1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,720 Now we're going to take our Bibles and turn together to the book of James. 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:07,400 In the month of January we are talking about stewardship. 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:13,320 We'll get back to Romans in February, the Lord willing, but for this month of January 4 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:16,600 we want to talk about the importance of stewardship. 5 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:22,240 Last Sunday we talked about four principles of stewardship. 6 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:25,720 If you were not here, we have tapes that are available that you can borrow so that you 7 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:30,360 can listen to that message and get caught up with us. 8 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:35,920 I asked those who were present last Sunday to do something for me, to memorize two verses 9 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,920 which will kind of be our theme through this month. 10 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:43,720 The verses are 1 Corinthians 6 verses 19 and 20. 11 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,840 Many of you have those memorized already, but if you weren't here last week, let me 12 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:51,560 encourage you to write those verses down and get them memorized this next week. 13 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,640 I wonder how many of you were here last week and memorized the verses, 1 Corinthians 6 14 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:56,640 verses 19 and 20. 15 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,440 I see a few hands. 16 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:00,360 Yes, now there are more of them. 17 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:01,360 That's good. 18 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:07,320 Others of you already know them, the real emphasis there that I'm after is, you are not your 19 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:08,520 own. 20 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,400 You are bought with a price. 21 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,920 He gives the reason for that and some elaboration on it. 22 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:16,920 Memorize those verses. 23 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,520 Allow the Spirit of God to sink that truth into your heart. 24 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:27,160 Then I ask you to do an inventory also, using a piece of paper write down your abilities 25 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:33,240 that you believe you have, the time that you have, waking hours, for some people that's 26 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:39,780 not too many, and then the amount of money that you have that God puts into your hands 27 00:01:39,780 --> 00:01:40,780 every month. 28 00:01:40,780 --> 00:01:47,320 Then the second column to write down how you're presently using your abilities, your time, 29 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:48,320 your money. 30 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:53,160 Then in column number three, your commitment for 1983, what you believe God would want 31 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:57,720 you to do so that you can be a better steward of all that he puts into your possessions. 32 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,960 You see everything that we have is God's. 33 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:06,120 Our stewardship is a sacred trust given to us for which we are personally responsible 34 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,960 and for which someday we must give an account to God. 35 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,880 It's important for us to keep track of our stewardship, see how we're doing, and this 36 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:19,520 is a normal good time of the year to think about those kinds of things. 37 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:25,000 Today we're going to talk specifically about the stewardship of life. 38 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:31,260 Beginning in James 4.13, it says, Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we shall go 39 00:02:31,260 --> 00:02:38,040 to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make profit. 40 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:42,080 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. 41 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:47,040 You are just like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 42 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:55,180 Instead, you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live, and also do this or that. 43 00:02:55,180 --> 00:02:58,600 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. 44 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:00,440 All such boasting is evil. 45 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:07,840 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does it not, to him it is sin. 46 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:17,240 W.E. Channing observed, Life is a fragment, a moment between two eternities, influenced 47 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:25,680 by all that has been and to influence all that will be. 48 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:33,960 James tells us here that one evidence of worldliness is a careless attitude toward life, ignoring 49 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,600 the proper place of God in life. 50 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:42,840 In fact, he says it is sin when we do not give God His proper place. 51 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:48,280 Even though one may be keen in planning for the future, for example, in business, as he 52 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:56,040 suggests here in verse 13, if one's plans for the future do not take into account God's 53 00:03:56,040 --> 00:04:00,200 place, that planning is evil. 54 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,280 Why is that? 55 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:08,560 Because planning without including God assumes something that ought not to be assumed, and 56 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:12,960 that is the continuance of life as it is. 57 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:17,120 James says that life is like a vapor. 58 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,160 It appears briefly and then vanishes quickly. 59 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,400 And you know life is more than lifetime. 60 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,920 That is, it's more than hours and years. 61 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:37,000 Life includes a force, an influence, it's a dynamic, it's the effect of one's God-given 62 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:38,280 personality. 63 00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:40,860 That is life. 64 00:04:40,860 --> 00:04:43,800 My point this morning is this. 65 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:48,600 What kind of an impact is your life making? 66 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,780 Or as James says, what is your life? 67 00:04:52,780 --> 00:04:57,680 Could it be that the impact of your life will be greater for the good if you were to be 68 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:03,200 a wiser steward of the privilege of life? 69 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,440 How can I make the most of my life? 70 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,800 I can only live it once. 71 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:13,160 How can I make the most of it? 72 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:21,720 The hedonist says, get all the gusto you can, whether it be in alcohol or in drugs or sex, 73 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,600 whatever gives you pleasure, get the gusto while you can. 74 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:30,960 The moralist says, to get the most out of life, do all the good you can. 75 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:35,240 Stop war, preserve the environment, help the poor. 76 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:41,840 The politician says, if you want to make the most of your life, climb as high as you can. 77 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:43,520 Power is the key to it all. 78 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,120 It makes no difference who you step on or what the cost is. 79 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,360 Get position and power. 