Just Who Is Blessed
Key Passage: Luke 11:27-28
Date: June 7, 2024
Luke chapter 11, if you would, please. It is a great message in song. That song, it really is. Luke 11.
The title for this morning is Just Who Is Blessed. Just who is blessed will be the title this morning. And I hope you sincerely want God to speak to your heart. He could really use this truth to give you contentment, give you peace, to give you joy. And so I hope you will listen with your heart and let God speak to your heart from His Word. Aren’t you glad we got the Bible? What a blessing it is. I mean, it has the answer to everything. The older I get, the more I realize that if I don’t think something’s found in the Bible, it is simply because I have not read it and studied it enough. It covers everything. It is amazing. It is what all God has in His words. It is a wonderful, wonderful book. Luke 11, verse number 27, if you would, please. Would you stand as we read God’s Word together? Luke 11 in verse number 27.
If you are there, would you say amen? Good deal. We are in Luke 11 and verse number 27. Shame on me; I have those verses covered up. I am going to have to change here for just a moment. You have beat me there; you are already there, ready to go, and I am changing things here. This is Jesus, of course, speaking to a crowd of folks, and I want you to notice when the lady steps up and says something, what happens?
Luke 11 in verse number 27 of God’s Word: “And it came to pass as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said to him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps which thou hast sucked.”
But He said, “Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.”
Let me just for a moment here, just describe what is going on, then we will pray and get going. But this lady, Jesus is speaking of this lady, says, “Hey!” And I am paraphrasing here a little bit, but she is saying, “You have a blessed mom.” That is what she is saying.
Now, Jesus does not say that is not true. Two words He said, two words He says, very, very important. Everybody look right up here. Everybody look right up here. Good, good. There we go. There we go.
First of all, He says, “Yea,” you are right. I do have a blessed mom. She is very blessed. And then He says, “Rather.” He is saying, “Yes, that is true, but let me add a little bit to it.” Yea, rather, “Blessed is he that heareth the word of God and doeth it.”
Jesus is saying, “Yes, yes, my mom is blessed. She gets to do some things that nobody else can do. She is the one that God chose to use when He entered into the world and became flesh. She used her womb.” But He said, “Now wait a second, she is not the only one blessed. If anybody hears the Word of God and does it, they are blessed.” I believe Jesus was trying to teach us something there.
And for just a little while, let us focus on that truth, if you would please. Ask God to speak to your heart. Would you pray with me as we pray about it?
Lord, we do come. Lord, I do pray that You bring this truth home to us. Lord, You know, I am not always good at applying truth like I ought. I do pray that You would do the job. You would use a simple-minded preacher to get this truth across and help some people, Lord, encourage, give them content, give them peace. Lord, let them go through life just having Your tranquility in there. And Father, we will thank You for what You do while we ask for these things. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.
A couple of weeks ago, me, Brother Marlon, and Brother Joel Powers were out looking at some tractors for the church. And we were riding along. We stopped at a red light. It was up in Gallatin. And over on our left was the golf course. Brother Marlin was looking over that golf course. He had some drool coming down out of his mouth because he loves golf. And me and Brother Joel said, “Man, wipe your mouth, brother.” No, that is not true; that part is not true. But he was looking at the golf course. And then over here on our right, there was just a big old cornfield. Brother Joel likes farming and things like that. And so he said, “Hey, brother, you got drool coming out,” and now, not quite like that, but something like that. And I paraphrase. These guys, they will probably remember every word the way it was said. I will try to get it right.
But Brother, he said something about that golf course over there and golfing. And Brother Marlin, if you want to enjoy playing golf, do not play with Brother Marlin. He will beat you every time, all right? If you do, say, “We will play together as long as we are on the same team.” That is the way to do it right there, you know. But it is good golf; he likes to golf. And so I just said, “Hey, have you ever been golfing over there?” And he said, “No, that is a country club. They do not let me in those golf courses there.”
But he said something like this, and I am not sure of the exact word, something like, “I like to go off over there.” Now, Brother Joel, he was his way of saying, “Who cares about hitting that little round white ball?” You know. He said, “I would just as soon be over the cornfield over there, hole in a row or something,” you know.
