Brother Gary Sunday Evening 11/1/15

Brother Gary Sunday Evening 11/1/15

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

The whole plan of the gospel is to help us realize how much we need God, how much we can trust Him, and how much He cares for us.

God inspired Paul to do a lot of things in his life.  He had fought the church and really gave God’s people a bad time.  We want to remember that when someone is giving us a bad time then it is the right time to pray for them. 

Paul was headed down the wrong road and doing a lot of the wrong things.  But when God got a hold of him, he changed.  That is the way it is when God gets a hold of a soul. 

Believe when you pray that light from heaven will be convicting souls.

Distressed and overwhelmed are closely related.

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

It is alright to honestly confess, “I don’t have the answer; I really need God to help me with this.”  It is alright to tell God and it is alright to tell your brothers and sisters in Christ.  It doesn’t mean that you don’t have faith; it means you are being honest.

2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

We are not facing what the saints of old times did; but when you are hurt, snubbed, treated bad, ignored, or put into a mold that is wrong, it hurts. 

The reality is: in those times you are not forsaken by God.  I don’t know what the future holds.  I cannot tell you what will happen tomorrow, but we have a key, when you are persecuted you will not be forsaken.

We are not crystals; we are emotional individuals.  When we get certain reports it stabs our heart; it puts a concern and a quiver in our thought. 

God will not allow that to destroy us.  It is of the great Messiah’s very disposition that he will not quench a smoking flax nor break a bruised reed. 

2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2Co 4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

2Co 4:13  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

2Co 4:14  Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

There are times when your plate will have a lot on it.  The most important thing to do is to know how to get that plate over to God.  “God there are a lot of things that I never thought would be this way.” 

There are a lot of cares.  There are times when we had hoped that we would never be sick.  That is not how life is.  There are times when there are those that are close to our heart that are severely afflicted.  We are glad that we know and it is vital that we know, “All things are for your sake.” 

We tell God, “I am bringing this to you.  I don’t have an answer for this.”  We don’t know why someone of whatever age is diagnosed with whatever.  We know that all things are for His sake.

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

The grace of God appears to us as the divine inspiration to help us to know, “It is time to get ahold of God.  Instead of letting this overwhelm us, we must get a hold of God.”  There are times in every family and there are times in every work place where we will really need the grace of God.

Karen said that it may be stormy at her workplace.  That is how life is.  There are times when there are stormy situations in our family.  There are situations that are too big for us to handle.  All things are for your sake.  Get it over to God in such a way that God helps you that your testimony brings thanksgiving to God.  Not only of yourself, but “I am thanking God for how he helped me.”

When Sister Darla comes home and she testifies how He helped her, we will rejoice in this thought, “We weren’t there; we couldn’t be there.  We would have liked to work this or that, “God we are trusting you.”  God always comes through.

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

The scripture teaches us that we are to walk and not to faint or lose our direction.  I don’t know what God has in store for you or for us as a church, but there will be many things that will cross our pathway to see if it can get us to lose our direction.

I don’t know what God has in store for you tomorrow.  Karen has told me that if I make my notes with red ink then I will remember it better.  We all will have our list for tomorrow.  God may have another list. 

Sister Hawley likes the writing of “Invisible Ink.”  There are things that you don’t know will be opportunities for you, but God knows.

God help us to not lose our way.  Though our outward man perish...  God help me to know how to take care of my body and my mind so that I can be my best for Him.

2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

Our light affliction:  All our hearts went out to Brother Herb those last days.  They were tough days.  Today, looking back from the other side, he would say, “It was a light affliction that I needed to go through.”

One morning Karen went to work and they told her, “It was a tough night last night.  Herb would get his cane and would not let anyone close but would go to the picture of Karen and say, “Get that one.”  He had some tough times. 

Tonight, remember whatever you are faced with if you handle it right you will look back and say, “That was a light affliction.  It caused me to pray more.  It changed my personality to be more compassionate.  I thought I was compassionate but now when I see someone struggling with whatever I can have more compassion.” 

It is but for a moment:  we are very time oriented.  We gather weeks, years, and months.  We are always thinking of time.  We think of these children: when Isaac had his first day of school in August, he realized, “I am starting in August and I will be going to school either until the end of May or the first of June.

I remember thinking that sixth grade seemed like an eternity.  They started teaching me fractions in the sixth grade.  They were tough years.  As I look back, they were just a little season of my life.

I remember thinking, “Our children are not even teenagers yet; we will have them a long time.”  I can truly tell you, that season seems like a moment today.

Paul reached the place, “It is but for a moment.  It works for us a far more eternal…”  God is doing this to prepare us to get a job for Him done here, to be a light and a witness for Him, and then to enjoy the seasonless ages of eternity. 

We my only have a brook to enjoy here; over there is a river.

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.