Una congregación alabando al Señor cantaba: “Mándanos fuego Señor, mándanos fuego”   De pronto, todo empezó a arder y asustados empezaron a cantar: “Era una broma Señor, era una broma”     E.P.A.,   Bogotá, Colombia

Pastor Kent Crutcher

"I Knew You"

 

Jeremiah-The Man God Wanted

"Hear this you stupid and senseless people! You have eyes, but you cannot see. You have ears, but you cannot hear. Don't you fear me?" Asks the Lord. "Don't you tremble in my presence? My people are fools. They don't know me. They are stupid people. They don't understand. They are experts in doing wrong, and they don't know how to do good." (Taken from Jeremiah 4 and 5 in the God's Word translation.) Did that get your attention? How did that make you feel? Did it start to stir up a little anger? "Who does he think he is?" That's what I thought when I started to say this. "Who do you think you are?" Hearing those words may not have been easy. Did you wonder where I was coming from, or where I might be headed? Did you wonder what else might be coming? "Am I going to sit through a half hour of this?" I didn't feel too great saying those things. What if God told you to say those very words to your friends? What if God told you to say those very words to your family? Or to your community? To total strangers? What if God told you to go to Hamilton Place Mall this afternoon, the teeagers can't go tonight - curfew, and say those words right there in the food court as loud as you could? Could you do it? Would you do it? Jeremiah did! In fact, the words that I just used are from a speech made by Jeremiah in a public gathering place and can be found in Jeremiah 4 and 5. Yes, many of the translations use the word, 'stupid'. That's how the people of his day would have heard him. Is it possible that you might ever be asked to do anything so drastic? Actually, compared to the other things that God asked of Jeremiah, this was nothing! Jeremiah lived in one of the most turbulent times of Earth's history. Three large nations and countless smaller ones were waging wars, conducting raids, and stirring up all sorts of intrigues. Jeremiah lived under the rule of seven kings of Judah, and performed his ministry under five of them. He witnessed one of the greatest religious revivals in the history of Israel. He also witnessed three invasions of Jerusalem and the utter destruction of the city. Meanwhile, two of the greatest nations, Egypt and Assyria, had fallen to a third: Babylonia. This was the scene of events when Jeremiah had to persuade his people to allow themselves to be taken captive; not a very popular sermon. Even though he lived in a time of great revival, Jeremiah had to deliver a message of doom and gloom. Which is tough when people think, "We're doing great. We're really getting close to God." It's like: No you're not! You've got to do this, this and this. You're so far, it's not funny. This was a message that he hated. So, why did Jeremiah become a prophet? Was it something he desired to do as a boy? Did his father ask him, "Jerry, when you grow up, what would you like to be?" "Oh dad, when I grow up, I want to be a fireman, or maybe a prophet." Did he have a gift for public speaking? Did he have the charisma of an evangelist that was perfect for attracting people to the Lord? Did he send God a resume? How did he get this job? Turn with me to Jeremiah 1:4. The word of the Lord came to me, saying, Here's the key. "The word of the Lord came to me, saying." How did he become a prophet? How did he get his call. If you wish to follow the call of God, you must have the call of God. You must hear the word of the Lord coming to you. Now, of course, each of us is called to a work called the Gospel Commission: Go Ye therefore and preach this good new to everybody. But how you are you called? Some people are called directly. You remember Saul was knocked off his horse. "You will serve Me." Other people are called by the Holy Spirit by being given gifts and talents. Look at the gift you've been given and say, "How can I use that to fulfill the Gospel Commission?" You might be directed right into your call. Verse 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Abortion advocates wish that Jeremiah had never recorded these words from God. It's rather disturbing isn't it. God knew us before anybody knew us. Before we were even formed in the womb, He knew us. Before our parents knew each other, He knew us. He knew what your name would be. He knew what color of hair you would have and what color you would choose to have later. He knew your personality. He knew how many hairs I would leave on my pillow this morning. He knew how you would do on your algebra exam this week. He knows how you'll do on the finals when they come up. He knew that your girlfriend would dump you last week. He knew that you would loose your job when you needed it most. He knew you'd turn down the promotion that perhaps you should have taken. He knew that you would get cancer. He knew whether or not you would know Him! All before you were thought of by anyone else. What is even more amazing about God's foreknowledge is what he told Moses from the burning bush. "I have seen what my people are going through and I am concerned!" God not only knows about it, He cares! God not only cares for you, He has a plan for you! God not only has a plan for you, He knows how you will respond to that plan! Verse 6 Here we have Jeremiah's response. "Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak. I am only a child." Some translation say, "I'm just a boy." "I don't know how to speak." That sounds about how Moses responded from the burning bush to God's plan to speak to Pharaoh. Lord, I don't know how to talk good. I can't talk to Phay Roah." That sounds about how I responded when God asked me to be a pastor. "I can't talk." "It doesn't matter to Me. You're up there." That is how Jeremiah responded: "Lord, I don't know how to speak." Does this response matter to God? God cares. But He doesn't take excuses. God is not as concerned with our ability as He is with our availability! If God asks us to do something, He will make it possible for us to do it! His biddings are enablings! He won't ever ask you to do the impossible because nothing with Him is impossible! It's impossible for us, but when we are a tool molded in His hand, useable, available, it's not impossible. Well, when you are arguing with God, have plan B. At least Jeremiah tried it. Jeremiah had a second excuse. "I am only a child." It is believed that when Jeremiah received this call, he was a teenager. Can you picture Jeremiah as a teenager? "I can't talk. I'm just a kid." Just as Mary was a teenager when asked to bear the Savior of the World. Esther was just a kid when asked to become queen to save her people. Ellen a teenager when she was asked to bear a last day message to the last day people! Just as ability is no barrier with God, neither is age. If God asks you to do something, you are old enough to do it! Did you know that? He knows when your birthday is. He knows what you will get for your birthday. He knows everything. He knows when were born, and if he says you can do it, you can do it. You can't say, "I'm too young." If you were too young, then ever-knowing God would have never have asked you. You can't say, "I'm too old." The same excuse. He would have asked you. You can't say, "I'm too busy." He knows your schedule better than you do. No excuses. If God asks you to do something, you will have the ability and you will be old enough to do it. That is why you have seen our youth department in a leading role today. I've heard a lot of people look at our youth and in all love and sincerity they will say, "This is the future of our church." But I vehemently disagree with those people. These are not the future of our church, these are the present of our church, just as we all are the present of our church! We are where we are, who we are, when we are for this time, a time such as this. Our youth are active in this church, and elsewhere. I cannot believe how active they are. They are active in Bible study and missions. Many have already served in foreign countries on mission trips. Some have already preached sermons in front of their peers. How many here can say that? Some have served faithfully on church committees, including the nominating committee. Some are taking Bible studies while some are giving Bible studies. Some hold church offices. Some are working in our children's divisions every week. Others are leading out in their own Youth Department. Our youth are active now for the Lord! They don't want a special program just for them. They want to be part of the program that is for us all. They are an integral part of our church body. A survey a few years ago went out across the North American Division asking the youth of the church what they want to keep them from going out the back door. The expected response was, "We want you to provide this, this and this for us." But, that's not the response the survey got. The response was: "We want a piece of the pie. We don't want a program just for us. We want to be a part of the program. We want to do ministry, not just be ministered to. And the youth right here at McDonald Road church are doing just that, and it is exciting. Yes, occasionally we'll have a separate event, we'll have youth church over at the family center maybe once or twice a quarter, but that is not to separate us, it is to help them discover the talents God has given them in maybe a less threatening atmosphere. Did you know you were