And I thought, well, both of them shined up and said their thing, you know. And so a little about a mile or so to the right of the cornfield is a new church, City of Light Baptist Church. We get to help them a little bit and support them, what not, Caleb Terry’s. And I said, “Well, man, Brother Marlin, he will be over there golfing, and I will be in the cornfield, or Brother Joel will be in the cornfield, and I will go over there and help that guy start that church.”
Now, here is the reason why I point that out. There is nothing wrong with Brother Marlin being gifted and liking to go golfing. Nothing wrong with that. Praise the Lord, Brother Marlin. He is faithful to church. He has taught boys Sunday school for years. He is a deacon. He is a soul winner. He is a good man. Nothing wrong with him being wired where he wants to golf. Nothing wrong with that.
Nothing wrong with Brother Joel. He likes farming, and I do not know; he might be something wrong if he likes hoeing too much. I do not know about that part there, you know. But he is just wired that way. He likes to farm. Now, he is faithful to church. He is winning souls. He worked at a church for years and years on staff, and he spent his life serving God. Nothing wrong with that if he is just wired that way; he likes to farm. Nothing wrong with that.
For me, God has called me to be a preacher. And if God calls you to do something, He typically puts some desire in there. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And God is giving me a desire, right? And so here is what I am saying in telling that story: we are all wired just a little different. And there is nothing wrong with you doing something different than someone else. God has called you to do different things.
Look, God has not called everybody to be a preacher. If everybody was called to be a preacher, to be a pastor, nobody would be out there putting anything in the offering plate, and I would go hungry. I would die. I would starve to death.
God has called us all to do different things. And I am simply saying, look, if you are doing what God has called you to do, look, friend, you are blessed. I am not the preacher. I am not the song leader. I am not the usher. I am not the [unclear role] leader. Listen, friend, if you are doing what God has called you to do, you are blessed.
God has a unique, specific calling on your life. Take myself and Brother John Fontaine, just passed. Take the last 20 years of his life. Now, God has a specific calling. He has called me. I have no doubt about it. I am called to pastor at Brotherford County Baptist Church, Smyrna, Tennessee. I believe I am living right where God wants me to live. I am married to the wife God wants me to be married to. I have the son God wants me to have, the daughter. And I am very happy. God has called me to be a preacher, to be a pastor. And I know that. If I did not know that, it would not be there anymore, to be honest with you. I know that. I have no doubt about that.
But Brother Fontaine, God never called him to preach. For the last 20 years of his life, pretty much, Brother Fontaine felt like God called him to Rutherford County Baptist Church. He felt like God called him. He is a great soul winner. Soul winning is everywhere he could. He has taught Sunday school over the years, many different classes. I remember he did Vacation Bible School craft. And one year he taught those boys how to make fishing lures. And it was in the old building. He was using my office as a place, and he had some real good paint. You know, you have to put good paint on a fishing lure; it is going to wear off. It is good paint, oil-based paint, if I remember right. And it was real bright green. And you know how you paint; you get all that paint on the lid lip right there, you know. And it had that, and then he put the lid on top of there, and one of those boys, just like a boy, man, he took a hammer or something, and he hit that lid, and that dot—I mean, that office had green dots all over it. I mean, I never got them off. My computer screen had green dots on it for years and years. But I am simply saying Brother Fontaine had dedicated his life to doing what God called him to do.
Now, God—I try. He probably did a better job than me, but I have tried to dedicate my life to doing what God has called me to do. Friend, look, if we both have dedicated our lives to doing what God has called us to do, friend, we both have the rewards. So, “Well, the preacher gets all the rewards?” No, no, no. I am doing what God has called me to do, like you ought to do what God has called you to do. That is what Jesus is saying.
Everybody might know about Mary. She may have statues, unfortunately. That is, of course, second of the Ten Commandments against God. People know all about Mary and all that, but God is saying, look, that person that nobody knows about, but they are doing what God has called them to do—they are just as blessed. Yea, rather.
Friend, let me say this. Now listen to me. Young people, listen, if you would. Young people, listen. Success in life is you finding God’s will for your life and doing it. That is success in life. You say, “Well, success is making a lot of money.” A friend, a lot of people make a lot of money and they are miserable.
