Good morning! I’m awfully happy to be with you folks again. Being together at our church is one of the highlights of my week. I hope everyone will be blessed by today’s message as much as I was while I was crafting it. In case you’re wondering why I’m wearing this shirt that doesn’t quite fit I’ll explain towards the end of this message. But first I would like to say something about the ministerial training seminar at the B. C. N. E. in Northborough, Ma. that Guy attended last week. I would be very surprised if the instructor’s didn’t remind the attendees of the fact that,

“No work is so great, no labor is so noble, no burden is so heavy, and no honor is so humbling-as preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to eternity bound sinners.”

“Let every man called by God to preach the Gospel, disentangle himself from the affairs of this world with determined consecration to Christ and His Church, addicting himself to prayer, study and preaching.”

“God’s servants do not promote themselves, their ministry or their church. They promote Christ, His Gospel and His Kingdom. The man who promotes himself-serves no one but himself!”

Regardless if it’s pro or con, I’m very appreciative of the feedback I receive about my sermons. That information helps me to decide the issues the Lord wants me to address in the following one. For example, consider the following Guest Book entries.

“Pastor Mike, To start things off I would like to say the best part of the sermon I think would be “God loves human beings so much, that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him will never die but live with him enjoying everlasting happiness in North Foreverland (John 3:16).”

“There is still a lot I need to learn but one day in His Grace I will be a full Christian. Bobbie.”

Here’s another one. “In the past few weeks I have seen God working in my life and realize even more now when I look back that God is with me and He does care. I have never attended church on a regular basis. I am no saint and I have a very troubled past. I would like that to change. I have always tried on my own and have tried this and that. Nothing has worked. I am now realizing at the age of 43 that I can’t change myself. Only God can help me to be who He created me to be. Pastor Mike you are right when you say only God knows when we will die. I am grateful like you said there is Good News of the Gospel! Gabie.”

Throughout the years we have had numerous people who were looking for a church to attend. As soon as soon they learned that we were a Sovereign Grace church they split. Preaching the Gospel of the Grace of God has been and continues to be repulsive to most people. They simply will not accept the fact that God is God, and that He is totally sovereign. He ordains, He rules and accomplishes everything exactly as He planned before He spoke the world into existence. Countless Christians reject the truthfulness of the Scriptures. For instance; consider what the Bible says about the Sovereignty of God and the salvation of sinners such as me. In the book of Acts we read,

¹³ On the Sabbath, we left the city and went down along the river where we had heard there was to be a prayer meeting. We took our place with the women who had gathered there and talked with them. ¹⁴ One woman, Lydia, was from Thyatira and a dealer in expensive textiles, known to be a God-fearing woman. As she listened with intensity to what was being said, the Master gave her a trusting heart—and she believed! ¹⁵ After she was baptized, along with everyone in her household, she said in a surge of hospitality, “If you’re confident that I’m in this with you and believe in the Master truly, come home with me and be my guests.” We hesitated, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Acts 16:13-15 (MSG) Here’s another example from Acts.

²² By this time the crowd had turned into a restless mob out for blood. The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas’s clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating. ²³ After beating them black and blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape. ²⁴ He did just that—threw them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them. ²⁵ Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears. ²⁶ Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose. ²⁷ Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, ²⁸ when Paul stopped him: “Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!” ²⁹ The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. ³⁰ He led them out of the jail and asked, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?” ³¹ They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!” ³² They went on to spell out in detail the story of the Master—the entire family got in on this part. ³³ They never did get to bed that night. The jailer made them feel at home, dressed their wounds, and then—he couldn’t wait till morning!—was baptized, he and everyone in his family. ³⁴ There in his home, he had food set out for a festive meal. It was a night to remember: He and his entire family had put their trust in God; everyone in the house was in on the celebration. Acts 16:22-34 (MSG)

But suppose that in spite of knowing it was wrong, after a while the jailor turned away from God and got back on the road headed towards South Foreverland. In other words, suppose he started doing his own thing again. Take a moment and think about the kind of life you folks were leading when God opened your heart with the Good News of the Gospel. Would you describe yourself as being a God-fearing person such as Lydia, or someone such as me that God had to shake up big time? Consider the following from a man whom God had to shake up until he finally got with His program. His name is King David and this is what he said,

