Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94

INTRODUCTION

Like most of the preachers who have been asked to submit material for this section of the Preacher's Magazine, I found the assignment much more difficult than expected. Even though I am in the habit of writing out manuscripts, the thought of those being published suddenly brought a sense of sobriety not known before.

Like most of us who use this section, originality is something that I strive for, but I often find myself looking to oth­ers for help. In fact, as I looked over these sermons and prepared to submit them, I occasionally asked myself, "Did I write that?" Maybe we should clean out our files more often.

The following sermons are a potpourri of messages that I've enjoyed preaching. I work especially hard at the art of storytelling, having discovered that the story will bring the audience back when their minds have drifted. It is also the thing they will remember most about a sermon.

A THOUSAND POINTS OF LIGHT

By Tim Stearman

Isa.9:6-7

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

First Sunday of Advent

INTRO:

When word reached the young soldier that he could have a three-day pass for the Christmas holidays, it was much too late to book passage home on a train or a bus. On this Christmas Eve, 1944, all means of public trans­portation were already well filled.

With his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he thumbed a ride with a family driving north. As they rode along, snow began to gently fall. The 150-mile trip be­tween the soldier's base and his parents' home con­sumed eight hours. As the roads grew treacherous, the car skidded off the primitive highway once more.

In the wee hours of the morning on Christmas Day, the car stopped. The soldier walked the last few blocks to his parents' home, crunching through the snow. Gazing to­ward the end of the road, he was surprised and delighted to see a small electric candle flickering in his parents' window.

He climbed the steps to the porch and stomped the snow from his combat boots. As the door opened, a star­tled father peered out into the dark that surrounded his son. Warm hugs were followed by laughter as the boy's mother joined the reunion.

Later that morning as the three sat around the kitchen table enjoying steaming cups of coffee, the boy asked his father, "Why, Dad? Why in the world did you have that light burning in the window when I arrived this morning? You weren't expecting me. For all you knew, I had al­ready been shipped overseas. Why did you leave the light in the window?"

The father responded by saying, "Oh, I don't know, Son, I guess I let it bum just in case."

Two thousand years ago, God hung a light in eternity's window "just in case."

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

And God named that "light in the window" Jesus. According to Isaiah, that light's name expresses His marvelous nature.

1. "Wonderful-Counselor" should be hyphenated. It means a wonder of a counselor.

2. "Mighty God" suggests a divine warrior or a hero.

3. "Everlasting Father" is better understood as "Fa­ther of Eternity."

4. "Prince of Peace" means a successful ruler or leader.

Isaiah gave us a marvelous glimpse of one aspect of the coming Messiah-the Light in the window of eternity.

Yet, we sometimes struggle when we put his descrip­tion alongside our impression of the New Testament nar­rative of the birth of Jesus.

In the New Testament, we see that light differently. When we throw in our own family Customs and the notions we pick up from the secular celebration of this season and put that into our emotional blender, we end up with a strange conglomeration of ideas and opinions of what Christmas is or really should be.

Isn't it amazing how simple a light is?

The decorations that we've incorporated into our wor­ship service today are not the Light. They are in celebra­tion of the Light. They are announcing the coming of the Light.

As I considered our annual Hanging of the Greens ser­vice, I tried to consider the nature of the adornments that would grace our sanctuary. What should be the decor?

It should be simple. Inexpensive, yet very costly.

This Wonderful-Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Fa­ther, and Prince of Peace - this Light that was born in a bam-how can I best be prepared to welcome Him?

As we anticipate His coming, may we be adorned in at­tributes that serve as a welcome mat to the Light.

I. May We Exhibit the Light of Humility

We learn humility from Jesus' arrival.

A. Jesus came in humility~

B. Jesus lived in humility.

"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death" (phil. 2:8).

We also read, "in humility consider others better than yourselves" (v. 3).

We are to live in humility as Jesus the Light is our example.

II. May We Exhibit the Light of Compassion

A. Compassion displays itself through giving.

ILLUS. In the city of Topeka, Kans., over 8,000 people are fed every Thanksgiving Day by a gentleman who owns a garbage collection business. Motivated by com­passion, Mr. Cushionberry seeks ways to give something back to the community.

Like many churches, we have participated in the Angel Tree project. Through that organization, we have sought to provide Christmas gifts to children who have parents in prison. This year we gave to 60 children. The greatest joy came from the fact that we were to deliver the gifts to the homes rather than to an agency.

B. Compassion displays itself through gratitude.

ILLUS. Several years ago on a bitter cold Christmas Eve, my doorbell rang. A young black boy without gloves or hat asked if he could shovel snow from my driveway. After turning him away, I immediately felt checked. I opened the door again, but he was gone. No trace of him could be seen. I got in my car and drove through the neighborhood but never found him.

May God help us to see and help people in need and to be grateful for His blessings. We need to exhibit the light of compassion.

 

A. We have received much.

Our living rooms on Christmas Day resemble an explosion in a paper factory from all the gift wrapping.

B. We need to exhibit the light of good stewardship and common sense.

Don't neglect opportunity to give through your church. Christmas naturally brings added expenses, but you won't neglect making your car payment. So don't ne­glect your church.

IV. May We Exhibit the Light of a Good Memory

ILLUS. Some years ago, a western city reported a sad situ­ation. The manger in their Nativity scene would be emp­ty. Someone had stolen the infant.

But the central figure of Christmas is so neglected that His disappearance often goes unnoticed for days. What's new about that?

People may forget Jesus the remainder of the year as well. What's worse, a crook who steals a plaster image or millions of nominal Christians who ignore His presence?

As you drive through your neighborhoods and see the homes adorned for the season, every light stands as a re­minder that Jesus is the Light of the world. And God put that Light in eternity's Window-just in case.

By Tim Stearman

Luke 2:8-20

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

Second Sunday of Advent

 

INTRO:

It seems that on many occasions it has pleased God to bestow upon the poor some special token of apprecia­tion or some special recognition. Many times He has even chosen them in preference to all others. At times it seems that He has saved His most distinguished favors for the poor.

So it was that when God sent His Son into the world He commissioned an angel to announce the news of the event.

But to whom did He send the angels?

To .poor shepherds who, for the security of their sheep and their mutual convenience, were keeping watch over their sheep in rotation by night.

Their day had started out so ordinarily, so similar to all the others that had gone on before. As evening drifted in­to night, they began one by one to fall asleep as specified watches were posted.

The night was cool and brisk, yet clear and cloudless. !he occasional bleating of sheep was almost completely Ignored as sweet sleep stole in upon them and the shep­herds surrendered to its plea and eyelids grew heavy.

Suddenly the sky seemed to be on fire and the ground was as light as noonday.

That group of humble shepherds watching their flocks-they were to receive God's glad tidings. They stirred from their slumber, rubbed their drowsy eyes, and gazed up at the source of the light-'-and they listened. Scared to death, they listened.

They listened as the angel of the Lord said, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:10-14 KJV).

Can you picture it? The grassy, green, sloping meadow. The still of the night. Stars flashing in celebration. Poor, lowly shepherds pulling back in fear and covering their faces from the light-then slowly, sneaking a peek at the one who spoke from the clouds of glory.

Can you hear the gentle yet firm voice of the angel as he says, "Fear not?

Can you see the relief of the shepherds?

Can you feel the growing anticipation in their hearts as their minds began to grasp the message of the angels-a message that the Jewish people had waited to hear for so long?

Can you sense their excitement as they jump to their feet to listen more intently?