scary? There are two services of you. That's scary. And so they're up at youth service and they're the ones leading out, learning to find their talents so they can be up front like they are today. And that thrills me all the way to my toes, thinking of how our youth want to be involved in ministry. And I'm looking forward to the time when I can convince one of them to stand right here. I almost had it, but we're working on it. Maybe next time we're going to have some team preaching by the youth up here. Look forward to that, because it will be good. The time for our children to proclaim the Gospel has come. God does not accept excuses. Not from our youth. Not from the rest of us. Jeremiah 1:7. But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." Did you notice: Where we are to go and what we are to say are not determined by us. They are determined by the Lord. This verse almost sounds like "No excuses! Go to work!" I'm glad it continues with verse 8. It softens it up a little bit. Verse 8. "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. We are not to be afraid because the most powerful being in the universe is our friend and He has promised to be with us. This is where we receive holy boldness to do God's work. Going against our personalities, going against our wishes because we don't have to be afraid. God is with us. Will we get into trouble? You bet! god predicted it right here, didn't He? But God also says that He will rescue us. He knew Jeremiah would need rescuing for being a servant of His. And God will rescue us. It is no fun to be in need of rescue but it is fun to watch God do it. He has a thousand ways out of a situation that we would never think of or be able to do. The Bible is full of stories about how God rescues His people out of impossible situations. Verse 9. Then the Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put My words in your mouth." Have you ever heard words of wisdom come out of your mouth and you wondered where they came from? Any time words of wisdom come from my mouth I wonder. That must have been from you, Lord, It wasn't from me. I've been preaching along at first service and something will come out and I'll listen to that and I'll think that that sounded pretty good. I wish I could write it down. I want to remember it for second service. You fold who come to second service miss out because I never can remember. I have a friend that decided to allow the Lord to touch his lips. My friend and his wife had decided that they were wanting to go to the mission field. They had a wonderful job and everything but they decided they wanted to leave it all behind and go into mission work. They put their name in the pot. The General Conference called them and said, "We have a position for you. Think about it and pray about it and we'll call you back." My friend and his wife prayed about it, they thought about it, they talked about all the pros and cons about it, the ifs ands and buts. Finally they decided this was not the call for them. They wold wait for a different one. When the General Conference called back, they were both by the phone. They knew the call was coming. They agreed the would say, "No." Right! My friend put the phone to his ear and the man said, "Well, are you going to go?" And my friend said, "Yes we will." The man on the other end said, "Great! Let me get dome paper work and I'll be right back." My friend looked at his wife and said, "What did I say?" She said, "You said 'We will go.'" They have now been serving faithfully and successfully for several years in Mongolia. Exciting things happen when God is in control of our lips! Verse 10. "See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." When we are a willing and available tool in God's hands, great works can be wrought! God never claims an easy path, just the grace and power needed to follow it. Even though Jeremiah was available and willing and useable, he had great conflicts. Even though God was with Jeremiah and worked through him, Jeremiah's life was hard. He had a great conflict between his personality and what he knew God wanted him to do. We find that Jeremiah was a warm hearted man. He may also have been a shy, introvert. Verse 6 seems to indicate that with his unwillingness to speak in public. We certainly know that he was an emotional person. This is seen throughout the book of Jeremiah as he mourns for the people that he loves. Just look at chapter 9:1. Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people. He is often described as the weeping prophet. He loved the people that God sent him to condemn. He, Like any other human, had need of fellowship. But the message that he bore was not one that gained him many friends. Sometimes, standing for God can make you very unpopular. He was even forbidden to get married in order to make a specific point to God's people. In fact, sad poetry is now called, 'Jeremiads', named after him because his emotional thoughts of his own people. Some of the points that God asked Jeremiah to get across seem rather severe. God asked him to not marry just to get a certain point across. Another time, God told him to wear a loin cloth without taking it off or washing it for evidently an extended period of time. Just to get a point across. Have you ever worn clothes for more than a day or two? It gets pretty bad. A few years ago, Susan and I went to Europe. We went on the cheap, cheap plan. We were hopping trains with Eurail passes and carrying one small bag apiece for three weeks. We slept on benches in train stations and bus stations and youth hostels. We were dirty. We had no itinerary. We'd hop the first train that came along, no destination in mind. "This one's going to Sicily and this one's going to Holland. Which one leaves first? Okay, let's go to Holland." And we jumped on the train and went to Holland and arrived there in the wee hours of the morning. I went to the desk where they have nice people to help you find a place to stay. The lady asked what I had in mind. "We'd like a youth hostel next to a Laundromat." She looked and she asked, "Is that really necessary?" "Ma'am, I've had this shirt on for three days and three nights, and it's the cleanest one I have." She got a whiff of me and we got our Laundromat. I can't help but imagine what Jeremiah was like. Oh, wearing this loin cloth all these days. I don't know how long it was. And then he was told to go to the Euphrates river and bury it in the bank. And then he was told to go back and dig it up and take it back and show the people. "This is what God thinks of you. You stink! You're useless and you're rotten." Put this in perspective. Jerusalem's closest point to the Euphrates river is three hundred and fifty miles. He had to go there and back twice, fourteen hundred miles just to make this point. Another bizarre event can be found in chapter 27, where the Lord says, "You are to put a yoke on made out of wood and straps like a cow would wear or a bull pulling a plow. You carry that yoke around and you walk down there. They're having a United Nations convention and you walk in there and you tell them that unless they subject themselves to the yoke of my servant, Nebuchadnezzar, they will all die." He would be real popular. Can you imagine somebody walking in New York City Untied Nations building wearing a yoke and saying, "Your are going to be subject to such and such a king." The book Prophets and Kings by EG White, p. 444, states that "the amazement of the assembled council of nations knew no bounds when Jeremiah, carrying the yoke of subjection about his neck, made known the will of God." These are only representative of the many things that Jeremiah went through, and the many things he went through in response to that. You can imagine his own people were against him. The church leaders were against him. The city leaders were against him. It just depended upon whose toes he was stepping on at the time. And he stepped on a lot of toes. He spent time in prison, was placed in stocks, beaten, put down into a cistern where the Bible says he sank in the mire. By the pleading of a king he was taken out before he starved to death. He wrote a book that the king burned page by page. So he wrote another book, the one that we have now in the Bible. The book, Prophets and Kings also states that "for forty years Jeremiah was to stand before the nation as a witness for truth and righteousness. In a time of unparalleled apostasy he was to exemplify in life and character the worship of the only true God...." "Yet amid the general ruin into which the nation was rapidly passing, Jeremiah was often permitted to look beyond the distressing scenes of the present to the glorious prospects of the future..." Each and everyone of us are called by God to do a certain task. To some, that call is very clear. To others, you wish it was. Be available. Use your gifts. And that call will become more clear. If we, like Jeremiah, look at the glimpses of the future that we have received, the stress, the trials, the peer pressure, the hardships that this world has for those who follow God's call will appear as cheap enough for admission into fellowship with God for all eternity. I'm looking forward to spending eternity knowing that God. And I want to hear from Him, going through those gates, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Thank you for accepting the call. I knew you would." Hymn of Praise: #538, Guide Me, O Thou Great JehovahScripture: Jeremiah 1:4-7Hymn of Response: #330, Take My Life and Let It Be   Sermons Contact Page