80 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:55,800 The materialist says, to get the most out of life, accumulate all that you can. 81 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:00,000 The revolutionary says, if you want to make the most of your life, change all that you 82 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,000 can. 83 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,400 And the sluggard says, do as little as you can. 84 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:07,120 But what does God say? 85 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:09,400 After all, God is the creator. 86 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:13,000 He is the origin of life. 87 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,840 He ought to be able to tell us how to make the most of it, wouldn't you think? 88 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:18,740 Well, indeed he does. 89 00:06:18,740 --> 00:06:25,520 God says that I can make the most of my life by following the counsel of his word. 90 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:31,600 And in his word, there are several actions which he gives to us by which we can make 91 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:32,840 the most of our lives. 92 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:36,200 Let's follow through some of these. 93 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:43,040 I can make the most of my life, number one, by yielding to the lordship of Jesus Christ. 94 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,640 That's James' perspective, isn't it? 95 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,720 James doesn't say that planning is bad. 96 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,620 He doesn't say that business is bad. 97 00:06:52,620 --> 00:06:56,800 But he says to do those kinds of things and to leave the Lord out is bad. 98 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,400 It's evil. 99 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:03,920 He says what you ought to say is, if the Lord wills, we will do this or that. 100 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:10,280 In other words, James is saying to us that the lordship of Jesus Christ is preeminent. 101 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:18,960 He views life as a stewardship from God, which only God can fulfill directly and properly. 102 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:23,320 Life is not my own to do with as I please. 103 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:29,200 Christ has died for me to save me from the ruin and guilt of my sin. 104 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:35,920 And when I trusted him and yielded to him as my Savior and Lord, at that moment I gave 105 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:40,240 all that I was to him. 106 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:44,240 Now he lives so that my life can have meaning and purpose. 107 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:48,160 Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. 108 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:50,820 Dwight L. Moody said, let God have your life. 109 00:07:50,820 --> 00:07:55,440 He can do more with it than you can. 110 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:59,760 What I'm saying now is a prerequisite for everything else I'm going to say this morning. 111 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:01,960 It's the foundation. 112 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:07,600 If you want to make the most of your life, yield it to the lordship of Jesus Christ. 113 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:12,560 For some of you, that will mean becoming a Christian, taking the first step of receiving 114 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:17,960 Christ into your life, that your sins might be forgiven, that he might give you eternal 115 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,000 life. 116 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:25,240 For others of us who have made that commitment in the past, it may mean reaffirming his lordship 117 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:31,800 because we've taken control of our own lives and tried to direct ourselves. 118 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,960 But if you want to make the most of your life, it involves taking this step of making sure 119 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:37,760 he is lord. 120 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:42,280 How do you know if he's lord? 121 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:47,880 One way to find out is to ask yourself how much time you spend in his word. 122 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:54,200 It's ludicrous to say Jesus Christ is my lord if we're never in his word. 123 00:08:54,200 --> 00:09:01,360 How much time do I spend talking to him, communing with him, getting to know him? 124 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:06,760 How can I say Jesus Christ is my lord if I never talk to him? 125 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:14,280 Jesus said, why do you call me lord, lord, and do not the things that I say? 126 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:16,680 Are you doing the things that he says to do? 127 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:19,720 Do you know what he says to do? 128 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:25,440 If you want to make the most of your life, that's where to begin, by making sure that 129 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,440 Jesus Christ is your lord today. 130 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:33,360 Here's a second action you can take if you want to make the most of your life. 131 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,600 It is to invest your life in the ministry of a local church. 132 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:44,600 I'm not saying as a pastor or a staff member necessarily, though God may call you to that, 133 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:52,160 but to invest your life, that is its influence, its powers, its capacities, in the ministry 134 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:53,160 of a local church. 135 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:58,840 Turn back a few pages to Hebrews chapter 10 and look again at these verses that are familiar 136 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:00,760 to some of us. 137 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:08,240 The writer says in verse 24 of Hebrews 10, let us consider how to stimulate one another 138 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:15,880 to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of 139 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:21,640 some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near, 140 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,160 the day of his coming that is. 141 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:25,880 What is the writer saying to us? 142 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:31,000 Well, he's suggesting in the first place that even in that day, in the first century, 143 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:36,920 it had become the routine, the habit of some, to neglect the assembling of the saints. 144 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:39,720 Now, I don't know how many times a week they met. 145 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:41,320 It may have been once a week. 146 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,240 It may have varied with the cities. 147 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,760 Maybe they met every night. 148 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:52,200 Maybe it was three times a week like we seem to have gotten into in this particular age. 149 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:57,680 But when the church assembled, there were people who routinely and habitually neglected 150 00:10:57,680 --> 00:10:58,680 it. 151 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:01,240 They forsook it. 152 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:06,920 And so we see first of all the importance of being at church in worship, in fellowship 153 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:08,360 with the saints. 