Can you sense their feeling of humble honor as they re­alize that God chose to reveal the news to them first?

Can you picture the angel hovering near and sharing the message?

Do you see the multitude of heavenly hosts?

Can you hear their anthem swell as they join together in praising God?

Can you hear their songs of praise filling the country­side and ringing out through the hills?

As quickly as they had appeared, they were gone. The shepherds stood stunned in the afterglow of that sacred moment. No doubt they were breathless-speechless. No doubt they gazed at one another in astonishment.

Slowly they began to gather their wits about them and wondered what they should do.

Talking among themselves, they decided to go to Beth­lehem, for "The shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us" (v. 15, KJV).

On feet of jubilation they started their journey to Beth­lehem.

Notice three reactions of the shepherds.

I. The Shepherds Recognized That the Message Was from God

We read, "Let us ... see this thing ... which the Lord hath made known unto us" (v. 15, KJV).

The source of the announcement was unmistakable. It was from God.

They realized that this display of angelic splendor and heavenly harmony could only come from God.

The message came from God, and they recognized that fact. The Scripture teaches that we are to "Try the spirits" to be sure that they are from God (1 John 4:1, KJV). But these shepherds felt no need to try the spirits, for they immediate­ly recognized that the message came from God himself.

We should be as wise. For time and time again we have refused to recognize the message from God.

God revealed the good news to those shepherds in a unique way. "How could one doubt the message being from God?" you might ask. With angels hovering and praising God and singing, you would have to believe it.

The shepherds might ask you, "How can you doubt that the message of Jesus is from God?" For God has pre­served the same message over 2,000 years for you. He speaks to you personally and you feel Him tugging at your heart. He reveals himself through music and mes­sage, yet you refuse to believe.

Those shepherds recognized the message as coming from God. It was a message of Jesus and joy.

Since Adam and Eve fell victim to temptation in the Garden of Eden, God's people had been waiting and looking for a Savior, a Messiah.

They had suffered under the oppression of dictators and political opportunists. They had struggled for sur­vival under wicked kings and greedy leaders, always with the thought that the Messiah was coming. He would re­lease them from their captors.

For thousands of years this had been their central thought, the one hope to which they had fearlessly strug­gled to cling.

Only one who has been oppressed all his life could know the joy that the angel's message brought. For to those shepherds, the message read, "freedom," "a new king," "no more oppression."

No wonder they were thrilled. No wonder the message filled them with joy.

When the angel stated, "I bring you good tidings of great joy," he wasn't teasing.

Yet when the same joyful message is proclaimed today, people may react with "Ho, hum."

The same Jesus who came to deliver Israel has come to deliver you from sin. The angel said, "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2: 10, KJV). That statement was made for you and me.

The message of Jesus and joy that those shepherds heard is the same message God has sent for you and me: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Sav­iour, which is Christ the Lord" (v. 11, KJV).

We should experience the same joy as did those shep­herds when we realize that Jesus came to liberate us from the oppressors of sin and ignorance and poverty and hell.

Jesus came to liberate us. Let us rejoice!

II. The Shepherds Believed the Message They Received from God

Not only did they recognize that the message of Jesus and joy came from God, but when they heard the mes­sage, they believed it. Nowhere in recorded history do we read of one shepherd holding back, voicing his doubts or misgivings. Nowhere do we read of a shepherd arguing with his companions, trying to persuade them not to be so gullible.

Everything that we read points to a unified opinion among the shepherds. They believed it.

Unless you recognize that the message came from God and unless you believe the message He gives, you will have wasted the benefits of Jesus' sacrificial death on the Cross.

Sometimes we read history and think, "How gullible those people were." Yet, when I read the Scripture, I sometimes feel that those people were much more fortu­nate than we. Those simple people had simple faith. They often put us to shame. Our technology and training seem to cause us to demand proof.

Oh, for the faith of a simple shepherd! To listen to the message of God, to believe it with simple faith, no ques­tions asked, no reservations, just to believe it because God said it!

III. The Shepherds Obeyed the Message They Received from God

They hastened to find the infant Jesus. "And they came with haste" (v. 16, KJV).

Perhaps one shepherd had to stay behind to watch the sheep. Oh, the sinking feeling he must have felt as he watched his fellow shepherds hurrying to Bethlehem.

They rushed into Bethlehem and started searching for the Baby. The only clues they had were the words of the angel, "Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (v. 12, KJV).

With the diligence of detectives, they began looking in every stable in town until at last they reached the right one, dimly lit, containing the Christ child.

They quietly approached the manger, knelt down, and worshiped the infant Savior.

How long they stayed no one knows, but they stayed as long as they felt necessary. Then, standing to their feet, they hurried back toward the hills and their sheep. Yet as they walked, their hearts were almost to the point of bursting, for they were filled with great joy. It was all they could do to keep from running through the streets and shouting the good news!

As they walked out of town, their laughter filled the air. While mortals slept, the Son of God had been born. They had been let in on the secret that couldn't be kept a secret for long. For the scripture says, "They made known abroad the saying which was told them concern­ing this child" (v. 17, KJV).

Simple faith has its rewards, and these shepherds had collected.

The songwriter says, "Kneel at the manger and make it thine altar."

The shepherds had given heed to those words long be­fore they were ever written. They returned with their hearts filled with joy.

Would you heed the words of the songwriter and fol­low the example of the shepherds to "kneel at the manger and make it thine altar"?

By Tim Stearman

Matt. 1: 18-25

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

Third Sunday of Advent

 

INTRO:

"Pastor, nobody wants to be Joseph!" That's what the director of our annual children's pageant said to me sev­eral years ago. What a dilemma! How can you portray the Christmas story without the typical Mary and Joseph?

I met with the most likely candidate, a boy not yet four, with big tears dripping off of his chin. He sensed the inevitable.

As I visited with him, I tried to make the part seem more desirable. I even offered bribes. Finally, I said, "Ryan, if you don't want to play Joseph, what do you want to play?"

"A donkey," he said.

Nobody wanted to be Joseph.

I can understand why. Joseph has been described by some as being simple. Certainly not scholarly. He was neither a rabbi nor a leader. He only worked as a carpen­ter.

Nothing about Joseph's life speaks of glory or power or fame. He wouldn't wear a Rolex and would have felt overwhelmed by a DayTimer.

As a result of the visit with my young friend, J realized that after 20 years in the ministry I had never examined Joseph's life nor had I ever heard anyone preach about Joseph. Oh sure, I had heard plenty of sermons about Mary and Joseph, but never any only about Joseph.

Think about it. Nobody wants to be Joseph. I think I know why.

I. Life Was Out of Joseph's Control

A. Joseph lived in Nazareth, a little backwater town that was held up for ridicule.

"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" (John 1:46). It isn't mentioned in the Old Testament, the Jewish Talmud, or by the historian Josephus.

B. Joseph was engaged to a young girl who became pregnant, and he knew he wasn't the father.

Yet, he was trapped by tradition. The marriage procedure in that day had three steps.

1. The engagement: often made by the parents.

2. The betrothal: which was absolutely binding and lasted one year. The couple would be known as hus­band and wife, but did not have the rights or privi­leges of man and wife. Only divorce could stop the process.

3. The marriage.

C. Joseph was ordered by the Roman emperor to make a trip he didn't want to make. So he packed up, closed his shop, and went.

D. Joseph couldn't provide housing for his wife when they arrived at Bethlehem.

E. Joseph was forced to live as a fugitive, running to Egypt to save his son's life.

Nobody wants to be Joseph because everyone wants to have more control over his life than Joseph had.

