HOW TO GET UP WHEN YOU ARE DOWN

July 1, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”–Heb. 12:3

“I am cast down!” said the Psalmist. And that raises the question, “Why? “. James Smith suggested some answers people would give. I have omitted the list because we each are able to compose our own. But I suspect somewhere in his list you would find something that troubles you. Due to the nature of the world and the needs of man, disappointments are common. We are born with certain appetites and the world is shouting in our ear, like a merchant selling his wares, “Try this” or “Try that”, but we keep coming up empty. The world is long on promises but short on provisions. So we might well expect to be disappointed. But the Christians greatest disappointment usually is with self. We feel as Paul described in Rom. 7. We have the desire, our goal is high, but we keep coming up short–and it hurts. We earnestly strive to do well, but we keep failing. It just might be that we are focused too much on self.

Smith wrote: “—if you look at yourself, and pore over the things you have named — then it is no wonder that you are cast down! They are enough to cast anyone down! But if you carry them to the throne of grace, if you there confess them before God, if you look to Jesus to save you from them — then, in spite of them — you will not long be cast down. I know it is difficult to do this. There is a natural proneness to pore over such things. One feels at times a secret liking to indulge in gloomy thoughts. But we must look away from self — for if we do not, we shall become anxious, doubting and gloomy! We must run the race, not looking at our imperfections, short-comings, and failures — but looking unto Jesus. He knows what we are. He knew what we would be — before He called us by His grace; yes, before He shed His blood for us!

He loved us, as sinners. He died for us, as sinners. He called us, as sinners. He saves us, as sinners. He will have all the glory of saving us, and He will get great glory by doing so, because we are such great sinners; and do not, cannot, do anything to repay Him for His wondrous love! Salvation is by free grace — from first to last! Believe this, and it will raise up your drooping mind! The life-boat of free grace has put you on board the vessel of salvation, and that will convey you safely to the port of glory! Do not look at your spiritual destitution, or feebleness, or incapacity, or imperfections — but trust in your Pilot, rely on your Captain, and expect His mercy and merit to land you safe in Heaven at last!”

Hope in God! His mercy is great unto the heavens, His grace is as free as the air, His love is as changeless as His nature,His promise is as immutable as His love.
Hope in God, for you shall yet praise Him. He will save you for His own sake, and present you.. as a monument of His mercy, and a trophy of His grace!“

LEARNING TO LIVE

June 30, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. “–John 10:10-11

Jack London said, “The proper function of man is to live—not to exist”. You need to think about that.We need some lessons on living. If that sounds foolish to you it might be proof that you need them. There is more to living than just existing. There is more to life than just breathing, moving, eating,working, and sleeping. Your vital signs might indicate that you are alive, but are you really living, or just existing?

The problem is that “living” means different things to different people. Sometimes we hear people, engaged in something they enjoy, say “Man this is living!” They often talk about “living life to its fullest” But what does that mean? For some it’s kicking back with a cold one watching a ball game, or climbing a mountain, catching a big bass, killing a big buck, or shopping, etc. But for the Christian it should be entirely different. We are not at liberty to pick and choose how we live. It should be the same for us as it was with Paul who said, “For to me to live is Christ..”(Phil. 1:21). Rather than talking about “the good life” of which men speak we would be better to think about the abundant life of which Jesus spoke. That’s a life worth living–a life that not only satisfies but also serves. That is the life we should learn to live.

But such a life doesn’t just happen, it requires something from us. We don’t just exist our way into excellence. Growing doesn’t mean that you grow-up. Aging isn’t maturity. Many exist to the end of their lives without ever becoming the person they should or could be. A life well-lived is learned. The time to start is now! Jesus came not only to provide life, but to produce abundant life. He provides love that passeth knowledge, joy unspeakable and full of glory, peace that passeth all understanding, hope that is steadfast and sure. He doesn’t just give us life, He gives us life on the highest plane. We would be foolish to deprive ourselves of the abundant life. Why would you want to live beneath your privilege? God wants better for you than that. If you avail yourself of all God offers you will experience a life beyond anything you ever imagined! The sheep that follow the Shepherd “shall not want”, and that’s what God wants from you and for you.-HDS

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

June 29, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and an known of mine.”— John 10:14

The very first word, “I”, assures us that this verse should be of interest to us and gain our trust. Jesus is the speaker, the subject, and the source of our needs. I’ve often said that the key to living victoriously is to your focus on the person and work of Christ. Considering who He is and what He has done is essential.Nothing is more important than understanding your relationship with Christ.