I was riding with my daughter a couple of weeks ago, and we—I am not sure what we were doing; probably had gone out and got ice cream. Amen, we get her ice cream time in, you know. And it used to be because she wanted to go; now it is because I want to go get ice cream. I mean, you know, and I can testify of that right there, you know. And we were just riding around neighborhoods a little bit, just talking. We were riding around a very, very wealthy neighborhood. One of the wealthiest in Smyrna, literally. It may be; I do not know, a very, very wealthy neighborhood. And Sarah was like, “Wow, look at these houses.” And I thought, you know, you are always trying to teach your children, even though she is grown and my job is done. You know, we always have to put her two cents in there, you know. And you are the same way, so do not look at me like that, all right now.
I said, “Sarah, you know, someone on this very street here in one of these houses”—I pointed out of that house—“they used to go to our church years ago. He was very wealthy at the time, and I had counseled with him.” And I said, “Sarah, honestly, they fought like cats and dogs. They are not married today.” I am talking; they were just moving in on each other and lived in one of those big houses.
And I say that to say this, friend: success is not making money. Success is finding God’s will for your life and doing it. That is success. And that is not just for young people. That is for every person here in the auditorium. You finding what God wants you to do and you doing it—that is success. That is what Jesus is teaching here. He said, “Look, yes, my mom is blessed, but whoever hears the will of God and does it, they are blessed.”
Now, I mention a lot; there are specific wills of God. God has a plan for you. But there are some things that are just—it is God’s plan for everybody. Go to church. That is God’s will. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” as a matter of some is. That is what God says, Hebrews 10:25. I mean, it is God’s will for us all to go to church. Amen? We know that. It is God’s will for us to read the Bible. I mean, He said that is your food spiritually. Last year, you want to be skinny many bean poles? We used to sit back of the day; you better get the book, amen. God’s plan for everybody is in the Bible.
It is God’s plan for everybody to win souls. Jesus said it very clearly, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Pretty clear.
There is something that is God’s will for everybody. Now, here is the thing talking about finding and doing the will of God: when you follow God’s revealed will, He is more apt to show you His unrevealed will. Sometimes in the foundations class, we would say it this way: when you follow the light, following the light brings more light. Disobeying light brings darkness.
And, friend, as I do the revealed will of God—I go to church, I read my Bible, I pray, I try to do these things—God shows me His unrevealed will. Someone said it this way: when you do the “what” of the will of God, God shows you the “where” of the will of God. See? And success is when you say, “Hey,” I know—I think of Brother Ricky over here for about 10 years. Brother Ricky drove a bus here at our church. That was part of God’s will for his life. And he did that. That was success. Probably many things else God called Brother Ricky to do, and it has helped God to the point he does not do anymore, and I understand them. But I am saying success is when you find God’s will for your life and you do it. That is success.
Can I say this? Follow His revealed will. You know, He says over in the book of Psalms, He says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” He did not say the setting down of a good man is ordered by the Lord. He said the steps. I will say someone, “And you go to church here?” “Oh, we are looking. We are looking. We are doing the area. We are looking,” you know. And so, you know, some of the next questions: “Well, how long have you been in the area?” “Well, for three years.” And then, you know, it is according to how this conversation goes, but “Where have you been visiting at?” “Well, it has been a while since I visited.” I hear so think, no, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. They start going and visiting church, and God gives leadership, the steps of a good man.
A friend, have you ever thought about it? It is hard to steer a ship that is not moving. Steps of a good man. So as I follow God’s revealed will, then He begins to show me His unrevealed will. And following God’s will for my life is success. That is success. Can I say this? You will be happier doing God’s will. You will be happier doing that than anything else because you were tailor-made to do that job. That is what you are designed to do.
I mean, God has uniquely made you to do those things. Dogs are interesting creatures. How many has a dog as a pet in their house somewhere? You have a dog as a pet. The rest of you need to get right with the Lord, if you would, come to the altar later on here.
