Worship

What's so good to see you? How many of you got up this morning walked outside and when it's winter time and I was okay. It was Danny told me this morning when you got up this morning. It was 11 degrees out. I was okay to tell me that and then I got cold all at once as the same thing. Corey said it is he said he had them now and it really made him calling went to the doctor this week. Gosh, I've been with this thing for weeks and I feel fine set my voice as bad and my regular doctor goes to our church in Antwerp in Houston not in on Mondays and Fridays and so his physician assistant is my cousin and de-seed a real young girl and I went in to see her and she looked at me and she said she checked me all over and said nice. The only thing is wrong with you is your voice box is inflamed. That sinus thing and you need to give your voice arrest. And I said, so you're saying shut up and she said can you do that? And I said, I will try but there's a problem maybe the back pressure will blow the top of my head off. So I've been trying to rest my voice. That's why it kind of disappeared from you this morning tonight. I'm not greet you because I wanted to have a voice to tell about important things have gotten this morning. He for those of you that decorated. Thank you, but look nice. I did a good job. Sharon. Thank you. Your influence. We got here with Aaron was with Carrie at some surgery and I went back and picked pictures up from last year Sharon. So this is our rendition of what you did last year. Are you directed us? Thank you for that. Your influence was in this I want to tell you this story this morning and bear with me as I tell you this story. It's it it's funny story. But it has something to do with Christmas and the importance of Christmas. 2 years ago on my dad was son was very sick. He was dying was dying of congestive heart failure and we ended up he lives of Southeastern Kentucky winded up bringing him home to live with us and as soon as he got here, He did he's had diabetes for a long long time and it says he got here we discovered that he needed to circumcision and it was bad is 85 years old. And so I took him to a urologist and he said Mr. Bigley you're going to have to have a circumcision and we have to do that. Right? So anyway, they took him into the hospital put him in the surgery, you know, the pre-op room and hooked him up to the IV's and they're getting ready to do a surgery on him and his heart went out of rhythm and he has congestive heart failure anyway, and oh my goodness a just everything come to a screeching halt and what are we going to do? And I see and I said to them or if you're waiting for his heart to get better to do with this surgery.

Specialist then there was one in the hospital there and they brought him in and he interviewed my dad and my dad being from Southeastern Kentucky. He has a whole different vocabulary if we have here. So this is doctor. He walked to the foot of the bed and in it. I got to tell you this to everywhere. My dad went for it was in the hospital in and out and in and out and everywhere he went there was a crowd around big wheel is bad down. I'll maybe 15 people falling it all around the streets like a celebrity just because they want to wait and see what he was going to say next. She's laying there in the bed in this bad and he said Mr. Bigley. Do you hurt anywhere? He was talking about his heart because it was out of rhythm and you know it a whole bunch of things wrong with his heart and he said, Yes, sir. Hurt right. You're right. You're about to kill me and he said well, I'm not sure what that is supposed to be. But what do you think it is? He says myself against her don't you know nothing? Eclipse totality said what is a bump and get sword? He said in your the doctor why you don't know nothing and be somebody else and it and he just the poor guy was perplexed and my my daughter Tracy was there that she works in surgery. And so she all the doctors. I did explain to him. He had gallbladder problems, but hit was the thumping gizzard now. He wanted to make sure that mentally my dad knew what was going on. So he said Mr. Bagley. Do you know what you're you're going to be? What's your surgeries on he said or yes or no to you? Yeah, but I need to hear it from you. He said they're going to circle size mitali wacker.

Best doctors. What's a tallywacker in my my my daughter grabbed him and rushed him out of the room. It's it you're asking way too many questions that you don't want to know the answer to

I told you that I had to tell you this my dad ended up spending a week in the hospital and his heart just continue to get worse and one one day they came in and said we're not sure your dad's going to make it through the night and and I stayed I stayed with him in the through the night and I slept in the chair and stuff in about two in the morning. He was really having a bad spell it's his his gallbladder really acted up and it was just really struggling and I was just me and him in the room. And I said Dad. I've been witnessing to my dad for years and he just push me away and then and he would tell me Max. I've heard that all my life. I don't need to hear it no more. And now that night to 3 in the morning I said dad you may you may not make it till the morning that you really sick and he said yeah, I know that.

