Brother Gary Sunday Morning 9/13/15

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 9/13/15

Psa 100:1  A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Psa 100:2  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Psa 100:3  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psa 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psa 100:5  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

We can never be thankful enough.  We can only be thankful for all that comes to our mind to be thankful for.  God is good. 

We are so glad that this true God is from everlasting to everlasting.  We are thankful that His truth has endured to our generation.  It endured to the previous generation, and to those babies that maybe don’t even have teeth: His truth endures to their generation.

Know ye that the Lord, He is God.  Every time that I am encouraged to study about God, I get thrilled over again.  We could never exhaust the subject of God. 

It was probably David that wrote this Psalm.  He said, “Know God.”  He was also the parent of Solomon that said, “Know God.”  The Apostle Paul in the New Testament said, “That I may know Him.”

There were those that left the inscription on a rock that addressed God as the “Unknown God.”  My Father prior to getting saved endeavored to pray.  He was in the woods and prayed, “God, if there is a God…”  He found out that there truly is a God.

It was Moses that said, “Before the mountains were brought forth, thou art God.  From everlasting, to everlasting thou art God.” 

It thrills my heart to know the God of eternity.  God was in eternity before time.  When time was spoken into existence, God was there.  God has been as far as an individual can grasp into eternity. When creation and time began, He was there.  He has been here time since creation, we have reached 2015 in our time world and He is still here this morning.  God is still God.

When time ceases to be, from everlasting to everlasting, He will be God.

Jeremiah spoke these beautiful words, “Do not I fill heaven and earth?”  This eternal God is everywhere.  It thrills my heart when I think of what the Psalmist taught us in Psalms 19. God is as the literal sun that comes out and travels its course in 24 hours. 

God spoke to Jeremiah and said, “I fill heaven.”  Heaven is a wonderful place.  I heard a song recently about, “Tell someone that has already gone to heaven that I am coming that way.” 

“He is everywhere.” 

There is a song, “I see Him in a baby’s smile.”  One of the most precious things that ever happens to me is seeing a baby.  I love seeing Him in men and women’s smiles and children’s smiles. 

I see Him in a baby's smile.
I hear Him in the wind that sighs.
He loves me and I know not why.
He's everywhere.

He calls me from a world of care.
I seek Him and I find Him there.
He's in my heart, I feel Him there.
He's everywhere.

Through storms of fear and doubt I sailed.
My eyes were blinded by a vale.
I saw no beauty anywhere in anything.
Then I drew near the cross where He
In pain and sorrow died for me.
My vale was lifted, and He taught my heart to sing.

Now, I see Him in a baby's smile.
I hear Him in the wind that sighs.
He loves me and I know not why.
He's everywhere.

He calls me from a world of care.
I seek Him and I find Him there.
He's in my heart, I feel Him there.
He's everywhere.

We know that God is love.  He loved us when we were unlovely.  We are grateful for that.

He calls me from a world of care.  Every season in Montana is a wonderful season.  Karen and I enjoy them all.  We look forward to spring in the thought of liking to garden.  She begins to look at the seeds.  We begin talking about gardening and we enjoy spring.  We see baby cows, baby horses, baby deer, once in a while, we see a baby elk.  We enjoy spring.

Spring is followed by summer.  We enjoy summer and all the beauty that comes out in summer.  Before long, Fall comes on.  Karen goes out and starts checking on the winter squash.  “As soon as the frost these will be ready.” 

It starts getting dark earlier, we can be at home and turn on the lights when it is dark outside and we can read or do those things that we enjoy doing in the evening.  How nice it is to have those times when we feel, “Everything is covered outside; the snow has made a good covering.” 

Then we begin thinking of Thanksgiving.  It becomes alive how we came to have thanksgiving in America.  There were those that risked their lives and many lost them that we could enjoy what we have in America.  There is gratitude toward God that He reached down and saved us from a life of sin.

After my mother was married, she had a tragedy in her life: she lost a younger brother.  In that season of tragedy, a minister met her and invited her to revival meeting.  She went and heard the wonderful message that you can confess your sins and God will forgive you of your sins and that burden on your heart can roll away.

Yes, He calls us from a world of care.  This is still real today.  God is everywhere. 

I had the wonderful privilege last week of finding myself as Abraham did standing in the presence of God.  I was standing in the kitchen visiting with God and I felt as those two on the road to Emmaus and I said, “Would you stay just a little bit longer?”  There is something about being in the presence of God.