I am teasing, of course. Every once in a while, I am on your side. I will say, “Well, let us get rid of these dogs; they are too much trouble.” But dogs are amazing. It is just inbred in them to guard the house. I mean, even the little bitty inside—I call them foo-foo dogs—you knock on that door, you know, they are just—it is just in them. We have an outside dog named Dixie, and Dixie has one of those collars. She can only go so far out, and it will start beeping. It does not shock her anymore. When she hears that beep, she comes, “All right, I am coming back,” you know.
But Dixie—it is amazing. It is amazing. When I pull up in the driveway, Dixie does not come right to greet me. You say, “What is wrong?” She will always pull up in the driveway, and she will run around the whole diameter of our house. I mean, she will just check everything out. And then it is like she runs to the car, and you get out of the car, and her tail will be going 90 miles an hour, and she is like, “Dad, you see me? I did a good job. I got a car at the house.” And she wants praise every time, pretty much.
Yesterday I came home, and the UPS man was there. And Dixie and the UPS man, they have a love-hate relationship. It worries me sometimes. He is always, “Oh, I have known her since she was a puppy. She is not going to hurt me.” But sometimes I think she is going to hurt that guy. I mean, I think she wants him to respect her or something. I do not know. But he was there, and I pulled up in my driveway. And I noticed down the road as I was coming up that Dixie was being nice to him, excuse me. I thought, “Well, good, that is a good thing,” you know. But as soon as Dixie noticed I was pulling in the driveway, man, she got her teeth around; she started growling, you know. And their friendship was over, you know. And even the UPS man said, he said, “Man, she saw when Dad was coming home, and she wanted Dad to see she is doing her job well.”
And here is the thing: Dixie loves that job. Everybody is like it; it like brings life to Dixie to guard the house. She wants everybody to know, “This is my house, and I am guarding it.” And she will run around the perimeter, and how she is just—it is inbred into them because they are made to do that. And friend, you were not made just to make money. You are made to serve God. We are created for His pleasure. Revelation 4:11 tells us that. You are made to do that for Him. And when you find what God wants you to do and you start doing that, that is your fit in life. That is your little niche where you just feel at home there because God made you to do it. That is why people that just live for money, they are not happy because they were not made just to make money. They were made to serve God.
And Jesus is saying, “Yes, my mom is blessed, but whoever does the will of God, they hear God’s word, they keep it—they are blessed.”
Point number one: success is finding God’s will for your life and doing it.
Point number two, if you would look over in your Bible to Second Corinthians chapter number 10, Second Corinthians chapter 10. And we will get this second point. Third point, we will go eat some fried chicken somewhere. Amen. All right, we will go eat some steak somewhere. We will go eat some pizza somewhere. Must I keep going? I kind of like the subject, though. I mean, you know, I get some black-eyed peas and some cornbread to go along with it. Put some hog jowl in there, you know, and then black-eyed peas. Anybody with me now on that? Yeah, let it soak for about a day; that gets all that lard in there real good. Man, it will taste good. Hog every otter you got up—that is wonderful, man. That is great.
Second Corinthians chapter number 10, look at verse number 12, if you would please. Second Corinthians chapter 10, look at verse number 12. He says, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves; but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.”
If you see someone that just always comparing, pray for them to have some wisdom to use it. That is a wise person. They lack wisdom. They are not wise. Friend, can I just put it in our everyday language? Y’all look up here. Look up here. Everybody look right up here. Get your eyes off of everybody else and what they are doing. And get your eyes on the Lord and find out what He wants you to do, and you do that right there. If they are ahead of you, who cares? You are not in a race with them. If they are behind you, who cares? You are not in a race with them. Stop trying to tally how well you are doing by everybody else. You do not tally how well you are doing by everybody else. You tally how well you are doing by: are you doing what God has called you to do? That is the key.
Second point: stop comparing. You are not going to have peace. You are not going to have contentment if you are comparing. You know, churches do that. “Well, we do not have as much as so-and-so has.” Who cares? Do you have what God wants you to have? Are you doing what God wants you to do? “Well, I am not gifted like Sister So-and-so.” Who cares? God does not want two Sister So-and-sos. Are you doing what God has called you to do? “Well, so-and-so, they taught a lesson. They taught a Sunday school class or something.” Friend, who cares what they are doing or not doing? God has called you to do something. Are you doing what God has called you to do? That is the key. And Jesus is saying, “Look, yes, my mom is blessed, but if you are doing what God has called you to do, you are blessed too.”
