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Facing the Future With Faith - Three Important Things to Do

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Facing the Future With Faith - Three Important Things to Do

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Facing the Future With Faith - Three Important Things to Do

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As challenging times face us God tells us what we can be doing, and should be doing, as God’s people, personally and individually, so that we become stronger and stronger as time goes on.

Transcript

 

We all know, the Bible tells us that there are some challenging times that lie ahead.  We all know prophecy, we just don’t know when certain things are going to come to pass.  But we know we have many challenges lying ahead as end-time prophecy begins to be fulfilled more and more.  And we have some warnings from God.  I’d like to just read one of those warnings, but then my message today is (split sermon) will focus on what God tells us we can be doing, and should be doing, as God’s people, personally and individually, so that we become stronger and stronger as time goes on.  Not fearful or weaker, but that we will grow spiritually, because we know what’s coming.  Maybe not in every detail, and certainly not exactly when it will happen, but we can see the signs of the times, and we know what’s coming. 

Let’s go to  II Timothy, Chapter 3 and just read this one warning that God inspired Paul to write about the end-time, and then we’ll look at three important ways - three important things that we can be doing as God’s people, so that we are growing and becoming stronger and stronger in the work and the Church of God.  II Timothy, Chapter 3, beginning Verse 1, Verses 1 through 4 first of all:

II Timothy 3:1   But know this, that in the last days perilous times shall come:

Maybe you have a Bible that translates that stressful times.  In the margin of my New King James, that’s what it says:  in the last days, times of stress will come.  The Amplified Bible translates this as perilous times of great stress will come.

So, we know that.  We know the prophecies of the Bible, of what’s going to happen to our nation and to other nations that are the descendants of Israel, and we’re preparing for that.  And here’s what he says that will happen more and more:

Verse 2:    For men will be lovers of themselves, - in other words, people will become more and more selfish in general.  You know, there’s some good people out there, but in general, we’ll see in society, in the world, people will be lovers of themselves more than lovers of other people, and lovers of money - that’s always been a problem and will continue to be - people will do anything for money - boasters, proud, blasphemers, or as the NIV says:  abusers - disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Verse 3:   unloving, or like the NIV, here it says:  without love, - they will be unforgiving, slanderers, - or the NIV says:  malicious gossipers - certainly a lot of that goes on today, doesn’t it?  Especially on the internet - I don’t bother with a lot of it, but once in awhile people forward me things, and so much of it is just that.  They will be people without self-control, they will be brutal, despisers of good, - or haters of good. 

Verse 4:   traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

So, I think we all know this prophecy about the end-time when we watch it happening, as we watch the news and world events we see this coming to pass.  And let’s look at Verses 12 through 15, and Paul goes on and says:
Verse 12:   Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 

So we know that will gradually come, as worldliness and anti-Christian attitudes and laws of take-over, that those who believe in the Bible and God and Christianity will be in the minority more and more, and will be persecuted.  And then Verse 13:

Verse 13:    But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 

As Mr. Peter Eddington said so well, explained so well there, that we’re going to see that happening more and more.  But then he goes on:

Verse 14:   But, as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 

Verse 15:  and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

So, just that reminder, we don’t need a lot of bad news…we see it every day on television.  My wife and I do watch the news every day, but we kind of dread it, because it’s usually mostly the bad news of the world today, not the good news. 

So let’s take a look at three things, in this split sermon, that all of us can do - each of us, every man, woman and child - even our children can begin to learn, and are beginning to learn to do these things.  Especially those of us who have God’s Spirit can set the example and help others.  Here’s the first thing I’d like to bring out, and go to the word of God, go to Scriptures that say this very thing that we need to be doing, that we’re encouraged to do as we see these things coming to pass.  It’s not that we’re not doing them - I’m not giving this because I’m speaking to people who are not doing this, but we all need to continue, don’t we?  We all want to become stronger people.  I certainly am not going to say, “Hey, I’ve reached right where I want to be - I don’t need to grow anymore, I don’t need to learn anything - I’m really strong; I don’t need to have anymore of God’s Spirit”…I’m not there, are you?  So, this applies to me and to all of us. 

