Pastor S.M. Lockridge Sermon on Faith and Works

About S.M. Lockridge

Sermon Audio & Download

Sermon Quotes

11:26 - “If you really want to live, you must come to the Lord Jesus Christ … and then go and share that life (in Christ) with others“

11:58 - “Trouble with us in these days, we are trying to love each other, trying to live with each other without God … “

12:23 - “You know that men quit acting like brothers in Cain and Abel’s day?”

12:30 - “We say we have a racial problem … but I submit to you that our problem is not a skin problem but a sin problem.”

13:07 - “If you are going down a dark stretch of the road at night and you hear some footsteps behind you, you don’t wander what color that man is, you want to know the condition of his hear!”

13:30 - “We must love God and neighbor in that order.”

13:40 - “I say we try to pay men to live peaceably one with the other … don’t you know that God loves without a reason [i.e. not money].”

14:34 - “God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because God loves us.'“

22:42 - “Every Christian ought to be a tither … that’s a minimum … and give generously of what you have left.”

23:44 - “Some talk to him [God] like trying to picket the throne of grace, trying to change his mind.“

27:39 - “You copy others, you copy their faults … you copy Christ, there’s no faults to copy.”

28:36 - “We must worship God and witness to every creature. Some people want to select whom they want to witness. But it’s to every creature [human]. Witness not only by lips but by life.”

33:19 - “Just imagine if everyone here would allow the Lord to have his way in your life. Revival would break out right here.”

34:07 - “Men want to be saved but on their own terms.”

Sermon Transcript

(Auto-generated by Youtube’s transcription; video minutes left in for reference)