I had a great high school basketball coach. He just—he influenced us. He is a Christian, Christian school. He influenced us boys in a great way. He is a great coach. I still can remember him. Specifically, if I remember right, there is a guy named Bruce on our team. He is a missionary nowadays. Praise the Lord. I asked to hear. But he was about 6’3", big old boy. He could dunk the basketball and all that. But Bruce would be four games, shooting or whatever, you know, practicing. And Bruce would always go outside, you know, three-point line or something, and shoot threes. And us little guys—that would be me right there, you know—we would be practicing down low shots and all that, inside the paint and all of them.
And I can remember our coach calling and yelling at us. He said, “Why is it that every big guy in the world wants to shoot outside three points of us? Why is it all you little guys want to go inside down there at the basket?” He said, “You little guys stay outside and shoot outside. You big guys, get down there where you belong.”
And we are all the same way. “Well, look what they are doing.” God has made you to do something. Every person here, God—these boys right here, John, and I do not know all the names, all those boys right there, and that group—God has made every one of them to do something for Him. And the best thing those young men can do is stop worrying about what everybody else is doing, get their eyes on the Lord, find out what God wants them to do, and do it. And do not compare. Comparing leads to one of two P’s. It either leads to pride: “Well, I am doing a little bit better than them.” Or it leads to pity: “Oh, I cannot do anything. I am not talented like so-and-so.” Self-pity. Always comparing always leads to either pride or pity.
Friend, stop. Stop comparing. I am not sure about this lady, but it seems like she was emphasizing Jesus’ mother. Maybe, I do not know. Maybe she was not able to have children. I am not sure about this lady. But it is kind of just smacks of Jesus saying, “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, my mom is blessed. But if you would do what I called you to do, you would be just as blessed.” Yea, brother. “Blessed is he that hears the word of God and doeth it.”
A great preacher years gone by told a story, a true story, of a ship years ago on Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes. And, you know, Lake Erie, just huge, just like—kind of like the ocean. And boy, the storms would come on there, and those older ships could not handle those rough storms. And a true story: a storm was coming; a ship was out on the sea there, and it was trying to get to Cleveland Harbor. And along Cleveland, there is a harbor, and they say the ships could go in there; they were safe. They were kind of protected from the wind, and they were in a safe zone. So the ship was trying to make it there at noon. Man, this is life or death, and we have got to get in the harbor because we do not think our ship can handle the storm that is coming. So it was trying to make it there years ago. And, of course, they would have lighthouses before all the instruments we have nowadays.
And so the captain was there, and often they would have what is called a pilot that would have the wheel of the ship. He was an older, experienced pilot, the captain, of course, too. And the captain, he said, “Hey, pilot,” he said, “is that lighthouse—is that—is that the harbor over there in Cleveland?” He said, “Yes, sir, it is.”
And there is a problem, though. The big lighthouse, the big bright, shining light was coming across. And it was, but they are supposed—on each side of that, as you are coming to the harbor, they are supposed to have little small lights on the rocks so you could see where the sides were. There were no sidelights. And so the captain said, “Now, pilot, are you sure? Are you sure that is a harbor there in Cleveland?” And the pilot said, “I am quite sure, sir, it is.”
So the captain said, “Well, where are the little small coastal lights?”
The pilot said, “Captain, they are all out. They are not there.”
And the captain said, “Well, pilot, do you think you can get us in the harbor? Do you think we can make it safely in there? We have got the big lighthouse, but we do not have the side marker, the little lower light, so called. Can we make it in?” And they say that the pilot said this, “Well, sir, we must make it in, or else we are going to die.” True story.
And that ship—boy, the wind and the rain and the waves. Can you imagine? They say the captain and the pilot just squinted eyes, trying to see everything. They had the lighthouse, but no lower lights. True story, that ship tried to make it in harbor with that wind and the waves and the rain. And sure enough, it struck some of those rocks. Can you hear those boards breaking and the water gushing in and the wind and the nighttime and the rain? And many people died. Some made it, but many people died in that wreck.
