Bulletin Cover June 30, 2013

CALEB FOLLOWED THE LORD FULLY

"CALEB FOLLOWED THE LORD FULLY"

Num 14: 24

 

Intro: "Lou Gehrig’s Story"

            On June 19, 1903, in a suburb of New York City, a baby was born who would revolutionize the game of Baseball.  Henry Louis Gehrig wade nearly 14 pounds at birth.  He was the son of a sheet meddle worker, and a maid.  Gehrig is considered by most to be the best 1^st baseman to ever play the game.  For his career he hit 340, with 1,995 RBIs, 493 homeruns, and most astounding of all, he played in 2,130 consecutive games from June 1, 1925 to May 2, 1939. 

            Many people know the account of Gehrig’s streak, and several will remember that the streak was broken in September of 1995 by shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.  What most do not realize is that the streak could have, and possibly should have, come to an end several times during those years.  On at least two occasions, Gehrig was hit in the head by a pitch, knocked unconscious, yet revived enough to stay in the game both times.  During the course of the discovery of the ALS illness that would take his life on June 2, 1941, x-rays revealed that Gehrig had suffered a number of fractures over the course of his playing career.  The reason for his drive, his push, his passion for the game was simple.  Gehrig was fully devoted to his craft and his team mates.

            As the Yankee greats honored him in a ceremony on June 21, 1939, everyone spoke of his dedication to the game he loved so much, and the passion with which he played.  Truly Gehrig was a man who was fully committed to that which he loved.

What an amazing story.  It is no longer so common to see someone approach their profession with this same level of love and enthusiasm.  Let me ask you something however as we turn our attention from the mundane game of baseball, and focus in upon the truly important subject of salvation.  If you were to die today, would those you leave behind say “This was a man or woman who fully trusted Christ?”   Would they speak of the way in which you followed the word of the Lord all the days of your life?  I want to ask you, what would they say about you?  Would they say, oh he or she lived their life fully for the Lord."  

            That is exactly what the Lord himself said of his servant Caleb.  In a time when morale was low, and the children didn't think they would make it, Caleb was a ray of sun in an otherwise dark landscape.

            Well, what does it mean to follow the Lord fully?  How can we do it?  Today, I want us to look at the answer to this question.  I want it to be said of the church that meets here at Central in Haines City that we followed the Lord, all the days of our lives.

 

I FOLLOW THE LORD ALL OUR DAYS

 

1. We know that Caleb did just that.

A. Numbers 14: 9 while in the wilderness, Caleb followed the Lord!

B. Joshua 14: 14 in the land of Cannon 45 years later, Caleb followed the Lord!

2. He wasn't like many of us today.

A. Genesis 19: 26 many of us are like Lott's wife, and turn back to our old life.

B. Galatians 3: 1 many of us are like the Galatians, and allow ourselves to be led astray.

3. How should we be?

A. 1Timothy 4: 12 we should follow him in the days of our youth!

B. Psalm 92: 12-15 we should follow him in our old age!

C. We are first and foremost children of god!!

 

II FOLLOW THE LORD WITH YOUR HEART

 

1. We are told that Caleb followed the Lord fully and wholly.

A. This means that he applied his whole heart to the task.

B. Mark 12: 30 Caleb was the perfect model for what Jesus called the greatest commandment.

2. Again, many in our world today can't seem to understand this concept.

A. 1Kings 11: 4 they become like Solomon and allow others to dictate what they do and think.

B. James 1: 14 many are content to allow their lusts and desires to dictate who and what they follow.

C. James 4: 4 they become like the people James describes, and want worldly approval, rather than Godly favor.

3. How should we live today?

A. Matthew 6: 24 we need to understand that we must make a choice.

B. there is no such thing as a divided heart.

C. You either go one way or the other, but not both at the same time.

 

III WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE LORD DESPITE THE DANGER

 

1. Though dangers threatened, Caleb never wavered.

A. Numbers 13: 33 he did not fear the giants.

B. Numbers 14: 10 he did not fear persecution from his own people.

2. Today, it is a different story.

A. some are like the multitude that followed Jesus, and simply going along with what the rest of the crowd is doing.

B. Matthew 26: 69-75 some are like Peter and only do it when it is popular.

3. How should we follow the Lord today?

A. Matthew 5: 45 we should follow based upon the word and will of the Lord, not popular trends, thoughts, and opinions.

B. Philippians 1: 21 we should follow with our eyes fixed on the prize. 

DADDY'S HANDS

DADDY’S HANDS

ROMANS 8: 14-18

 

Intro:

                As I have stated before, I really don’t like country music.  I generally find it to be winy, annoying, and so predictable to be humorous.  As proof of my assertion, I offer you a sampling of the top 100 worse country song titles of all time.