00:00 ah how delighted I am to see this crowd 00:04 here tonight crowd of all ages and all 00:11 levels of life and everywhere I go I say 00:18 irrespective of the age go and get you 00:22 some learning go and get you some 00:26 learning so that other people will not 00:30 look down on you and then go and get you 00:34 some old learn and so you won't look 00:36 down on other people but I happen to 00:42 notice if you know a little something 00:43 the world doesn't want to give you 00:45 credit and if you're not sure about some 00:48 things they'll brag on you when 00:53 Christopher Columbus left home he didn't 00:55 know whey was going when he got here he 00:59 didn't know whey was when he returned 01:03 home he didn't know Wade bid and we give 01:07 him credit for discovering America and 01:15 then while you're getting you learn and 01:18 learn to use what you know some years 01:23 ago a boy whose parents had no formal 01:28 training wanted their son to have 01:31 educational advantages so they got their 01:33 money together and sent this boy away to 01:37 school and after the first year when the 01:40 boy returned home he was eager to let 01:42 his parents know what he'd learned in 01:45 school that morning the father went out 01:49 and killed two ducks the mother dressed 01:54 these ducks and baked them real brownly 01:57 and called him to dinner and the boy 02:00 said this is my opportunity to let my 02:02 parents know what I've learned in school 02:05 when they were seated at the table the 02:07 boy said daddy there are three ducks in 02:11 that dish 02:13 the father said no I didn't kill but to 02:18 the boss at all but they have three 02:21 ducks in that dish and the mother said I 02:24 didn't bake but two boss still insisted 02:30 that there are three ducks in that dish 02:32 and he set out to try to explain he say 02:35 you see you take a certain potion from 02:38 this duck and an equal portion from this 02:40 duck and put these potions together this 02:43 will equal that and that will equal this 02:44 and the more he tried to explain the 02:47 more confused the father became so he 02:51 just bowed his head and said gracious 02:53 Lord we do humbly thank thee for what we 02:56 are about to receive for the nourishment 02:57 of our bodies for Christ our Redeemer 03:00 sake amen and he up one duck and 03:05 put in the mother's plate and he 03:08 up the other duck and put in his plate 03:10 and say now you help yourself to that 03:11 third day 03:27 I'm using for subject this evening 03:33 sharing our life in Christ in service 03:41 share in our life in Christ in service 03:48 the text comes from our Lord's Gospel 03:52 according to Luke the tenth chapter and 03:59 I'll begin reading with verse 25 04:12 Luke 10 and 45 and the whole a certain 04:17 lawyer stood up and tempted him saying 04:21 master what shall I do to inherit 04:24 eternal life and he said unto him what 04:30 is written in the law and how read his 04:31 style and he answered and said thou 04:35 shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 04:37 heart and with all thy soul and with all 04:41 thy strength and with all thy mind and 04:45 thy neighbor as thyself and he said unto 04:50 Him thou has answered write this do and 04:55 thou shall live I wanna lay emphasis on 05:02 the latter portion of the 28th verse 05:10 he answered and said unto him thou has 05:14 answered write this do and thou shall 05:20 live you know what to say 05:27 now go do it you preached now go 05:35 practice what you've preached 05:42 is it strange that everybody wants to 05:48 live but he spends his time died 06:01 you will agree I'm sure that we live in 06:04 a sadly sick society men still think 06:11 that they can find peace of mind in 06:13 pills they're trying to eat their way to 06:18 esta say they're trying to drink their 06:22 way to pleasure they're trying to smoke 06:25 their way to settle the nerves they kind 06:29 of puff their way to popularity and push 06:33 their way to power they try to bully 06:37 their way to friendship and bum their 06:39 way to world peace but I've come tonight 06:44 to tell you that I know where poor man 06:47 has a chance that a sick man can get 06:51 well that an ignorant man can become 06:55 wise that a bad man can be made good a 07:00 good man can be made better even a dead 07:03 man can be made alive in Jesus Christ 07:10 one day an expert and Moses's law came 07:14 to test Jesus's orthodoxy by asking him 07:18 this question teacher what does a man 07:22 need to do to live now and to live 07:26 forever in heaven and Jesus replied what 07:32 does Moses's law say about it and the 07:36 man replied and Moses's law said thou 07:41 must love the Lord thy God with all thy 07:44 heart with all thy soul and with all thy 07:46 strength and with all thy mind and then 07:52 you must love your neighbor just as you 07:54 love yourself 07:56 Jesus said that right go do it and you 08:05 should live you know what to say 08:09 go do it we not only must say what's 08:16 right but we must do what's right if you 08:21 really want to live you must share your 08:24 life in Christ in cities first you must 08:31 come to him who is life who has come 08:40 that we might have life and that we 08:44 might have it more abundantly 08:46 now we are meeting against the backdrop 08:49 of mouthing world tension this 08:53 hate-filled world is desperate