Sermon delivered October 14, 2000 by Pastor Kent Crutcher

McDonald Road Seventh-day Adventist Church

McDonald, Tennessee

Biblical quotations are from the New International Version NIV unless otherwise noted.

Yesterday Will Be Tomorrow

Sir Isaac Newton had a replica of our solar system made in miniature. In the center was the sun with its retinue of planets revolving around it. A scientist entered Newton's study one day, and exclaimed, "My! What an exquisite thing this is! Who made it?" "Nobody!" replied Newton to the questioner who was an unbeliever. "You must think I am a fool. Of course somebody made it, and he is a genius." Laying his book aside, Newton arose and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder and said: "This thing is but a puny imitation of a much grander system whose laws you and I know, and I am not able to convince you that this mere toy is without a designer and maker; yet you profess to believe that the great original from which the design is taken has come into being without either designer or maker. Now tell me, by what sort of reasoning do you reach such incongruous conclusions?" Turn to Genesis 1:1 We're starting with the first chapter of the Bible and we're going finish with the last chapter of the Bible. Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. There's a lot wrapped up in these ten words. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." When I was a student at Collegedale Academy, I took a speech class. I had hoped that it would help me to get over my stage- fright. But I think that it made it worse! One occasion that didn't help was the day that we had to make an extemporaneous speech. That meant that just before you gave your speech you had to walk up to the board and take off a slip of paper. On the back side of that paper was the topic you were about to speak on. I hate when that happens. When my turn came, my heart sank. The topic that I received was "Sports". If you were in academy with me you would understand that. I was the least athletic of anybody. I knew less about sports than any girl in that class. And there I was, faced with all these athletes, and they knew within thirty seconds that I knew nothing about sports. I sat down before my three minutes were up. I felt like falling through the floor. You know, when you get embarrassed in a situation like that you berate yourself. I should have said this, I should have said that. If I had only thought of this I could have come out okay and I berated myself for two years. Later, while a student at Southern Missionary College, I was required to take a speech class. Once again came the day for the extemporaneous speech. I was even more nervous than when I had been in academy. This time, after you were standing behind the little lectern, the teacher would tell you what you were about to speak about. My turn came. Dr. Dick looked at me and said, "Kent, talk to us today about Sports." I thought I would die. But then I remembered all of the things that I wish that I had said when I faced with this topic before. I gave a three point discourse complete with introduction and conclusion. They almost couldn't shut me up. I felt redeemed! Frederick the Great needed a new court chaplain. He decided to base his selection on the way in which applicants would deliver an extemporaneous sermon. The text, in a sealed envelope, was to be handed to each applicant as he entered the pulpit. In church, on the appointed day, a courtier handed one of the ministers a sealed envelope. Opening it, the minister found a blank sheet of paper. He held up one side and exclaimed: "My brethren, here is nothing." Then he held up the other side, and added: "And here is nothing. It was out of nothing God created all things." He then proceeded to deliver a dynamic discourse on the power and wonders of creation. He received the appointment. What was it like? What was yesterday like? What was it like to live when the world was new? This is hard for us to imagine since we have never seen perfection. The closest I ever came to perfection is when I met Susan. The closest that we usually come to perfection is when we see something new, like a new leaf opening up, or new child. But all too soon the ailments and deformities if sin show up. Let's look at what the Bible says about the way things were supposed to be. 1. A New Earth We already looked at the first verse of the Bible, so let s look at Isaiah 45:18. For this is what the Lord says-he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited-he says, "I am the Lord, and there is no other." We were no accident! He created this world to be inhabited. Sometimes I look at my wife and tell her, "You were an accident. You shouldn't be here. Look at all the trouble you get into." But, wait... We were intended to be here! There is a purpose. What purpose! Well, evidently there is one. He created this world to be inhabited. Let's change over to Psalm 33:8,9. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded and it stood firm. Aren't you glad it's standing firm today? It's amazing how firm this planet is standing after all we've done to it. He created it to sustain us. And it is still doing that job today but not a well as it used to. He spoke and it came to be. Can you imagine that?! Speak, and out of nothingness come something. It's beyond comprehension. Graffiti was once seen on a washroom wall at M.I.T. It said this:  