154 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:11,320 And that may mean more than once a week. 155 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:14,680 For some of you, it would mean coming again on Sunday, on Sunday night. 156 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:19,520 You've never gotten into that important habit, that routine. 157 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:24,120 He says we're not to neglect that aspect of it, but it's more than just coming. 158 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,600 The emphasis really here is upon serving. 159 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,760 He says stimulate one another to love and good deeds. 160 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:32,240 Encourage one another. 161 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:33,240 Why? 162 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,760 Because we need each other. 163 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:38,640 You need other people. 164 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:43,120 You are not an island isolated to yourself as a Christian. 165 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:44,640 God has made us a body. 166 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,040 We have needs for others. 167 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:54,440 And I have those needs met when I come to the assembling of believers. 168 00:11:54,440 --> 00:12:00,960 I believe that God has promised to bless the church in this age. 169 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:06,760 This is what God has committed himself to, to see the church built. 170 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:13,120 Indeed, it's the only organization really that God in His Word has promised to bless. 171 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,840 There are other organizations that work outside the church. 172 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,440 Sometimes they're called parachurch organizations. 173 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:24,960 Personally, I am convinced of this, that parachurch organizations are only valid as long as they 174 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:28,320 work with and assist in building up the local church. 175 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,760 Otherwise, they lose a legitimate reason for existence. 176 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:35,680 Because this is God's work, building up the church. 177 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:41,760 Now, I realize that that runs counter to some teaching these days. 178 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:45,400 But I believe that it's faithful teaching of the Word of God. 179 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:50,720 I believe that God intends for every Christian, without exception, to be related to a Bible 180 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:55,160 teaching God honoring local assembly of believers. 181 00:12:55,160 --> 00:13:00,440 And to be faithfully attending, supporting, and serving in that church. 182 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,680 And to not to do so is sin. 183 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:08,400 James says the one who knows the right thing to do and doesn't do it, to him it's what? 184 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:09,400 It's sin. 185 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:15,040 Let me be a little more personal about this and just talk about Grace Roseville for a 186 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:16,040 second. 187 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:20,520 I thank God for the growth that we have seen in our attendance and in other ways in the 188 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:24,080 first year and ten months of our existence. 189 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:28,680 And it has cramped us a little bit, as you are altogether too familiar this morning sitting 190 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,040 here in this auditorium. 191 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:35,040 I thank God for the growth and for the problems, the challenges that have come with that. 192 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:36,800 It's been good for us. 193 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:43,080 It stretches our faith and it gives us some things to shoot for in this year of 1983. 194 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:47,480 But frankly, as we have grown numerically, there has not been a commensurate growth and 195 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:49,200 commitment. 196 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:53,520 And that is in the numbers of those who are committed. 197 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:58,920 And the numbers of those who are committed here at Grace can't go on carrying the load 198 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:04,660 for those who want to come and be spectators only. 199 00:14:04,660 --> 00:14:09,560 We are not involved here in building an arena for spectators. 200 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:12,880 We're not involved in building a preaching center. 201 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,320 God hasn't called us to do that. 202 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:19,360 God has called us to build a church. 203 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:22,400 And a church takes commitment and involvement. 204 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:27,480 Now, some may think that that sounds like an invitation not to come, and I don't mean 205 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:28,480 it that way. 206 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:34,640 But I am simply opening my heart to you to express the dilemma that we find ourselves 207 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:36,840 in. 208 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:41,920 I think some find it comfortable to not be committed to a church. 209 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:46,520 They feel that it gives them a sense of freedom or liberty. 210 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:51,080 But I would say this, that that liberty and freedom is not of God. 211 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:57,120 Because it is God's will and God's plan that we be plugged in to the right kind of a church. 212 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:02,000 Now, I recognize that it takes a certain amount of time to find out if a church is right for 213 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,600 you or for your family. 214 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:09,240 And believe me, I encourage making sure before making a commitment. 215 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,800 And I would say that if there are questions that anyone has, that they should ask those 216 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:19,480 questions in any church to find out the answers so they can settle the issue for themselves 217 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:21,640 and for their home. 218 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:27,840 And I would go on to say that if a person has strong differences or problems in a church 219 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:33,400 where he's attending so he cannot join, he really ought to go to another church where 220 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:38,280 those questions won't be problems or those differences won't exist. 221 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:40,920 So that he can get involved. 222 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:43,080 Why do I say that? 223 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,480 I say that because we need to be involved in a church. 224 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,520 That is part of the stewardship of life. 225 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,680 If we want to make the most of our lives, we do that by investing in the ministry of 226 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:55,760 a local church. 