I seek Him and I find Him there.
He is in my heart; I feel Him there.
He is everywhere.

God is a God of direction.  It was to the prophet Jeremiah that God spoke, “Stand in the ways and ask for the old paths and you shall find rest for your soul.” 

It is a common denominator in America: people will tell you, “I came here looking for a little rest and peace.”  You can find rest and peace wherever you meet God.  We know people who have found it on a mountain; we know people who have found it in cities like Miami, FL

We must find Jesus that declares.  I am the way.  He is the God of direction.  It is good to have plans for the day and challenges every day.  We submit them to God and say, “Lead me, guide me and direct me.  This is what I have planned, but if you have something else that you want me to do it always takes priority.”

Not only is He a God that is eternal, everywhere, and a God of direction, in Proverbs 8 God spoke to Solomon and He left this thought, “Unto you O men I call.”  Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus the Son’s delights and desires were unto men and women. 

It is amazing to me that He delighted in speaking to you and me.  He knew that we needed a savior. We cannot make ourselves good; you can try to be good, happy, or kind.  They are good intentions but it takes God on the inside to give us that peace and joy.  He gives us that something within that holds the reigns and gives peace and joy.

Pro 8:4  Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

Precious children, God calls on children.  Karen and I like to talk about when we first heard God speaking to us.  It is wonderful to have that memory.  It depends upon the child or the environment when that happens.  But it is wonderful that God speaks to children.

God speaks to young people.  When you get my age, anyone that is under 35 is young.  It is wonderful that God speaks to young people.

Isn’t it wonderful that God speaks to adults?  We have seen children, young people, adults, and seniors get saved.  God spoke to Brother Pat Brown.  He walked into this little country church after having met the saints at the facility where his wife was being kept.  He was in 6 to 8 services and then in one service he began to weep.  He realized that he had wandered far away from God.

It is wonderful for each one that has gotten saved.  It is wonderful that God talks to children, young people, adults, and seniors. 

Pro 8:14  Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

It isn’t long until a child or young person reaches a place where they need God to talk to them.  He is the God of counsel, wisdom, and understanding.

God has wisdom.  The greatest challenge that we have is remembering to ask for it.  I was reading in James and praying, telling God how much I loved Him and wanted to please Him.  I was a smart-aleck in grade school.  I am pretty old to be a smart-aleck.  God spoke to me about being a smart-aleck and a wise guy. 

I said, “By your help and grace I will try to have conversations without being a smart-aleck.”  I want to be an example to my children, my grandchildren, and my nieces and nephews.  If I want to talk to God about everything, He can talk to me about anything.

I was recently given the thought of a block.  Grandparents, parents, or preachers can have blocks in their mind.  They are things that they cannot get past.  I know a God of strength.  He can remove blocks. 

Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  The whole thought is that we must present the vessel, if we don’t then the block will get harder and harder.  If we do present the vessel, then He can remove the block.

All power is given unto Jesus Christ.  God is a God of power.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

The psalmist says, “He has made us.”  God created us to know the Love of God.  He created us to show the Love of God.  He created us to love God. 

He created us to be the beloved of God.  You might have some things in your home that you really like, you might in a figure of speech say, “I love that jar.”  No you don’t.  You don’t love that jar. 

God created every one of us.  He created us to be His beloved.  There are those in this audience that would tell me, “My mother is beloved.”  There are some of you that will tell, “Oh how I love that soul.”  That is good. 

One thing that I want to leave with you this morning, “God created you to be His beloved.”  The bible teaches us that love is as strong as death and it is a wonderful thing to know the love of God.

God created us to know the potter.  There is a bumper sticker that says, “Know your farmer.”  I think that there is a better bumper sticker that would say, “Know your potter.” 

I felt rich when the woman that made this butter dish invited us into her home and asked if we would like to see her studio.  She showed us the wheel.  It has two pedals.  To me that means the Word and the Spirit of God. 

Last week I went onto the potter’s wheel, just this earthen vessel, this clay; I am nothing special.  The potter’s hands:  the potter dips his hands into the water and then He works that clay.  I love to feel being on the potter’s wheel, to feel the Word, the Spirit of God, and the voice of God speaking to me.

The thought is that this earthen vessel be cleansed and filled with the presence of God. 

God created us to fellowship and commune with us and for us to fellowship and commune with each other.  This is the reason that we come together.  It is the reason that often times we work with a brother or sister so that we might commune.  “Iron sharpens iron.”

God created us to know His power.  We are His people.  David said, “I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.”