             
                mv2  Ze2           n
"And God Said,  --  = --- ,  mvr = --  ....
                 r    r2            h

And the equation went on and on, and ended, "And there was
light."

Do you think God needed an equation? I don't think He did. He knew the equation but He didn't need it. He spoke and there, it happened. Not only was the Earth new, there was 2. A New Race Look at Genesis 1:26-28. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." We just finished studying this Wednesday night prayer meeting how when Noah came out of the ark, he was suddenly terrified of all the animals which he had been having in the ark. And angel was sent by God, saying, "You don't need to be afraid of them, they're going to be afraid of you. But you will no longer be the master that God intended. Perfection! That's what God created when He created us. He created perfection. No deformities, no ailments. Can you imagine that? What was this new race to do? They were to work, to 3. Labor for Pleasure Look at Genesis 2:15 The Lord took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. This was not work! This was a hobby, a full-time hobby! Can you imagine having all the time that you ever wanted for every hobby you wanted? How would you like unlimited hobby time? Doesn't that sound good? That's the way it was meant to be. This new race also experienced the most perfect 4. Sabbath Look at Genesis 2:1-3. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Adam and Eve were there. They had just gotten married. And there we had the Sabbath and marriage, the two institutions that came from heaven. The way things were meant to be. The only thing left to fill out this picture of perfection is 5. Open Communication with God Himself. Look at Genesis 2:16. And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. There we have direct communication from God to Adam and Eve. They had no question about what they were supposed to do. We often spend our time looking, "Lord, what is Your will for my life?" They could go right to Him and ask Him. Wow, what a luxury! What a creation! What a world to live in! But we messed up. We wanted something more. We did not trust that God had already given us the best of the best. We sinned and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Nobody can deny that there is death in the world today. Because of my job, my children (ages 4 and 7) have attended more funerals than I had by the time I was 35! Death effects more than just us humans. It's for God's creatures. I don't know how many 'possums I passed this morning, but they weren't living. Death effects us all. We see the leaves turning brown. Trees are dying. The world is not the way it used to be. What happened to 1. The New Earth It's showing its age. Turn to Isaiah 51:6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. I'm glad that verse doesn't end right there. That's all true. This world is wearing out like a garment, people are dropping like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. I am so grateful for that. I'm glad this verse ends with good news! This Earth is showing its age. Earthquakes, floods, famines, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes. You name it. They have all increased significantly in both numbers and severity in recent years. Not to mention the effects of man through war, pollution, and mismanagement. And what about 2. The New Race. Romans 3:23 says that ...all have sinned... H.M.S. Richards once said; "Every cradle is a prophecy of the grave." Just look at what has happened to the perfect race: Cancer, Aids, Emphysema, T.B., Small Pox, Chicken Pox, Pneumonia, the common Cold, Influenza, Strep Throat, V.D., deformities, mental illness, divorce, suicide, Alcoholism, drug abuse, murder, homelessness, starvation, war, child abuse....and put yours right in there with them. That's what's going on here. This is what we asked for in the Garden of Eden. And what happened to 3. Labor for Pleasure? - Turn to Genesis 3:17-19. To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'  

Cursed is the ground because of you;  
through painful toil you will eat of it 
  all the days of your life.  
It will produce thorns and thistles for you, 
  and you will eat the plants of the field.  
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food 
  until you return to the ground, 
since from it you were taken; 
  for dust you are and to dust you will return."