1.       Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through the Goalposts of Life

2.        Her Teeth Were Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure

3.        I Would Have Writ You A Letter, But I Couldn't Spell Yuc

4.        I Been Roped And Thrown By Jesus In The Holy Ghost Corral

5.      I Fell In A Pile Of You And Got Love All Over Me

I think you get the point, but there are a few country songs that are able to rise above their genre, and bring positive thoughts and powerful emotions to the table.  Garth Brooks “THE DANCE”, which had the ability to provoke tears from the driest eye.  George Jone’s “HE STOPPED LOVING HER TODAY”, which is considered by many to be the greatest country song of all time.  And in my mind, no discussion of country music is complete without making mention of Ray Steven’s classic hit, “THE MISSISSIPPI SQUIRREL.”  

            However, in all seriousness, there is a country song which some of you might have heard.  It was released in 1987, and was written and performed by Holly Dunn.  The title of the song was: “DADDY’S HANDS.”  It rose as high as number 7 on the country charts, and has been voted as one of the 500 best country songs of all time.  Mrs. Dunn, who retired from music in 2003 to continue as a painter, was born in 1957 in Texas.  She was the daughter of a minister, and the song is a tribute to her father. 

            Today we take time to honor and recognize our Fathers.  For those of you who pick up a bulletin, you have doubtlessly read the article which I wrote for this week.  In the article, I mention the fact that we certainly honor our fathers and mothers in different ways.  For mom we want to make everything just right, whereas for Dad, we sometimes all but forget about the day.  We want to make sure to say thanks to all who serve in this important capacity and speaking as a father for a moment, I want to ask all of you to pray for us.  I want to ask you to pray as we lead, serve, provide, protect, and hopefully set an example worth following.

            The problem that every minister in counters on a day such as this, is that there are always one or two in the congregation who didn’t have men who took their responsibilities serious, and were less than stellar in the Dad department.  The good news for all of us today, is that for those who have become a child of the Living God, you have a father who is beyond reproach.  You have a father who stands before the family, and provides an example that is always worth emulating.

            One of the things that I love about the Holly Dunn song is the perspective with which she performs the song.  She is looking back, and from her new point of view, she sees many things about her father that hadn’t been visible up to that point, and in the end concludes that above all, Daddy’s hands were filled with love.

            This morning, using this song, I want to share with you some experiences that I have had as a father, as well as some of my childhood with my own father.  However, more than anything, I want to help you to see that the same traits which Mrs. Dunn noticed in her father’s hands, they can also be seen in our Heavenly Father.  I would invite you to join us, and let’s take a closer look at “DADDY’S HANDS.”

 

I.             DADDY’S HANDS ARE SOFT AND KIND

 

“Daddy’s hands were soft and kind when I was crying.”  When I hear these words, I automatically think about my Katie when she was little.  I’ve told you all before, but when we had Katie, we were working with the church in Newberry.  The congregation there didn’t have a great deal of funds, and thus the minister didn’t make a great deal of money.  Therefore, the church was nice enough to allow Katie to stay with me during the day.  Laney went back to work as a school teacher when Katie was 10-weeks-old. 

I was blessed to be there to watch her grow.  I changed diapers, fixed bottles, wiped her nose, played dolls, watched Dora, fixed juices, swung, rocked, walked, and listened.  But, the most important job which Daddy had to do was punish that which dared to hurt my baby.  Katie was one of those kids who would climb anything.  Frequently her injuries were a result of climbing something, and then falling off. 

 Regardless of where the booboo came from however, the cure was always the same.  Katie would come to me, and show me where it hurt.  After I kissed and made it better, she would tell me to spank whatever it was that caused the pain.  If she had fallen from a chair, I would have to go to the chair, spank it, all while saying: “Bad, Bad, chair! You don’t hurt my Katie anymore! NO! No! No!” 

Before any spanking of the offending object, there was always a time of comfort.  I look back on it now, and I see so many moments of back patting, tear drying, head rubbing, and it will occasionally make me think I might have done something right.  The beauty, at least from my point of view, was that when she was hurt, Katie knew that Daddy’s hands were there to help, and provide kindness and care.

What about you and me today?  When hurt comes calling, who do you run to?  Where do you hide?  Whose hands do you seek when life knocks you down, and just will not seem to let up? 