And so the very first thing that we can do to prepare for whatever comes each day, each week, whatever lies ahead in 2012, number one isWe need to seek God and strengthen our relationship with Him; We need to seek Him.   And so, we’ll look at examples and Scriptures that show what it means to seek God; encourage us to do so even better in our own personal lives.  Let’s go to Isaiah, Chapter 55 - Isaiah 55.   So we know that, while we have the time, while there is time, while there is still relative peace, while there is still relative stability, financially and economically, while we still have food to eat and are able to meet in peace on the Sabbath….while we have the time, God’s word tells us: strengthen your relationship with Me.  Because there’s going to come a time when things are going to begin to happen that are very, very difficult and serious, and unless our faith is strong, we’ve been preparing for it, many will fail - the faith of many will fail.  Because they have not been doing this.  Isaiah 55, Verses 6 through 9

Isaiah 55:6    Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

Verse 7:   Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; - we’re so thankful for that - and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 

Verse 8:   “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 

And the only way we learn God’s ways, as we know, as we all know, is to continue to read and meditate upon the Bible and God’s laws, and God’s way of life, and His truth, and the example of Jesus Christ, the incredible attitude He had.  And those are God’s ways and thoughts. 

Verse 9:  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts .”

So, you and I have the opportunity every day to seek God and strengthen our relationship with Him.  Let’s go to the Book of Proverbs - it says how we can prepare for tomorrow, next week, next year - no matter what.  Proverbs, Chapter 1 - we’ll begin reading in Verse 27 - Proverbs, Chapter 1 - we’ll read verses 27 through 33.  Here God is talking about  wisdom, and those who will have wisdom.  Okay, Verse 27, and He’s talking about what can happen in life.  He says:

Proverbs 1:27   When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind,  when distress and anguish come upon you. 

Verse 28:   Then they will call  upon me, but I will not answer; 

And you can read all the previous verses, but he’s talking….God appeals to people now…use wisdom, listen to Me, learn My way while you have time.  There’s coming a time when it will be too late: Verse 28:  They will call on Me, but I will not answer.  There’s going to come a time in our lives and in the history of what’s coming upon our peoples and on our nation, where if a person doesn’t have that close relationship with God already, doesn’t have that faith, it will be too late.  It will be those five foolish virgins who let their oil run out and they run to other people that seem to be strong… “Give me your faith; give me your faith, help me please.  What  do I do?”  And you just can’t do it for people.  God says: “they will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me,  and then  He explains why:

Verse 29:   Because they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord,

Verse 30:  They would have none of My counsel, they despised My reproof,

Verse 31:  Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.

Verse 32:  For the turning away of the simple will slay them, - people do it to themselves; they neglect a relationship with God…while they have the time to grow.  And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

Verse 33:   But whoever listens to me shall dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”

So, this is the most important way of all that we can all prepare, as we know…and again, I know I’m speaking to many wonderful, faithful people.  But we all want to continue to grow stronger, don’t we?  Let’s go to the New Testament, James, Chapter 4, on this thing of let’s draw closer to God and seek Him while we have the opportunity, while we have the peace that we do…James, Chapter 4, Verse 8 - we know these Scriptures, and this one says:

James 4:8   Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

So, you know, we have all learned, I think most of us, that when we do take time to do this in our personal private lives, individually by ourselves…and it’s okay to pray with others, but what I’m talking about here now is this personal, intimate relationship that each of us, that God wants to have with us, you know, when He calls us, if we will seek Him, draw near to Him, and go off in our private bedroom or wherever it is we pray, and meditate, and study, and really say, “God….”.  And I remember, this was back in 1959 when God first began calling me and working in my life…I didn’t know how to pray; I’d never prayed before on my knees.  I grew up asking grace at the table with my family, but I had never personally just prayed on my knees.  And God was beginning to call me, and I remember that on my old King James Bible where it said that…. I was a bachelor…. and it said go into your closet and pray and close the doors.  So, I lived alone, I had my own apartment…it said go into your closet, so I thought that’s what it meant at that time.  You know, that was my level of understanding.  So, I had to hold that room, and the whole living room, and then I went into the closet, and my rear-end was up against one wall and my head was up against the other wall, and I remember the first prayer I ever prayed, and saying “Oh, God, here I am.  Please help me to get to know you.”  And on with something real simple…“I really don’t  know how to pray - help me to learn how to pray”…and here I am, you know.