We might characterize Joseph as a loser today. He hadn't planned for the future, and forces outside of his control dictated his decisions.

Ted Turner apologized several years ago to a crowd of Baptists for calling Christianity a religion for losers. Yet, if you look at it from a totally secular viewpoint, you may understand his statement. Society looks at the Christian, sees his similarity to Joseph, and decides that Christians are not in control - and society is right.

What's important is not what we discover about Joseph. It's what we discover about God.

II. Life Is Never Out of God's Control

Since God was in control even when Joseph wasn't-

A. Joseph became part of the greatest love story ever written.

B. Joseph became Jesus' earthly example of a father. At age 6 or 8 or 10, Jesus did not see himself as the Messiah. As a little boy, Jesus learned from a godly man the art of living.

C. Joseph taught Jesus what he knew-how to work with wood and care for customers and keep the busi­ness's books. With calloused hands, he taught Jesus about sacrifice and love.

D. One day the Messianic awareness dawned upon Je­sus. God had many lessons to teach Him, but the groundwork had been laid by a good, conscientious, godly man. God had selected the perfect foster father.

III. Lessons Are learned by letting Go

A. Certain areas may be out of our control.

1. Work may not be all that we would want or wish.

2. Lack of education may hinder us.

3. Disease may rob us of opportunities.

4. Family members may make decisions that affect us adversely.

B. We may never climb some of the mountains.

I often wonder if Joseph died feeling that his life was a success. I wonder if he felt good about what he had achieved.

ILLUS. I recently heard of a corporate executive earning $500,000 a week. Few will ever provide like that for their families.

ILLUS. I have a wonderful aunt who suffers from multi­ple sclerosis. Apart from a miracle of God, she will never walk again. She can't control that fact. She will not con­quer this mountain.

C. Yet, like Joseph, with Jesus we can find content­ment in the midst of our confusion.

1. We can say with Paul, "I have learned ... to be content" (phil. 4: 11, KJV).

2. Joseph willingly used the gifts he had. He may not have been as gifted as some, but that didn't stop God from blessing him.

3. Joseph took advantage of the opportunities he had been given. He didn't back away simply because risk was involved.

4. Joseph served as a good example of a godly man.

5. Joseph worked to be the best that he could be. We do not compete with anyone regarding the kind of person we can become.

6. Life's storms seemed only to strengthen Joseph.

Joseph may not have been flashy, but he stood by faith­fully.

The good news of Jesus isn't interested only in super­heroes, and our world doesn't need another superhero. But we desperately need an army of men willing to stand faithful, who, in spite of their obscurity, are willing to be Joseph.

By Tim Stearman

Eph.5:18-19

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

Fourth Sunday of Advent

 

INTRO:

In the days of the Great Depression, Clarence Darrow, the brilliant attorney, addressed the members of a black church in Chicago. Most of them were desperately poor, without jobs and without hope. When Darrow began to speak, he recounted all of their troubles and summed up their problems.

Then, remembering how they had sung so beautifully, he said, "And yet you sing! No one can sing like you do! What do you have to sing about?"

Quick as a flash, a lady in the congregation shouted out, "We've got Jesus to sing about."

We've got Jesus to sing about.

Paul seems to be alluding to the same thing in Eph. 5:18-19: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to de­bauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord."

Paul was making a comparison: "Don't get drunk. Find your fullest degree of joy in God's Spirit." He, too, was saying, "You've got Jesus to sing about."

I've thought a lot about that verse. I've tried to ponder what it really means. I believe it means that even when life bombards me with difficulty and disappointment ­even when I've lost possessions or position-if I have Je­sus, I have all I really need.

That's a mouthful. Many people don't believe it. But Paul told us that Jesus can bring a sense of peace and ac­ceptance that transcends any other experience.

How? Jesus brings:

Sa1vation - I can have that when all else is gone. Friendship-such as cannot be found in any other relationship.

Strength - like no one else can give.

Peace - that passes understanding.

We consider our church as a "singing" church because many have choirs and lots of special music! However, that's the most insignificant part of a "singing" church. Paul says we all have a part to sing. We may not partici­pate in some ensemble, but we do make some kind of music.

"Oh, but, Pastor, I don't sing!" Look at what Paul says - "Speak to one another with psalms."

I. Our Speech Makes Music

Do you mean that my speech can be like a song? Yes, like a song to God's ears and to those who surround you. "Speak to one another with psalms" (v. 19).

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer" (Ps. 19: 14, KJV). Sometimes we are careless with our words. We say things that hurt people deeply.

ILLUS. Some time ago a writer in Christianity Today made the following observation: "Most churchgoers born after 1955 are theologically more conservative than their parents." That's good-and a little surprising. Then he spoke of a freedom that these young ones feel. "The freedom of the younger generation to ignore the denomina­tional labels and shop for a church that meets their needs."

What happens when they come to your church? What do they hear you say?

We need to sing a new song. We've got Jesus to sing about. We can sing no sweeter song than a word of en­couragement.

I travel some and visit great churches with great pas" tors. Most of those great pastors were made by great churches. You can't criticize anyone toward greatness ­but you can encourage.

If we have discord with our neighbors, we're out of tune with our fellowman. Then how can we expect to be in harmony with God?

Speak about Jesus.

II. Our Song Makes Music

Paul says, "Sing." Some people may feel that we overemphasize music. I don't believe we come close to doing that.

Have you ever noticed in the Bible the references it makes to music?

A. Look at the Psalms.

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God" (40:3).

"By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me" (42:8).

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his sal­vation day after day" (96: 1).

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song" (95:1-2).

"My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make mu­sic with all my soul" (108:1).

"Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs" (100:2).

B. Look at the prophet Isaiah.

"Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains." Why? "For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones" (49:13),

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands" (55: 12).

C. Look at the Judges.

"Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the Lord, I will sing; I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel" (5:3).

D. Look at James.

"Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise" (5:13).

E. Look at the Revelation.

"And they sang a new song" (5:9).

"They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb" (15:2-3).

What is that song?

"Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.

Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed" (vv. 3-4).

The Bible speaks to us of mountains singing, of all na­ture rejoicing.

We learn of David, the sweet psalm Singer of Israel.

Over and over again reference is made to song.

Recently I reread the incident in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. Luke says, "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them" (v. 25).

That's the reason most of us don't sing. We're afraid someone might be listening.

I can't sit in a service without singing. My wife teases me.

I used to sit by my father. He's no singer, but he thought that was what you were supposed to do during the song service.

If he did, I would.

Your song is so important.

Aren't you glad God even loves us monotones?

III. Our Spirit Makes Music

It suggests a feeling of praise in the heart.

The silent music of the rejoicing heart is to accompany the praise of anointed lips. . .

The central thrust of both inward and outward rejoicing is thanksgiving.

"Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20).

When our world around us starts to self-destruct-as it seems to sometimes-we can make music in our hearts because of the fullness of God.

This new "musical you" is a by-product of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

That's a theme of Paul's writings. Look back at Eph. 3:19 to Paul's great prayer for the church. "And to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

ILLUS. A prominent evangelist told of a revival campaign that he conducted in the Pennsylvania Dutch country. He preached one Sunday morning on "all the fullness of God."

Following the service, he was invited to the home of a Dutch farmer for the noon meal. The farmer openly ad­mitted that he didn't understand what the preacher meant about the fullness of God. If you're filled with God, how can you contain more?

The preacher took the farmer outside and found a bucket. They took the bucket to the potato cellar and filled it with potatoes. "Is the bucket full?" the preacher asked? "Certainly," said the farmer.

