, we have a lot to do around here.

1Pe 5:2  Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

It is vital that I as a minister meet with God, have my message from God, and not have an agenda.  It is ok for a pastor to have a standard and lift up the standard in the local congregation.  But it is vital that he have a message from Heaven. 

It is possible for a minister to get sidetracked.  I don’t want to go that way and I know that you don’t want me to go that way.  The thing for us to do is to pray.  You to pray for me that I stay in the Word of God and lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet and be balanced; with the Word of God taught just as God would have it.

Be a willing overseer: pastor not for pay but of a willing mind.  In every one of us it is vital that we have a willing mind.  We need to have the attitude, “My mind is willing; whatever, where ever you want me to do and be I want to have a wiling mind.”

Adam Clark says, “Doing all for Christ’s sake and love for mortal souls.”  There is something going on in my soul about eternity.  DO Teasley was in New York City at a young man’s funeral in the Woodlawn cemetery, and wrote the song, “Eternity.”  DO Teasley felt that Eternity had a sound of footsteps. 

1.    I stood at the time-beaten portals,
Where many a pilgrim had passed
Out into the infinite future,
To be with the pure and the blest;
And, musing in silent devotion,
Eternity seemed to draw near;
And strains from the choir of the faithful
I seemed in my fancy to hear.

o   Refrain:
Oh, eternity! Long eternity!
Hear the solemn footsteps of eternity.

1Pe 5:3  Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

There has to be a real balance.  In a home the husband is to be a head, but it doesn’t mean that he is to be a dictator.  It is the same in the church, the pastor is not to be a lord over God’s heritage without consideration for souls.

Being ensamples to the flock:  God help me to be a good example in every way in my life.  I ask that you please pray because I want to do my very best.

1Pe 5:4  And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Christ shall appear with a crown of glory that fades not away.

1Pe 5:5  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

There is always a person that is the oldest in the congregation.  It is vital to know how to submit and to have a heart, “I’ll be taught and I’ll be trained.”  If we think that we know something that would help someone it is vital that we have the grace and anointing of God to help a younger one.

I remember sister Gerhart when someone looked up and said, “Here comes brother and sister Ferguson.”  She looked at me and said, “Son be very careful.”  Those that know the rest of the story know it.  We need to know how to be warned and how to give a warning.

Yea all of you be subject one to another.  You can be younger than me and still teach me.  The bible teaches us to be subject one to another.  And to be clothed with humility.

May God help me as a minister and us as a flock not to have a voluntary humility, “You can tell I’m humble because I haven’t bought shoes in 17 years and I always wear used ties and never buy tie tacks…” 

Church be clothed with humility.  That is not saying that you have to dress out of “secret seconds” or that you can never wear new clothes or a tie.  No, it means to be clothed with humility.

I think of our heavy burdens, the crucial position that all of us are in.  The bible says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  How we need the grace of God and the ten meanings thereof.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

It is so wonderful to feel His hand and us to melt and say, “I need you.  I can do nothing without you.”  We have a lot of good entertainment in the world.  I enjoy most of the gospel music that I listen to.  It is entertainment.  I have an Irishman that sings to me pretty often and can sing, “Footsteps Walking” until you can feel the lullaby.  It is good entertainment. 

As the church, instrument players, song leaders, piano players, I appreciate those that work with the children.  (You are getting music out of those children, it is the best music that they will ever hear.  Those choruses that I learned in Sunday school are still with me, I never want to lose them.)  How we need God! 

May God help this minister and this congregation to remember to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.  We have received many complements.  We cannot run on past blessings.  We have to stay humble before God. 

Leave all the exalting to Him.  You say, “I don’t want to be exalted.”  I don’t either.  Maybe the thought that Peter was preaching was of God coming down and lifting me above the difficult places so that I don’t feel the strife or the jabs here or there.  God can do it.

1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

It is not possible to be without cares.  You have something to do tomorrow.  There will be cares Friday if time continues.  The best thing that you can do is give it to God. 

We are to rightfully have a care for our mother, but give it to God and then let God give it back to you as to how you are to handle the situation.  Same way with our children, our grandchildren, the one that is starting to drift, those that are in heartbreaking situations say, “God I am going to give you this care, I cannot do it on my own.”

There is one thing to do and that is to get the care over on God.  “God I am giving you Brady, We want to show them that we care and love them.”

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

My God help us to be sober in our mind.  A lot of people won’t be sober minded.  They will laugh and cut up no matter what happens.  We need to take the instruction of Peter, be sober in our minds and in our desires. 

It is not wrong to have a desire.  God knows how to bring us up on our desires.  We need to be sober, “God I am thinking this; what are you thinking?”  A lot of times we want God to think that we have the greatest of thoughts.  Sometimes He says, “That is not the thought that I would have you thinking.” 

Sober in our minds:  “God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”

Be vigilant, always be on guard to the devil.  It is vital that we are saved, sanctified, and measuring.  It is vital that we be diligent.  The devil is our adversary and walks about as a roaring lion.  Never think that you are an exception.  That roaring lion roars in our ears, our minds, our emotions, our desires.  He is always walking about. 

My mother used to preach about the hound dogs.  In the olden days, potatoes were cheap and people would boil up a five pound bag of potatoes.  They would throw them into the snow to feed the dogs.  As long as the potatoes were hot they would just walk around them but as soon as they would begin to cool off, they would jump in and get the potatoes. 

The enemy is always walk about seeking.  May God help me to have my senses exercised to know when it is the voice of the enemy.  If there are footsteps of eternity, I want my ears to be able to detect if the enemy is walking about. 

1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

This enemy attacks everyone.  I remember when this enemy fought hard to cloud my vision about the truth of God’s Word.  There were a few things that I stood on, this Word of God is true.  That day, that week when I was in that battle I wondered if anyone else had ever been in that battle.  I read that DO Teasley went through a common battle.  These are common battles. 

May God help you and me.  These are old battles; they are not going to be anything new.  They are common battles.

1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

When you have exhausted your resources, “What can I do?”  That is when God likes to step in.  If you stay true to God it will come to an end.

Suffering is for our benefit.  Joseph’s brothers thought to do him evil.  If you allow the onslaught of the enemy to work for your good it is designed to perfect us.  It is designed to give us strength or establish us.  We need to go through whatever it is so that we will be strengthened for next time.

1Pe 5:11  To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1Pe 5:12  By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

Let us stand in the true grace of God.  Isn’t that beautiful?

1Pe 5:13  The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

I want Brother and Sister Hayen to leave here tonight with the thought, “The church in Paradise sends greetings to Brother and Sister McCranie.”  I want them to take the greetings of the love of God and I want us to have the same greetings among us.

1Pe 5:14  Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Chuck told me, “I’m going to come to church one of these days.”  He didn’t; he is in eternity tonight.  May God help me and God help you that our greeting may be full of love. 

Peace:  Church live in peace.  Amen.