Obviously God was beginning to call me; I was beginning to read the Bible and take the Correspondence Course.  And I remember beginning to do that, and then going to Ambassador College. And at Ambassador College they had prayer closets…some of you will remember that, literally.  And at Ambassador College back in those years, they had separate prayer closets for the students (and we lived in dorms together) where you could go off and pray.  So, many of you have been at it for many years, but God’s word tells us, you know, if you really draw near to Me, if you really come to Me, in humility and on your knees, and seek Me, I will draw near to you. 

And so, most of us hopefully have that experience, that you know what this means.  And you’ve experienced, that as we respond to God’s calling, and genuinely seek Him and want to know Him, He reveals Himself to us - He opens our heart and our mind.  The Bible begins to make more sense; we feel of His presense.  We become baptized and then receive His Holy Spirit and we sense a difference - and that process we go through.  Notice Verse 10:
Verse 10:    Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Turn with me now to I John, Chapter 1 while we’re here.  This is what we can do - I John, Chapter 1, Verses 3 and 4.  And here’s the old man, you know, the last living apostle, in his 90’s, sharing from God’s inspiration, from his heart, the things that are most important.  And he says here in Verse 3:

I John 1:3   that which we have seen and heard  - John’s saying, “Look, I’ve seen this, I’ve heard this, and I’m declaring it to you.”  - that we have fellowship, that you may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.  

Fellowship, you know - that’s the way it is in the Kings James Bible, isn’t it?  So, do you enjoy fellowship?  You know, we had some over for dinner last night - we had wonderful fellowship.  We enjoy fellowship with each other, and when I think of this, I think of fellowship and friendship - fellowship means friendship.  And truly our fellowship, our best friends, the One that we should really come to know the very best, is our Creator God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, the living head of the church; certainly He created all things.  So this is going to be, and as we all know, it’s the most important thing of all, so it comes down to the quality (and I put that in emphasis), on more on the quality rather than how long a person prays or studies.  Whenever you take time, your personal private time, do you really put your heart and soul into it as you’re focusing and saying, “God, here I am.”  I like to think of it this way, that if I want to improve my relationship with LeeAnn, my wife, or any other person, I need to put everything else out of my mind - and this is a challenge for me as a man, and my wife helps me with it, and she’ll say, “Honey, can we sit down and look at each other and…” because a guy…we  talk, and we won’t necessarily do it like the women do, but that’s okay!  But women really focus, and they look at each other, and they share… and she’ll help me, she’ll get my attention - “Now, are you really focusing with me, are you really listening here, are we communicating…”  What I’m saying is, that when you really want to devolve or improve any relationship with anyone, you really have to have focus quality time, when you’re really listening and paying attention and responding. 

That’s the way I think of it with God, that unless I really can put aside distractions and can focus… “God, I know you’re there; I’ve experienced You, you’re real; help me to know You better, help me to sense You, help me to know that you’re living in me with the power of your Spirit.”  And in Verse 4 it says:

Verse 4:    And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 

So, no matter what comes in the future, brethren, if we will do this…and before I finish this, go with me to Psalms, because David, as we all know, wrote more Psalms about prayer than anybody else.  I mean, there are many other examples of incredible prayer in the Bible, but God used David to write many Psalms.  Let’s go to Psalms, Chapter 4 - Psalms, Chapter 4, and then we’ll look at just a few examples here.

Psalms 4:1    Here me when I call, O God of my righteousness!   You have relieved me when I was in distress;  - andso you’ll find in David’s writings, especially in the Psalms, many…that now as we know, he had many trials and many tests in his life and  his family, and just his whole life.  He had much stress.  And I went through one time and just looked at all the Scriptures that talk about “please relieve me God; help me, renew me, strengthen me, revive me” - and David did this in prayer many times; he took his burdens to God, poured out his heart to God…and his emotions and his feelings.  Notice Verse 7 and 8:

Verse 7:   You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased. 