We should live with an awareness of who we are and what we have in Christ. While there are many ways to do this one of the best is to study the metaphor of Christ as the Good Shepherd. Because of the popularity of the twenty third Psalm and this chapter much has been written about the Lord as our Shepherd. The more you study it the more you see why. Naturally in a short message like this there is much that must be left unsaid, so I simply want to focus on what is said about what Christ knows about His sheep.

He knows their names. “..he calleth his own sheep by name..”(John 10:13). This is why we often speak about having a personal relationship with Christ. He doesn’t just know about us, He knows us. And to be known of the Lord is the difference between heaven and hell (Matt. 7:23). Salvation involves more than knowing about the Lord (Ja, 2:19). It is about you knowing Him and Him knowing you.

He knows their nature. He knows we are weak and wayward, feeble and foolish. We are so foolish as to wander away from Him and so feeble that we can’t protect ourselves against our enemies. Were it not for the Shepherd’s constant care we would all perish. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We are wise to trust Him and follow wherever He leads. The center of God’s will is the safest place on earth–don’t stray.

He knows their needs. He knows our suffering ( Ex. 3:9; 2 Kgs. 14:26), sighs (Psa. 38:9), and tears (2 Kgs. 20:5). He is aware of our needs, able to meet them, and available when needed. Knowing He knows is a great encouragement. He has all power, is ever present, and always keeps His promises. That’s why we have blessed assurance. He knows. He cares. He can help.—HDS

MAN’S NEED FOR GOD’S WORD

June 28, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”–Rom. 1:20
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”–Psa. 19:1
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”–Psa. 19:7

As a boy, born and raised in the Ozarks, I spend a lot of nights sleeping outside under the stars. Back then we didn’t have A/C. In fact when I started school we didn’t even have water or a bathroom in the house. We didn’t even have a refrigerator– we had an “ice-box”, where you kept things cool by putting a block of ice in the box. So to get a bit of relief from the heat during the hot summertime I spent many nights sleeping outside on a blanket in the back yard. It was an educational experience.

I can remember laying there looking up at the stars wondering, “Where did all this come from?”. We didn’t attend church and I had never read the Bible, but I had overheard mom talk about God. So as I lay there watching for falling stars, I thought to myself there must be some higher power, greater force, or God that created all of this. Still, I was as dumb as a rock about spiritual things. All I knew was what I could see in nature.

It wasn’t until I was 24 that I heard the gospel. Although I was compelled by the testimony of nature to believe there must be a God, I knew nothing about Him and what He had done for me– until, out of desperation, I started going to church. While the works of God in creation declare the glory of God they do not declare the gospel of Christ. By looking at creation I could see the works of God, but not the will of God. Looking at creation I could see something of God’s wisdom and power, but not His love. I needed more than the marvel of creation. I needed the message of Christ. I needed more than the revelation of creation, I needed a relationship with Christ. And for that we must believe the gospel rather than just behold His glory in nature. To find what you need you must turn to the Scriptures rather than science. The grandeur of creation can tell you only so much about God. It cannot tell you how to be forgiven of sin or free from sin. For that information you must turn to God’s word. It is “perfect” and “sure, making wise the simple”.–HDS

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

June 27, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.”–Psalm 68:17–20

I read a beautiful story from a missionary who was working in a leper colony. During a worship service, he asked if anyone had a favorite song. He said that a woman stood who had the most disfigured face he had ever seen. She had no ears, and most of her nose and lips were gone as well. But she raised her fingerless hand and asked, “Can we sing ‘Count Your Blessings’”?

The ingratitude of the society around us has sadly infected God’s people as well. We have so much for which to be thankful, yet far too often we spend our time complaining about what we think we should have rather than rejoicing in the many undeserved blessings and benefits we have received. God does not owe us anything. Every good gift that comes from His hand is the result of His grace, not our merit.

There are few sins more damaging to our Christian life than ingratitude. Someone said, “If you woke up tomorrow with only those things for which you gave thanks today, what would you have left?” The benefits we receive from God deserve our sincere and continued praise. And because they come day after day, our thanksgiving should rise to Him day after day. The realization that it is God’s goodness that is at the root of our blessing should make us love Him even more.

If we are not thankful for the many blessings we have received, we will not love God as we should.(Copied)

HOW TO GET UP WHEN YOU ARE DOWN

LEARNING TO LIVE

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

MAN’S NEED FOR GOD’S WORD

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

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