The preacher then took the bucket to the grain bin and carefully scooped handfuls of grain into the bucket. It sifted its way down around the potatoes. The preacher again asked, "Is the bucket full" "Sure is," replied the farmer.

Again, the preacher picked up the bucket. This time he walked to the well where he emptied several cups of wa­ter into the bucket. The water found plenty of room to still exist. Then the preacher said, "Is the bucket fu11 now?"

The farmer said, "I get the point. As much as I allow God to fill me, there's still room for more of Him."

Paul said that God is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph. 3:20). Don't you think He can fill you with His power and presence?

"Don't get drunk on wine .... Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:18-19).

In our speech, in our song, in our spirit, "We've got Jesus to sing about."

By Tim Stearman

Matt. 9:37-38

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

First Sunday of January

 

INTRO:

It was only a day and a half. But those hours would have to be listed among the most miserable in my life.

At 14, I'd grown up in an area where wheat fields sur­rounded our house. I'd watched combines more than once slowly devour the golden grain and leave behind evenly-cut stubble, but I had never helped. Not until that one particular summer morning.

Instead of caddying at the golf course, I had agreed to help a distant family member bale hay. I had never been around much farm machinery. I hadn't driven much be­sides go-carts. I didn't trust animals. I had no business on a farm. But they had offered to pay me the unheard of salary of $1.25 an hour. I was determined to get a start on accumulating my fortune.

I found myself sitting behind the wheel of the farmer's old red Ford pickup truck, driving down a country road toward the field. I had visions of driving a nice tractor and watching a machine spit out perfectly shaped bales of hay.

When I arrived at the field, I discovered that the farmer's 12-year-old son would be driving the tractor pulling a baling machine that was pulling a trailer. I was placed on the trailer with a hay hook and instructed how to hook the bales and stack them.

I wasn't thrilled, but I was determined. The farmer left. The 12-year-old and I started making even smaller circles around that field. The baling machine performed beauti­fully-spitting out bales faster than I could grab them. I'm sure the 12-year-old thought it was funny when he had to stop and come back to help me stack the bales.

I worked for a day and a half-until all the hay was put up. It was hot and dusty. My allergies acted up. Solid blis­ters filled the palms of my hands until I couldn't fully open my hands. It was the hardest physical labor I had ever performed.

A harvest had to be brought in. I learned that I didn't really need experience to do the job. But there were some qualifications. I had to be able to endure the physi­cal exertion. I had to have a certain amount of strength and a willingness to work.

There is a harvest to be brought in.

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them" (v. 36).

Jesus looked at the multitudes of people. They were lost, and His heart was stirred with compassion. "Gripped" with compassion! "Stirred," because Jesus saw the crowds "scattered abroad, as sheep having no shep­herd" (v. 36, KJV). The religious leaders were not fulfill­ing their responsible role as shepherds of the people.

So Jesus said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" (v. 37).

His prayer is relevant for today. While the laborers have increased, they have not caught up with the colos­sal increase of the harvest.

Nineteen centuries later, countless millions have never heard the good news that Jesus died to save them from sin.

There is still a harvest to be brought in.

I. We Must Open Our Eyes to See People in Their Need

If anyone knew the true condition of people, it was Je­sus. He could see into the heart and discern need.

Matthew pictures how Jesus saw the multitudes (9:36- 38).

A. "They fainted" (KJV).

They were tired-weary with life. They were whipped by events, needing spiritual rest.

B. They were "scattered abroad"

This expression comes from a verb form, meaning "to throw, cast, or hurl." He saw people thrown around by life's circumstances.

They lacked the leadership and protection of a shep­herd.

What a description of our day. Multitudes trudge through life with no God, no faith, no love, no hope. They have no roots. They drift without an anchor to hold them. They exist without hope and apparently do not know it.

C. Jesus saw them as a ripe "harvest."

Certainly they were ready for the gospel of hope.

ILLUS. What do we see? Billy Graham arrived at Sir Win­ston Churchill's residence in 1954 to find the great states­man looking pale and frightened. As the evangelist en­tered, Churchill looked up and asked, "Young man, do you have any hope?"

The multitudes ask that question today. They are ask­ing you.

The harvest needs to be brought in. No experience necessary! But you must be qualified.

When God opens our eyes, we see people spiritually lost and critically hurting without hope and with all kinds of need. To adequately participate in bringing in the har­vest, we must be able to "see" life in its true condition.

II. We Must Open Our Hearts to Care

Seeing means much more than simply being aware of spiritual needs. It demands responding to those needs. It involves loving, caring, and receiving people.

Compassion is a deeply moving attitude. Jesus was "moved with compassion."

Compassion represents loving someone so deeply that we involve ourselves until the hurt is healed. The Good Samaritan illustrates compassion.

ILLUS. In a Vacation Bible School service in California, the altar was opened for children to find the Lord. A Mexican-American boy didn't respond to the invitation, although he later indicated that he had wanted to do so. When asked why, he said, "I didn't think you'd want me." How many people feel that way?

ILLUS. A prominent pastor in the south heard of the financial struggle of a family outside his congregation. His church had the means to relieve the suffering, so one day he mustered his courage and approached the door of the ragged home perched gingerly on the side of a hill. The woman came to the door and didn't invite the pastor in. He introduced himself and told why he had come. With an icy stare, she simply said, "You don't really care."

At first he felt anger-then bewilderment and a desire to tell her how they really did care. But he eventually left with those words ringing in his ears. "You don't really care."

He began to ask himself, "Do we? Do we really care?" The question is relevant for us. Do we really care?

The harvest needs to be brought in, but we are not qualified if we do not have the capacity to really care.

III. We Must Open Our Time to Prayer

Only by prayer do we get a true vision of the harvest.

Jesus said, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest" (v. 38, KJV).

I am convinced that the reason so few carry a burden for the multitudes of lost humanity, or even the lost in our own families, is because we pray so little.

We have arrived at a place where we know how to go through all of the religious exercises without ever feeling anything.

We often exhibit a lack of sensitivity. "If people come to church, fine. If not, that's all right, too, but it's not my responsibility."

Wrong!

It is our responsibility. If we spent more time in prayer and fostered a closer relationship with the Lord, we would be eager for others to know Jesus too.

Shallow commitment advertises the lack of spiritual depth.

Teachers, do you pray for your class? Did you pray this week? Do you care about those students of yours? Do you have something worth hearing when they come to class? Do you see the tremendous potential in your pupils?

We all have responsibility to pray and care and visit and carry a burden for those who walk through our paths needing Jesus.

We need more laborers! Laborers for the harvest al" ways come in answer to prayer.

Jesus said, "Pray ... the Lord of the harvest."

The Holy Spirit in the atmosphere of prayer calls persons to special ministries. So we pray for laborers to minister to needs. We pray for the people and their needs.

There's a harvest to be brought in where we live and work.

IV. We Must Open Our Lives to Go

A true vision means that we make ourselves available to become involved in the needs of the people. How?

We acknowledge our place in the Body of Christ as His servant to minister to others. We open our lives to touch people with our love, words, and genuine help.

We open our Jives to tell people the good news of Jesus' saving power. We teach them the Word of God. We minister to their need.

After doing some visitation, one man stated to his pa~ tor, "I didn't know there were seeds like this. It opened my eyes as to why we need to go."

How can you respond to the harvest?

A. Respond to the opportunity you have personally, wherever it is.

It may be in your family, your neighborhood, on your job, in the church, or to a stranger.