So much for the hobby time! Now, people complain if they work and they complain if they don't. "I need a job. I don't like my job." We look forward to retirement only to look back at the 'good ole days' as we wonder what to do with ourselves. "I'm busier now than before I was retired." No matter what we do with work, it's always followed by a complaint. A hard week at work does make us look forward to the Sabbath more but what is happening to 4. The Sabbath Daniel 7 speaks about man's attempt to change the times and laws. Man is trying to do away with both of creations institutions. The Sabbath and Marriage are two primary targets of Satan. And it's working. Don't let Satan take either marriage or the Sabbath from you! We wouldn't spend so much of our time wondering what to do if we still had 5. Open Communication with God God has not pulled away, we have pulled away from Him. Turn to Isaiah 59:1,2. Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. For your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear. What a difference from the original plan! What plan do you like" Plan A of plan B? Is there any hope of going back to Eden? Plan A. Look at Acts 3:19-21. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets. Restore everything! First off, your life needs to be forgiven, washed in the blood of the Lamb, made as white as this sheet of paper so that God can write your future upon that. And then He will be able to restore all things. The Dominion lost by King Adam, the first man, will be restored by King Jesus, the Son of Man! Jesus will come again and the righteous will rise and together with the righteous living will claim Heaven. The millennium will pass and the wicked dead will meet their judgement. And then the people of God, the children of Adam who have been born again through the faith of the Second Adam - Jesus Christ - will enter Eden, once again! Yes, there will be a 1. New Earth Look at 2 Peter 3:13. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. Can you imagine? This is going to be a better creation than before because you and I can watch it happen. We can watch God take nothing and make something out of it. We can watch Him work those grand equations in the new earth up here. Can you imagine watching this take place? We will be the 2. New Race Turn to Isaiah 35:5,6,10. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shall shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert....and the ransomed of the Lord will return. Back to plan A. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads, Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Can you imagine that? A new race: no hospitals, no funeral homes! But there will be plenty to do. We will once again 3. Labor for Pleasure Look at Isaiah 65:21-25. "They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as long as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain." We will not longer be working for someone else, we'll be doing things we wish to do. Labor for pleasure. And what about 4. The Sabbath Look at Isaiah 66:22,23. "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the Lord, "so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the Lord." That's what Sabbath was all about: being there before God. But we don't have to wait for Sabbath in the new earth to be before God. We can communicate with Him face to face any day that we wish. 5. Open Communication with God Turn to Revelation 22:3,4. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Once again, face to face with God, all will be restored. I wish that my speech teachers had given me a different topic. If, rather than saying "Sports", they had said "Sports Cars", I could have given them an earful. That was my thing. I subscribed to and read Motor Trend, Road and Track, Car and Driver, Automobile, and Auto Week! I read them cover to cover every month and every week. I was a walking encyclopedia of statistics about cars. And I still like cars. I finally have purchased my dream sports car. Do you want to see it? [He holds up a model Mustang car.] Right there. A fine Mustang. It cost me ten dollars, and it's mine! I keep it in my office. I wont be able to afford the real thing until my children finish college. By then this will be a rusty antique and so will I. Will I miss this in heaven? Many fear that Heaven (teenagers) might be a little bit boring. Look at Isaiah 65:17 says: "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered." Why won't they be remembered? The former things will be boring. How many of you enjoyed "Hot Wheels" after you learned how to drive? Well, I still kind of like them, but when you learned how to drive they became boring. We have the real thing. This world is not the real thing. Heaven is the real thing. This is merely a shadow of what is to come. What about you who are facing trials today? Will you be thinking about them in heaven? How great are those trials? Some of you are going through stuff other could not believe. When Ellen White was taken in vision to heaven she looked around and some of her friends were trying to figure out what their worst trials were and the had a hard time recalling them because of what they saw around them far outweighed what had passed behind. And that's when she cried out, "Alleluia! Heaven is cheap enough!" Do you want to be there? Be faithful here. Let your life be like this sheet of white paper, forgiven and ready to be written on by Jesus. Don't let the things and the trials of this place keep you from that world! It's not worth it. Don't let what you're going through in your family keep you from God's heavenly family. Don't get that divorce, it's only a short time left before Jesus gets here. Don't let that take up your time. Serve Jesus. Don't quit school. Time is short, you need to learn all you can. Get ready for Jesus to come. Don't go bankrupt. Give you money to Jesus. He takes care of you. Don't let the things that we deal with every day keep us from thinking of what we'll be dong for eternity. It's not worth it. Heaven is cheap enough. Don't let the things and the trials of this place keep you from that place. Hold fast till He comes because Yesterday will be Tomorrow!  

Hymn of Praise: #4, Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
Scripture: Revelation 22:1-5
Hymn of Response: #428, Sweet By ad By

 