As I’ve grown older, I have come to understand that “softe and kind” hands are important when life sends you spinning out of control.  In the book of Psalms, we see again and again where David would experience times of pain and anguish in his life, and each and every time, he would turn to his heavenly Father.  The reason for his turning to God is very simple.  David looked to God because he knew that his kindness was available at any time. 

In Psalm 36, we find that David has come upon a time in which he is thankful for the loving kindness which is to be found in the hands of the Lord.  In the context of the passage, David has obtained yet another victory over the Philistine army.  In verse 7, following his acknowledgement of the enemy, and their attempts to tear down the righteous, David has this to say: “How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.”   You see, David understood that times would be hard, enemies would press in close, but God always offers goodness, protection, safety, and kindness.  The victory may have been Israel’s on the battle field, but in all honesty the realization that God is your shelter in times of danger and problem is what really crowns us as champions.

In Psalm 117: 2, we find that this same idea is expressed, but there is a twist.  In Psalm 36, it was sung as a song for military men coming off the field of battle.  Scholars tell us that Psalm 117, the shortest chapter in the book of Psalm and in the whole Bible, was frequently sung around the family circle, and was designed to remind the adults and children alike about the awesome loving kindness of our God.  It isn’t just the man in danger of death who needs comfort, but each of us as we travel along through life.  We all can enjoy the comfort and kindness that comes from calling him “ABBA FATHER.”

It is a wonderful thing to speak of the soft and kind hands of our father, but there is another side to those hands which deserves our acknowledgment as well.

 

II.            DADDY’S HANDS ARE HARD AS STEEL

 

There is an aspect of fatherhood that some seem to believe to be enjoyable for Dad, but in all actuality, it isn’t all that fun.  Is it necessary?  Yes.  Is it enjoyable?  No, absolutely not.  I am speaking of the responsibility of discipline.

Now, I know that there are some of you out there saying, “I don’t leave it up to Dad to discipline, and I take care of it myself if it needs doing.”   Yes, I know that is the way it is designed to be, but how easy is it to tell a child, “You just wait until your father gets home.”   The obvious conclusion that can be drawn from this statement is that upon Dad’s arrival, explosions shall reign, children shall weep, spankings the likes of which have never been seen will be administered, and all the chaos which proceeded the Father’s entrance shall seas forever more.

Please allow me to say from a counseling standpoint, ladies please don’t turn Dad into the terminator.  If discipline is called for, administer it at the time of the offence.  I am blessed to have a wife who understands that I don’t mind “Hulking up” if that’s what is called for, but she also understands the need for the children to see me as something more than a threat of pain and suffering.

However, men, I would admonish you to remember that the head of house falls upon our shoulders.  Step up and discipline if that is what is needed.  In the modern family today we have a bad case of “You Do It-it is.”   We need strong men to stand as the examples they are called to be in scripture.  In Holly Dunn’s song, she looks back and recalls the fact that “Daddy’s hands weren’t always gentle, but I’ve come to understand there was always love in Daddy’s hands.”  My children know and understand that comfort, kindness, and even gentleness can be found in their daddy’s hands, but those hands also contain an element of steel.  I can’t stand disciplining either one of my sweet babies, but if they do something wrong, I will discipline. 

Why?  I do it because I love them.  It is the same reason that “Abba Father” disciplines you and me as Christians. (Romans 8: 15) 

In Hebrews 12: 6, the Hebrew writer informs us: “For whom the Lord loves, chastens.”   The word “chastens” is what we would call discipline today.  We The Bible has just informed us that God disciplines his children for the simplest of all reasons; he loves us.  In the beginning of Mrs. Dunn’s song, she uses the phrase, “I remember Daddy’s hands.”   She is looking back from her new point of view, and now she can see things clearer.

How many of us say at the time, I hate discipline.  How many of you today look back though and say, “Thanks Dad for teaching me right and wrong.”   In Hebrews 12: 11, we are told that no discipline is enjoyable at the moment, but is profitable for the one who learns from it, and experiences growth.  If discipline were fun, we would just keep doing it.  You don’t look at your children and say, “You have acted badly, disappointed me to no end, upset your mother, and most importantly fallen short of what God wants you to be…So here’s $20.00, have a great time, and don’t you do that ever again.”  Instead we discipline in such a way that children learn from it, grow from it, and become stronger people.

 

CONCLUSION:

I pray that you will take the time to give Dad a call, a hug, a card, or maybe a fat juicy stake.  Let him know how much you love and appreciate the hands that helped to mold and shape you into the person you are today. 

If you are here, and your father wasn’t what he should have been, then I would invite you to try mine.  Not Rusty Sr, he is mine, and the only person I share him with is my brother.  Instead I am speaking of my Abba Father.  In the song that we have been talking about all morning, the second and final verse has this to say:

“I remember Daddy’s hands, working till they bled, sacrificing unselfishly just to keep us all fed.” 