There was a man there that was in the meeting when D.L. Moody told that story. And as he told that story, this man named Philip Bliss, God spoke to his heart. And he wrote a song, I believe it is in a hymn, but do not look right now if you would; wait till later. It is called “Let the Lower Lights Keep Burning.” Let me read it for you:
“Brightly beams our Father’s mercy from His lighthouse evermore, But to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore. Let the lower lights be burning, send the gleam across the wave; Some poor fainting, struggling seamen, You may rescue, You may save.”
Friend, you are the lower lights. And he said, “Well, I cannot be one of those big bright ones, but God has called every single one of us to be a lower light somewhere.” Stop comparing to somebody else at some other position. You say, “This is my spot, and I want to guide ships home to the Savior.” Do not compare. Jesus said, “Yea, rather, blessed is he that hears the word of God and keepeth it.”
Number one, we said success is finding God’s will for your life and doing it. Number two, stop comparing. Number three, and we are done.
Number three: you doing the will of God—it may not be as big and as bright and as loud as somebody else. You say, “May not matter.” It always matters. You doing the will of God for your life matters to those that God wants you to influence for the Lord. Well, a preacher does not really matter? It does to that person you are supposed to reach. You might not be able to be the chandelier in the living room, but you might just be that little nightlight in some corner of a bedroom somewhere. But that little child in the middle of the night that is fearful and in tears, and he is just a fright—he does not care for your chandelier or what. He just wants that little nightlight to give some light. You might not be the chandelier, but you might be that little nightlight in the hallway when that little boy, that little girl has got to get up and get a potty break. They do not care for your chandelier. They just want someone to give a little light to dispel the fear.
Every person here, God wants you to do something. You say, “It does not really matter.” It does to those that God wants you to help. It might be a little boy or a little girl that calls you Mom or Dad. You say, “Rather, that does not matter.” It matters to them. It may be a neighbor that does not know you are the only Bible they ever read. You say, “Does it really matter if I go to church and serve God?” It matters to them. It may be a coworker that you work with. And whether you live for God and serve God or not, does it really matter? It matters to them.
Friend, it matters to that relative that needs a relative that is real, that is a real Christian; it matters to them whether you live for God or not. I have told their story so many times—was not planning on telling it today, but I have got to tell it anyway. It illustrates the truth so much. There was a storm, and a fellow the next morning was walking along the beach very early, and there were starfish all over the beach. And they got washed up in the storm, and they were going to die if somebody did not put them back in the ocean. He was walking along. He was just picking one up and tossing them back in there, about another couple of inches. Pick it up, another one, and toss them back in there. You know, just thousands of them all along the ocean side. And somebody said, “What are you going to do, man? You cannot get them all. There is no way you can get them all. There are thousands of them out there. What does it really matter anyway?” About that guy’s time, that guy picked up another one, and he said, “It matters to that one.”
And friend, you are made to reach someone, and you following God’s will for your life matters to somebody. Amen. Yes, this lady could not be the mother of Jesus, but this lady could be a light to someone that God has made her to be a light to. It might be a lifelong friend. It matters whether you serve God or not. It might be a boyhood friend. It may be someone that you never dreamed, but God has made you to influence them. Whether you live for God or not matters to them a whole lot.
Years ago, we went to a conference. It was in Santa Clara, California. I mean, it was—it is a big church, a great church, good church, right in the middle of the Silicon Valley. It is an old-fashioned Independent Baptist church. You would never dream it is there. It is blessed in a great way. Their auditorium seats 3,000 people. I mean, just a huge place, and man, they packed that thing out. We went to a conference out there, and it is on the West Coast, so not many people know us over there, and that is fine, you know. And man, that church—you know, that auditorium, 3,000. By the way, with COVID and things, they have been having to have church outside. Praise the Lord, they are moving back indoors now. Amen for that, but there are issues still, but they are working at it. But, um, great big church and very known. I listen to the radio station a lot, and a lot of people know them. They have a Bible college and all those things. Just a huge place out there. And Brother Treber is awesome, passionate, nothing against him. But we, you know, we just kind of slipped in there and slipped out when it was all over. Nobody knew about us. That is all right.