for a 08:55 decent way of life now I'm too ignorant 09:00 to speak wisely and I trust them too 09:03 wise to speak ignorantly but a man does 09:07 not have to be listed in the who's who 09:09 to know what's what they 09:12 as he stands with the newspaper in one 09:16 hand and a Bible in the other with his 09:19 eyes focused on the television and as he 09:22 is tuned to the radio he can hear a 09:25 walls and rumors of walls rumbling 09:27 around the world he can see astounding 09:32 world events tumbling over each other in 09:35 rapid succession rushing on the room 09:38 civilization is torn with degradation 09:41 and flirting with doom and disaster 09:45 high-mindedness runs the streets like a 09:47 mad dog beating an uncertain path 09:51 selfishness has evaporated the milk of 09:54 human kindness and pain and panic are 09:58 chasing each other like junebugs playing 10:01 in the Summer Sun Paradise has been 10:05 turned into pandemonium and puny me and 10:08 are still fiddling around with passing 10:10 days now under the magic of science 10:14 distance has disappeared we no longer 10:19 measure distance by the meijer but by 10:22 the hour 10:23 Los Angeles is ten hours from London 10:28 that simply says that isolationism is 10:31 dead and buried without the slightest 10:34 hope of a resurrection now whether we 10:37 realize it or not we are interdependent 10:39 and we are interrelated we cannot live 10:45 without each other and then we have not 10:49 learned to live with each other unless 10:52 we learn to live with each other it is 10:54 doubtful that we shall live it all you 11:00 see science has given us proximity but 11:05 it cannot give us community and 11:08 proximity without community spells 11:11 trouble and that's where we are now 11:18 if you really want to live you've got to 11:23 come to the Lord Jesus Christ let him 11:29 give you life that will never end and 11:34 then go and share that life that you 11:38 have with us if you really want to live 11:46 you must love God and labor in that 11:53 order you know the trouble with us in 11:56 our day is we are trying to love each 12:00 other we're trying to get along with 12:01 each other 12:04 without God in the last decade or so we 12:12 have spent millions trying to get men to 12:14 live peaceably one with the other now 12:19 you will know that men quit acting like 12:22 brothers in Cain and Abel today we say 12:27 we have racial problem our problem is 12:32 racial but I submit to you that our 12:35 problem is not a skin problem it's a sin 12:38 problem Cain and Abel were the sons of 12:47 the same father and mother and thereby 12:51 of the same race and Cain killed Abel 12:58 and then if you think that it's just a 13:04 skin problem if you going down a dark 13:08 stretch of the road at night and you 13:10 hear some footsteps behind you you don't 13:14 wonder what color that man is 13:19 you want to know the condition of his 13:21 heart we must love God and then neighbor 13:36 in that order I said we're trying to pay 13:40 me and to live peaceably one with the 13:43 other 13:45 don't you know God is the only one who 13:48 has to love who loves without a reason 13:52 God so loved the world that He gave His 13:55 only begotten Son but human beings love 14:00 for reason I hear the psalmist said I 14:05 love the Lord because he has heard my 14:11 voice at my supplication because but God 14:19 loves us 14:23 without our being lovable ha lovely God 14:30 loves us he does not love us because we 14:36 are valuable but we have valuable 14:38 because God loves us God loves us not 14:46 because Jesus died for us but Jesus died 14:53 for us because God loves us if God loved 15:04 us and now reason for being here in this 15:11 world is that we might glorify here not 15:17 glorify or says our neighbour but 15:21 glorify God we must love God and 15:29 neighbor in that order 15:31 our theology has got to be expressed in 15:33 our sociology one cannot be human alone 15:39 it takes God and another but you know we 15:45 are forever blowing bubbles looking for 15:49 ships that never come in chasing pots of 15:53 gold at the end of receding rainbows now 15:57 when a child blows bubbles he's not 15:58 concerned about values he's thrilled as 16:02 long as the bubble lasts and when he 16:04 when it bursts he simply blows another 16:08 how do you expect your ships to come in 16:11 when you've sent no ships out and you 16:15 never will find that proverbial pot of 16:17 gold because you try to ignore him who 16:21 has the rainbow wrapped around his 16:24 shoulder you remember back during the 16:28 sixties the offbeat theologians walked 16:33 around in their subsurface play pens 16:36 and emerged and announced that God was 16:39 dead now that shouldn't have been 16:42 surprising to us because the Bible has 16:46 informed us that the Fool has said in 16:48 his heart there is no God and when I 16:52 first heard that absurd statement it 16:54 made me want to ask some stupid and 16:57 senseless questions like who 17:00 assassinated God 17:05 and what coroner was called and who 17:10 signed his death certificate and who was 17:14 so well-acquainted with the one 17:15 pronounced dead that he could identify 17:17 the disease in what a bitch aware of 17:22 column did you find his name and why was 17:25 I not notified I'm a member of the 17:27 family god his spirit he does not die by 17:33 