1997-02

SERMON NOTES

TITLE: TEN MOST WANTED MEN

INTRODUCTION: Now I realize that this message was being given to the Philistine army after they learned that the ark of God had come into the camp of Israel. However, there are some things we can learn from this today.

Now though we are on the opposite side of where we would find the Philistines, we can learn something from them. First, we need to be strong in the Lord, just as they needed to be strong in the defense of their country. We need to be strong, stalwart men of faith, standing for the Word of God and its precepts.

Note also that they are told to be men. Too often, the believers of the male side of our church seem to be more like wimps than they do men. Today, they need to hear that they must be men, not wimps. God needs a few good men. Are you willing to be one of them? If we do not, we will surely be living in a country which is subject to the evil which Satan and his hosts are bringing to it. Only if we stand up and fight as men, united with the church and its heat, the Lord Jesus Christ, will we be able to return this country to serving the Lord. Are you going to fight the good fight of faith? I hope you will not only enlist in the army of God this morning, but that you will actually engage in the battle for right.

God needs a few good men. In fact, He needs many good men. I found a list which gives us God's Ten Most Wanted Men, and we will surely say that this matches the list we would make for the Osage Gospel Lighthouse's Ten Most Wanted Men. So here goes.

1. The man who puts God's business above any other business. God said that we should "seek the king dom of God first, and all the other things we need would be given to us."

2. The man who bring his children to church, rather than just sending them. The Bible says that we should train up our children in the way they should go; an example is better than a sermon any day.

3. The man who is willing to be the right example to every boy he meets. Not all boys have godly fathers; in face, not all even have fathers to guide them. So are you willing to take time from your affairs to help some else's son?

4. The man who thinks more of his Sunday School class than his Sunday sleep. Now many of those who teach a class do not have much of a problem here, though some do. But what about the men who attend a class, but never seem to be able to get here on time because they think too much of their sleep? Is their sleep really their god on those mornings when they sleep too long? Let's get up and be about the Master's business.

5. The man who measures his giving by what he has left rather than the amount he gives. God may ask for a large portion, but He will always either leave us enough, or will multiply what we do have left. Do you trust Him enough to give to Him what He asks?

6. The man who goes to church for God's sake rather than for himself or someone else. Many men go to church to please their wife, family, or friends, but they never go because they want to worship God. They go many times because it is good for business, or for their reputation. We need to come to God's house to worship Him, to hear His Word preached and taught, and to have fellowship with other believers. Why are you here this morning?

7. The man who has a willing mind ready to serve rather than a brilliant mind full of excuses. It is amazing how inventive a man can be in making excuses. Some are absolute geniuses when it comes to reasons not to work for the Lord. The Bible tells us that God wants men who have a mind to work (Ezra); such men are pleasing in His sight. Perhaps the reason the Lord of the Harvest has been unable to send us the workers needed here is that so many have found reasons not to work.

8. The man who has a passion to help rather than a passion to be helped. We have been raised in a con- sumer society, and have become consumer servants of the Lord. We come to see what we can get rather than what we can give. We come to see how we can be served rather than to serve. We come to be helped rather than to be a help. We come to be blessed rather than coming to be a blessing to others. What is the reason you are here this morning?

9. The man who can see his faults more than the faults of others. So many of us can see a microscopic speck in the life of another, and miss a redwood log size problem in our own lives. We must learn to see our faults rather than theirs, and then also be willing to do something about them. Often, when we recognize a problem area in our lives, all we want to do is talk about it, to try to find a way around the problem without having to deal with it, or correct it. Do you see your own faults this morning; if so, what are you going to do about them?

10. The man who is more concerned about winning others for Christ than he is about winning worldly honor. You see, it is winning souls that makes us wise. It is winning souls that will bring the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" from the Master. He has told us that if we work to obtain honor in this life, then when we have received it, we have already received our reward. Are you concerned about winning souls this morning?

Listen to what God has to say about men. In Job 1:1 He said, "In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." God wants men who live blameless and upright.

Psalm 15:1-5 says: LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken. (NIV)

Proverbs 25:6 tells us, "Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men;" (NIV), while 1 Peter 5:6 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (NIV) How different this way of living is from the way the men of the world live today. The sad thing is that too many of God's men live like the world so much that it is hard to determine where they stand.

CONCLUSION: In closing this morning, I would like to share something with you from a book, " It's Time to Rock the Boat," by Michael L. Brown.

"Our walk is a walk of faith. We pray by faith and we obey by faith. Our Captain is completely invisible, yet our eyes are fastened on Him: '...[Moses] persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. ... Therefore ... let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus ...' (Heb. 11:27; 12:1-2) -- and when He says 'Forward march!' -- we march! Our Commander has cleared the way. That means the power is there, the anointing is there, the authority is there, the answer is there. Final victory is assured. But we must arise and act! God's blessing is on those who go.