227 00:15:55,760 --> 00:16:01,840 I recognize too that in this service particularly, I'm talking to a lot of students, and you're 228 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:02,840 kind of transitory. 229 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:07,560 You're here for a few months and you disappear for a time and it's tough for you to get involved 230 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:08,560 in a church. 231 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:09,760 I recognize that. 232 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:14,120 We've tried to make associate membership available to you so that you can feel like 233 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,720 that you belong here and you will under that particular plan. 234 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,920 If you have questions about that, by the way, you can talk to some people in the College 235 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:24,080 Small Church or give us a call at the office. 236 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,480 We want you to feel like you're a part of Grace Church and while you're here in the 237 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,640 cities, you can be associated with us and be plugged in. 238 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:32,040 We want you to be that way. 239 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:37,040 We believe it's important even though you may only be here for five months or nine months 240 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:40,720 a year. 241 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,360 Don't expect any church to be perfect if that's what you may be looking for. 242 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,640 It's unrealistic to expect that. 243 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:52,000 Someone has said, and I'm sure you've heard it, if you find a perfect church, don't join 244 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,640 it because then it won't be perfect anymore. 245 00:16:55,640 --> 00:17:00,520 There doesn't exist a perfect church. 246 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:04,880 If you want to make the most of your life, I want to exhort you to give diligence to 247 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:10,920 this matter of investing your life wherever you may be in the ministry of a local church. 248 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:16,040 Furthermore, if you want to make the most of your life, you may do that by focusing 249 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:19,320 on people, not on things. 250 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:24,200 I believe Jesus gives us a wonderful example in this in his ministry. 251 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:29,200 As an illustration, remember the occasion when Jesus spent some time with that woman 252 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:31,720 at the well in Samaria? 253 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,800 His disciples went into the city to get some food. 254 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,440 He stayed to talk with her. 255 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,680 They came back with the food about the same time she left to go into the city to share 256 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:43,320 what had happened to her. 257 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:44,880 They said, Lord, aren't you hungry? 258 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:49,360 Jesus said, My meat is due the will of him who sent me. 259 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:52,640 In other words, Jesus said, more important than this food is spending time with this 260 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,480 woman meeting her spiritual need. 261 00:17:55,480 --> 00:18:00,260 Boy, I hope that's my attitude and yours. 262 00:18:00,260 --> 00:18:02,520 Focusing on people, not on things. 263 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:07,560 Again, that runs counter to our age. 264 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:12,140 But if we want to make the most of life, we must realize that the only thing around us 265 00:18:12,140 --> 00:18:19,460 that is eternal, besides God's Word, is people. 266 00:18:19,460 --> 00:18:23,960 People are going to be somewhere forever. 267 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:33,560 The things that we so often focus on are even now passing away, the Bible says. 268 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:38,560 In 1 Timothy 6, we have a command that runs parallel to what I'm saying. 269 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,280 I'd like for you to look at that with me. 270 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:47,240 You may think this doesn't apply to you, but if you live in this country, in comparison 271 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:51,160 with the rest of the world, it does apply to every one of us. 272 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:57,080 It would even apply to somebody who would be on welfare. 273 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:09,080 In 1 Timothy 6, verse 17, the Lord's Word says, Instruct those who are rich in this 274 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:17,520 present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but 275 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:23,240 on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 276 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:31,400 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 277 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:37,800 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future so that they 278 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:41,980 may take hold of that which is life indeed. 279 00:19:41,980 --> 00:19:44,640 You want to make the most of life? 280 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:50,120 Then don't spend your time focusing on things and accumulating riches. 281 00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:53,560 Rather, focus on people. 282 00:19:53,560 --> 00:20:01,200 The Word of God is not saying here that it's wrong to have things or even to be wealthy. 283 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,120 That is not sin. 284 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:09,760 To love money is sin, but to use it wisely is to be a good steward. 285 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:14,960 What He is saying here is simply this, do not focus on things that are passing away, 286 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:20,320 but rather, as He says in verse 18, do good, be rich in good works, be generous, ready 287 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:27,440 to share, meet people's needs, focus on them, share with them, even in a physical way as 288 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,720 well as spiritual. 289 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,400 In that way, you will be laying hold of real life. 290 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:37,440 In other words, you'll make the most out of the life God's given you. 291 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:38,440 Where is your focus today? 292 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:46,840 Did you spend more time thinking about things, about your studies, about the accumulation 293 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:51,600 of riches and your investments and whether they're paying off or not, the property you 294 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:52,600 own? 295 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:57,720 Did you spend more time thinking about those kinds of things than you do about people and 296 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:04,020 how you can minister to them and show the love of Christ to them? 297 00:21:04,020 --> 00:21:10,760 You have to evaluate that so that we're sure that we're making the most out of life. 298 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:16,320 If we want to make the most out of life, we will also do that by adjusting the pace of 299 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,600 our lives to allow for reflection. 300 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:22,520 Turn back to Mark chapter 6 for a minute. 301 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:31,760 I don't think anybody who's ever lived has faced more pressure from life than Jesus Christ. 302 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:37,280 He had a great deal to accomplish in his brief years. 