Verse 8:   I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. 

So, we need to seek God like David and many in the Bible did, and read these verses.  Notice Psalm 116 - Psalm 116, how David in prayer would seek God.  We’ll read Verses 1 through 8.

Psalm 116:1    I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.

Verse 2:   Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.  

But notice how he talks about some of the things that he struggled with and went through:

Verse 3:    The pangs of death encompassed me, - sometimes David thought he was going to die - the pangs of Sheol (the grave) laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.

Verse 4:   Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

Help me!  You can just now see David; a very passionate individual. 

Verse 5:   Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Our god is merciful.

Verse 6:  The Lord preserves the simple;  - and here the Hebrew word doesn’t mean simple in the way we might think of it today: it means humble, childlike - is what he’s saying here - I was brought low, and He saved me.

Verse 7:  Return to your rest, O my soul, - settle down, O my soul… and gave David…as you all know, whenever you’re troubled and bothered by anything, if you go to God in prayer, and pour out your heart and your soul to God in prayer - it works!  And you’re just, you know…which we do, you just feel…you poured out your heart to God and He is settling your soul; you know it’s going to be okay.  You don’t know how, but you just know it is, because of God - Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

Verse 8:  For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 

So, seeking God then, in prayer, while we have the time, is so very important.  Growing in that relationship with God and growing closer to Him is really the most important thing we can do.  So, brethren, don’t neglect that, keep thinking, praying, talking about “what can I do to have a better quality time with my very best friend, God, God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.”  That’s going to matter more than any thing else you can do - I think you all know that.

Let’s go on to the second thing though, that we can do, be doing, while we have the time,  peace, stability - whatever lies ahead, good, bad - we have time to do this and it’s going to make a big difference.  The second thing we can and should be doing, that I feel is most important…these are personal things now - personal things in our own lives, is:  Building and strengthening our relationship with family and friends - Building and strengthening our relationship with family and friends.  Now we all get busy, don’t we?  It isn’t easy to do this, is it?  Because we get busy, we have busy lives,  people are all busy; we work, we try to exercise, you’ve got to eat, got to do this, we’ve got to do that.   It is not easy to take time - with your own family, hopefully, yes - but, to be while there is time, and we’ll look at the Scriptures….and the examples of the Bible says when tough times really come in the future, you just don’t want to be alone.  And you don’t want to be a member of the church who has just not put in any effort into expanding your circle of friends and spiritual family.

You do not want to be a loner, you don’t want to be somebody…and we all have to struggle with this in our lives.  I was a loner when God called me…you might say, “I don’t believe that!”   Well, I was!  Because of my background and upbringing in a somewhat dysfunctional family…I know I had a wonderful father and mother, and my father was good when he was sober, but he drank a lot…had serious alcohol problems.  So that affected our family and kids, affected me as the oldest child, and the way I handled those problems in our family is I withdrew as I grew up.  I handled all the anger and all the stuff that went on in the family…I just withdrew into myself, as a child.  And so, all the way through high school never dated one single girl, never had any friends…I really mean that.  I can’t think of anybody I would have called a friend.  That’s what it did to me.  And it wasn’t until God called me, later on, and I began to read that you’re supposed to grow and have love, make friends and all, then that’s what began to happen.  So my natural tendency today, if left to myself, I would just go right back into what my….calls my cave“Come out of your cave, Denny.”  I’m very happy to where I can be that loner, drift back into my old ways of thinking and feeling.  That’s my natural tendency, but it isn’t what God says I should do.  And thankfully, he gave me a wife to help me.

So, family and friends are very, very important, aren’t they?  And God is giving us time, now, to grow,  get stronger… in our marriages, you know, I mean people have marriage problems, we’re all different and have to learn. Men have to learn to truly love their wives, as Paul said to do so in Ephesians 5, and if you really learn to love your wife the way that means…most women don’t have any trouble being submissive.  That’s what that says .  I’ve known some men in the past that…a man, he said, “If my wife would just be submissive then I could love her.”  Men, we’re supposed to be the leaders and the head, aren’t we?  So, but my point is here, God created, actually, the marriage relationship to be a powerful, strong thing.  I won’t go back to Genesis 2:24, but it says there, it said, God joined a man and a woman, and they were to become one -  cling together.  And in Chapter 2, Verse 18 is where God says it’s not good that a man be alone - I will make a helper for him. 