Remember what the risen Lord said: ...All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. [Read those words again slowly and our loud, meditating on every one. Thee is no authority against Jesus, no greater power, no force that can threaten.] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations....(Mt 28:18-19)

For years we have petitioned the Lord in prayer, seeking Him for revival and renewal, beseeching Him to send rain and the fire. And beseech Him and petition Him we must! We must press in and pray even more. We must seek Him until every last promise is fulfilled. But, there is a time to pray and wait, and there is a time to pray and act. Now is the time to act.

'Why are you crying out to Me?' the Lord asks. He knows the enemy is chasing us, and that the odds are entirely impossible. He knows that the obstacles before us are immovable and impenetrable. But there is something else He knows. If our heart is pure, if our life is right, if we live to do His will, if we wait before Him in faith, if He is our Lord and King -- then His glory resides in us! His power lives in us! His Spirit inhabits us! 'Forward march!' He says, equipped with the weapons of God. He fights for those who march by faith, heeding only the divine command.

To Moses, God said: And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground. (Ex. 14:16, New Jewish Version)

'Moses, you split the sea!' The Hebrew is in the imperative. This is an order from the Lord!

'Moses, don't wait for something new to happen. You already have the rod of God. Now use it as I command. Raise it and part the sea. Make the dry land appear!'

Listen to the marching orders Jesus gave His disciples: 'As you go, preach this message: "The kingdom of heaven is near." Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.'

"Disciples, I've given My authority to you!" (Mt 10:1) 'Now you go, you preach, you heal the sick. (That's right, you heal the sick!) You raise the dead, you cleanse the lepers, you drive out demons.'

That's what Jesus was saying! And that's what He is saying to us: To the extent that we have received, we are obligated and privileged to give. And although we are nowhere near fully restored, we are commanded to give what we have. We are to be just like the widow at Zarapath (1 Ki 17). When she gave the little she had, the Lord removed all her lack. She was never without God's supply.

So don't sit back and complain. Don't whimper and wail, murmur and groan. Get up, believe, and act! Pour our what you have and grace will pour in. God is calling His Church to march forth!

March forth for the glory of God like Wm. C. Burns, the Scottish revivalist who gave his life for Christian souls. When asked if he was going to that far-off land to convert the heathen, he replied, 'I am going to China to glorify God!'

March forth and catch men like John Geddie, the pioneer Presbyterian missionary to the South Seas: On a tablet in a large church seating 1,000 people this inscription was placed in his memory: 'When he landed in 1848 there were no Christians here; when he left in 1872 there were no heathen.'

March forth for righteousness and morality like Wm. Wilberforce, the British aristocrat who gave himself sacrificially to fight against slavery. His vision was impossible. Society was against him. History was against him. Common prejudices were against him. But God was for him.

This is an excerpt from the letter that 88 year old John Wesley wrote to 31 year old Wilberforce in 1791, just 4 days before Wesley's death: 'Unless the divine power has raised you up to be as Athanasius against the world [Athanasius stood his ground for the truth against what seemed like a tidal wave of opposition], I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise, in opposing that execrable villainy, which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God raise you up for this very thing, you will be work out by the opposition of men and devils. But, "if God be for you, who can stand against you?" Are all of them together stronger than God? O "be not weary in well doing!" Go on, in the name of God and in the power of His might, till even the American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.

People of God: Forward march!

March forth with clean hands and an honest heart; march forth with steadfast faith and a will of steel. March forth with holy conduct and righteous deeds. March forth with compassion and kindness, clothed with the mercy of the Lord. March forth with the name of Jesus on your lips and His praises alive in your soul. March forth and conquer for Him!

Conquer the lies of darkness and the deceptions of the enemy. Conquer the demons and disease, the unseen terrorists that dominate and destroy. Conquer hopelessness and despair, fear and dismay. Conquer by the Spirit of God. Do it for His glory, for the One you love. Do it for this sin-smitten race for whom Jesus died. Do it out of honor for Him!

Then be honest with yourself. We will not save the whole planet. We will not rule the world in this age. We will not eradicate wickedness. We will not wipe out sickness and death. But we will make an impact for the Lord -- and what an eternal difference it will make! We will effect radical change! And some generation (why not ours?) will live to see the day when Jesus our Savior returns. Then this Scripture will come to pass: The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever. (Re 11:15b).

Not long after, the day will come when 'there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away' (Re 21:4), never again to return!

Therefore, in light of eternity, in light of what Jesus has done for us, in light of the fact that we have but one shore life to live on this earth, one fleeting opportunity to repay our infinite debt of gratitude, one chance to impact humanity for God, in light of all this, let us take heart and march forth. The battle has already been won!

Listen one last time to the words of William Booth, as the Salvation Army General marshaled his troops for war: On to Calvary! On to death for the world! Let us not refuse the smiters! No halting! No rest! On, suffering, sorrowing, weeping, dying for God and men, till the hosts of hell fly from their last defense, and we march on over a burning world into everlasting glory!'

Men of God, arise! It's time to rock the boat."

Osage Gospel Lighthouse, Linn, MO 1-12-97 am - Part one

1-12-97 pm - conclusion