But while we were there, we thought, well, since we are so close, we might as well go to San Francisco. And so we went to San Francisco. We went out to Pier 39 is out there. You ever hear of that, you know? And it is this long pier. You can go out and got all kind of shops and a little bit of a Ferris wheel and all that on this long pier. There is the Golden Gate Bridge over there; you can see it. And we are out there on this pier. Our kids were with us. And they went to college out there, some. And we walked in this little souvenir shop. There is a little lady over there, you know, she is running the souvenir shop, and we are going to get a snow globe for my wife. She likes to collect those snow globes wherever we go. And Sarah, she has got to get her car keys, and we were looking for one of those old things going to car keys about San Francisco, what not, and Pier 39.
And the Lord just spoke to me. So, man, “Paul, you got to witness that lady.” And you know how that happens? You kind of wait for everybody to clear out and get a good chance. And the Lord just kind of sent everybody away. It was just perfect. The Lord had worked it out. And, you know, He has to kind of hit me over the head, but finally I said, “All right,” you know. So I went over to her, start talking to the lady, and ask her about the Lord, if she knew the Lord, if she was going to heaven, and so on. And I will be honest, you could tell it was just the divine appointment. Very quickly into it, the lady starts crying. And she shared with me her story. You know, everybody has got a story. And here was her story.
She said, “Well, you know, my husband, he was in an accident, hurt his back, and they started giving him so much medicine. He got addicted to that pain medicine and became just a drug addict, basically. Very mean, physically abusive, awful.” So her and her four kids had left him. I cannot remember if they were legally divorced yet or not; I could not remember. But she said, “Me and my four kids were living with my parents now.” She said, “It is so hard. She’d come to that little souvenir shop just to make enough money to kind of put food on the table and what not, help her parents a little bit.”
She said this: “You can see the Golden Gate Bridge from there.” She said, “Many a time I have contemplated so many times going out on that bridge and jumping off.” She said, “I have come so close many a time jumping off that bridge.” She said, “Here lately there is a little church that I walk by and has a little courtyard.” She said, “I have been going on that courtyard, let me get on my knees, pray. I have got to have some help, God.”
Boy, I had the privilege of taking the Bible, telling her how Jesus loved her, died on the cross. He wanted to save her. And she bowed her head. She was so eager to get saved. She wanted to get saved. She bowed her head. She is so sweet with just tears, just asked the Lord to save her. Boy, I would never forget. She got up—I do not think we got on our knees—but she lifted her head up. Boy, she had such a smile. She had a peace. She had a joy. God moved in her heart. He brought her something she did not have before, changed her life, a new creature.
Here is my reason for telling that story. I could have said, “Well, I just pastor a little bit of old church. Nobody knows about us in Tennessee. 3,000 plus other members. I have got two different locations and properties, all that. What does it matter for me to do God’s will?” I mean, I am just—I am a little like that compared to them—but it mattered to that lady. You serving God matters to somebody. There is some little lady somewhere in some souvenir shop somewhere counting on you. God uniquely designed you and made you just a way where you can reach somebody and help somebody like nobody else can help them. You are not just an accident. God made you. God has designed you to serve Him like I never could. You say, “Well, does it really matter? I am not going to be all this and that.” Friend, I guarantee you it matters to somebody.
Jesus told that lady—imagine Jesus there, and she spoke of, “Hey, hey, you have a blessed mom.” You said, “Yeah, I do. But rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.”
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes, please?
If you are there and you say, “Preacher, I am going to seek God’s will for my life. I am doing my best to get my eyes off everybody else, get my eyes on the Lord, and, Lord, what do You want for me? I want to do God’s will. I want to find God’s will for my life and do it.” I believe that is success. “Preacher, God spoke to my heart. I am going to be seeking God’s will for my life and doing it.” God spoke to my heart about that right there. If that is you this morning, you slip your hand up. Preacher, that is me right there. I am going to be seeking God’s will for my life, doing it. God bless you. God bless you. Many, many, many hands. Maybe there is someone else. Maybe there is one more. God spoke at your heart. You need to say, “I need to get this thing—seeking God’s will for my life and doing it.” Would there be one more? Maybe one more. God bless you. God bless you. Thank you so very, very much. Thank you so much. You can put your hands down. Many, many hands.