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Pastor Donald J. Gettys

Grace Can Get You Home

  Last week I was not here. I was up in Cicero, Indiana and several of you were too. I think we sat in the same row. I was at the fortieth anniversary of my graduating from Indiana Academy as a senior. 1960. I guess that tells you how old I am. I'm fifty eight in case you wondered. Dr. Bartlett was the principal when I was there and now he's a member of our church. His fine wife and Verlyne Star, his daughter. So we all graduated from Indiana Academy. At my class, I recognized everybody except two people. They had changed so much, and of course I have changed so gradually that I haven't noticed it, I guess. But, on the way home, I was driving on I-75 on our way back to good old Tennessee and as I came over a hill, I was doing the speed limit, and I saw a police car parked beside the freeway. Unconsciously I slowed down. I thought, why should I slow down. I was driving the speed limit and have never had to pay a speeding ticket in my whole life. I noticed everybody else also slowed down, too, as we crept by the patrol car. Why? After we got by we all sped back up to seventy miles per hour. Why did we do that? The speed limit was seventy. We crept by him at about fifty eight miles per hour. What's the matter with us? I think somehow we believe that they are lying in wait to get us. And that's not true, is it? In fact I wonder if most students feel that their teacher's foremost objective in looking their papers over is to find mistakes instead of discovering qualifications for brilliance. That's what they should be doing, but sometimes they don't. Sometimes I think teenagers feel their parents are SNOOPER-vising too much -- out to get them. They don't trust them. Do you think God also like that? Some people say yes. Some feel like God is the ultimate Big Brother, that ds His angels are constantly taking records ans they re snooper-vising on what you are doing, like the patrol car, they're lying in wait for you, they record all that you do in a book of knowledge so they can get you and that He may condemn you to oblivion. Do you think God is like that? Radio preachers even rail on God's super red- hot hell that is anxiously waiting for all who slip and fall. I want to tell you that God's behavior is amazingly different. It's wonderful. It exceedes our wildest expectations. God is not a faultfinder. He is not lying in wait to get you but to help you and save you. He is not always zeroing in on things to condemn you, but He estimates you at your best. He takes you and believes in you, not at your worst. God assumes we are precious from the onset. What do we call this strange behavior? - Grace! I love grace. The word Grace appears 170 times in the Bible. The first use is back here in Genesis 6:8 (KJV) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Isn't that beautiful? He found grace there. I'm so glad that he did. Grace is not a New Testament odessy. So, what is grace? What did Noah find in God? Let me define grace. This is my definition: Grace is the self imposed bias that God places upon Himself that inclines Him to bestow benefits upon the unworthy, to pity the underdog, to excuse the guilty, to accept the outcast and forgive the sinner. God's grace gives eternal life to all of those who deserve eternal death. God's grace give righteousnes to people that are unrighteous. He loves those who hurt Him. God's grace is what saves us sinners and will soon give us a home in His home where we may eternally proclaim His exceeding kindness to us in Christ Jesus. That's what it is. And so I want to talk about grace this morning. 1) - God's grace is abundant. Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Now, here the word, "overflow" is used in connection with grace. Now, what does that mean? Has God's grace overflowed onto your broken shore? The word Overflow means there is an excess beyond our capacity to consume. If your cup overflows, you've gone beyond the capacity of the cup. When water overflows there is a Flood. A flood is simply more water than there is capacity to receive it. God has an Oversupply of Grace. What this means is when you have an overflow of grace, that simply means that God has an oversupply more abundant than anybody could ever exhaust. That's how much grace God has. You can never use it up II Corinthians 8:19 and 20 (KJV) says that God's grace is abundant: And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind: Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: It is an abundant grace. Grace is super abundant. Now, I sit down each month, unlike you, and pay bills with a tin check book. In fact sometime when I look at the big pile of bills and I look at the measely amount in the check book, I think this isn't going to work. How would it be to have a fat check book? Wouldn't that be neat? Wouldn't it be nice to administer a super abundance? That's just what pastors do. That's exactly what the apostle, Paul, did. He said, "I am adminstering and abundance of grace." So, we are co-dispensors of grace. Wow! That's beautiful. That's the job description of a pastor. That's a job description of God: to administer His grace. And we approach God as if He has a little tiny thin, almost depleted check book. We come to God, we crawl across the desolate landscape of our life to God with a little cup begging for a little drop of joy when, actually if you knew God you would have come running to Him with two buckets, one in each hand, because that's what He wants to give to us. He wants to load us up. God's grace is generous. Romans 5:17 - For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Let me tell you a story: A man got off the train at a Pennsylvania depot and for a year begged on the streets for a living. He said: "One day I touched a man on the shoulder and said, 'Hey, mister, can you give me a dime for a cup of coffe?' The man turned around and as soon as I saw his face I was shocked to see that it was my own father. I said, 'Father, Father, do you know me?' Throwing his arms around me and with tears in his eyes, he said, 'Oh my son, at last I've found you! I've found you. You want a dime? Everything I have is yours.' The man continued: "Think of it. I was a tramp. I stood begging my own father for ten cents, when for eighteen years he had been looking for me to give me all that he had." That's grace. That's exactly what God does. That's what God want to give to you. You may say, "Well, you know, God's grace is not abundant enough for me because my sins are so deep, my sins are so black, my life, my past... You just don't understand my life." I understand God's grace a little bit. And what little bit I do understand, I know that it is more than abundant to blot out your deepest and darkest sin. What a wonderful illustration of the abundance that God longs to give us, if we will only let Him. Psalm 84:11 ...no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. He doesn't want to withold any good thing from you. He wants to give all good things to you. John 16:15 - Jesus said: "All that belongs to the Father is mine." Everything that God has belongs to Jesus. In other words, Jesus' wallet, Jesus' check book is stuffed. He is more than able to take care