B. Respond to opportunities your church offers you. Get involved in visitation. Contact absentees. Use the special events to invite others.

C. Don't wait for a giant step.

Take the first step, however insignificant and unseen it maybe.

The church faces the challenge today to lead people to life in Christ. That challenge is yours! So get off the bench on the sidelines and get into the harvest.

There is a harvest to bring in. "Help wanted, no experience necessary." But you must be willing to meet the qualifications.

1. Open your eyes to see the need.

2. Open your heart to care.

3. Open your time to pray.

4. Open your life to go.

ILLUS. The church telephone rang. The call came from a desperate person. "My father is dying. Would you send someone to see him?"

Someone went and discovered that the dying patient was not a Christian. As a result of his visit, the man was saved. Before the visit was over, five others of the family found Jesus Christ. Great! Yet, the sad truth was that the person who called the church had already contacted four or five other churches. No one had come-no one with eyes open to see and a heart open to care and willing to give time to pray and to sacrifice to go.

Don't let the harvest rot in the fields.

There is a harvest to be brought in. "Help wanted, no experience necessary."

By Tim Stearman

Neh. 1:1-11

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

Second Sunday of January

 

INTRO:

You've followed the last lead-no job. You've been to the last expert-no answer. You've stood by helplessly unable to reach your child. With a sense of loss and de­spair, you've realized that your marriage is not going to survive. Your scholarship didn't come through. Or you're trapped in a dead-end job - dead-end marriage - dead-end life. Perhaps you've wondered if it's even worth living. You've said, "Why don't we just give up?"

What do you do when you feel like giving up? Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the king of Persia, was more like a personal adviser than a butler.

One of his brothers returned from Judah-Jerusalem, to be exact. Nehemiah asked him how things were go­ing. It's too bad he even asked because, after hearing the report, he felt compelled to do something.

His brother told him that 50,000 people who had been allowed to return to Judah from exile faced great trouble and disgrace. They felt discouraged while the once majes­tic wall surrounding the city was still only a pile of rubble.

Before the report, Nehemiah had visions of the city of Jerusalem thriving with the marketplace filled, the walls standing proudly, and the people living in freedom. Now he was brought face-to-face with a picture that was far less glamorous.

The report devastated Nehemiah. It was worse than he had imagined: "I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heav­en" (v. 4). Nehemiah was wallowing in his despair.

"Then I said, 'O Lord, God of heaven . . . who keeps his covenant of love . . . hear the prayer your servant is praying'" (vv. 5-6). After his days of despair, he began to do some serious praying.

Nehemiah's prayer led him to approach the king for permission to return to Judah and oversee the task of rebuilding the wall. Before he spoke to the king, he prayed again. The king not only gave him permission to return but eventually made Nehemiah governor of Judah. The prayer recorded in Nehemiah 1 is the first of many texts recording the prayers of Nehemiah.

As we read his book, we find prayer offered before the work was undertaken, while the work was in progress, and after the work had been completed.

Nehemiah went through despair and came out on the other side a winner. Yet, we do ourselves a disservice if we fail to adequately understand verse 4. In the New King James Version, it reads, "So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days."

Whenever we face the potential of tragedy or whenev­er we hear bad news, our first knee-jerk reaction is to pray. Even the agnostic may plead, "Oh, my God!" That's often our response too. "Oh, my God, help, save, cure, fix, do something." We weep and mourn for days.

After that initial awareness of loss, many of us drift into a valley of despair. Our prayer was not answered as we thought it should be - as we hoped it would be.

We begin to assume several things: God doesn't love us. God never answers our prayers. Either God can't or won't intervene in our lives.

If we're not careful, we begin to voice our complaint, "What's the use? Why try? I might as well give up."

In Nehemiah's life, it was after he had wept and mourned many days that he began to pray again.

Then it's a different kind of prayer. No longer does Ne­hemiah pray in panic. His prayer contains power. One reason is because Nehemiah has come face-ta-face with his own failure.

I. Prayer Brings Us Face-to-face with Our Own Failure

Problems in your life are not God's punishment for sin.

But discouragement brought Nehemiah to his knees con­fessing his own failure.

Nothing in Nehemiah's book indicates that he was a bad person, living away from God. Yet, his deep concern for his people caused him to do some very deep heart search­ing. "I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you" (v. 6).

The prophet Isaiah went into the Temple one day and received a vision of God. He first reacted with an aware­ness of his own failure and guilt. That awareness led to his confession: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (6:5, KJV).

God gave Isaiah an awareness of cleansing as He made Isaiah clean and pure.

When you feel like giving up, pray.

You say, "Pastor, I've already done that." Could that prayer have been panic in the process of weeping and mourning? Pray again. Only now pray from power, let­ting God dig deeply.

I do not speak to you this morning as one who has not been there. I don't know your story, so you'll have to lis­ten to mine.

In February of 1988, I was the pastor of a church at Independence, Kans. We had been there almost eight years.

We had relocated to 37 acres of property and built a new church complex.

A telephone call came from Kansas City. I had been elected to a position at our denomination's headquarters. I had two days in which to decide. I grew up under the old philosophy that if the church calls, you go. I went.

On my last Sunday, I preached to 438 people. The next week, I had no pulpit, no people. I felt in exile in a strange land. It was like a divorce - quick, easy, very painful.

My prayer was filled with panic. "God help me." I wanted to run.

But God was doing something in me that I would nev­er have allowed Him to do in that church. I was too safe, too secure, too comfortable.

The Lord allowed me to be brought to the place where I felt like giving up. I remember wishing I could have a heart attack so I wouldn't have to go to the office.

For the first time in my life, I felt that I must be the moving target of God's wrath, rather than the object of His love. I felt myself moving from prayers of panic to the valley of despair. From there, I had a choice. Stay in the valley and give up-or pray.

Only this time I offered not a prayer of panic, but one of power. That prayer brought me face-to-face with my own failure-one of the most liberating experiences of my life.

II. Prayer Brings Us Face-to-face with Our Father

Nehemiah says, "O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant" (v. 11).

Nehemiah knew he stood in the presence of God.

By its very nature, prayer brings us into God's pres­ence. We become consciously aware of the presence of the living God.

One reason we doubt the power of prayer is that we generally talk to God when we're in trouble, in the panic mode.

ILLUS. I have two wonderful daughters. I love them more than I can express. When they face problems, I want them to come to me. But it's so nice when they sim­ply come to my chair, put their arms around my neck, and say, "Dad, I love you."

I have to imagine that my Heavenly Father also en­joys-even relishes-those occasions when we simply bow before Him and tell Him that we love Him.

So often when trouble comes, we go to God and ask Him for help, but He's a stranger to us. We don't know Him. I once wrote and asked Sam Walton for money to finish a building project. He said, "No." Why? Because he didn't have the money? Hardly. I didn't know him.

Oswald Chambers explained, "The whole meaning of prayer is that we may know God."

When I felt like giving up, but prayed, I came face-to-­face with my Heavenly Father. Three things happened.

A. I discovered power in praise.

I would kneel beside my chair in my basement study and tears would stream down my face as I praised God for my misery-honestly-for my fear, my insecurity.

Somehow I sensed God's cleansing, refreshing. It was a process of acknowledging that God was in control and I belong to Him.

I praised God for my job. It was a great task. I praised Him for the honor, for our house, our family, our health, my boss, my coworkers, our denomination. I went down the list.

I can't explain it. I can only acknowledge it. I found power in praising God.