I don’t know about you, but I also think of another father who sacrificed unselfishly just to keep us all spiritually fed.  I don’t know about you, but I also think about another set of hands that worked until they bled.  If you are in need of coming to God today, please let it be known.     

Father's Day by Rusty Hilliard

Bill Cosby once compared Mother’s Day and Father’s Day by saying: “Mothers are more organized. Mothers say to their children: Now here is a list of what I want. Go get the money from your father and you surprise me on Mother's Day. You do that for me.  For Father’s Day I give each of my five kids $20 so that they can go out and buy me a present——a total of $100. They go to the store and buy two packages of underwear, each of which costs $5 and contains three shorts. They tear them open and each kid wraps up one pair, the sixth going to the Salvation Army. Therefore, on Father’s Day I am walking around with new underwear and my kids are walking around with $90 worth of my change in their pockets.”

There is certainly no arguing the fact that as people we take a different view of Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. For Mom we will go all out, making sure to get her the perfect flower, card, and meal.  For Dad we will frequently throw something together at the last minute, and bank on the fact that he won’t notice.  Allow me to speak to you on behalf of Dads everywhere and tell you, we notice.  The joy that a father feels isn’t attached to gifts, or flowers, or even a meal (BUT A GOOD MEAL DOES GO A LONG WAY TOWARD MAKING US HAPPY).  Instead, the joy of a father is in the laughter of his children, the smile of his wife, and the knowledge that his family is healthy, dry, and fed.

I encourage you to take a moment today, call your Dad, and let him know how much you appreciate all that he does; you will never know how much it will mean to him. -Rusty

VBS Flyer Color

FARMING FOR THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

FARMING FOR THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

GALATIANS 5: 22

 

Intro:

                I have shared with you all some of the stories from my childhood growing up on a farm.  I’ve shared with you the accounts of walking mile after mile in the hayfields with my Dad, brother, grandfather, and uncle.  There are other tales to be told concerning cows, chickens, pigs, goats, tractors, tillers, and trucks.  However, today’s illustration will provide you yet another glimpse into life on a farm.

                One of the best parts of living life out in the middle of nowhere is the experience of eating garden-grown food.  I know that some of you are saying to yourself, you don’t have to live in the middle of nowhere to eat garden food; you can grow a garden right here in the city.  No, not the way my family did it.  When I say garden, I’ve talking about a major spread of food.  There were rows and rows of corn, okra, lima beans, green beans, pinto beans, shelly beans, green peppers, red peppers, banana peppers, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions.  We would plant it, grow it, harvest it, and best of all, we would eat it.

                It is the harvesting portion of the program that caused me a great deal of pain and anguish.  I couldn’t stand going out there day after day in the summer, picking, hoeing, weeding, checking, tilling and toting.  I wanted to eat it, but I couldn’t stand the prep work that went into getting it on the table. 

                On one memorable day, I was picking green beans, and I knew that when I finished I still had to break the beans, pick the corn, and dispose of the tomatoes that had gone bad.  I was around 8 or 9 on this particular day.  Mom was over on the other side of the garden, and my brother was in the row with me.  I had finally had enough, so I stood up, and told my mom: “Mom I’m tired of picking beans.  Let’s just get rid of the garden and go shopping at Kroger instead.”  In short, I loved the food, I hated the work.

                How many of us are like that when it comes to our spiritual lives today.  We love the rewards of being a Christian, but often we find that we don’t like the responsibilities that go along with being a child of God. 

                In Galatians 5: 22-23, we find the Bible calling for farmers.  In this passage, those who are looking to pick fruit are welcome.  Here we find Paul extoling the Fruits of the Spirit, and naming them one-by-one.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” 

                On June 17-21 we will be conducting our VBS here at the building.  Our topic for this year is designed to educate the young people about the need to cultivate the Fruits of the Spirit in their lives.  This is a lesson which we as adults would do well to remember as well.  This morning, I want to help you to see the importance of the Fruits of the Spirit in your life, by showing you that Christ himself lived his life with these characteristics plain for all to see.

                I would encourage you to remember as we go through this lesson that farming isn’t easy.  Going out and working to keep up a garden is hard work.  Cultivating these Fruits of the Spirit in your Christian life isn’t always going to be easy.  However, as with a physical garden, the rewards are well worth the work.

 

I.                    LOVE, JOY, PEACE (IN HIS BIRTH)

 

A.      There are several examples of love given in the life of Christ, but for our purposes, I want us to consider one of the more impressive illustrations which actually came before he was even born.