assassination he does not die by 17:35 pronouncement he does not die by denial 17:38 he just does not die he says real today 17:41 as he was to Adam and Eve in the Garden 17:44 of Eden if you trust him he'll be as 17:46 true to you as he washed Abram when 17:49 Abram was called to go out not knowing 17:51 whether he went if you'll trust him he 17:54 will be as evident to you as he was to 17:57 Moses when God manifested himself in a 18:00 burning bush now when they couldn't get 18:04 anywhere with the god is dead idea now 18:07 in these 70s one of the top theological 18:12 questions is where did God come from now 18:17 the primary purpose of God in creation 18:20 was to prepare a moral being spiritual 18:24 and intellectually capable of 18:26 worshipping him when heaven and earth 18:29 were yet on me when there was empty 18:32 blackness and gourd farm lessness and 18:35 darkness was on the face of the deep 18:38 when time was yet unknown thou in thy 18:41 blistered Majesty did live and love 18:45 alone he called light out of darkness he 18:49 called cosmos out of chaos 18:50 he called order out of confusion but the 18:54 question still clamors for an answer 18:56 where did God come from the answer is he 19:01 came from nowhere 19:03 now that's theologically correct and is 19:05 biblically sound but Habakkuk said I saw 19:09 him when he left the hills of teman the 19:12 Holy One from mount Paran and teaming 19:14 simply means nothing on nowhere so he 19:17 came from nowhere 19:18 I made that state of it in Detroit some 19:22 time ago and a man talked with me after 19:24 the service and he said preacher let's 19:26 be reasonable about this thing you up 19:29 there talking about God came from 19:31 nowhere that doesn't make sense let's be 19:33 reasonable about it I said all right if 19:36 you just want to be reasonable about it 19:39 the reason God came 19:42 from nowhere is because there wasn't 19:45 anywhere for him to come from and coming 19:51 from nowhere he stood on nothing and the 19:55 reason he had to stand on nothing there 19:57 was nowhere understand and standing on 20:01 nothing he reached out where there was 20:04 nowhere to reach and he caught something 20:07 when there was nothing to catch and hung 20:09 something or nothing and told it to stay 20:12 there now you can you can find that in 20:17 job 26 and 7 that he hung this world on 20:21 nothing and standing on nothing 20:25 he took the hammer of his own will and 20:28 struck the anvil of his omnipotence and 20:31 sparks flew therefrom and he caught them 20:34 on the tips of his fingers and flung 20:37 them out into space and bedecked the 20:39 heavens with stars and nobody said a 20:42 word the reason nobody said anything 20:47 there wasn't anybody that to say 20:49 anything so God Himself said that's good 20:55 and if you really want to live you've 20:58 got to love God and neighbor 21:04 you must love God with all of your heart 21:07 soul strength mine and your neighbor 21:11 just as you love yourself some people 21:17 think that just one good quality it 21:20 makes them Christians and makes them 21:23 acceptable in the sight of God everybody 21:28 here has to one or two things going for 21:31 them 21:37 but it takes more than just one or two 21:40 things 21:46 you must love God with your soul your 21:51 mind your heart your strength and then 21:54 neighbor as you said you know some 22:00 people who have talents well if they 22:07 sing they think that all they have to do 22:12 is come here on Sunday morning or 22:15 wherever your church is and stand and 22:18 sing and then go on and live like you 22:22 want to live you not only must have the 22:31 talent but you must use it for the glory 22:34 and the honor of the Lord and then there 22:38 are some people and I believe that every 22:43 every Christian or biet either that's 22:50 the minimum and then give generously of 22:55 that that you have left but now if a 23:01 person is at Ivor and gives generously 23:03 if he's not careful you'll get to the 23:06 point where he thinks that whatever he 23:09 says in the church oughta go because he 23:13 pays his money it takes something else 23:20 besides money 23:22 and then then we have some prayer 23:26 specialist we have some people who can 23:32 Auto God around they can tell him where 23:34 to go and what to do it when they want 23:37 it and how they want it done just like 23:39 God doesn't know how to run this world 23:44 some talk to him like they're trying to 23:46 picket the throne of grace trying to get 23:50 him to change his mind 23:54 now I'm not knocking prayer we cannot 24:02 get along without it and every day of 24:05 our lives ought to be punctuated with 24:08 periods of Prayer but I'm saying that 24:12 you must do something else beside pray 24:18 there was a boy who was on his way home 24:21 one night and he passed a cemetery and 24:26 he heard a strange rustling in the trees 24:28 now this boy had been by there a many 24:34 nights before but this is the first 24:36 night he heard that strange sound and it 24:39 frightened him and he ran with all of 24:41 his might and prayer as he read Lord 24:44 helped me to run Lord helped me to run 24:50 now he was praying and he went on to say 24:53 Lord I don't want you to do it all by 24:56 yourself I tell you what you do if 24:58 you'll pick them up I'll put them down 25:03 now you might not care