303 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:43,520 And isn't it interesting to notice that Jesus' ministry to people, his public ministry, did 304 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:48,880 not even start until he was 30 years of age and then it lasted three years only. 305 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:56,720 At the conclusion of that time, he said, I have done what you sent me to do, Father. 306 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:02,880 In other words, despite the hectic schedule he could have kept, despite the pressures 307 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:10,320 that were put upon him, Jesus Christ lived life not missing a step. 308 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:11,540 Why? 309 00:22:11,540 --> 00:22:13,040 Because he took time for reflection. 310 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:18,380 I think we see that illustrated here in verse 31 of Mark 6. 311 00:22:18,380 --> 00:22:26,000 He said to them, his disciples, come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest awhile, 312 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:31,840 for there were many people coming and going and they did not even have time to eat. 313 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:39,640 Jesus Christ was not a victim of the urgent, and you ought not to be one either. 314 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:44,000 Rather you ought to be a steward of the important. 315 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,120 Jesus Christ took time to rest. 316 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:51,680 He took time to pray. 317 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,880 There were occasions when he fasted. 318 00:22:55,880 --> 00:23:01,560 It seems clear that he observed nature around him because he wove in illustrations from 319 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:05,440 nature about animals and plants. 320 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:12,440 When was the last time that you looked at a rose, at the petals of it, and took time 321 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:16,940 to smell it, to enjoy its fragrance? 322 00:23:16,940 --> 00:23:24,520 Or that you stood out under the stars and you looked at them just to absorb their beauty? 323 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:29,400 Or you watched a squirrel jump from tree to tree? 324 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:34,960 You just stood and thought about that. 325 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:39,280 I believe that you and I need to allow for reflection. 326 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:46,520 If we do not slow down our pace to do that, we are going to end up wasting a lot of time. 327 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:52,080 The Apostle Paul, at the conclusion of his life, just before he was executed, wrote to 328 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:57,520 Timothy and said, I have finished my course. 329 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:00,440 The world was not evangelized. 330 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:02,880 It was not that there were churches with no problems. 331 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:08,000 There were lots of reasons that Paul might have wanted to stay in the world. 332 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:12,800 You see, I believe Paul took time to examine life and to reflect on what he was doing and 333 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:14,880 why he was doing it. 334 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:19,920 Therefore, when he got to the end of his life, he was able to say, I have done what God wanted 335 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:20,920 me to do. 336 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:24,880 That is the way I want to live. 337 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:31,200 I was about 11 years old, but I remember when the news came that five men in their early 338 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:35,840 30s had been killed in Ecuador, missionaries from the United States. 339 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,560 Some of you were not even born then. 340 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:44,840 That is hard for me to realize. 341 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:49,160 I remember that there were some people who said, what a waste. 342 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,800 Those guys should have known that those Indians were dangerous. 343 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,800 When there were some danger signals, they should have gotten out of there. 344 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:57,020 After all, they had families. 345 00:24:57,020 --> 00:24:58,020 They had small children. 346 00:24:58,020 --> 00:25:02,400 They had their whole life before them yet. 347 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,960 Those men realized that perhaps that was not God's purpose. 348 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:14,840 As they reflected, and they reflected very carefully on what they were doing, they chose 349 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:20,800 that their lives would be laid down in death, if need be, for the sake of the Oka Indians. 350 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:24,640 That is the way it was. 351 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:28,840 You need to adjust the pace of your life, student. 352 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:35,360 I know that you have a frantic pace with all that you are demanded to do, but do not mindlessly 353 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:37,760 rush ahead. 354 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:41,680 Take time to think and to reflect. 355 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:45,040 Don't avoid the word of God in prayer when you do that. 356 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,880 If you want to make the most of life, let me suggest something else. 357 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:54,080 Learn to accept obstacles as God's signposts. 358 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,840 I see this illustrated, for example, in what happened to Paul and the missionary party. 359 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,000 They tried to go one direction, the Spirit of Christ closed the door, and they tried 360 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:03,840 another direction, and the Lord said no. 361 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:08,960 Finally, they went to Troas to wait. 362 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:14,680 I don't know how the Lord said no to them, but God in some way put up an obstacle. 363 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:22,600 Instead of fighting that obstacle, they took the signpost to go another direction, and 364 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,680 God led them into Europe. 365 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:32,520 I believe that if you and I would practice the reality of Romans 8.28 in our lives, it 366 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,160 would deliver us from a lot of anxiety. 367 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:42,200 We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are 368 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,720 the called according to His purpose. 369 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:50,520 Some of us spend more time fighting God's closed doors. 370 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:54,920 It's a waste to do that. 371 00:26:54,920 --> 00:27:00,080 When God puts an obstacle in our way, we need to try to discern at that point what God is 372 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:06,000 saying and to relax in His sovereignty. 373 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:16,640 God's signposts include stop, detour, yield, and there are others. 374 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:21,340 So if you want to make the most out of your life, learn to accept the obstacles of life 375 00:27:21,340 --> 00:27:24,040 as God's signposts. 376 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:29,200 Furthermore, if you want to make the most of your life, make yourself accountable to 377 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:31,400 someone else. 378 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,480 You know accountability is built into life. 379 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:35,600 God has built into everything. 