And I said to him. Bad if you were to die tonight. You are are you sure you'd wake up in heaven? And he said I'm not sure. And I said, what would you want them? You want to make sure would you like to give you a heart to Jesus and I never forget his answer. He said I'm not sure know how to go about that.

And that's it. You've come to the right place. And not so I pray the sinner's prayer with my dad that night. And you know, I was worried. He was he come in and out of confusion and I was worried that that he can get it, you know, which is like it's up to me to understand, you know, but it but he did when he left 40 weeks after that and his Clarity came back and put him on the hospice and they did some things that just really the last three years were or three weeks were awesome where they let that it was really good to be with him. But he changed his Sunday morning Hit it first thing he did it out of his mouth. It's time for church. We sit down for a meal and I remember breakfast one morning with I made a big breakfast biscuits gravy eggs, and they did the whole bunch of some fried apples in this and then we started to eat and I said was pretty good ain't it Dad? He said be a lot better if you blast it. And I am I dad got it. this season We make big hoopla as we decorate things and we put out manger scenes and we'd spend thousands of dollars that we don't have to buy gifts to give each other. But if we're not careful, we will miss the reason for everything that we're doing. I think that we need to be intentional. And Jesus came and we celebrated this time of the year. So the people like my dad can come to know Christ so that you and I can not only live eternity in heaven know that we can have a more productive life and fulfilled life here on this Earth. And that's why Jesus came. That's the purpose. That's that's the reason for everything that we do in this season. We're getting ready to celebrate the most significant holiday of our nation both in our face systems and Two Hearted. And if we're not intentional we lose the meeting of this occasion in the hoopla. So here's what John talked about in this gift. And I think you recognize the first bar John 3:16. There's how is what Jesus said is John recorded it for God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son who was born. We celebrate the birth of the season so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life God sent his son into the world not to judge the world. I think that that needs to that we need to be careful that we we know that and understand that he sent his son into the world not to judge the world but to save the world through him. I want to talk about the meaning of the coming of Christ the Savior. So the first thing that I'd like to talk to you about is it Jesus didn't come to judge us but to save us and I think sometimes we get that confused, especially in the way that we talk to other people that we we present that in a negative light is the presenting it in a positive light line of the Christian faith looks like judgment to some people it's hard. It's hard to see a loving God when God's people are telling people about the Judgment of the consequences that he'll of how it is the same way when we talked about it rolls of Christian Living and it turns into a whole bunch of do's and don'ts instead of a relationship. I think we're better served one instead of calling these things. The laws that maybe we call them principles to live by how about this one? Here's a principle to live by and see if is not a principle of the laws of God, but his principal Jesus said that bad company corrupts good character. And don't you know, that's true. I mean for you just know that bad company corrupts good character. And you remember in the Bible what you have to do to get go character if go through trials and tribulations and have tough stuff happened to you because when you go through those difficult times, it builds character. So you do all of this work going through those difficult times and you felt this good character and you start hanging around Bad Company. And it crops that good character. You start all over again. What a shame. I mean just stop and think about all the tough times. You've gone through it your life. And now you got to repeat them just because you hung around with some bad company and now there's some folks just need to cut from the her, you know what I'm talkin about. They'll take you down the wrong road need to separate yourself from that. We don't need to be mean to him or nothing just need to limit the amount of time that you spend with them. If they're going to corrupt you how about this and a law of living Jesus said this I am the light of the world if you follow me you and I have to walk in darkness. That's in that cool. I am the light of the roof you follow me not to walk in darkness. How many of you ever walked in darkness? You know what I'm talking about? It's not that it is it's a sense of literally walk in the dark as you don't know where you're going but sometimes in our life we can get in such a dark place or such a confused State who know where we're going we're walking in darkness. But Jesus said in the light of the world you follow me. You never have to go do our purpose to your life always some love living and I think if we present them as a law of living just like nobody argues about the law of gravity. Nobody says I don't like the law of gravity would it matter whether you like it or not? It's just a fact of life. So are these laws that if you don't do these things here's the consequences of him. And so instead of turning them into don't do sometimes I think sometimes we just presented them with facts. Remember when the the legalistic rulers asked Jesus was the most important Commandments you are what Jesus said you and I would not steal that in we say these things are such a condemning way. There were Jesus's answer was. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your mind your soul. Will you beat love God with everything you got and in love your neighbor as yourself, and then he said that it going to all the world tell people about Jesus and you know, if you do those two things that fulfills all of the rest of them. And you see the way that he presented that you presented in a way of of Deliverance not in the way of condemnation and I think that we need to be careful to do the same thing. For some reason we tend to present salvation with a Turner burn flipper fry attitude. And you know, we we need to we need to change that it presented in a different way one day. We were at a clergy fellowship meeting a bunch bass or sitting around and we that we tend to get Sunny call from time to time. You know, it's like either I'm glad you just had enough enough for people that you over and over and over just had enough and one of the guys said I think we all have t-shirts made for all of our clergy fellowship and on the front Justin Turner burn flipper fry brother and on the back, so I love you, man.