too much for his 25:05 theology but that boy had something with 25:09 all of the strength all of the resources 25:12 that God gives us we were used him for 25:17 his glory and his honor so we must do 25:25 something else beside pray any 25:28 individual who thinks it's just one good 25:30 quality makes him acceptable in the 25:34 sight of God and serviceable in the 25:35 kingdom it reminds me of bees making 25:40 honey there is a bee you know that just 25:45 makes honey out of one flower when you 25:49 taste it it's alright but you can tell 25:53 that something is lacking there's 25:57 another bee when he gets ready to make 25:59 honey he will go to the clover feel and 26:02 suck some of the nectar from the clover 26:04 and then he'll go to the rosebuds and 26:07 get some of its sweetness and then he'll 26:10 go to the meadow and get some of what 26:12 the Daisy has to offer then he'll fly 26:16 over the mountain and bring back some of 26:18 the liquid fragrance of a Morning Glory 26:21 he'll come back by the peach orchard and 26:24 light in a peach blossom and then he'll 26:27 go to his little laboratory and he'll 26:28 mix it all up you've got some real honey 26:31 thin and if you want your life 26:34 serviceable in the kingdom of our Lord 26:36 you've got to start at Abraham's tip and 26:39 get you some faith you've got to visit 26:42 Moses at Midian and get you some 26:44 preparation you've got to go up on the 26:47 mountain way logy is and get you some 26:49 fire you've got to go to job's house and 26:52 get you some patience you've got to go 26:55 to paws dungeon and get you some 26:57 determination and missionary zeal you've 27:00 got to plow through the Word of God and 27:02 stop on the Jericho Road long enough for 27:05 the Good Samaritan to teach you how to 27:07 love your neighbor then you've got to go 27:10 to Cal rain get you some love 27:13 then go down in the empty tomb and get 27:16 you some eternal life and go somewhere 27:17 in your secret closet and mix it all up 27:20 in prayer you be serviceable in the 27:23 kingdom of our Lord that's the reason 27:26 Paul said let this mind be in you which 27:29 was also in Christ Jesus Christ is the 27:35 supreme pattern for Christian living 27:38 you copy others and you copy their 27:41 faults you copy Christ and there's no 27:45 fall to copy not only does he set before 27:49 us the perfect structures of his own 27:51 flawless career but he finishes every 27:55 one of us who desires it a blueprint for 27:58 our own life but to build after his 28:01 model you must have his mind and what 28:06 kind of a mind does he have he has a 28:09 mind devoted to God in the goose he has 28:13 a mind of high aspirations and humble 28:16 service he has a mind of faith and 28:19 faithfulness of faith and works we ought 28:28 to love God and neighbor we must worship 28:33 God and witness to every creature you 28:39 know some want to select the people to 28:44 whom they witness and the Commission is 28:48 to every creature we want to we we want 28:53 to find somebody who looks like we want 28:55 him to look and sound like we want him 28:57 to sound but it's to every creature we 29:05 must love God we must worship God and 29:09 then we must witness to every creature 29:12 we have to witness not only by lip but 29:16 we must witness by life we must not only 29:20 have a Christian vocabulary but we must 29:24 have Christian experience 29:26 you know some people think that the 29:28 Christian religion is just something 29:30 that you talk about and they think that 29:33 they can talk their religion you know if 29:36 we were to stop here now and just let 29:40 everybody talk we used to have called it 29:44 having a testifyin meeting and my 29:46 grandmother called it a testa line 29:48 meeting but if you read everybody talk 29:52 in the next in the next five minutes 29:54 there would be a lot of weeping and 29:57 crying I'm a Christian you may not know 30:01 it but I'm a Christian let me tell you 30:03 tile if you're Christian somebody else's 30:05 don't know it by their fruits ye shall 30:08 know them we must have faith and we must 30:17 have works not only must we have a 30:22 Christian vocabulary but Christian 30:25 experience we not only must say what's 30:29 right but we must do what's right we 30:33 need a program yes but we also need a 30:37 ministry and I'm impressed with the many 30:40 ministries of this church we need faith 30:43 and we need works you see faith without 30:50 works is dead 30:52 and what's without faith is futile you 30:58 see faith and works are the wings of the 31:01 same bird the bird can't fly with just 31:05 one wing he doesn't make a difference 31:09 how strong and how limber the wing of 31:12 faith is that bird can fly with faith 31:16 alone and it doesn't matter how strong 31:19 and how limber the wing of works is that 31:23 bird can't fly with works alone if he's 31:26 to fly he must mount up on faith and 31:30 works the Spirit of the Lord is upon me 31:36 because he's anointed me to preach the 31:39 gospel put it to the pool 31:40 he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted 31:42 to preach deliverance to the captives 31:46 recovering the sight of the blind and 31:48 said it liberty them that are bruised to 31:51 preach the acceptable year of the Lord 31:54 now the Spirit of the Lord is upon me 31:57 because he's an ordered me to