And it’s interesting, Peter was talking about the ancient Hebrew, and the ancient Hebrew there for helper, for a woman, is more that she’s a valiant warrier; she’s a strong ally for her husband.  She’s a strong helper, and that’s the way my wife is.  I thank God for that, that God has given me a strong, valiant woman who has her own personal relationship with God, and that has strengthened my life, my ministry, my service to God.  It has helped me to be a better father, because she keeps reminding me of the importance…don’t neglect our kids, our grandkids and our great grandkids, back in the Seattle area.  So, LeeAnn helps me, and I’m thankful for that. But, what if you’re not married?  If you don’t have that strong ally, warrior…a husband and a wife who love one another deeply, are committed to each other.  That’s a strength when a husband and wife are strong together. 

Notice Psalms 68 - Psalms, Chapter 68.  So, we’re talking about what you and I can do that will strengthen you, your family, your friendships, and strengthen the church.  It will prepare us, it doesn’t matter what comes in 2012 or beyond, if we are doing what God says to do, we’ll be strong…stronger than we are now. 

Psalms 68...I’ve had people say, “Yeah, you’re blessed.  You’ve got a good wife; you’re married, that’s wonderful.  I’m not.  What about singles?”  Psalms 68 - Let’s read Psalms,  Chapter 68, Verses 5 and 6

Psalms 68:5   A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. 

Verse  6:   First part of it, at least here in the New Kings James Bible, it says:    God  sets the solitary  - the NIV and the Living translation translates this:  God sets the lonely - that’s the term they use from the Hebrew - God sets the lonely person - the single person, the person who’s alone; when God calls them, what does He do?  He puts single people in families, maybe their own physical family, but certainly within the spiritual family.  We don’t have to be alone - God sets the solitary, or the lonely, in families. 

He calls us, and even if our families were highly dysfunctional, and that not a part of the church, we come into the church, and all of a sudden we have mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles, spiritually, within the church - people of all ages; we inherit a new family.  Let’s go to Ephesians, Chapter 2 …you know, it’s a great blessing; it’s a source of incredible strength -  Ephesians, Chapter 2.  And so, my point here, I’ve tried to bring out that I feel - maybe others have different priorities in what they would work on, but I know this is something that I really need to keep working on, is to be building and strengthening relationships with family and friends, so that no matter what comes in the future, I’m with people, you know, who will lock arms, who will be strong together.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, we know, Verse 19, God says here…He’s writing primarily to a gentile congregation here, and He says:

Ephesians 2:19    Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

And here in the same Book, Chapter 3, Verses 14 and 15 where Paul wrote to them, he says:

Ephesians 3:14    I  bow my knees to the Father  of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Verse 15:    From whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

And so, we all need to give proper priority and attention.  I keep telling the office staff…and they know how I feel about things.  I say, you know, “You’re all extremely dedicated, hard working employees.”  And they are, every single one of them…an amazing group of people.  “So I don’t worry about you doing your job; what I worry about is I want you to take care of yourself…your health, your marriage, your children, your family…take time when you need to.  You don’t have to punch a clock as far as I’m concerned.”  I don’t!  I just want to get the job done.  And getting the job done is doing a lot of things that are important.  So…family!

Let’s go to Proverbs 17:17.  This is the second thing - and I will be on time today!  Proverbs 17:17 -  By the way, I really appreciated Mr. Eddington…he’s always so well prepared - Peter Eddington - and well organized.  He does a wonderful job…I love working with Peter.  And I’m not here to praise Peter today…I don’t know, but I just…it’s good to do that…but it’s good to do that.  We have a lot of very hard working employees in the Home Office, so I’ll tell you, Peter is one of them.  He works very, very hard, and so does his staff, and they’re doing an incredible job in the area of Media and Communications.  And it’s always some wonderful new things happenning in that area, and sharing it with everybody.  But Proverbs 17:17...I think most of you are familiar with the Scripture well - this is the one that says:

Proverbs 17:17    A friend…and I think you know this means a true friend; a true friend, a real friend…loves at all times, - so how many of these kind of friends do you have?  People who know you - they know your bad; they know your good.  It doesn’t matter - they love you…they love you!  A true friend loves you at all times, and a brother…it means a true brother, spiritual brother…why were they born?  A real brother is born for adversity - God’s word says.   

