Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/24/16

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 1/24/16

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Jesus often used parables.  A parable is a natural story that has a spiritual meaning that we can comprehend.  This parable is of two men.  They both went to pray and the one told God how good he was and that he was even better than his neighbor.  The neighbor felt the tool of God’s conviction, of honesty, and of the presence of God.  He said, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.”

He smote his breast.  We have seen people so grieved with how they messed up their life that they feel, “Why did I do that?”  God has the tool to deal with every soul.

This man that recognized he was a sinner and went to his home justified.  “Everyone that exalts himself shall be abased.”  God knows how to humble every one of us. 

From my personal experience and from what the bible teaches, it is evident that if you will choose to humble yourself before God, He will break up your heart soil and your mind frame that those things that need to be removed can be removed.

God knows how to abase the proud in heart.  God knows how to give an individual a new life, and make him a new creature.

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

All of us were born with an inherited nature to sin.  We inherited it from Adam and Eve.  We were born with the desire to have our own way.  Jesus came that we could have an opportunity to obey God and be made a new creature in Christ Jesus.

God uses things that are easy to understand as tools.  Jesus is the chief Corner stone.  It is a stone designed to have two walls built from it.  A back wall and a wall that goes forward. 

God designed the plum line that comes down out of heaven.  The plum line is designed to show if the wall was built straight up and down.  It checks if it is leaning in or leaning out.  You can also measure from corner to corner to see if it is built square.

You might say, “My personality is not perfect so my building for God will not be perfect.”  God is looking for the perfect attitude, “God, I am going to build as carefully as I can for you.  I am going to build from the precious corner stone.”

The back wall is important.  It is built from the Word of God that says, “By the help and grace of God I will never go back and take pleasure in the things that brought such darkness and hardness to my soul.”

If any be in Christ he is a new creature.  We had a good and an educational lesson in Sunday school on not allowing the hunger for God to be quenched.

There is a song that talks of, “When I first heard of Jesus, His love and His care… my heart was overwhelmed to think a king would take my place.  After I served God a while I found that saying I love Jesus is a challenge to put to work.”

Brother and Sister Wingate were nightclub entertainers.  It was not satisfying.  They were blessed with a little baby.  The sister was out sunbathing and after a while went to check on the baby.  The baby had drowned on its own spit-up.  She was heartbroken.  She asked her husband many times, “Why doesn’t anyone ask us to church?  We need God.  This entertaining for money is leaving me empty.  The baby that I longed for has gone to heaven.” 

In the process of time one of the brother’s friends had gotten saved and wanted to tell his friend about Jesus.  At just the right time he called, visited a bit, and probably Brother Allen Wingate told him, “Things are not going right in our life at all.  We lost a baby.  Business is good but our life is not.” 

The friend told them, “I know someone that can change your life.”  They got saved, in the process of time, and God changed them.  They didn’t go back to the nightclub again.  They had a new life.

When we come to Jesus, He has the tools.  He makes changes in your life. 

When I get up it is before daylight.  As I begin to worship and pray, I begin to think of God.  Every morning God covers the whole earth just like the sun.  As the sun arises and the line goes out over all the earth.  It hits New York City a little earlier than here.  As you worship and pray, God will meet you there.  He will come down with his line. 

The God that I know is the God that sent his son to be the savior of the world.  He is the God that His Son testified that it is not the will of the Father that any perish but that all men come to repentance. 

His son identified with mankind when He was still in eternity. 

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The tool that we know of as conviction: there are people that respond to conviction very positive.  I love conviction.  Before I got saved, I remember conviction.  It told me that there was something not right between me and God and that He wanted me to get it right.  Deep in my heart I had a longing for Jesus.

There are those that respond with the thought, “God is angry with me.”  God is angry with sin.  We know that.  But He loves the sinner.  If any be in Christ He is a new creature.  Old things pass away.  It is wonderful to have a new start on life. 

It is wonderful that if you are in this audience and know that you have sinned and disobeyed God, He is ready to forgive.  I visited a man last night 87 years old.  God is ready to forgive.

If any is in Christ he is a new creature, old things pass away…

You say, “I wouldn’t want to be religious, I’ve seen people that are ugly, ornery, and crabby that are religious.”  They may be religious but they are not saved.

I am instructing you to forsake everything that you know is sinful.  Forgetting those things that are behind. 

Old things pass away and behold all things are new. 

Psa 62:5  My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

Isn’t it wonderful to go to bed and know that God is going to meet you with good things in the morning?  If something happens: God specializes in meeting you when new things happen.

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Among the wonderful tools that God gives us is his Spirit.

I have never seen Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit but I have felt them.  I have never seen an angel, but I firmly believe in Angels.  His angels are thousands upon thousands.  God can pick you up if you need it, but He may just send an angel. 

Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.  Children can serve God and God will be with them.  Remember Samuel with Eli?  A little child shall lead them.

Samuel was about four years old.  The lamp of God had almost gone out.  Samuel didn’t know the voice of God yet.  One night he heard a voice calling, “Samuel.”  God knows how to speak to children.

You precious children, God knows how to speak to children.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  When you feel God and realize that he is calling you from sin, then answer the call. 

There is a lot of time for working at the altar.  I want to see my grandchildren this afternoon but don’t you ever feel rushed at an altar of prayer.  Don’t worry about me getting something to eat.  If God speaks to you then leave your watch on the pew.  Come and pray with all the time you need.  Your soul is worth more than all the world.  There will be no time in eternity; it is world without end.