preach the 31:59 gospel to the poor now that's something 32:02 that you say he has sent me to heal the 32:05 brokenhearted that's something that 32:07 you'd do to preach deliverance to the 32:10 captives that's something that you say 32:14 recovering the sight of the blind that's 32:16 something that you do to set it liberty 32:19 them that are bruised that's something 32:21 that you do to preach the acceptable 32:23 year of the Lord 32:24 that's something that you say so saying 32:28 and doing got to go hand in hand faith 32:31 and words now faith is essential because 32:39 a faith sees the invisible it believes 32:44 the incredible and receives the 32:47 impossible faith is essential because 32:50 it's the only approach to God he that 32:55 cometh to God must believe that he is 32:57 and that he's a rewarder of them that 33:00 diligently seek Him faith is your 33:05 invitation to let God use you on his own 33:08 terms now just just for a moment think 33:11 what would happen right here tonight if 33:14 everybody here would just allow the Lord 33:17 to have his way in your life why revival 33:24 would break out right here you know we 33:28 all try pray Lord send us a revival we 33:30 need revival Lord and he said if my 33:38 people which are called by my name shall 33:41 humble themselves and pray and seek my 33:43 face and turn from their wicked ways you 33:46 won't have to worry 33:50 I'll hear from heaven I'll forgive their 33:54 sins and I'll heal their lab so the next 33:58 move is I've got ready are you ready men 34:06 want to be saved but they want to be 34:08 saved on their own terms if you'll allow 34:12 God to use you on his own terms you'll 34:15 not only see what God can do for you but 34:20 you'll see what he can do with you and 34:23 through you 34:25 faith is the link that binds our 34:28 nothingness to almighty Ness faith is 34:32 human weakness laying hold on the vine 34:34 strength now if a thing is possible it 34:40 can be done by skill and experience but 34:44 if a thing is impossible it can be done 34:46 only by faith now faith is not going to 34:50 stop the storm but I tell you what it'll 34:51 do it'll help you to stand it 34:54 this whole world is tattered and torn 34:57 and faith will take the tangled threads 35:00 of men's hopes and knit them and the 35:02 tapestries of fadeless blow read faith 35:07 will help you to face life's music when 35:10 you don't even like the tune the vichy 35:14 of faith gives reality to our hopes 35:17 it'll cause you to live on in visible 35:20 means of support you can eat well in the 35:25 wilderness and sing the doxology in a 35:27 dungeon faith is essential but faith is 35:33 not enough by itself that's just a 35:37 starting point our Lord gave a 35:40 demonstration of faith and works it was 35:45 on the occasion of the Feast of the 35:46 tabernacle a blind man was sitting by 35:50 the wayside begging now other men became 35:54 blind but this man was born like that 35:57 this man had never seen 36:00 the face of his loved ones he'd never 36:02 seen a sunrise or sunset this man had 36:09 never seen color blush in a row 36:13 this man had felt raindrops but he'd 36:17 never seen clouds floating overhead 36:19 this man had heard thunder but he'd 36:23 never seen lightning flash this man is 36:28 in a pitiful condition sitting there 36:31 blind begging but the disciples were 36:36 interested only to a point they were 36:40 only interested in the cause they were 36:48 not interested in a cure they just 36:52 wanted to have something to talk about 36:55 they just wanted to have it said when 36:58 they got in that rap session that we 37:00 know what caused this blindness they 37:05 were only only interested in theology 37:09 and they call themselves asking a deep 37:12 theological question master who did sin 37:20 this man or his parents that he was born 37:23 blind but Jesus turned their theology in 37:28 the doxology for he said neither but 37:31 that the works of God might be made 37:33 manifest in here now Jesus is not saying 37:37 that the man has never seen door that 37:41 the parents had not seen because all 37:43 have sinned and come short of the glory 37:46 of God but what Jesus is saying that no 37:50 one sin calls this blindness I can hear 37:54 Jesus and I had him born like that for 37:57 just such time as this I had him born 38:00 like that so that when minhwan long 38:03 faith I had him born like that so that 38:06 when men think that faith is all they 38:08 need I had him born like that that I 38:11 might glorify 38:13 all and he set out to give this 38:16 demonstration and he's going to do it in 38:19 slow motion now Jesus could have just 38:22 willed and the man's eyes would have 38:23 come open but it takes this time he's 38:30 going to demonstrate the importance of 38:35 faith hand works he takes his time he 38:41 spit on the ground he mixes the spit and 38:45 the clay and then he takes his time and 38:49 smooths it on the man's eyes and tells 38:52 him to go and wash in the pool this man 38:59 first of all had to have faith in Jesus 39:02 if it had no faith this blind man would 39:08 have resented he would have protested he 39:11 would have said why this man is mocking 39:14 me I'm I've been blind all my life and 39:17 here he is putting mud and spit on my 39:21 eyes but there was something in Jesus's 39:26 voice that calls the man to water try 