WHEN THINGS SEEM HOPELESS

March 31, 2018 By Pastor David Stone

WHEN THINGS SEEM HOPELESS

“And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words,”- Luke 24:5–8

The three days that Jesus was in the grave were dark indeed for those who had followed and loved Him. Despite the fact that He had told them of His impending death, they did not seem to grasp the reality of God’s plan for redemption. As those around them celebrated Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they huddled together in hiding. Fear and doubt filled their minds. Their problem was revealed by the angels at the empty tomb—they had forgotten what Jesus said.

If we are honest, many of us live in fear and doubt rather than in confidence and faith. There are times when our fears have a real foundation. Not all of the things we dread are imaginary. Some are very real. But just as the disciples faced the loss of the Lord, when we face real threats we do not have to give in to hopelessness and despair. Even when all of the evidence, all of our senses, all of our experience, and all those around us say that there is no hope, with God all things are possible.

The faithfulness of God is our comfort and strength in times of distress, but only if we remember what He has promised to do for us. Too often, we allow bad circumstances to fill our minds, so that the only thing we remember is how bad things are. When we stop and recall the unfailing promises we have been given, we will not despair. Even in the darkest days, there is hope to be found in claiming the unchanging promises of God. — Copied

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

THE SEARCH

March 30, 2018 By Pastor David Stone

THE SEARCH
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”- Matt. 6:33

Throughout history man has been searching for something. He wants a high of some sort– something to make him feel good. However they might describe it, the one thing everyone wants is satisfaction. People will travel from one end of the earth to the other, spend every penny they have, deplete themselves of energy, and neglect their most pressing duty trying to find something that satisfies.

Christians should know better, but they don’t always do better. They sometimes long for something to such an extent that causes them to lose their focus and leave their duty. They give more thought to the pursuit of pleasure, or the solving of a problem, etc. than they do to the delights of being a child of God. They waste their time searching for something to satisfy when they already have something far better than anything they could ever find. Think about it.

No one on earth is blessed so much as Christians. It is inexcusable that we act as though we have been abused by our heavenly Father. It is sad that we misrepresent Him by complaining, as though He has mistreated us.

God is the God of all grace. And we, being the object of His affection, should be overwhelmed by the exceeding greatness of His undying love, and thankful for His tender mercies. Our praise and thanksgiving should never cease. With every fiber of our being we should express our love for the One who loved us even “while we were yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8). Being aware of His exceeding great and precious promises we should never be discouraged or disgruntled– regardless of our circumstances. We are enabled to that only by finding our greatest delight in pleasing Christ. Fixing our focus on Him keeps us from failing (Heb. 12:2-3).
The search for satisfaction doesn’t come to an end until we come to the Savior. He satisfies the longing soul as nothing else can. Then our concern is to please the One who satisfies us.–HDS

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

THE SOUL’S AMEN

March 29, 2018 By Pastor David Stone

THE SOUL’S AMEN
“….Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.”-Jer. 11:5

Jeremiah was conscious of the special current of Divine energy which was passing into and through his soul. The word had come to him “from the Lord,” and he felt it as a burning fire which he could not contain. He must needs give vent to it, but when it has passed his lips, and he has time carefully to consider it, he answers the Divine message by saying–“So be it, O Lord!”

The soul’s affirmation. Let us guard against mistake. It is not always possible to say “Amen”–Yes–to God, in tones of triumph and ecstasy. Sometimes our response is choked with sobs that cannot be stifled, and soaked with tears that cannot be repressed. It was probably so with Abraham, when he tore himself from Ur of the Chaldees; when he waited weary years for his son; when he climbed the steep of Moriah. These words may be read by some who suffer year after year constant pain, by those whose earthly life is tossed upon the sea of anxiety, over which billows of care and turmoil perpetually roll. It is not improbable that these will protest as to the possibility of saying “Amen” to God’s providential dealings, or they will ask: Of what avail is it to utter with the lips a word against which the whole heart stands in revolt?

In reply, let all such remember that our blessed Lord, in the garden, was content to put His will upon the side of God…He was able, unflinchingly to affirm, “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”

Dare to say “Amen” to God’s providential dealings. Say it, though heart and flesh fail, and you will find that if the will doth acquiesce, the heart comes ultimately to choose; and as the days pass, some incident, some turn in the road, some concurrence of unforeseen circumstances, will suddenly flash the conviction on the mind and reason that God’s way was right, the wisest, and the best. “What thou knowest not now, thou shalt know hereafter,” is the assurance of our Guide. Dare to trust Him, and in the strength of that trust to say, “Amen, O Lord.”–F. B. Meyer

For all things beautiful, and good, and true;

For all things that seemed not good yet turned to good;

For all the sweet compulsions of Thy Will

That chased, and tried, and wrought us to Thy shape–

We thank Thee, Lord.

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

TRANSFORMED

March 28, 2018 By Pastor David Stone

TRANSFORMED

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Rom.12:2

Conformity to this wicked world is a curse upon Christianity. We are in the world, for a good reason, but not of the world, and should not be like the world. However, it is a sad fact that today there is almost no difference in the behavior of those who profess to be Christians and those who don’t. And that destroys our effectiveness as witnesses to the world.

For this to change there must be a renewing of the mind. F. B. Meyer said, “This is not matter for emotion or ecstasy, but of bringing our minds into close and constant contact with the truth as contained in the Holy Scripture — as day by day you steep your mind in God’s word, without you realizing it, you will become transfigured.”

The order of this is beholding, becoming, and beaming as lights in a sin-darkened world. Before we can reflect the Son of God we must receive the word of God. Looking unto Jesus (Heb.12:2) leads to becoming like Him, and a light to others.

Jesus described this process when He said “Abide in me” (John 15:4,7). It is through continuous communion with Christ that we become like Christ. The key to us becoming what He demands and we desire is found in these words, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:70). May God help you see your need of transformation and to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom12:1).–HDS

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

THE REST OF THE STORY

March 27, 2018 By Pastor David Stone

THE REST OF THE STORY

I loved to listen to Paul Harvey, especially when he told “the rest of the story.” Life is full of mysteries and we’re all curious – to put it mildly. Things happen that simply don’t seem to make sense. This is especially true when it involves suffering or a death that seems premature.

We know God is good and we believe He is in control of everything, but we often question what He allows. We know He promised that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, but they seem counter-productive to His plans for our life, and we ask “Why?” We want an explanation and God isn’t talking. But He will! It’s just a matter of time.

Someday He will give us the rest of the story. I know this is so because I John 3:2 says “—it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” In other words, when He appears all else will become apparent to us. Being like Him will give us all the answers. He will tie up all the loose ends, fill in all the pieces of the puzzle, answer our questions and explain the purpose of His plan. While we will shout for joy at the greatness of His providence, we will be silent as to complaints. We will see that He has done all things well. We will be amazed as we see how God orchestrated the events of our lives so as to work out His eternal purpose. We shall forever praise Him, singing “Worthy is the Lamb!”.– HDS

“We’ll talk it over in the bye and bye.

I’ll ask the reasons – He’ll tell me why,

When we talk it over in the bye and bye.”

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

WHEN THINGS SEEM HOPELESS

THE SEARCH

THE SOUL’S AMEN

TRANSFORMED

THE REST OF THE STORY

Welcome to Lakeway Baptist Church

Latest Posts

Upcoming Events

Men’s Fellowship Breakfast

Breakfast Fellowship

Sunday School

Morning Worship Service

Choir Practice

Evening Worship Service

Master Clubs

Recent Announcements

Latest Sermons

Service Times

Sunday

Wednesday

Thursday