of our needs. Look at Ephesians 1:7-8 (NIV) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. You know, we approach God asking for ten cents and here He stands with a full check book, a full wallet, ready to dispence to us all the riches of the universe that He owns. What a wonderful God we have. So, come to God asking forgiveness of your biggest and blackest sins. He is more than able to pay for them and firgive you for them, and also to give you the power to overcome them. He can give you strength to quit marijuana. He can give you strength to stop swearing, to stop alcohol, whatever the problem is. Jesus is full of Grace. John 1:14 (NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. That's the kind of Savior that we have. We can not exhaust His grace. His grace is super abundant. They have the Hubble telescope in orbit and it is pointed way out there in the universe. Do you know what they found? They have researched so far athat they see even more. You can't come to the end of it. And if you did come to the end of the universe, what would you find? Would you find a wall? or a chain-link fence? And what is on the other side of that wall? There is still more, you can't come to the end of it. And you can't exhaust the grace of God. And if you focus your microscope clear down at the bottom, and on the smallest things of life. You might say that the atom is the smallest thing. No, that's not. Maybe the electron is the smallest thing. No, that not the smallest thing. Maybe it's the quark that's the smallest thing. No, they've found smaller and smaller. In fact, some of the elements are so small, these little particles (neutrinos) that they could pass through the entire earth without even touching one other thing. Can you imagine that? And what's even smaller than that? It has to be discovered yet. We can't come to the end of these things, neither can you come to the end of God's grace. 2) - God's Grace is Powerful It's powerful. It's transforming grace. It can help you. It can strenghten you. It can give you power to to accomplish the will of God in your life. Grace is God's undeserved mercy that prompts us to transformation and growth, and then gives us the power to accomplish His will. Grace is a celestial energy; not a mere thought of the Almighty; not even a word of the Almighty. "It is as real an energy as the energy of electricity. It is the energy of the divine affection rolling in pleasant plenteousness toward the broken shores of human need." - (Benjamin Jowett) 3) - God's Grace is Always Available. You can't get beyond it. You can't reach a point where it's not available to you. Hebrews 13:25 (NLT) May God's grace be with you all. To everybody. Be with all. It is available. Universally offered. It is obtainable whenever we need it. In fact Grace, like a plant, grows best in the cold dark winter. When our need is the greatest; when life is the darkest, grace is the nearest and shines the brightest. What should be our response to God's grace?   1) - ACCEPT IT GRACIOUSLY. (First response) Acts 15:11 (NIV) ...We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. 100% of those who will be saved in Heaven will be there courtesy of the grace of our Lord Jesus. You must accept His free kindness to be saved. Romans 3:24 (NIV) says grace Justifies us. and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Grace can only justify those who accept it. Have you accepted God's grace? Once you do, then what? 2) - HONOR THE GRACE GIVER! (Second response) Once you have truly discovered how wonderful God's benevolence is you cannot remain unchanged. You will want to quickly respond to God's great grace. You're going to hate sin. You're going to want to become like the person you love. It just works that way. "Grace is more than forgiveness. The law tells me how crooked I am. Then Grace comes along and straightens me out." - D.L. Moody. Grace has power. It's not just an ink-blotter. But it's a powerful motivation. It's like electricity. Grace will guide you into God's perfect will with far stronger motivation than the law. Once you accept God's free Grace you find yourself being drawn to the Giver. Grace will make you gracious. Mercy will make you merciful. Grace will change you into His image. Grace will install new software in your heart and make you more like Jesus the Grace Giver. Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- Indeed the best things in life are free! Grace is like a Lover: It wants to see good even though we are cloaked in ungodliness. Grace is like a Governor: It can pardon the guilty. Grace is like a mighty Crane: it can lift those weighted down in heavy sin...from the depths of iniquity. Grace is like Penicillin: it can heal us when we are contaminated with sin through and through. Grace is like a Calculator: it can multiply pardons as we through frailty multiply transgressions. Peter said in Matthew that we do well when we forgive seven times. Notice how Jesus' grace amplifies that presupposition: Matthew 18:22 (NIV) Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Grace will bring about a change in our behavior to where we will begin honoring not only the grace giver but... 3) - Be graceful to others. (Third response) Forgive others as you have been forgiven. Matthew 6:12 (NIV) "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Be graceful to the needs, pains and mistakes of others. My wife and I went to a ball game the other day. Somehow we did not realize what time the game started and did not get in our seats until the bottom of the ninth inning. But the score was tied at zero to zero and there were two outs already. So we would get some excitement. It was the Lord s team against the Devils team. (This is a parable in case you are wondering). The Lord's team was up to bat. A batter stepped up to the plate whose name was LOVE. And the devil was pitching. Love swung at the first fast-ball pitch and hit a single, because Love never fails. The next batter was Faith who also got a single because Faith works with love. The next batter was Godly Wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch. Godly wisdom looked it over and let it pass. Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked, because Godly Wisdom never swings at what Satan throws. The bases were now loaded. The next batter the Lord brought in was named Grace. Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw her step up to the plate. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. It was a fast ball at over a hundred forty miles per hour. Grace connected and hit a high ball. But satan was not worried, his center fielder was very good. He went for the ball and stood there as it came down. But it went right through his glove and hit him on the head and bounced over the fence for a grand slam! The Lord's team won four to nothing! We asked the Lord why Love, Faith and Godly wisdom could get on base but could not win the game. He said: If your love, your faith and your wisdom had won the game you would think you had done it all by yourself. Love, faith and wisdom will get you on base, but only My Grace can get you home. Prayer of Petition: #229, All Hail the Power of Jesus' NameScripture: Ephesians 2:4-8.Hymn of Response: #108 Amazing Grace  McDonald Road Sermons