39:32 and he started out just like he was I 39:38 said faith is a starting point that's a 39:40 good starting point that's the only 39:43 starting point this man got up and went 39:51 straight to the pool now he possibly 39:55 didn't have a seeing-eye dog he possibly 39:58 didn't have know anything about radar 40:01 but he went straight to the pool guide 40:04 me o thou great Jehovah pilgrim through 40:07 this barren land I'm weak but thought 40:11 mighty hold me with I powerful head you 40:18 know if you will go in the faith that 40:21 the Lord gives you if you will use that 40:24 little 40:26 healy increase it while you're in the 40:29 journey and then when you come to the 40:32 end of the journey you can testify that 40:34 the journey has been joyful you know 40:38 when you get in your car and start out 40:40 for home tonight you may not have enough 40:44 light to shine all the way home but as 40:47 your vehicle move the light moves when 40:52 you turn right the light turns right 40:54 when you turn left the light turns level 40:57 and you go up the hill the lights up the 41:00 hill when you get in the valley the 41:02 lights in the valid after a while you've 41:03 got light all the way home 41:08 use the faith that the Lord gives and he 41:12 will increase it yes he will heal heal 41:17 strengthen you as you obey this man went 41:24 on to the pool and when he got there he 41:28 didn't just stand and shout about his 41:30 faith 41:34 this man had to work this man washed and 41:41 when he washed when he worked when he 41:45 coupled his faith and his work his eyes 41:47 came open and now he's got something to 41:51 shout about now he can tell others what 41:53 good things the Lord has done for I once 42:00 was blind but now I see oh I used to 42:06 murmur and complain and argue with life 42:10 but when I found Jesus precious to my 42:13 soul I moved off of complaint Avenue and 42:17 am now living on Thanksgiving Boulevard 42:23 praise the Lord 42:29 this man has something just shout about 42:32 now he has faith and whoops if I walk in 42:46 the pathway of duty if I worked until 42:50 the close of the day I shall see the 42:54 great king in his beauty when I've gone 42:58 the last mile of the way when I've gone 43:01 the last mile of the way I'll rest at 43:04 the close of the day and I know their 43:08 joys that await me when I've gone the 43:11 last mile of the way I have faith in him 43:17 yes but I put my faith to work and I'm 43:24 going to work until the day is over 43:29 jesus said occupy until I come 43:35 occupy work until I come you know many 43:43 people instead of occupying until he 43:46 comes they occupied with his coming 43:52 they're trying to pinpoint the time of 43:54 his coming so but as always sitting 43:58 around on a freakout just when he's 44:00 coming now I know he's coming 44:05 and I can't say soon I don't know when 44:10 but he's coming 44:17 instead of occupied until he comes they 44:22 occupied with his coming they're trying 44:28 to pinpoint the time of his coming and 44:30 every once in a while somebody will make 44:33 an announcement that I know that he's 44:36 coming on such-and-such a date a few 44:38 years ago somebody made an announcement 44:41 that Christ would return on a March the 44:44 16th people got all excited and they 44:50 begin to call and say pastor what do you 44:52 think about that announcement that 44:54 Christ is going to return on a March the 44:56 16th I said I don't think a thing about 45:00 it 45:00 and if it disturbs you you go out to the 45:04 nearest cemetery and when you see the 45:06 tombstone still standing upright don't 45:09 worry 45:10 for when he comes the dead in Christ 45:14 will rise first when he comes Isaiah 45:19 Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel the other 45:21 prophets are going to rise and run the 45:24 streets and everybody they see they're 45:26 going to say I told you so when he comes 45:31 Abraham's gonna merge here and say wake 45:33 up Sarah the Lord's here when he comes 45:36 David's going to ask first hop and play 45:38 once more the Lord is my shepherd I 45:41 shall not want 45:44 we need to work now while it's day 4 45:49 when the night cometh no man can work we 45:53 need to work until he comes you know 45:59 after a while we're going to have some 46:00 more leaders Oh pastor Logan these are 46:06 the pastor's these missionaries are just 46:10 serving now after a while we're going to 46:13 have some more leaders you remember when 46:17 Jesus got ready to confirm his divine 46:20 mission in the minds of men 46:23 he cared Peter James and John up on the 46:25 mountain of Transfiguration 46:27 he brought Moses and Elijah down to 46:30 represent heaven and then that mountain 46:35 in that conference there was just one 46:38 item on the agenda Jesus talked about 46:42 dying he talked about dying until his 46:46 countenance change he talked about dying 46:50 until Peter got happy and said let's 46:53 build three Tabernacles he talked about 46:56 dying and I believe I believe that he 47:00 appointed Moses to lead that crowd who 47:05 has died in the Lord and I believe that 47:08 he appointed Elijah to leave that crowd 47:10 who will be still alive when he comes 47:14 you know he larger didn't die he just 47:17 caught a fiery chariot and went on home 47:20 and I believe I believe that while we 47:24 are getting ready