WATCH AND PRAY

June 1, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”–Matthew 26:39–41

Three weeks after the “shot heard round the world” started the fighting of the Revolutionary War, American forces advanced on Fort Ticonderoga. The fort had proved vital during the French and Indian War, and the colonists knew that it contained many cannons which they desperately needed to face the much larger British forces. Despite the outbreak of war, when the Americans approached the fort early in the morning of May 9, 1775, there was only a single sentry on duty. He was so inattentive that the Americans took the fort without firing a single shot, winning a crucial victory early in the war.

The Christian life is an ongoing spiritual conflict, and we must be constantly on guard. The devil doesn’t take vacations. He is looking for opportunities to attack, and if we abandon our responsibilities and do not take them seriously, defeat will follow. Dr. John R. Rice said, “Prayer is a duty expressly commanded for every Christian, all the time, and about everybody and everything. Not to pray is a sin, the sin of disobedience to the plain and often repeated command of God! Lack of prayer is a sin. Doubtless all of our sins and mistakes and failures are prayer-sins, prayer mistakes, and prayer-failures.” We do not have the power on our own to defeat the enemy. We must have God’s help through prayer if are to have any hope of victory.

If you begin a day without prayer and watchfulness, you are handing the devil a great opportunity.(Daily in the Word)

BE OF GOOD CHEER

May 31, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

My Lord’s words are true as to the tribulation. I have my share of it beyond all doubt. The flail is not hung up out of the way, nor can I hope that it will be laid aside so long as I lie upon the threshing floor, How can I look to be at home in the enemy’s country, joyful while in exile, or comfortable in a wilderness? This is not my rest. This is the place of the furnace, and the forge, and the hammer. My experience tallies with my Lord’s words.

I note how He bids me “be of good cheer.” Alas! I am far too apt to be downcast. My spirit soon sinks when I am sorely tried. But I must not give way to this feeling. When my Lord bids me cheer up I must not dare to be cast down.

What is the argument which He uses to encourage me? Why, it is His own victory. He says, “I have overcome the world.” His battle was much more severe than mine. I have not yet resisted unto blood. Why do I despair of overcoming? See, my soul, the enemy has been once overcome. I fight with a beaten foe. O world, Jesus has already vanquished thee; and in me, by His grace, He will overcome thee again. Therefore am I of good cheer and sing unto my conquering Lord. (Faith’s Checkbook by C. H. Spurgeon)

ALTOGETHER LOVELY

May 30, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”–S. S. 5:16

It is with deep emotion that Solomon speaks here of the excellency of Christ. It is as though he has considered every possible description and heaped together all the possible superlatives and concluded that “He is altogether lovely“! When trying to describe His loveliness three words have been used:

He is exclusively lovely. He is one of a kind. None other is so lovely as He. None can compare to Him. Those who claim that one religion is just as good as another don’t know Jesus!

He is exhaustively lovely. None other is so lovely as He. If you gathered together all the finest qualities in the greatest men who ever lived and put them into one man he would still come short of the beauty seen in Christ. There is no part of Him that isn’t lovely. While some folks excel in certain areas but fail in others, Christ excels to the highest degree in every area.

He is exquisitely lovely. He doesn’t just excel in that He surpasses others, everything about Christ is lovely to the greatest extent. He is perfect in every way. Everything about His person and work is perfect. It is impossible to overestimate His perfection and worth. Neither tongue nor pen can capture His excellence.

Considering His loveliness, how can we not be constantly “Looking unto Jesus” (Heb. 12:2)? It is with great delight that we “Consider Him” ( Heb. 12:3). And the is the secret to success for every Christian. It is no wonder that the song writer said, “He is so precious to me”. Indeed He is. So much so that we rejoice in Him, rely upon Him, rest in Him, reflect Him, and relay what we know about Him to others. Yet in spite of all this, if the truth was known the average church member fails to spend ten minutes a day meditating on Him. It is no wonder that they are bored, miserable, discontent, and easily overcome by temptation. Rather than complaining about the unpleasant things in life, set your focus on Jesus. He is “Altogether lovely” In Him we always have a reason to rejoice.—HDS

MEMORIAL DAY

May 29, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“The memory of the just is blessed…..”—Prov. 10:7

It started shortly after the Civil War when families of the fallen decorated the graves of their loved ones who died in battle. Today we call it “Memorial Day” and we tend to include all our loved ones who have died. Remembering others is fine, we should do it often, but we need to remember that “Memorial Day” is a day to honor those who died in defense of our country –that was the original intent.

From the time it was instituted until now we have enjoyed freedom that was purchased and preserved by the sacrifices of those who served in our armed forces. How could we ever forget the price they paid? How can we fail to be grateful?

This day should cause our hearts to overflow with thanksgiving for those who loved liberty more than life, and freedom more than fortune, fame, and fun. Let us then honor these men and women by giving thanks for what they did. May we never forget that freedom isn’t free! So, as you enjoy your freedom, doing whatever you do, be grateful that someone cared enough to make the sacrifice necessary to secure it for you.

As our nation observes Memorial Day, please take time to reflect on what others have provided for you, thank God for His blessings, express in some appropriate way your appreciation, and pray–especially for the families who have suffered the loss of a loved one in the pursuit of freedom.—HDS

AN INHERITANCE INCORRUPTIBLE

May 28, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,” 1 Pet. 1:3-4

Every Memorial Day I remember my mother making crepe paper flowers for “Decoration Day” when I was a boy. You can well imagine what they looked like in a few days or after a rain. An old song speaks about a place “where the roses never fade”, and it does our heart good to think about that. Knowing we have “an inheritance incorruptible” keeps us going through the toughest times in life. Knowing the best is yet to come enables us to endure the worse things in the world.

In this world the praise of man is soon forgotten and the flowers given in appreciation for our deeds are soon cast aside. Even the trophies we win and the medals we receive eventually end up in the dump. And what we don’t lose we will one day leave. Missionary C. T. Studd was right when he wrote, “Only one life, ’twill’ soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last“. Indeed it will. When done for Christ, no work will be wasted, no labor will be in vain, no deed will be forgotten, and no service will go unrewarded. Jesus summed it all up when He said, “great is your reward in heaven“( Matt. 5:12). That’s why He said, ” Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”(Matt. 6:19-20).

This is what prompted Jim Elliot to say, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose”. Another said, “Life is like a coin, you can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once“. As we reflect on the heroics of those who have gone before let us aspire to invest our lives in that which pays eternal dividends. We would be fools to do otherwise.

However, do not confuse your heavenly rewards with your heavenly inheritance. The former is based on what you do, the latter on what Christ does. Rewards are based on service rendered. Our inheritance is based on salvation received. Until you are born again you have no chance of either. It is only through the new birth that you can have hope of anything of eternal value. Trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you gain that which the world cannot give nor take away!

You need not live with a dark cloud of doubt hanging over your head– wondering and worrying about the future. Christ died and rose again to give you “a lively hope“, “an inheritance incorruptible”, “joy unspeakable and full of glory”, and much more than the mind can imagine or the tongue can describe. Trust Him today! It will be a day you never forget.–HDS

WATCH AND PRAY

BE OF GOOD CHEER

ALTOGETHER LOVELY

MEMORIAL DAY

AN INHERITANCE INCORRUPTIBLE

Welcome to Lakeway Baptist Church

Latest Posts

Upcoming Events

Breakfast Fellowship

Sunday School

Morning Worship Service

Choir Practice

Evening Worship Service

Master Clubs

Midweek Bible Study

Recent Announcements

Latest Sermons

Service Times

Sunday

Wednesday

Thursday