So, one good friend can make all the difference in the world in a time of trouble or crisis…all it takes is one true friend…one true brother.  It’s an amazing thing; it’s an incredible thing, isn’t it?   And we know, Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4, and it’s a warning here about being a loner, and when I read it, I say:  “Denny, you’d better work on that.  You know, you work with a lot of people, you know a lot of people, but are you taking the time to build closer friendships and relationships with the people  here, and around you?”  And LeeAnn and I want to do that.  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4, Verses 9 and 10.

Ecclesiastes 4:9    Two are better than one, - And I remember when Peter was reading today about the two witnesses…God just doesn’t in the end time, say, “I’m only going to have one witness in the end…he’s going to be the great prophet and he’s going to be in Jerusalem all by himself!”  No - two of them!    People need people; they need each other.  And those two witnesses are going to really need each other during that period of time, because they know how they’re going to die, and that will be in three and a half years.  Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  They strengthen one another - they do a better work together.

Verse 10:   For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  And this is what a husband and wife can do; it’s what good friends can do.  We all fall down sometimes; we’re all human, we’re all weak.  We all make mistakes; we all slip and sin at times.  But when you’ve got a true brother, or a true friend, who really loves you - they don’t just love you when you’re perfect - they’re there for you all the time.  That’s why it goes on to say:  But  woe to him who is alone - and in a sense, it’s saying: woe to the loners, people who are loners who need help.  Sometimes people need help in coming out of being a loner; I sure did!  Woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.  And so, we know the Scriptures.

One incredible example before my final point, is in I Samuel 18, Verses 1 through 3.  This was the example of David and Jonathan in the Bible -  I Samuel, Chapter 18.  And this relationship that David and Jonathan had, probably, you know, I mean God saved his life obviously… but Jonathan, who was Saul’s son, and even when Saul hated David and was trying to kill him, Jonathan, Saul’s own son, would give his life for David.  He loved David in a way two men can be bonded.  Notice I Samuel 18, Verses 1 through 3:

I Samuel 18:1   And it was so, when he (this was talking about David) had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David (look at the way the Bible words that - they just clicked), and Jonathan loved him (David) as his own soul. 

Loved David - two of the valiant warrior men.  He just saw David’s attitude and character and his spirit of humility and love for God, and he became his best friend. 

Verse 2:   And Saul took him that day, - took David - and would not let him go back home to his father’s house anymore. 

Verse 3:  Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, - they made a friendship covenant - I don’t know how they did it - maybe they were off, and they were together, and they were talking and they were sharing, and they were saying…“you be my friend; I’ll be your friend, and I’ll watch your back and you watch my back - let’s love one another, support one another, help one another - let’s be loyal to one another.  Let’s serve God together”… whatever they talked about - I don’t know.  But they made a covenant  - a friendship covenant, and it says:  because he loved him as his own soul. 

So, who would you consider to be your Jonathan or your David?  Is it your husband, your wife?  Who’s your best friend?  Who do you have that kind of a “I would die for you -  you can trust me.”  This is one of the things that we all need, brethren, as time goes on, because there will be dangerous and scary times in the future, and I want to be with people like that, don’t you?  My family and friends and people that I know are strong with God, and aren’t “wishy washy” and weak and have no relationship with God.  I want to help those people, but the ones that I want to stand with are those like this, who have “while there is time”, have been using that time to build stronger relationships with family and friends.  So, let’s do it brethren, together, while we have time.