I believe that we're 47:28 going to sing a double anthem I'm glad 47:33 that those who will be still alive will 47:38 not go off and leave those in the grave 47:42 the dead in Christ to go rise first 47:47 we're going to sing this double anthem 47:51 the largest crowds going to sing old 47:54 death where is thy sting 47:58 Moses crowds going to sing o grave where 48:01 is thy victory and then we go to all 48:05 join in the chorus and sing 48:07 thanks be to God which giveth us the 48:10 victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 48:12 and we'll be caught up together to meet 48:16 him in the air somebody said we'll walk 48:21 in Jerusalem just like John but the 48:24 Bible says we'll be caught up to meet 48:27 him in the air somebody says we'll get 48:29 on board an old shippers eye she has 48:33 landed a mini a thousand she has landed 48:37 my old father she has landed my old 48:39 mother but the book says 48:41 we'll be caught up to meet him in the 48:45 air and then somebody says we are 48:48 climbing Jacob's Ladder every round goes 48:51 high and higher but the Bible says we 48:54 will be caught up to meet him in the air 48:59 now used to be a song don't hear it so 49:03 much now Lord I want to wings to veil my 49:09 face 49:09 I want to wings to fly away and then the 49:14 head of stanza that says Lord meet me 49:20 meet me in the middle of the air and if 49:24 these wings should fail me meet me with 49:27 another path now that somebody didn't 49:29 know the Lord there's no failure in him 49:34 while the rest of all the resources 49:36 never exceeds the wisdom of his word 49:40 never wanes the big of his betcha never 49:44 varies the burnished of his beauty never 49:47 blemishes the lust of his love never 49:50 lessened the powers of a power never 49:53 perishes and the fountain of his 49:55 fullness never failed there's no failure 49:58 in him whatever Lord gives you you won't 50:03 fail you 50:03 I know he is given me salvation and 50:07 that's not gonna fail me or I'm safe I'm 50:13 gonna I right now I'm saved now I don't 50:17 have to wait till I come to die no I'm 50:21 safe now 50:32 you know I get excited about it when I 50:35 get to thinking about the Lord has saved 50:39 me have given me life that we'll never 50:41 hear somebody right there said well 50:47 preacher when you come to die know I've 50:54 just come down just come down to the 50:57 line that separates time in eternity and 50:59 I'll just step across that line while 51:03 I'm over here I'm asking the Lord to be 51:08 with me but when I step across that line 51:13 I'll be there where he will be caught up 51:19 to meet him in the air and now he's not 51:23 coming back to the earth right him he's 51:27 just coming down low enough to effect an 51:30 airlift we're going to be caught up to 51:36 meet him in the air not only it but in 51:39 the air and then the blessed part about 51:42 it there we shall ever be with the Lord 51:46 praise His name we shall ever be with 51:50 the Lord do you ever think about what 51:52 it's going to be like to be with the 51:54 Lord 51:57 yeah we shall ever be with the Lord you 52:02 know some people say I just like to sit 52:05 quiet and and and and listen oh when we 52:11 get where the Lord is don't expect it to 52:15 be quiet there 52:17 there's gonna be shouting oh you know in 52:23 seminary they taught me how to stand in 52:25 one track and hold my Bible they taught 52:30 me how to gesture to emphasize certain 52:33 points they taught me how to regulate 52:38 and modulate my voice so it won't be so 52:41 loud and obnoxious and you know I passed 52:47 the course but when I get to thinking 52:52 about being with the Lord I'll get 52:56 excited about I can't help but shout 53:02 this is why he hollering why they yell 53:05 it look you haven't you haven't seen in 53:11 the shouting yet you doesn't wait until 53:15 my feet strike Zion you just wait until 53:19 I behold his face oh you just wait until 53:25 I have say seven well done you just wait 53:29 there we shall ever be with the Lord 53:34 will you be there don't fool me will you 53:39 be there I'll be there when the saints 53:44 go marching in will you be there I'll be 53:46 there when the four and twenty elders 53:48 bow round the order will you be there 53:51 I'll be there when they crown him Lord 53:56 of all let us pray 54:01 our Father and our God we are thankful 54:07 for your word that's a lamp unto our 54:11 feet and a light unto our path 54:16 our Father we are thankful for the 54:20 privilege that we have together here in 54:23 worship and in fellowship and in praise 54:27 them in prayer O God may each person 54:37 here think on his and her way our Father 54:47 those here who have not accepted you as 54:52 Savior we pray that they will do it now 55:00 those who will not acknowledge you as 55:05 law let them know that you are not going 55:11 to be their Savior our Lord but you're 55:16 going to be Savior and Lord and our 55:21 father helped them to turn heaven to 55:23 come to thee help them to look to you 55:27 and live and our Father some have gotten 55:33 weak on the way we pray that you will 55:37 renew our strength 55:42 we pray that you will allow your flamin 55:46 love to the frost our frigid devotion so 55:51 will be less of what we have been and 55:53 more of what you would have a speak for 55:57 it's in Jesus name we pray amen