We need to change the way that we present the gospel Turner burn flipper fries. Not a good way to present a loving God send his son into the world so that we would not perish but we presented the God sent his son into the world. So the sound of you world will get sorted out. And that's not true at all. We seen it presents Jesus like his son will send you to hell if you don't get line and that's just not true. Not at all. The true that says God sent his son to die for our sins so that he could have us return date. That's why he came here. I John went on to say this or Jesus went on to say this and John recorded that he said there's no judgement against anyone who believes in hell. How do you know that the Judgment seat of God is our event done with you when you when you confess Jesus as Lord and Savior it's done you get to the Judgment seat and for you the world the world of beat the word of be well done. Coming in or maybe it won't be well done, but will be come in. Because when you profess the Lord and I want to talk to you about that, that's a little that's more than lip service. It's not the same with your mouth something but it's it's a it's a character of your heart. All right, there's no judgement against you want to believe him. But anyone do not believe him. It's already been charged for not believing it shows no God. I don't want what you presented me. I don't want what you have to offer. I just I don't want that. He's not believe in the gods one and only son so salvations not just in our actions or our words, but also it's in the heart of the word believing that we read here. That's a heart condition you believe with your heart. I mean you say you believe with your head. Will you truly believe with your heart? And it and we seem to think that God only wants perfect people. So we begin to Define each other based on what are Perfection looks like. How many in this room a perfect Ed Sheeran probably vote on that. She come close to the top know how many of you been made perfect because of the love God. See we've been made perfect in hell some of them made perfect in God's eyes. And how's that happen through a loving relationship with him Luann is about as perfect as somebody get in my eyes. I'll show you a couple people that are perfect in my eyes. I think we catch and do it. There's one. That's perfect in my eyes. That's that's our new great-granddaughter names Berlin. She'll be here next Sunday. She was Madison was going to bring her this week, but she had her shots this week. And so kind of gave her a low-grade temperature and stuff and and we don't want her to get cooties in the flu season. Here's another one that's made perfect in my eyes. That's the Lincoln NE DND your grandma and I made a tenth of a table and the chairs and stuff and he's in his tent. You know why they're perfect. And in our eyes is because of their love for us but most importantly because of our love for them. And that's the way that God sees you like we see these two little children. He sees us because he's in a loving relationship with us and just like Luann and I've already done our part. I mean when Lincoln was born the minute we seen him we fell madly in love even before that one when his mom was running around with them in his belly. We fell in love with him because we love his mom and dad in the same way with Berlin even before she was born. We love him because we love her mom and dad and two and then when they come in there and your face and that dude a couple weeks ago when Lincoln was here around down the aisle says he saw me Howard Papa The Rundown. I only ran up here my heart melted. That's what God's heart does when you and I. Baja and we run to him in and go into his arms and we can do that in our everyday lives by believing in our hearts. God sent his son to die for our sins so that he could have us for eternity. So salvation not just in her action, but it's in her heart. God didn't come to judge you came up to seek and to save us for judgment. But listen to this last part of this passage. And the judgment is based on this fact that did you hear that judgment is based on this fact judgement. It's a fact there is a judgement of God God's light came into the world, but people love the darkness more than the light for their actions were Evil all who do evil hate the light refuse to go near it for fear for fear. Their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light. So others can see that they're doing what God wants. How many of you haha? I don't raise your hand just sit I'd if there's a question for you to answer in your heart. How many of you would never have done some of the rotten things you did at night in the daytime.