1.       We openly acknowledge the beauty of the world in which we live, but it obviously doesn’t hold a candle to streets of gold, walls of jewel, and a light that is the presents of God himself to aluminate all things.

2.        John 6: 38 however, despite this awesome place, Christ reveals to us that he “CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN.”

3.       Acts 1: 8 as in our own lives, love will sometimes require us to leave our comfort zones, and step out for the benefit of others.

B.      Jesus also cultivated and brought joy to the world in his birth.

1.       Luke 2: 10 at the birth of Christ, angels appeared to announce the joyous news of a savior’s birth!

2.        Simply by coming into the world, Jesus brought joy into the lives of mankind.

3.        Romans 10: 15 as his disciples, we should also bring “glad tidings of good things.” 

4.        We should carry the joyous news of a risen savior!

C.      Finally, in his birth, we see that Christ practiced peace.

1.       Isaiah 9: 6 hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah reveals to us that an essential part of the nature of Christ would be that he would be the “PRINCE OF PEACE.”

2.        Simply put, Jesus would be one who knew peace, and shared it with those around him.

3.        Matthew 5: 9 according to his Sermon on the Mount, those who will be called the children of God, must also be known as a “PEACEMAKER.”

4.        Let’s make sure that we are applying the fruit of peace to our lives.

 

II.                  PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS (In his LIFE)

 

A.      During the earthly life of the savior, he displayed all of the traits which we are examining this morning, yet none more so than the fruit of patience.

1.       1Timothy 1: 16 Paul reveals to Timothy that in showing mercy to himself, (the chief among all sinners); Christ had expressed his patience for all to see.

2.        The patience which Christ displayed wasn’t just for Paul however, it continues on today for every Christian who names his name, then falls along the way, and must be helped to their feet once again.

3.        1Thessalonians 5: 14 as farmers in the fruit field of the Lord we should also be purveyors of the fruit of patience to all men.

4.        Hard though it is to remain patient on our walk through life, this is exactly what this particular fruit calls for us to do.

B.      Secondly, without question Christ showed kindness while here on this earth.

1.       Luke 5: 12 as Christ was passing by a man with leprosy, the man stated that Christ could heal him if he was willing.

2.        Luke 5: 13 the kindness of Christ can be seen in the way in which he replied “I am willing.”

3.        You see, kindness is not the act itself, but the willingness and the action to effect positive change in someone else’s life.

4.        1Peter 1: 7 in Christian parliaments, it is the choice to resolve to help a brother or sister in whatever way we can.

C.      Finally, during the course of his life, Christ was fundamentally and foundationally filled with goodness.

1.       I came across a definition for the word goodness as it is used in the Bible.

2.       Goodness involves expected function.

3.       Matthew 25: 21 the servant with the talents was expected to multiply those talents, and because he did, he was called a “good and faithful servant.”

4.        Matthew 5: 16 as Christians, our purpose is to let our light shine before men that they may see our good works, and glorify our father which is in Heaven.

5.        Are you displaying both goodness and light in your life today?

 

III.                FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL (In his DEATH)

 

1.       We would be remiss if we didn’t note the beautiful fruit of the savior in his final hours, not the least of which was his faithfulness.

1.       John 19: 30 as he hung upon the cross, with his final breath he said: “It is finished.”

2.        This reveals to us, and reminds us, of the central fact that Christ remained faithful to God’s plan right to the very end.

3.        Revelation 2: 10 today, he calls for those who are his true followers to do the same.

B. Secondly, we can also see his gentle nature in his death on the cross.

1. Matthew 11: 29 Christ had already informed his disciples as well as you and me today that he was indeed gentle.

2. When we consider the treatment given to the Son of God during his horrible ordeal, we can only deduce that he was indeed gentle considering the way in which he never raised either his hand or his voice against his accusers.

3.  2Timothy 2: 24 I love the way in which Paul encourages us to be gentle not just to our families, friends and associates, but to “all.”

C. Finally, in his death Christ demonstrated for us the fruit of self-control.

1. Matthew 26: 53 note the self-control of the savior as he stood in the garden knowing that he COULD call for heavenly assistance.

2. Matthew 26: 39 instead, we are well aware of the fact that he had already obtained all the assistance he would need for the night to come.

3. Ephesians 4: 26 when it comes to you and I, the issue with which we most commonly struggle is anger, yet Paul says we can be angry, but we shouldn’t sin.

4. In order for us to accomplish this task, we must partake of the fruit of self-control.

Bulletin Cover: June 9, 2013