And then, the final and third point that I wanted to bring out that is so important, I feel that we can be doing personally, individually, all of us together, and preparing for whatever lies ahead in God’s church and in the work and in our lives, is to be loving, supporting and encouraging each other more as times of stress increase. Become an encourager…are you an encourager of other people?  Not everybody is…not everybody is.  There are a lot of negative people in the world, right?  And I keep saying, the internet can be used for wonderful purposes, but people still will send me stuff on that blog, and this blog, and it’s a lot of gossip and negative and criticism…the great critics are out there!  They’re the great evaluaters of everybody else, and every church organization - except themselves.  Now, I just say “Oh man!  I guess God, only You can sort it out.”  So there are a lot of angry people out there; there are a lot of negative people; there are a lot of bitter people; there are a lot of disillusioned people - and certainly we need to love them and pray for them, but not be like them.  I don’t want to be like them - I don’t…I don’t think you do either. 

God tells us to be encouragers, supporters of other people.  This is what we can be doing.  Be a positive person.  Stop gossip and let’s all…I say this to all of us.  Let’s be careful what we say about anyone or others, when we’re together privately talking…yes, we need to be able to share our hearts with each other.  There’s good and bad in all of that, but I hope that I’m never a part of any internet thing or whatever of spreading rumors and gossip and lies and that kind of thing.  If I have, I want to repent of that and change. 

Turn with me to Hebrews, Chapter 10.  So, what can we do, then?  Another thing that you and I can do together, we can become encouragers of other people.  Now, it isn’t enough just to say I’ve got a positive attitude.   I’m not saying that, I’m saying, “Do you encourage other people every day?”  Are you a positive person, that looks for the good in people and strives to encourage people?  Many of you are.   Hebrews, Chapter 10, Verses 24 and 25. 

Hebrews 10:24    Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

Verse 25:    Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, - lots of people are turned off today, they say “I don’t want to have anything to do with organized religion” - and I’m aware of all that.  I realize God’s church is composed of different groups, small and big, all over the face of the earth - only God knows who’s converted; only He knows who has His Holy Spirit.  Only God knows who’s really in His church, but He knows who they are.  But those of us, when we meet together and interact together, we’re part of God’s church.  What we’re to do is exhort one another, so much the more as you see the day approaching.  As you probably know, the Greek word here would be more properly translated encourage one another, which it is in a number of other translations - that so much the more as we see the time’s getting worse.  

What are we to do?  Encourage one another: “Don’t worry, don’t be fearful…hey, as long as you’ve got family and friends, as long as you’re a part of God’s church, as long as you’re striving to serve God, you’ll never be alone!  No matter what happens to you, you won’t end up on the street.  No matter what trials you go through, we’ll be there to help you with this, and support one another.  No matter what happens, no matter if you get sick…”  I mean, many of you, many of us have held the hands of people who died in the faith.  My wife’s own parents, who were members of the church in Portland, Oregon, Mr. and Mrs. Livengood - they both died of cancer.  And many people have died of various things.  And one of the things that we can do is be there to love, and encourage, and support one another.  Become an encourager, more and more, as we see the Day approaching. 

So, brethren, what we can do, what you can do, what I can do, what with God’s help, we will do, is that we will seek Him, draw closer to Him, love God with our whole heart, and that means keeping His commandments just in case anybody’s listening and wondering…we do believe in that in the United Church of God of keeping all of God’s commandments, the Sabbath, the Holy Days…we have not changed; we will not.  That’s what it means to seek God.  It also means to obey Him, keep His commandments, but to draw closer to Him and to seek to strengthen our families and our friendships, so that we are not alone and that we’re not loners. 

So,  really, let’s work on that together as well, the fellowship and getting to know one another better.  Many of you, you have that - I know some of you already have that, but let’s help one another.  Lee and I want to do that better - we try to, but we know we need to have more people…my wife is wonderful when it comes to hospitality and doing…we need to have the ABC students over and we want to have other brethren over.  We just have to plan it and with God’s help, do it!  And draw closer to one another.  And then to be encouragers.  So brethren, let’s draw close to God; let’s thank God for His calling and blessings upon all of us, and no matter what comes, if we would do these things, then we will be able to face the future, with faith!

Comments

  • KARS
    Thank you for posting your split sermon Mr. Luker. It's good to know that you are teaching the importance of church family togetherness. There are those of us that left everything behind. Our children and extended families. It's tough being a 1st generation member.
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