Yeah, I got it never done that a daytime and you know why we wouldn't have done in the daytime if somebody see this. And that right thing that we were doing would have been exposed. And we we we would not catch this we wouldn't have got away with it in the life. That's what this passage of scripture is talking about. If God is light and he brings light into the world that light exposes the evil needs. You know, there's some people that are so caught up in the darkness didn't want nothing to do with a light. Some people choose to not have the light in their life. And that they they choose the darkness purposefully. That's where the Judgment comes in. Look at that Indiana God's deal. That's our deal. We choose that judgment because we reject the light. Jesus came to save us from judgement because there is a judgement. I'll talk someone I want you to know that there is a hell. And some people are going to be there. And he'll like heaven is for eternity. But it's the choice that people makes not the choice that God makes he wants us to spend eternity forever with him. There's some people that love misery I bet you can think of this as some folks at just love misery they live for it and they did they just can't get along with anybody cause problems and trouble everywhere they go and that's the life they choose and it doesn't matter how much you try to care for them. That's what they're going to do and that the same way with some people that choose hell They just like that way of life. They don't want nothing to do with guy and to have a relationship or God would just be miserable for them. And there's nothing that we can do about that except present the gospel over and over but it their heart and their decision needs to be changed. My dad, my dad was 85 years old when he professed Jesus is Lord and say 85. Cathy's parents were both older when they professed Jesus is Lord of their lives. And you know, I don't think my dad would ever give his heart to God and think he would he just he did he would just push that away and my dad was one of the nicest guys that you carry around but that he didn't want nothing to do with that duck to him coming here and worship him with us would have been miserable. It just want it one relevant and all I want something happen. It is hard in all become relevant. So if you know people who are lost and don't give up on them don't give because we don't know their heart. We don't know the condition. We don't know God's timing. We don't know any of that. I know this God can save people winter 85. So who knows? I believe my dad was the oldest person I've ever led the lure. I think I didn't tell you this just popped in my eye was only Retreat one time a men's retreat. And there was a pastor there from a from a lot just a local church pastor one in our area but just outside of her and he was 62 years old. And he came to me one afternoon to that 3-day Retreat. He came to me and he said pastor. I'm not say.