¹ You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by GOD. ² You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. ³ That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. ⁴ You, GOD, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. ⁵ Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; ⁶ Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. ⁷ I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. ⁸ I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me. ⁹ How can a young person live a clean life? By carefully reading the map of your Word. ¹⁰ I’m single-minded in pursuit of you; don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted. ¹¹ I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt. ¹² Be blessed, GOD; train me in your ways of wise living. ¹³ I’ll transfer to my lips all the counsel that comes from your mouth; ¹⁴ I delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches. ¹⁵ I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’ve done it. ¹⁶ I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it. ¹⁷ Be generous with me and I’ll live a full life; not for a minute will I take my eyes off your road. ¹⁸ Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders. ¹⁹ I’m a stranger in these parts; give me clear directions. ²⁰ My soul is starved and hungry, ravenous!— insatiable for your nourishing commands. ²¹ And those who think they know so much, ignoring everything you tell them—let them have it! ²² Don’t let them mock and humiliate me; I’ve been careful to do just what you said. ²³ While bad neighbors maliciously gossip about me, I’m absorbed in pondering your wise counsel. ²⁴ Yes, your sayings on life are what give me delight; I listen to them as to good neighbors! ²⁵ I’m feeling terrible—I couldn’t feel worse! Get me on my feet again. You promised, remember? ²⁶ When I told my story, you responded; train me well in your deep wisdom. ²⁷ Help me understand these things inside and out so I can ponder your miracle-wonders. ²⁸ My sad life’s dilapidated, a falling-down barn; build me up again by your Word. ²⁹ Barricade the road that goes Nowhere; grace me with your clear revelation. ³⁰ I choose the true road to Somewhere, I post your road signs at every curve and corner. ³¹ I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me; GOD, don’t let me down! ³² I’ll run the course you lay out for me if you’ll just show me how. ³³ GOD, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. ³⁴ Give me insight so I can do what you tell me— my whole life one long, obedient response. ³⁵ Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! ³⁶ Give me a bent for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot. ³⁷ Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way. ³⁸ Affirm your promises to me— promises made to all who fear you. ³⁹ Deflect the harsh words of my critics— but what you say is always so good. ⁴⁰ See how hungry I am for your counsel; preserve my life through your righteous ways! ⁴¹ Let your love, GOD, shape my life with salvation, exactly as you promised; ⁴² Then I’ll be able to stand up to mockery because I trusted your Word. ⁴³ Don’t ever deprive me of truth, not ever— your commandments are what I depend on. ⁴⁴ Oh, I’ll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me, guard it now, guard it ever; ⁴⁵ And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom; ⁴⁶ Then I’ll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed. ⁴⁷ I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!— ⁴⁸ relishing every fragment of your counsel. Psalm 119:1-48 (MSG)

Now consider the following Biblical insight provided by the divinely inspired author of the Book of Hebrews.

⁵ So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. ⁶ It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. ⁷ God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, ⁸ the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? ⁹ We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? ¹⁰ While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. ¹¹ At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. Hebrews 12:5-11 (MSG)

The great Apostle Paul wrote a very encouraging letter to the first century Christians who were living in Rome and suffering greatly.

²² All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. ²³ These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. ²⁴ That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. ²⁵ But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. ²⁶ Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. ²⁷ He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. ²⁸ That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. ²⁹ God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. ³⁰ After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun. Romans 8:22-30 (MSG)

With some exceptions such as being born with Down’s syndrome, Autism or severe mental retardation, from the moment human beings are born every one of them is traveling towards South Foreverland. Unless they change they will experience never ending excruciating agony. However, genuine Christians can take comfort with the assurance that they have been chosen by God before the foundation of the world to be one of His adopted children and they will change!

God is actively sculpturing every Christian to become conformed into the likeness of His only begotten Son. With chisel in hand, He whacks away all our sinful behaviors such as pride, lust, envy, gluttony, impatience, jealousy, and gossiping, slandering, back-biting, a propensity to throw temper-tantrums, an unwillingness to forgive, or gathering together to worship the Lord with fellow Christians on the Sabbath, committing adultery, or sex outside of marriage, spending infinitely more time on Face-book and Twittering, or watching a lot of the idiotic nonsense on TV, hunting and fishing, accumulating wealth etc.

That brings us to this shirt I’m wearing that obviously doesn’t fit. Until I had a heart attack and bypass surgery about 30 years ago and later developed diabetes I stood 6” 4” and weighed close to 360 pounds. This happened because I had been pigging out on sweets and beer. Today I stand 6” 1” and, as of a couple of weeks ago I weigh 158 pounds which is ideal for my height and weight. Painful whack after painful whack I’m happy to say has me looking more and more like Jesus and so is every one of His true follower’s. We are new creatures in Christ!

Let’s bow our head’s and contemplate what we have heard in this message. None of us know when we will die. It could happen before we leave our church or on the way home. Our days are numbered and the clock is ticking. If there is anyone here today who has not made the decision to accept the Good News of the Gospel of  Jesus or someone who already has but has lost his or her way and is currently traveling on the road headed towards South Foreverland and everlasting excruciating agony I plead with you to ask Christ for forgiveness before you leave this building.

Lord willing, soon …