380 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,400 It's that way in the creation, in nature. 381 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:43,000 You may feel that you are not accountable to the law of gravity, but I dare you to go 382 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:48,400 to the top of the IDS and try to prove that, because gravity will hold you accountable 383 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,200 to that law. 384 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:55,440 Furthermore, in the organization of humanity, God is established for human government and 385 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,400 expects justice to be carried out. 386 00:27:58,400 --> 00:27:59,480 Why? 387 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:03,720 Because God wants us to know as human beings that we are accountable for the way that we 388 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:05,720 live. 389 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:12,160 Furthermore, at the end there is a final judgment for every man or woman who has ever been born 390 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,520 into the world. 391 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:24,760 You see, we are accountable to God, and we are wise if we apply that daily and annually 392 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:28,680 by making ourselves accountable to others. 393 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:34,920 Let me encourage you to make some goals in your life for spiritual growth. 394 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:40,760 You know, growth is something that is desired by a child. 395 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:45,200 My boy is going to be eight years old this week, and I told him last night, I said, now 396 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,200 Michael you are going to be nine years old this week, right? 397 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:52,480 He said, no dad, I'm going to be eight, but I wish I was going to be nine. 398 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,440 That's a child. 399 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,880 The child wants to grow up. 400 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:02,920 You know spiritually growth doesn't happen accidentally. 401 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:04,560 We have to take steps to grow. 402 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,840 We have to plan for growth. 403 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:15,920 What are you doing to facilitate spiritual growth in your life? 404 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:22,080 What new experience are you planning to have this week or this year sometime that will 405 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:24,340 help you to mature? 406 00:29:24,340 --> 00:29:27,480 What conference are you going to attend, for example? 407 00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:29,480 Or what books are you going to read? 408 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:33,280 Or how much time are you going to spend in the Word of God and in prayer? 409 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:36,760 Well, you say, well I have some of those goals. 410 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:38,480 Well, great. 411 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:43,160 Now let me encourage you to take one more step. 412 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:50,440 Share those specific goals with another person, and allow that other person to hold you accountable 413 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,320 for those steps. 414 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:56,600 Make the steps measurable. 415 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,040 You just say, I'm going to read more books. 416 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:02,640 More books could be one book. 417 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:07,320 Say I'm going to read one book a month, besides what I have to read for my assignments or 418 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:10,600 what I normally read. 419 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:15,040 One book a month on a particular topic, on a range of topics, and then allow somebody 420 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:16,560 to hold you accountable to that. 421 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,720 You know what will happen? 422 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:23,160 Because you have to give a regular answer, you're going to be growing. 423 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:25,480 You're going to follow through. 424 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:30,800 So if you really want to make the most of your life, choose a trusted friend to whom 425 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,240 you will make yourself accountable. 426 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,720 The Apostle Paul, I think, was that way. 427 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:37,720 He was future-oriented. 428 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:42,880 He said, forgetting those things are behind, I press toward the mark. 429 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:45,440 He was looking to the future. 430 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,360 Let me encourage you to follow his example. 431 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:53,080 If you want to make the most of life, then let me encourage you to deal with the hindrances 432 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:55,680 that retard your progress. 433 00:30:55,680 --> 00:31:00,440 Let's go over to Hebrews 12 for a moment. 434 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:10,480 After listing for us those men and women of old who made the most of their lives, in chapter 435 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:16,400 12 the writer says, Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding 436 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:26,000 us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, 437 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:34,200 and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. 438 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:39,320 He's picturing here a coliseum, and he's saying as though it were these people of old 439 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,280 are around us in the stands. 440 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:48,760 There's Noah and Abraham and Moses over here, and they're cheering us on in our race. 441 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:54,560 He says, if you're going to win the race, you have to fix your eyes at the goal line. 442 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,360 That's where Jesus is. 443 00:31:56,360 --> 00:32:00,700 But first, lay aside the encumbrance. 444 00:32:00,700 --> 00:32:02,200 Every runner knows what that means. 445 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:07,080 If you jog, you know what encumbrances are, those things that weight you down. 446 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:11,560 He talks about this, the sin that so easily entangles us. 447 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:14,040 I think it's the specific sin of unbelief. 448 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:19,520 What are you trusting God for? 449 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:25,400 What is there in your life that you cannot do, and you have to trust God to do it? 450 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:28,920 Do you have anything? 451 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:30,760 Or do you just give up? 452 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:33,000 Unbelief is sin. 453 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:34,000 Lay it aside. 454 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,000 Get rid of it. 455 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:41,440 Lay aside those things that are holding you back, entangling you, so that you may progress 456 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:42,440 in the Christian life. 457 00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:45,080 Now, I don't know what that may be in your life. 458 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:49,140 Maybe it's a lifestyle that you're in, or some pattern of thought. 