B. I discovered strength in surrender.

The Psalmist said, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Ps. 42:1).

Spiritual desire flows from surrendered despair.

I didn't like the job any better, but I found a new strength. God assured me that the assignment wouldn't last forever and that He had placed me here for a reason.

When you believe you're where God wants you, you have incredible endurance.

C. I discovered depth in devotion.

Whenever we suffer, we will eventually receive the precious gift of an intimacy with God.

The purpose of the despair is to move us beyond self-pity. God does not waste the despair. He uses it to give more than answers. The Lord becomes the answer.

I've discovered something else about devotion. Lloyd Ogilvie reminds us that God never allows more suffering than required for God and the sufferer to know one an­other better.

God does not intervene too quickly and thus keep us from discovering the meaning of our suffering. God loves us too much for that!

Nehemiah's despair turned to prayer and a city was for­tified with a wall.

Nehemiah prayed. His prayer involved specific re­quests for God's people and for Nehemiah himself. The ministry of prayer has three important aspects: The man of God believes the Word of God in order that the work of God might be accomplished.

The secret did not rest in Nehemiah's resources or in his ability as a leader. It resided in his power with God.

When you feel like giving up, pray.

Watch Nehemiah as he rallied the people to build the wall. "So they strengthened their hands for this good work" (2: 18, KJV). Some hecklers in the crowd made noise: "They laughed us ... and despised us" (v. 19, KJV). Yes, but Nehemiah had prayed. "So built we the wall ... for the people had a mind to work" (4:6, KJV).

When you feel like giving up - in your life, in your mar­riage, in your family, in your church - pray.

Let God help you build a wall around your life, mar­riage, family, and church.

By Tim Stearman

Num. 13:26-33

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

Third Sunday of January

 

INTRO:

The plan was set and the men were chosen. Twelve men, one from each tribe, approached Moses to receive their orders.

Moses told them: "You men are being sent on an intel­ligence assignment. Your job will be to spy out the land of Canaan, gaining all the information you can, and re­turning to me with that information."

Perhaps Moses bent down to the ground and sketched a makeshift map in the sand at his feet as he told them to go into the land from the south and follow the moun­tains.

One of the newly selected spies may have asked, "What type of information are you really interested in?"

Moses replied, "Find out everything you can. Check the land from top to bottom. Check the soil to see if it's suitable for growing our crops. Check the people living there, and find out if the population is many or few.

"Find out if the people are strong or weak and if they can be conquered easily. Scout the cities to see if they are weak and easily accessible or if they are fortified with walls. Check out to see if the land is prosperous. Are the animals fat or lean? Is there wood for construction and fire?

"Bring back samples of the fruit of the land so that those of us who stay behind have something on which to base our opinion.

"Most of all, be of good courage" (see vv. 17-20).

With knapsacks on their backs, they started their jour­ney.

They did as Moses had instructed. Making their way southward, they came to the brook of Eshcol. There they cut down a cluster of grapes to return for the people to see.

They carried the bunch of grapes on a pole between two men, not only because of its size but also to keep from damaging the fruit. You can't very well carry a clus­ter of grapes in your hip pocket.

They also filled their knapsacks with pomegranates and figs until the weight made them a burden.

They spied on the people who inhabited the land.

They followed orders to the letter. Forty days after they left camp, they returned to give their report.

Arriving with tired feet, they were immediately sur­rounded by neighbors, eager to hear their report.

Lowering knapsacks to the ground, they breathed a sigh of relief that the journey was over. No doubt they thanked God for His mercy to them.

When ushered before Moses, he asked for their report. With breathless excitement, they began to speak: "We found a land flowing with milk and honey, a beautiful land of lush, green meadows and snowcapped moun­tains. A land of cool rivers and warm, windy plains.

"Look at the evidence we brought back with us" (see v. 27). They unloaded the pomegranates and figs and had the large bunch of grapes brought forward for Moses to inspect.

The people pressed in to make their own inspection. They continued with their report: "Nevertheless, the people are strong who dwell there, and the cities are walled and strong" (see v. 28).

As the crowd heard the report, they began to get rest­less. Their voices raised in excited clamor.

Finally, one of the spies named Caleb raised his hands and stilled the people. With his voice filled with excitement, he yelled, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it" (v. 30, KJV).

There were great shouts of victory at such a good re­port-especially over the fact that Caleb thought the land could be conquered.

But seconds later, the crowd was stilled again as anoth­er of the spies began to speak. He almost laughed at Caleb as he said, "What do you mean? We can't go up against those people; for they are stronger than we are" (seev.31).

The scripture says, "And they brought up an evil re­port" (v. 32, KJV).

They told of a land that was hard and that ate up its in­habitants. They told of a land filled with men of great stature.

The straw that broke the camel's back came when their report told of the sons of Anak. "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (v. 33, KJV).

Although Joshua cast his vote with Caleb to go in and conquer the land immediately, the other 10 voted the motion down, the people cast their lot with the 10 who were pessimistic.

The main difference between Joshua and Caleb and the other 10 spies lie not in the facts they were presenting but in their interpretation of those facts.

Today we often face the same situation. Many times the difference between people is not the facts they face but the interpretation they give to the facts.

The experience of the.12 spies illustrates that truth. Their purpose in spying was not to determine if the land should be taken. That had already been decided. It was to determine how best to accomplish that task.

All spies found the land to be an exceedingly good land, flowing with milk and honey. All saw the giants, the sons of Anak.

But Caleb and Joshua viewed the giants in the light of God's orders-and they didn't look so big after all. To Joshua and Caleb, the giants only represented opportuni­ty. They say concerning those giants, "They are bread for us" (Num. 14:9, KJV).

Looking at the same situation, the other spies became completely unnerved. "We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (14:33, KJV).

Looking at the opinions given by the two sets of spies, we see two very different reactions.

Although that story took place thousands of years ago, those same two categories of people still exist today.

I. Some People, Represented by the Ten Unfaithful Spies, Face Life, Seeing Only the Problems

We live in a problem-conscious culture. We are proba­bly the best surveyed people in history. Those surveys disclose that we have a keen realization of our problems. We are aware of the pollution problem, the energy crises, the threat of mass starvation, the possibility of global holocaust. We are aware of church problems, na­tional problems, international problems, and individual problems. These problems are very real, and we cannot simply ignore them.

But neither do we need to overemphasize problems, becoming so conscious of the problems that we are para­lyzed by fear.

Too often people lacking faith look at all of the prob­lems of life, settle down, and become very satisfied doing nothing.

This is what happened to Israel that day in the wilder­ness.

ILLUS. I'm reminded of the wild duck that came down into a barnyard while migrating south for the winter. He liked it so well that he stayed. In the fall, his companions passed overhead and his first impulse was to rise and join them. But he had eaten too well and could rise no higher than the eaves of the bam. The day came when his old travelers could pass overhead without his even hearing their call.

When we first decide to become content taking the easy way out, we sometimes start to jump and help when a problem arises. But eventually we get so used to run­ning from giants that we don't even respond to the prob­lems.

Perhaps the giant is injured feelings or broken fellow­ship. Perhaps it started out small but, by trying to ignore the problem, it has become bigger and refuses to go away. That curt remark or that unkind word has become a giant in your life - a giant that you fear and refuse to conquer.

Because of the fear and lack of faith among the 10 pes­simistic spies, the whole nation of Israel spent 40 years wandering needlessly in the wilderness.

Many times today the small problems that churches have allowed to become giants keep the whole congrega­tion wandering needlessly in a spiritual no-man's-land.

