A PRICELESS PROMISE
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous, and all these things shall be added unto you” – Matt.6:33

The week before last I started my message by asking “Are you concerned about your future?” Then last week I again alluded to that question. Well, I’m not through yet – “Are you concerned about your future?” If we’re honest we will all answer in the affirmative. While we might not be looking miles down the road, we are probably wondering about tomorrow – or maybe even later today. Thankfully this is a subject our Lord addresses (Matt.6:34), and He gives us good reason to not be anxious.

Here we find one of our Lord’s most precious promises. It’s a promise that will calm those who are distraught, cheer those who are depressed, and give courage to those who feel defeated. It is a promise that nobody but God could make. But it is conditional.

Before we can claim the promise we must meet the condition, which is – “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” Do that and everything else falls into place. We can rest assured that God, who cannot lie, will keep His commitments to those who meet His conditions. Those who care for the things of God will be cared for by God who gives them the things they need. This is a priceless promise in that it can produce perfect peace for perplexed people. When we place our problems into God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts! – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

PROPER PREPARATIONS

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” – Heb.9:27

We often say. “There are only two kinds of people in the world, the saved and the lost,” and that’s true. To put it another way, we could say, there are those who have prepared for the inevitable and those who haven’t.

The inevitable is that you’re going to die. To do so unprepared is the height of folly. There are reminders of death all around us, but most folks ignore the warnings and go on their merry way without any consideration for what’s to come. That doesn’t make sense.

Some of these same people are called “preppers.” They prepare for some possible catastrophe, but they make no preparation for their spiritual welfare. They go to great lengths preparing for a natural disaster or man-made calamity, but make no effort to prepare for death and what follows – “the judgment.” They hope all will end well but make no plans assuring themselves of it. They live as though they will live forever, although all the evidence is to the contrary.

Dear friend, we all shall die and after death comes the judgment. While Christians will appear at the “Judgment seat of Christ” to be rewarded for their labor, the unsaved will stand before the “Great White Throne” Judgment to be condemned. The only way to prepare is to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s my prayer that you will do so today.–HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

BELIEVE IN GOD

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…” – Psalm 14:1

Can a person find God by reasoning? No. We are incapable of proving God. Sometimes an atheist will say to a believer, “Prove there is a God.” That never threatens me. I just smile and say, “Prove there is no God.” Sometimes it’s leveled against Christians as though it’s an accusation: “You just accept by faith there’s a God.” That’s right. And let me tell you what the unbeliever does. He accepts by faith there is no God. He does not know there is no God. He has never proven there is no God. He accepts by faith there is no God.

Some of the finest minds this world has ever known have been given to the gospel of Christ.  It’s not a matter of intellect. It’s not a matter of reason. It’s beyond reason and above reason.

All men are believers. I choose to believe in God. The atheist chooses not to believe in God. If a man doesn’t believe in God, it’s because he doesn’t want to believe in God. He has chosen not to believe in God. But make no mistake, we’re all believers. You don’t prove God, and you don’t disprove God. You believe in God. He is the God who is presented, not proven. (Adrian Rogers)

While these are good thoughts it needs to be added that just believing in God isn’t enough. You must be born again (John 3:7), and that demands faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16). And, by the way, there is ample proof that the Bible is God’s Word and that Jesus is who He claimed to be. So our faith is not a shot-in-the-dark guess, a choice based on chance, nor a mere preference. It is confidence in the God who cannot lie, who has given us good reason to trust Him.–HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

BELIEVING

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”– James 2:19

I just read an article entitled “I Believe.” It was a good article, especially encouraging for folks going through trials. The author recounted certain difficulties in his life and affirmed that in each one he could say “I believe.” But when all was said and done it seemed to me that something was missing. Here’s why –

There are many people of various religions who can say “I believe.” And there are many unsaved people who put great stock in “the power of positive thinking.” But just believing isn’t enough. The important thing is who you believe and what you believe. That’s why it is crucial that when we speak about believing that we explain what we mean.

The believing that is blessed is based on our confidence in what God has said, our reliance upon God’s promises– not faith in our faith. Just believing something doesn’t make it so. There are many who have strong beliefs in things that aren’t true. Some even take great risk because they believe believing will enable them to accomplish their agenda. And they generally want credit for their success. In other words, positive thinking is all about what you do, whereas faith is all about what God can do.

Regardless of how good you feel about believing making a difference, I warn you–you can’t trust yourself. Regardless of how intent or sincere you might be you don’t have the mental power to control or change circumstances. You need more than self-help. You need God’s help and you can always trust Him. He never fails. If you’ve never been saved, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31)-HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

HE IS RISEN
“He is risen“- Matt.28:6I have tried–really tried–to put myself in the shoes of the disciples in that time from the crucifixion to the resurrection. I failed miserably. Even with what I read from the scriptures I cannot understand what they felt– nor can anyone else. There is no doubt they were heart-broken, confused, fearful, depressed and wondering what to do. Not only were they grieved over the terrible injustice that caused Jesus to suffer and die, they were troubled about their situation. They wondered how they would cope. How could they survive without the One upon whom they depended for everything. Not only were they in pain, they were perplexed because nothing seemed to make sense. How could they find the strength to go on?
Never forget– these followers had forsaken all to follow Him. And it was at the risk of their lives that they did so. Because of Him they were hated and despised, often even by members of their own families. They had subjected themselves to the discomforts associated with following him. In a sense you could say they had risked all, and now it seemed to be for naught. They could envision that they would become the laughing-stock of the community by those who mocked Christ. And while they could endure that, they had their families to think about. It didn’t just affect them, but their loved ones as well. Now their guide, counselor, and friend is no longer with them. To whom do you turn in a time such as this? Jesus had indeed left them with many bright and blessed promises, but these aren’t so easy to recall when you are mired down in a pit of depression. At a time like that nothing seems to make sense.
As their faith waned their fears waxed greater. I can only guess how they felt. For three long days they agonized. As much as I would like to think that some hero of the faith stepped forth and said, “Fear not. We have nothing to worry about. Remember His promise. The Master shall arise as He said. We have only to wait for the moment and all will be well”, I see no evidence of it. Doubts had clouded their minds.
But in that dark hour suddenly the news comes, “..He is risen, as he said”! ( Matt. 28:6). It is no wonder that they ran forth to spread the glorious news! And down through the centuries, from one generation to another, all around the world, the saints have been proclaiming “He is risen!”. With great joy we sing, “I serve a risen Savior!” Indeed we do, and all shall be well! He is alive!– HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346