459 00:32:49,140 --> 00:32:54,040 Maybe it's some things you're doing, some associations that you have, that are holding 460 00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:56,800 you back in your progress in the Christian life. 461 00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:03,580 Listen, if you want to make the most out of your life, get rid of those things. 462 00:33:03,580 --> 00:33:07,520 Deal with those things that are retarding your progress. 463 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:13,840 And finally, if you want to make the most out of life, work diligently to bring glory 464 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:16,400 to God. 465 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:20,680 Self-centered living spoils life. 466 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:24,080 Nothing will spoil it faster. 467 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:29,440 First Corinthians 10-31 tells us that whatever we do, it may be drinking, it may be eating, 468 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:34,720 whatever activity we have in life, do it all to the glory of God. 469 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:41,880 Therefore, I have to ask myself, does my speech glorify God? 470 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:47,660 Does my treatment of people around me glorify God? 471 00:33:47,660 --> 00:33:52,200 Do my thought processes glorify God? 472 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:59,560 Does the way that I maintain my body glorify God? 473 00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:10,040 Are the good things that I'm involved in glorifying God, or are there some better or best things 474 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:12,520 that I could be doing? 475 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:14,560 Are you glorifying God in the way you live? 476 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:21,120 William James said, the great use of life is to expend it on something that will outlast 477 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,960 it. 478 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:32,600 I know of no better suggestion than the glory of God to fill that bill. 479 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:40,840 Goethe said, a useless life is only an early death. 480 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:45,560 Some of you are just hanging around waiting to be buried, because right now your life 481 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:49,560 is worthless and useless. 482 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:54,040 My friend, you need to make the most out of your life. 483 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:55,880 You're a fool if you don't. 484 00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:59,120 That's not too strong to say. 485 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:03,280 You make the most out of your life by taking steps like we've talked about this morning. 486 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:06,360 What steps do you need to take to correct where you are now? 487 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:09,560 Will you take them? 488 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:11,280 Will you make the most out of life? 489 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:16,520 Remember, if you're a Christian, you are not your own. 490 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:18,560 You are bought with a price. 491 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:20,840 Therefore, glorify God. 492 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:22,840 Let's pray. 493 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:31,280 Oh Father, we need this morning to be reminded often of our stewardship of life. 494 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:35,840 I believe the Holy Spirit has put His finger on many hearts here this morning and given 495 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:39,760 us some corrective counsel. 496 00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:43,400 I pray that we will do what we've been told. 497 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:51,360 That we'll recognize how much life is like a vapor and that this one life you've given 498 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:57,360 us will be lived to its fullest and to the most by following your counsel. 499 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:03,080 It's in Jesus' name that I pray that you will use this invitation to accomplish your will 500 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:04,080 in our lives. 501 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:05,080 Amen. 502 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:06,080 I'm going to close by singing a hymn. 503 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:07,080 As usual, it's going to be a hymn. 504 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:20,280 In the front room, my father was waiting for me. 505 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:22,800 Son, he said, I've been thinking. 506 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:24,160 Perhaps you'd better stand guard tonight. 507 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:27,760 It isn't often we have a horse in our stable, you know. 508 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:30,040 Then also, we don't really know who these strangers are. 509 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:32,120 We don't know how trustworthy they are. 510 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:34,720 And we do have a lot of animals in this stable. 511 00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:38,760 I went out into the courtyard and stood there enjoying the sightment of the evening. 512 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:40,720 Our city was so packed with people. 513 00:36:40,720 --> 00:36:41,720 The air was still. 514 00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:45,880 There was something about this evening that there was something about the sightment of 515 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,640 the night and my heart beat a little faster. 516 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:51,680 Just think, back there in the cave, a baby is being born. 517 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:56,160 Oh, many lambs and calves have been born there, but never a human. 518 00:36:56,160 --> 00:37:00,200 I listened excitedly for a little high-pitched cry that would tell me that the baby was actually 519 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:01,200 there. 520 00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:02,200 Suddenly, I noticed something. 521 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:04,240 It was down there by Shepard's Field. 522 00:37:04,240 --> 00:37:07,480 There was a bright light hovering over the field, a very bright light. 523 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:11,080 I suppose in your generation, you would call it a UFO. 524 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:15,400 I thought I heard singing coming over the fields, but I could not be sure. 525 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,020 Then I saw Shepard's coming up the road, leaving their flocks alone. 526 00:37:19,020 --> 00:37:20,320 That was unheard of. 527 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:24,080 I wanted to call my dad, but I didn't since the guests were all asleep. 528 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:26,960 The Shepard's heard into our courtyard and rushed right past me. 529 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:29,440 I turned to watch in amazement as they entered our cave. 530 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:32,080 Suddenly, I saw another bright light right over the cave. 531 00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:34,320 It was all too fascinating to believe. 532 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:38,760 I pinched myself to see if I was daydreaming, but no, I was really awake. 533 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:40,640 I followed those Shepards into the cave. 534 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,120 I found them on their knees before the little manger. 