But there was another reaction.

II. Some People Can Face Up to Life, Seeing the Possibilities

That's what Caleb and Joshua did.

Their reaction and report doesn't mean that they were any less intelligent than the other spies. It simply means that they weren't obsessed with the problems.

It takes at least three things to enable one to see the possibilities of life.

A. We need a sense of mission.

Joshua and Caleb had a sense of mission about what they were to do.

They went to find a way into the land, not to report the difficulties.

They had a sense of mission. With a strong sense of mission, anyone can succeed.

B. We need a vision of strength.

A person who thinks he's a failure will more than likely be a failure.

The 10 unfaithful spies saw themselves as grasshop­pers before the inhabitants of the land. They considered themselves insignificant and too weak to act.

But Caleb and Joshua did not agree. "We are well able to overcome," they said. They had a vision of strength.

C. We need an awareness of God.

Real power comes from an awareness of God.

The secret of Caleb and Joshua's view was dependence on God.

Knowing as much about the new land as the other 10 spies, and knowing as much about the children of Israel as the others, if they had depended on their own strength, they, too, would have been discouraged.

But there was a difference. They depended on God. Our dependence on God needs to be sincere and hon­est. God will help us defeat those problems dressed as gi­ants.

The way that you face up to life will depend on the in­terpretation you give life and upon your dependence on God.

---

 

A Sermon to Honor Our Senior Adults

By Tim Stearman

Isa. 54:11-17

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

Fourth Sunday of January

INTRO:

In the spring of 1903, John Robert and Fanny Stearman put nearly everything they had on the auction block at the old home place at Summerville, Ky., in Green Coun­ty. Then they headed for the promised prosperity to be found on the plains of Oklahoma.

With their nine children, they cautiously boarded the first train they had ever seen. Standing on the platform and watching that old steam locomotive belching black soot and cinders into the air, they had to question the wisdom of their decision.

Two of the older boys carried between them a bushel basket with a red-checkered tablecloth neatly covering the contents and tucked down in the side. Inside that bushel basket nestled the fare they would be eating for the next three days aboard the train. The contents includ­ed fried side meat, biscuits, and a crock of frog-eye gravy.

On the journey to Oklahoma, the train stopped at Birthright, Tex., and the family piled out of that old Pull­man car, thrilled to be back on solid ground. There to meet them was cousin Tom Chaney in his covered wagon.

They had hardly loaded the wagon when Tom said, "Fanny, the Hudson-Taylor band is holding a brush arbor meeting over near Sulphur Springs." After traveling three days with nine children, she consented to go.

They preached on second blessing holiness, and she re­alized that although she knew Jesus as her Savior, some­thing was lacking. That night she was sanctified holy. She only shouted once in her life, but that night she shouted.

In her declining years, she spent hours in her upstairs bedroom in a creaking rocking chair praying for her fami­ly.

Today she lies beneath the red clay of an Oklahoma grave, but her memory lives on in the hearts and lives of her family.

I never knew her. But I think I can identify with some of the things she experienced and some of the things she felt, because her actions and her life are part of my her­itage.

Our heritage is made up of more than history and ge­nealogy. Heritage also includes precepts-beliefs.

In Isaiah 54, we have a narrative from God. The symbolism in this passage is twofold.

1. God speaks words of encouragement to the city.

2. God speaks as though He's addressing a bride. Throughout the Scripture, the Church is referred to as the bride. So we have a passage that could be interpreted as directed toward the Church.

We read these words, "This is the heritage of the ser­vants of the Lord" (v. 17). Certain things concerning my heritage and yours are the same.

Whether or not a new generation receives its full her­itage depends a great deal on you and how you preserve it. You are currently in the process of giving to a new generation the reins of the church. It reflects your per­sonality and your interpretation of Scripture.

The mechanics of the church have your fingerprints on them because it was constructed and developed under your prayerful leadership. You give to a new generation beautiful church buildings, sprawling campuses, interna­tional headquarters, publishing companies - multiplied millions of dollars’ worth of property. You have done well.

But if we fail to inherit your spiritual values, the spiritu­al "fire," and the desire to "keep the glory down," we have inherited very little.

In Isaiah 54, I see the things you really want a new gen­eration to inherit-the things worthy to be claimed as heritage.

I. Peace Is a Worthy Inheritance

"Great shall be the peace of thy children" (v. 13, KJV). Humankind has continuously searched for peace since Cain slew Abel. Historians and sociologists insist that peace is impossible. One quick glance backward would cause us certainly to agree.

World War I found the world engulfed in a cloud of smoke from the exploding charges of many nations as hu­mankind continued its search for peace. It was claimed to be "the war that ends all war." It left 37 million people dead or wounded, cost the United States alone $250 billion.

In reality, the blue smoke had hardly cleared from the battlefield when the world plunged into the depths of war again. Adolf Hitler marched through the throne rooms of Europe and struggled to shackle the world with his twisted, demonic dynasty. Three hundred thousand Americans were killed in battle and $350 billion was spent by the U.S.A. alone.

We have experienced the heartbreak of Korea and wit­nessed the tragedy of Vietnam. The testimony of our world continues to shout, "Peace is impossible."

In our homes, divorce shatters marriage. Peace is not possible.

Our heritage of God's Word tells us differently. "Great shall be the peace of thy children."

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give un­to you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27, KJV).

Again Jesus said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have over­come the world" (John 16:33, KJV).

The apostle Paul wrote from a Roman prison, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7, KJV).

You have taught us by your examples the truth of Paul's statement.

When the world is being blown apart and nations are falling, I can know peace. It's part of my heritage. The Bible teaches it, and you have presented it-the knowl­edge that I can come to Jesus, ask for forgiveness, and re­ceive peace.

The world claims it's impossible, but my heritage says all things are possible!

"This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord."

II. Purity Is a Worthy Inheritance

"In righteousness shalt thou be established" (v. 14, KJV).

You have taught us that righteousness is only possible with purity of heart.

Sir Galahad is immortalized by the_ fact that his "strength was as the strength of ten because his heart was pure." As long as the purity involves a fictitious char­acter, it's acceptable by most. However, people scoff at the idea of having a clean, pure heart, even though they desperately long for it. People say it is an impossibility. Yet again, our heritage of God's Word tells us that it's not simply possible, but it's a promise.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8, KJV).

The Psalmist sang, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart" (Ps. 24:3-4, KJV).

Paul insisted, "Keep thyself pure" (l Tim. 5:22, KJV). You have passed that heritage on to this new genera­tion. In a very real sense, this portion of our heritage sets us, the holiness movement, apart from other popular the­ologies.

You have proven to our satisfaction that it's time - that the cleansing, refining fire of the Holy Spirit can purify our hearts by faith.

"This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord."

III. Power Is a Worthy Inheritance

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" (v. 17, KJV). Those words speak of power.

ILLUS. In 1942, man, in his search for power, straddled the Columbia River with the Grand Coulee Dam. It cost American taxpayers $785 million. They poured 11 mil­lion cubic yards of concrete into it-three times that of Boulder Dam.

The Grand Coulee stands 550 feet high and stretches almost one mile long. When they straddled the Columbia River with the Grand Coulee, it backed that river up be­yond the Canadian border, 133 miles to the north.

The reservoir that it forms irrigates 1 million acres. Its 10 generators provide 1 billion kilowatts of electricity, which illuminate the Northwest.

That is great power.

But there is another form of power. God's Word speaks about spiritual power. Our heritage demands we possess spiritual power from God.