by Pastor Kent Crutcher

Rejoice!

  This Sabbath we have the Madrigals from Collegedale Academy who will be sharing some of their music with us. The holidays are coming. Christmas and Thanksgiving, and what that brings to mind, family reunions. At least to me. Whether that's good or bad. When the family gets together I was very impressed with my girl friend when she survived my first family reunion when I knew her, so I married her. Our family reunions can be a bit odd. I think they're all somewhat alike. We get together and the first thing we do is eat, and then we eat, and then we eat. And then when everyone is filled except for those that didn't know when to stop eating, the adults kind of merge around the room and find a comfortable place. We enjoy sitting around and talking. I remember as a kid I could not understand that. That was a mystery to me because my cousin and I, sitting around the card table would eat real fast so that we could go outside and play. Oh, I dreaded the thought of becoming an adult, a boring, talk-loving adult. Now, after Thanksgiving dinner I watch the little cousins run out to play while I look for some good conversation from an easy chair, wishing that I had not eaten that last spoonful of mashed potatoes. And then, you know what happens. The stories begin. "Do you remember when..." And somebody is embarrassed. They don't want to be talked about. "You think that was funny? Do you remember...?" And each one gets more impressive than the other, and the stories keep building and laughter gets louder and then you think, "We told all these same stories the last time." You have heard them all before, except they seem to be funnier than they were last year. They kind of grow with the telling. And you wonder, what actually did happen? Those times are fun. Unfortunately, the times in-between can be just the opposite. Stories get told to one-another in a negative way. Instead of "You think that's funny?", you might hear "You think you have problems? I'm the one with problems." Then we dwell upon the ills of our lives and the ills of society, it's going down the drain, and walk away tired and depressed. "You think you have problems?" If anyone could have ever said this, I believe that it would be Paul. You remember Paul. You remember Paul. He's the one they used to call Saul, the persecutor of Christians? He was knocked off his horse. He was blinded by the light. He was persecuted. He was assaulted. He was threatened. He was beaten. He was imprisoned. He was attacked. He was pursued. He was stoned. He was blasphemed. He was ridiculed. He was bound with chains. He was shipwrecked. He was bitten by a poisonous snake. He was afflicted by a thorn in the flesh. He was beheaded. You think that you have problems? What was Paul's attitude? Did he write the book of Lamentations? No, he wrote the book of Philippians. Turn with me to Philippians 4. We'll be starting with verse 4. Remember what all happened to him. His first words throws me off right here. Rejoice... Paul, don't you know what you've been through? Rejoice in the Lord (sometime, when the going is good. No, that's the wrong translation.) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Always? Did he say "always"? Do you realize where Paul was when he wrote this verse? He was not sitting in his easy-chair at home in front of the fireplace playing with his grandchildren! He was chained up in a Roman prison! That kind of adds perspective to what this verse means. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice. Now, verse 5. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. "The Lord is near." Now that's something to rejoice about! "The Lord is near!" We are fortunate to have the risen Messiah to believe in! Not everyone does. Some are still looking for the Messiah. They don't have reason to rejoice. This week, I found a newspaper clipping in my files from January 1993. Lubavitchers divided on whether rabbi is the Messiah! That was a headline a few years ago. -The Associated Press, NEW YORK - "For years, some members of a Hasidic Jewish sect have believed that their revered grand rabbi, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, could be the long-awaited Messiah....Before he was rendered speechless and largely paralyzed by a stroke last year, Schneerson preached that the time of the Messiah was imminent, but never claimed the mantle for himself..." After coming across this clipping this week, I wondered what ever happened to that rabbi that so many had high hopes for. I did a little Internet research and found many web-pages devoted to this man. I was shocked. He seems to have been a good person. But he died on June 12, 1994. To many, hopes were dashed about a Messiah. But we have hope because the Lord is near! The Messiah has already come and will be coming again soon! We have cause to rejoice! Verse 6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Did you hear that? "Don't worry about anything?" Doesn't he know what we're going through? Don't worry about anything? How long has it been since you worried about something? Are you worried about the elections that are coming up? Who is going to move into the White House? I know a lot of people that are worried about that. I know who I'd like to see sitting there, but wait a minute, maybe I don't know what's best, so I'm not going to worry about it. Because, after all, who is it that sets up kings and rulers? Who is it that takes them down? So, why am I worried about it? Don't worry about Politics because whoever is there, I want them to be the one that will hasten the day of the Lord. And I hope that is coming real soon. I'm not going to worry about it. Are you worried about school? You don't have any tests this week do you? Don't be anxious about it. That's what Paul says. Sure, study, work hard, but don't be anxious about it. Don't get an ulcer. That's not going to help your test score. Are you worried about something going on at home? Give it into God's hands. Are you worried about your job? Are you worried about anything? Keep your finger here in Philippians and turn to Matthew 11:28- 30. "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." That's the way it's supposed to be. Let's go back to Philippians 4, and read Verse 7 this time. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Rest was one word, and here's another one: "Peace." What a wonderful word in a terrible world! If you say it slowly, "P e a c e." That just calms your heart right there. If you have been one of my Bible students, you will recognize the next verse. Especially if you are one of my younger students who wonders what is right and what is wrong and how do you tell the difference. The answer is in this verse. Verse 8. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. It kind of reminds me of an old movie: The Sound of Music. You remember the scene where there's a great thunderstorm outside and the little children are frightened and they are taught the song, "Few of My Favorite Things." And there, thinking about their favorite things the storm does not seem so bad. Thinking positive thoughts will bring about positive results. Just as thinking negative thoughts will bring about negative results. A heard a story about some friends in academy who decided to play a joke on one of their buddies. No don't you try this on anybody, okay? When Johnny got to school, one friend approached him and asked, "How are you doing? Are you feeling okay?" "Well, yeah." "Just asking." Later, another friend asked him, "Hey Johnnie, how's it going? Are you feeling all right?" Well, yeah. Why?" "Oh, nothing." Later, another boy came up to him and "Hey, how's it... It's not contagious is it?" And he went and looked in a mirror. "What's wrong with me? Maybe I'm a little pale." He went to see the school nurse and went home and did not come back for three days because he had a genuine cold that was put onto him by his friends in his mental attitude. Negative thoughts can bring about negative results. This also works in the opposite manner. Scientists have been studying the effect of laughter on human beings and have found that laughter has a profound and instantaneous effect on virtually every important organ in the human body. Laughter reduces health-sapping tensions and relaxes the tissues as well as exercising the most vital organs. It is said that laughter, even when forced, results in beneficial effect on us, both mentally and physically. No wonder Paul writes about joy. This message of joy is found in so many of Paul's writings. Turn with me to I Thessalonians 5:13-24. ...Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. I like that verse sixteen. "Be joyful, always"? Did you know that is the shortest verse in the Bible? Don't argue with me. I know you're thinking John 11:35, "Jesus wept." is the shorter than this. Actually, in the Greek, this one is shorter. I Thessalonians 5:16 "Be joyful always." ("Rejoice evermore." in the King James Version.) In the Greek language, "Jesus wept" is actually three words "edakrusen o Iesous" (16 letters), and "Be joyful always" is actually two words "Pantote xairete" (14 letters). So, now you have the shortest verse in the Bible. I would suggest memorizing I Thessalonians 5:16! "Be joyful always." Is that possible, to be joyful always? Does this mean that Christians are always happy? No, Joy does not equal happiness. Joy is a lifestyle. Happiness depends upon a happening. Something good happens, we're happy. Something bad happens, we're sad. But "Joy" is not dependent upon external circumstances. I stood beside the bed of Naomi Wilson in ICU on Thursday morning. I knew that the situation was grim. I did not know that she wouldn't live another 24 hours. It was not a time to be happy. The results of living in a sin filled world do not bring happiness. But I did have joy in my heart! How is that possible? This came from knowing that she knew Jesus and was a child of the King. Joy was there because of the knowledge that this world is not the end and that sin will soon be defeated forever! No, Christians are not always happy. The master deceiver is too good at making this a miserable place. But we can have that peace that passes understanding which causes us to live a life of joy. This is not the end. Being a part of the church should be like a family reunion. We can be filled (with the Spirit) and we can talk while the little ones play and they remind us of what it takes to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We can tell stories each one better that the last, of God's joy has filled our lives and how His leading has guided us on the right paths. And we will never get tired of the same old stories told again and again, especially the old, old, story of Jesus and His love! This only prepares us for the ultimate family reunion in Heaven when we can be with our true Father and no one will ever have to say "good-bye"! "What a fellowship, what a joy divine." Hymn of Praise: #559, Now Thank We All Our GodScripture: Philippians 4:4-7Hymn of Response: #469, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms001028kc.REJOICE.WPD