There is time world here.  No one in this audience has an appointment this afternoon that is more important than the souls of men.

When God speaks to you, there is liberty to measure.  If you realize, “God wants me to get right with him and with people.”  Getting things right with God is the easiest thing you will ever do.  God is ready to forgive, to help, to take that burden of sin away, and to make you a new creature in Christ Jesus.

You might say, “I want to get saved, but I don’t want to tell my mom and dad.  When I go to tell my friends that I won’t be saying bad words any more or doing things that God is displeased with, I’m afraid I won’t be able.”  Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Enter into the closet and pray.  Before you can pray, you must shut the door.  God wants to meet you in the closet.  He says, “We all with open face beholding…”  I have been saved a while and praying a while.  I wish I would have been saved longer and prayed more.

I have learned something more about prayer lately.  The best teacher I have on prayer is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit of God.  When you enter the closet: it is not a literal place, it is wherever we meet with God.  Usually it is by yourself but it could be in this audience today. 

You shut the door:  I am leaving all my thoughts outside. 

We all with open face beholding…  We have been taught to tell God everything when we pray.  When you enter that closet, God will be there.  He wants you to behold His glory and His honor.  His presence is His glory.  I feel His presence when I am there. 

We all have feeling; I am not preaching salvation by feeling.  You hit black ice and you will have feeling.  If you will hike with Karen into Hidden Lake, when you get to that overlook and look down to see that lake you will say, “I don’t think that I can take it all in.” 

We are creatures that need to behold when we enter the secret closet of prayer.  His presence and His honor are there.  You are really blessed.  Hold your hands up and look at them; can you thank God for your hands? 

Beholding His presence and then honoring Him.  To give Him that honor!  “Thanks for meeting me here.  Thanks for this place where God, His son, and the Holy Spirit will meet with me.”  All He asks is that I be saved and close the door to what is wrong.

Out before God is strength and beauty.  Life leaves you needing encouragement.  Get into the closet, get the door shut.  Don’t rush in thinking of it as a Subway where you can get your sandwich quick.  Behold His glory, behold and Honor Him. 

After you feel your heart says, “I have given Him honor.”  The beauty of His presence will come and you will be as the psalmist, “I have given Him strength and honor.”  Everyone needs strength and beauty.

Beholding as in a glass:  you know how to know when God is speaking to you because He always speaks according to the Word of God.  You can know if a thought is from God by if it agrees with the Word of God. 

“Shut in with God in the secret place, there in His beauty beholding His face; gaining more power to run in the race, How I love to be shut in with God”

We are changed into the same image:  when you pray, and you enter in and shut the door.  You acknowledge, “God is in this place.  I left out all my bad attitude and whining.  I came in with needs and perplexities.  You are here, I honor you, my heavenly father.”

As you are there worshipping and enjoying the presence of God, you see His beauty and His strength.

I read 1 Corinthians 13 many times a week.  It teaches me what real love is.  It is the Love of God.  We are changed into the same image.  We are changed to be as God is, as the Son is, as the Holy Spirit is.  Distinctive in personality but one in the Spirit.

We are changed into the glory of the Lord.  We are in His presence and enjoy it so much. We conclude the time in the closet and then go out to do our work.  We go out to do what we need to do.  Then we feel our need of coming back and going into the secret closet of prayer again. 

This is how life is.  Karen and I have been married a while.  I still get lonesome for her.  I get lonesome for my mom and dad.  I lost my mother when she was way too young.  Brother and Sister Maconahae stepped in.  I never tried to be their son, I stepped in and enjoyed them. 

I get so lonesome to know how people are.  This is how it is with me and Jesus.  I love to cut wood.  There is nothing like going to the woods and getting a load of wood.  I get lonesome for the woods, but there is something that only the closet can satisfy.  It changes us.

What tools does God use to change us?  The desire of the soul.  Everyone in this audience has a seed of faith, a measure of faith:  “I’d like to be right with God.” 

It was a precious Native American boy that asked, “Who is God?”  That is not a bad question.  There is something within you that will never be filled except with God.  You can reject Him and instead try opera or anything else in the world and it will not satisfy the soul. 

You say, “I will fill my heart with gold, with wealth, and with success.”  That will not satisfy the desire for God.  The desire for God increases as you serve Him. 

The visitation of God every day God covers the whole earth.  Psalms 19 says He speaks.  When you say “I am not going to listen to God.”  You are making a bad choice.  It is a wonderful thing when God visits sinners.

The lady that wrote, “Just As I Am,” was charlotte Elliot.  She was a professional entertainer.  She exhausted all her physical resources and was unable to sing anymore.  She became a recluse.  One day a Swiss evangelist came by and someone asked if he had heard of Charlotte Elliot. 

He stepped into her room and told her that God could make her a new creature.  She asked, “How would I come?”  She knew her sin and where she was.  She knew how far from God she was.  The evangelist said, “You come just as you are.” 

Seven years from her conversion she wrote, “Just As I Am.”

We have known heartache.  I have never met God after the heartache and then left His presence discouraged.  We have had losses; it is ok.  We have never left Him discouraged.  Jesus never fails. 

God’s tools are always effective.  He has brought his tools to this country church this morning.  They wouldn’t be only for the saved, they would not be only for the sinners.  Everyone needs God’s tools.