Friend, it all starts finding God’s will with you being saved. You becoming a child of God, accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. I told by that lady being saved, it all starts there. And then God leads. Once you follow that revealed life, God leads you to the unrevealed life. You hear this morning, say, “Preacher, there was a time when I went to Jesus Christ and I was saved. I know it. I have settled it. I am a child of God. I am saved. I am saved. I am on my way to heaven.” I have been saved before. If that is you, with your heads bowed now, just lift your hand and preach, “I am saved. I am going to heaven.” That is you. God bless you. Many, many hands, many hands. God bless you. Thank you. Thank you so much for lifting your hands. You can put them down. Thank you so very much.
Maybe you are here this morning. I do not think everyone’s hand was raised. You said, “To be honest with you, preacher, I do not know that I am saved.” It all starts there. You said, “Preacher, I am not sure that I am a child of God on my way to heaven.” Maybe it is a young person; maybe an older person. But I am not sure heaven is my home. I am not sure I am a child of God. If that is you, whether that is by nice clothes, would you lift your hand? Just lift it up. “Preacher, I do not know that I am saved.” That is you, just slip it up. God is tugging at your heartstrings. Just lift it up. “Preacher, I do not know that I am saved; I am on my way to heaven.” Just lift it up.
Hey, God bless you, friend. The next step after you say, finding God’s will for your life, doing it, getting baptized, getting a good church, serving Him—He will give you a thousand different ways to serve Him. That is success: finding God’s will for your life, doing it.
Would you please stand? Would you please stand? We will have a word of prayer. As soon as we say amen, we will have an invitation, and we invite you to come down to the altar, just spend some time with the Lord asking God what He would have you to do. I promise you, you will be happier doing God’s will than anything else from all the world. You are made to do that. Would you come just spend some time seeking the Lord? Would you do that? We will pray. When you say amen, would you come spend some time with the Lord just seeking His will? Say, “I want to follow it.” Would you let Him know that this morning?
Father, thank You, Jesus, it is wonderful that You pointed it out. Yes, Your mother is blessed, but if we do Your will, we hear Your word and we follow it, we are just as blessed. Thank You for that truth. Lord, use that to bring peace and contentment. And yes, Lord, even sometimes encourage us to seek and follow Your will. Use all that this morning, Lord, please. And we will thank You for what You do, Lord, in Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Would you come as we sing?
His presence stay.
Friend, you can put your head on the pillow tonight and you can say, “You know, I know I am doing what God wants me to do. I know that.” It may be—can you give me just a little bit more volume here? Yes, for a moment. It may be that others may say, “Well, I do not know if you are following God’s will.” But you have got that peace inside your heart. You know, “I am doing what God wants.” There is peace there. Tranquility there. That is what I am asking you to seek after. Lord, what do You want me to do? Oh, such peace and joy and happiness. God is not going to play weird games. You are trying to do His will. He is going to guide you. He will guide you. “Steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.”
We will sing one more verse. That is it. But would you spend that time right where you stand? You would say, “Lord, I want to do it. I want to go to bed tonight knowing I am doing Your will.” Would you let Him know that as we sing one more verse? Would you do that?
Jesus, I surrender all.
So glad you are in church this morning. Appreciate you being faithful to the house of the Lord. And I hope you are singing that in your heart. I surrender all. He will lead and guide you. There is peace and joy there for sure. Glad you are in church on a Sunday morning. Make sure you are back tonight at 6 o’clock. And good to have our guest with us. Sarah, we appreciate you being with us today. Thank you so much for coming and being with us today. What a blessing that is. And good to see everybody out today. Brother Caleb Patterson, would you dismiss us with a word of prayer, please, brother?
Original File: Just Who Is Blessed - Pastor Paul Chisgar - Sunday 71821