If a new generation fails, it will fail at this point of spiri­tual power. Too often the power that Uncle Bud spoke of, that C. B. Jernigan testified to, and that R. T. Williams experienced is only a sweet reminiscence. Puny amounts of spiritual power trickling from behind weak pulpits are but remnants of the power that used to explode when the man of God stood to deliver his message from God.

Spiritual power is almost a forgotten commodity in so many religious corners .today. It's easy to become so en­tangled with the buttons and banners and promotions and slogans that we relegate the "power of God" to the back room.

Jesus reminds us, "Ye shall receive power" (Acts 1:8, KJV).

Paul declared, "In the last days perilous times shall come for men shall . . . [have] a form of godliness, but [deny] the power thereof' (2 Tim. 3:1-2, 5, KJV).

If what we have witnessed in your lives is correct, then there is power in the blood of Jesus Christ. We dare not stumble through a generation without it because spiritual power is a vital heritage of the Lord's servant.

If an aspect of the church today is certainly not fin­ished, it is in God's spiritual power in His people. You must not lay down the tools of your toil until a new gen­eration fully in11erits the spiritual power that you have ex­perienced.

If you worry about turning over the keys of the church to a new generation, don't worry.

You have taught us well.

Jesus promised, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16: 18, KJV).

 

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COME BEFORE WINTER

By Tim Stearman

2 Tim. 4:21

(Preacher’s Magazine 1993-94)

Fifth Sunday of January

 

INTRO:

Daniel Webster defines a friend as "one attached to an­other by esteem, respect, and affection."

Somehow those words hardly seem adequate to de­scribe the way we feel about a close friend, someone that we really love.

True friends are entirely too few. We have our acquain­tances, but true friends - best friends –don't come along every day.

Paul and Timothy felt that way about each other. Per­haps they were best friends. I think Paul liked being with Timothy simply because he was Timothy. Something magical in their personalities drew them together.

Out of that sense of friendship, Paul wrote these words to Timothy, "Do thy diligence to come before winter" (2 Tim. 4:21, KJV).

Why do I say that? Because on at least two other occa­sions in this letter alone, Paul urges Timothy to come to Rome.

Paul says that he had been "greatly desiring to see" Timothy (1:4, KJV). He says, "Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me" (4:9, KJV). Then again in closing his let­ter, Paul writes, "Do thy diligence to come before win­ter."

1. I. Paul's Request Was "Come Before Winter"

Because of friendship, Paul made a request that he wouldn't make of someone who wasn't his friend. "Come before winter."

Although it's a request made of a friend, there's some­thing unique in this request.

A. Paul gives an urgent request.

It was an urgent request for several reasons. Not only did he long to see Timothy, but he needed Timothy's help. Not only did he ask Timothy to come, hut he asked him to bring some things with him.

Three things were mentioned (v. 13):

1. His books-his small traveling library.

2. His parchments-probably his legal papers, per­haps to prove he was a Roman citizen.

3. His cloak-his coat. The little dwelling where he lived let in the brisk autumn air through the cracks in the walls. Paul felt the cold. Winter was approach­ing, so he wanted his coat. "Come before winter."

4. He also requests that Timothy bring John Mark:

"For he is profitable to me for the ministry" (v. 11, KJV). What a change in heart! Do you remember that Mark had so disappointed Paul at an earlier date it eventually caused the separation of Paul and Barna­bas? Now Paul wants Mark.

Whom does he ask to bring him? Friend Timothy.

When does he want them to come? Before winter.

"Come before winter" -an urgent request because Paul knew that before long the winter storms would make travel hazardous. He urges Timothy to make the trip soon.

B. Paul gives a revealing request.

Shrouded within the words of this plea, I see a reveal­ing request.

Paul tells Timothy that Demas, Crescens, and Titus had left (v. 10). For various reasons, they were gone. The on­ly one remaining with Paul was Luke the physician. I can imagine him as a scientist whose mind was consumed with the latest tests and methods, poring over experi­ments and extracting splinters, busy writing his own memoirs. Perhaps Luke was not really an individual to whom you could get close.

I see in Paul a great hunger for some real fellowship. Paul is a prisoner without human hope. He's eager for old friends to reminisce once again. He pleads with Timo­thy, "Come before winter."

II. Our Prayer Is "Come Before Winter"

Another hunger consumes the human spirit like a can­cer. That's a hunger for God.

Have you ever been really hungry?

Have you ever faced spiritual famine to the point of starvation? Have you ever been so hungry for God the Holy Spirit to descend and fill your life that you were willing to do anything to receive Him?

Jesus tells us, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6, KJV).

Paul reminds us, "Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst" (1 Cor. 4:11, KJV).

When we get that hungry, our prayer agrees with Paul's plea, "Come before winter."

O Lord, come before Winter! Don't let us labor through the icy months ahead without a new touch from You.

Of all the friends we ever hope to have, none can be so true as Jesus. I join Paul in his request of a friend, "Jesus, come before winter."

Joseph Scriven wrote the words,

What a Friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Ev'rything to God in prayer.

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Ev'rything to God in prayer!

That's friendship-and I hunger for that friend that makes me call out, "Come before winter."

It is a hunger for Jesus, the One who said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35, KJV).

What if we continue to pray and hold on and it seems God doesn't come? What can we do?

Keep looking! Keep praying! Keep waiting! Keep urg­ing Jesus to "come before winter."

Paul said, "I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7, KJV), and that's what I'm going to keep-believing that Jesus will come if we want Him.

I'm not interested in a superficial emotional moving, spurred by oratory. I'm interested in the deep moving of the Holy Spirit.

Like Paul, I want something. That's why we shout to­gether, "Come before winter."

I'm so hungry for fellowship with Friend Jesus that I pray with Paul, "Come before winter."

III. God's Invitation Is "Come Before Winter"

Shrouded in these words may be "God's invitation" to you.

You are lost. You have wanted to accept Jesus for years. You have put it off time after time.

So often you have heard the words of Jesus: "Come un­to me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28, KJV). Apply the words of Paul to that verse and you may hear Jesus saying, "Come before winter."

The trees are almost bare. December is nudging No­vember into history. Winter will soon be upon us.

That day so long ago they stripped a bramble of its beauty and wound the thorny stem into a crown. They led Jesus away and, with the efficiency of masters at tor­ture, they crucified Him.

Blood trickled down His arms and dripped from His el­bows. His hands, feet, and side were on fire with pain. Do you know what? He didn't die for the world. He died for you.

And if you were the only person who needed to be saved, He would have died only for you.

ILLUS. A little boy snuggled under his covers. He felt mis­treated and rejected, taken for granted. The next morn­ing he wrote the following note and slipped it under his mother's breakfast plate. .

For cleaning out the barn    7 cents

For taking out trash         3 cents

For feeding the dog          2 cents

For bringing in the mail     4 cents

For cutting weeds            8 cents

Total                   24 cents

The next morning as his mother was fixing breakfast, she noticed the note. Her heart began to swell and tears to course down her cheeks. She turned the page over and on the back she wrote -

For going to jaws of death to bring you life         No charge

For cleaning your clothes and ironing           No charge

For fixing your meals each day                  No charge

For sitting up with you all night                    No charge

Total                                      No charge

P.S. I did it because I love you.

The little boy discovered the note and started to cry. He hugged his mother around her waist and said, "I didn't realize."

We come to Jesus with our petty little complaints and demands. He points to Calvary's cross and says, "No charge." Today He stands before you with the request of a friend. He pleads for you to "Come before winter."