He didn't never done anything but Ministry is whole life. He graduated high school went to Seminary graduate Seminary became a pastor and he said I'm not save Jesus is not Lord of my life. And he said it took this weekend for me to realize that I've been doing a job. I just thought I had a pretty good job. But he said I need Jesus in my heart. And I said well gosh, I don't need to lead you there. You're know what to do. And he said yeah, I've LED bunches and bunches of people to Salvation I just pushed it off for my cell you would have never known that he was one of the kindest guys he knew the Bible front to back but there's a lot of difference between this knowledge of God in this knowledge of God. And he gave his heart to God that day and in the end, I thought that he probably keep that a secret. You know what I mean? He told everybody there couldn't wait to tell him and then he told me that she said hi and side folding sights. I can't believe you're telling everybody that I just want are you okay with that? These guys won't keep this a secret and he said no no, no because there may be somebody here. That's the same with I I've gone all these years with this knowledge of God, but not this knowledge of God. Some people want to live in the darkness doing things of the darkness and there's nothing we can do about it except continue to present the gospel. So I want to close with this there's good news and bad news about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news. Is this God wants a relationship with us for eternity. And all we have to do is accept his love and love him in return. It's up to us. That's a good news. Here's the bad news. God wants a relationship with us for eternity. And all we have to do is accept his love in return. It's up to us. That's the bad news. It's the good news. And the bad news. The good news is up. There was the bad news something. Because God you're not going to force you to love him kind of love. Would that be if he forced us it wouldn't be a true love and for a lot of people it takes a tragedy in life for them to realize their lost in darkness did me? They took her took the death of mine took the suicide my 17 year old brother really come to realize my lostness. And not boy. What a what a bad way to come to know Christ. Do you know how much easier that would have been for us if we had already known Christ instead of go through that without anybody to lean on but the realization is there has to be something greater in this life than Ivan turn into and that's when we accepted Jesus. So let me ask you this question. And that is I want to ask you the same question. I asked my dad. If tonight we're to be the last night of your life and you don't know and you go out in the car getting a car wreck and it be over some crazy disease can strike you not be it. Are you don't know if this were the last night of your life. Are you for sure that you wake up and have are you sure of that? It is sometimes I didn't listen. I'm not talking about I doubt I think it's flashed through our mind all the time. I think we need to believe our beliefs and outer doubts because sometimes we believe her doubts. Her beliefs that we believe her beliefs and outer douse those things go away. Maybe even that your issue. I just I walking doubt. Or are you walking in the light, you know that you know that you know that you know. I want you to be sure Southern Baptists are big on the on the security of the believer and wouldn't want you to walk around wondering if your say while you to know that you're saved and not so I'd I want to invite you and Jason I didn't ask you to beforehand. Would you come and play some music for us? I just want to invite you in the next few minutes to open your heart to God. Hidden in it. And here's what some of you with it if that if you're sitting there and go man. I got it nailed down. I'm good. I'm glad you asked that just makes me no more my heart. I'm glad for you, but for some that don't this is going to be uncomfortable time. So I'd like you to do this if there's someone that you know in your heart it's lost and you've been praying for them for years. I like you to come to the front pray for the hell. All right, and I pray that they would get their hearts right for God. how to make it easier for the ones that have the doubt or the ones that just not sure. But let's take this this time this beginning of this Christmas season the Savior season. To put aside everything that's in our hearts and just let him out to God. Will you come become?

About six months ago at a friend that was that I'd worked with for a long time. And and I I told you about him he was dying of cancer and he was in his seventies. And I was able to pray with him at his bedside in the hospital. You give his heart to Jesus he live for another year here and a half. And he had more company than I've ever seen. Anybody have compliment was in a nursing home for a couple months and more people would come tell me something with some of his friends were Christian and Evie room full of people and they would ask him to Doug. They'll give you give your heart to God and he said yeah me and Max prayed in the hospital over there and he would tell them all about it and he tell him about the difference in his heart and no border. What an awesome thing. That was said, he'd give us hard to God and I didn't think I didn't think you would ever tell anybody about something like he's a tough guy, you know, and more people will come in his room and they would ask him something like that and he began to tell him about how important it was it he had two piece of God. In order for us to be able to do that with our friends are those we love a stranger that we just run into there's no greater gift than you can give them than to reveal to them the gift that God has for us. So this season, you know, we got a couple weeks yet till Christmas this season. I pray that you would start a new tradition in your house. And before you rip into those hundreds or thousands of dollars you spent on those gifts and and them out if you just stop for a minute and say I want you to know why I'm giving you this gift. I given you this gift because God gave us a gift. And I want this gift. The represent that gift that he gave us what an opportunity to share the gospel. That's all you got to say and I'm saying no more because of there's somebody there that God's tugging on their heart will come to you and now they'll want to know more about that gift. Let's stand by word of prayer and be dismissed. All right.

Father inside look out among these people who stand before me. I know that there are some that are standing here that have foots people on their prayer list for salvation for years and Lord. We lift them to you just now. I know that there are some of them that I know as well as they know and it just just breaks my heart Lord that these are good people and not Rogues. Yo-yo. Is there good people who just walking in a lost world some just walking in darkness and Lord. I pray that you pull it their hearts. If I look there's something that a word that we can say or deed that we can do cause us not to shrink back from it. Lord help us to understand the attitude of these verses that we've read this morning not of condemning attitude, but a loving attitude not a push way attitude put a poll two headed to Lord we thank you for your son in Jesus name. Amen.