535 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:44,840 I fell on my knees with them. 536 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:46,480 There was nothing else you could do. 537 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:48,820 There was an indescribable presence in the cave. 538 00:37:48,820 --> 00:37:50,040 It was transformed. 539 00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:51,040 You know what I mean. 540 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:57,600 You've been in richly carpeted homes with glittering chandeliers where everything seemed 541 00:37:57,600 --> 00:37:59,360 to be so empty and cold. 542 00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:04,160 By contrast, you've been in unfancy homes where love and warmth and joy and peace were, 543 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,320 and it was so simply beautiful. 544 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:10,360 Our cave had nothing but the smell of a barnyard, but I tell you, it seemed like the very entrance 545 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:11,360 to heaven. 546 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:14,200 I wish you could have seen the look on those Shepard's faces. 547 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:16,960 Rough, weather-beaten, but so very tender. 548 00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:20,600 Have you ever seen a big, burly truck driver holding a little baby and watched him melt 549 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:22,560 down and become tender and warm? 550 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:24,760 Well, that's what these Shepards were like. 551 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:28,360 They did not pick him up, but they did reach out with the hands of their heart. 552 00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:33,760 I don't know how long we were there, but when we left, one of those big Shepards took hold 553 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:36,640 of my shoulders and shook me until I thought my teeth would fall out. 554 00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:41,480 And they shouted, whispered, he said, boy, boy, do you know who that baby is? 555 00:38:41,480 --> 00:38:42,480 He's Christ. 556 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:43,480 I tell you, he's Christ. 557 00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:44,480 We know it. 558 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:45,480 We are sure of it. 559 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:48,080 The angels have come and told us so. 560 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:51,920 Christian, how much room do you have for Christ? 561 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:54,200 Let's consider, for example, your devotional life. 562 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:56,080 What is it like right now? 563 00:38:56,080 --> 00:39:00,560 You say, wait a minute, this is no time to talk to me about my devotional life. 564 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:04,000 There are so many presents to wrap, and we're going to have a Christmas, we're going to 565 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:05,960 have a church party. 566 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:10,160 And then there's the Sunday school program, and the Christmas cards must be gotten out. 567 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:14,440 And it's just not fair to expect too much of me just now. 568 00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:16,200 No time, no time. 569 00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:17,560 That sounds familiar to me. 570 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:21,180 I made a sign once with the same number of letters. 571 00:39:21,180 --> 00:39:23,420 But let me ask you another question. 572 00:39:23,420 --> 00:39:24,880 What about your neighbors? 573 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:27,320 You're having guests frequently these days. 574 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:30,560 Isn't this a good time to reach your neighbors for Christ? 575 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:32,640 You say, but you don't understand. 576 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:35,680 My neighbors have lifestyles that are so different from mine. 577 00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:38,640 They wouldn't feel comfortable at all with me. 578 00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:40,480 I understand. 579 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:43,480 What you might be saying is that you haven't enough love for them. 580 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:45,000 No love, no love. 581 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:46,000 That too sounds familiar. 582 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,400 I made a sign once with the same number of letters. 583 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:50,360 I want to say just one more thing. 584 00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:53,320 If I had to do it over, I would reserve my room for him. 585 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:54,360 I didn't know who he was. 586 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:55,560 I didn't know. 587 00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:57,320 But you do know who he is. 588 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:10,040 Will it make a difference in the way you observe Christmas? 589 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:14,760 We've appreciated having you here tonight as our guest. 590 00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:19,280 We've appreciated the work that Janice has done in working with all of the Sunday School 591 00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:20,280 staff. 592 00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:30,280 But we want you to take with you tonight the message of Christmas, the real message. 593 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:35,440 We have a lot of glitter and a lot of tinsel this time of the year, but the real message 594 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:44,240 is Christ, the babe who was born, the man who lived and walked among us, the one who 595 00:40:44,240 --> 00:40:51,160 was crucified, the one who rose again, and the one who says, come unto me, all you that 596 00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:56,600 labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. 597 00:40:56,600 --> 00:41:01,360 Any of you who are here tonight who don't know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior 598 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:08,640 don't really know what it is to have life, real life, abundant life. 599 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:13,300 Any of us who are here tonight would be glad to share with you and to help you to know 600 00:41:13,300 --> 00:41:18,280 in a personal way the Christ of Christmas. 601 00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:22,880 Give us that privilege after the service is closed, if you will, please. 602 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:29,480 Heavenly Father, we thank you tonight for each boy and each girl who shared with us 603 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:38,160 the message of Christmas, the message of Christ, the message of hope and of life. 604 00:41:38,160 --> 00:41:44,840 Lord, we pray for each home from which these boys and girls come that each home might know 605 00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:51,800 the Lord Jesus, might exalt him, and might day by day continue to train these boys and 606 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:55,320 these girls in the things of Christ. 607 00:41:55,320 --> 00:42:02,120 Father, we do pray that your rich blessing shall rest upon each one. 608 00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:04,080 You know the needs of each heart. 609 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:13,360 And Lord, we pray that each heart might be right in your sight this night, that we might 610 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:19,280 know the real joy that Christ came to give. 611 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:26,840 Dismiss us with your blessing, for we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 612 00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:33,880 I'm going to ask that the boys and girls go back to their room and get rid of some of 613 00:42:33,880 --> 00:43:00,240 their costumes and so on, and you parents will find them there.