Wednesday Evening Bible Study | Bishop McCool

praise the Lord everyone it's so good to see each one of you in the house of the Lord tonight it's great to see a good crowd here on Wednesday night and we're happy to greet you and that wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ I will remind you again there are some that will be interested in this and some may not have known uh sister Gene Bryan she's one of the oldest members of our church she and her husband brother brother Brian thanked many years ago and they were so very active in the church and the brother Brian went on to be with the Lord several years ago but sister Brian passed away uh just a little while ago and we're having her memorial service this Saturday 12 o'clock at it's a very Highland and that is the funeral home way out Chapman Highway it's not the first Berry there's a very funeral home this as you go out Chapman Highway that's that's right there at the corner of the um the the uh Maryville Highway and uh the Knoxville street but you go well not the that's about eight or ten miles out there and it's on the left and it's a very Highland funeral home and that will be this Saturday and some of you that's been in the church a long time you will remember Sister Brian she was our missionary secretary brother Brian was one that at one time was our Bible class secretary and they were he was a very active in our bus Ministry and they've just uh they were such a blessing to us and we're sorry to lose her but she was a 9 25 and ready is that right honey and ready to go home and so that's something we all have to look forward to Paul said if in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable and he said I'm in a straight betwixture two whether to remain with you folks are to go on and be with Christ Which is far better and he said I knew a man in Christ some 12 years ago and he said whether in the body or out I cannot tell but said he was caught up to the third heaven and he heard things that's unlawful to even mention so that's what we've got to look forward to I had not seen ears not hurting either has it entered into the heart of man what God hath in store for them that love him and I want to come in on the preaching Sunday night didn't we hear a great message go ahead yes sir um you don't you don't often hear preachers tell us what Pastor Anthony told us Sunday night uh Jesus preached like that in fact one time Jesus told his disciples He said Come Ye apart and rest a while for they had no leisure not even so much as time to eat and sometimes we uh we we abuse our body by not giving it the right time I've heard it said that God made the days in 24 hours and it's been recommended that you work eight hours you sleep eight hours and you have Leisure for eight hours I said make sure they're not all the same eight hours so so the Lord's got it broken up that way and it's Pastor Anthony told us Sunday night after six days the Lord rested not because he was tired but as an example for the rest of us and we we go like uh who is for and sometimes until our body gives away and we need to give give time for that rest and then we need to get back in church and back on our job refreshed and excited and may I add my word to that of Pastor Mark McCool welcome sister Gardner we are so glad I'm telling you she raised a wonderful daughter for my grandson and I'm so glad to have her with us tonight the Lord blessed sister McCool and myself what a great daughter-in-law we have and sister Jamie and then the Lord sent us a brother brother Nate Whitley and his mother in the church with us and and he often refers to his mother as a as a real Mentor for him and she was a she was a good teacher and did a good job all right let's get into the word of the Lord we've got a great lesson tonight I'm excited about it and the lessons to come in the next few weeks we're going to be talking about some of the stories Jesus told some of the Parables not Parable is something that Jesus used as an illustration to teach a spiritual truth and we preachers oftentimes we we like to dig into that book and get in the prophecy and get into some of these deep things that uh nobody's ever heard before and um Jesus didn't do that he talked about sheep talked about wheat and tears talked about farmers and sheep Keepers and Shepherds and just the common everyday things children and if we would notice what he's saying he's saying something to us and I want you to notice this uh lesson tonight it is entitled my part in the kingdom of God everybody has a part and we often hear folks say that I don't feel like I have any any Talent or anything that I can do but everyone has talent God gives everyone a talent and you are privileged to use it in the kingdom of God our Focus versus Matthew 25 14 and 15 which happens to be the first words of our lesson so we'll just go with the first words of our lesson Matthew 25 14. for the Kingdom of Heaven is as a man traveling into a far country who called his own servants and delivered unto them his Goods now two things caught my attention and that is this the kingdom of his Heaven is is is as a man traveling to far country who called his own it was his own servants and then he delivered unto them his Goods so whatever they had belonged to him it wasn't theirs he he gave it to them and then the next verse says and unto one he gave five talents and to another two talents and to every man according to his several ability uh and I skipped one to one that gave five talents to another two and to another one to every man according to his several ability and straightway took his journey now it was his money and it was his servants and it was his trip and he owned everything and he had a right to do with it what he wanted to do and notices that he gave to these three Servants of his according to their several ability they didn't all have the same ability and he gave to them according to their ability and this remember to zero in on tonight uh First Corinthians 4 and 7 says for who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive now if we've got anybody that is struck on themselves and feel like they're a great whatever preacher singer business person or what have you no matter who it is and what talent you have the Apostle Paul said for whom maketh thee to differ from another and what has thou but thou did us not receive wasn't yours you didn't have a voice until God gave you a voice you didn't have the ability to to to to run a race until God gave you that ability you didn't have the ability to play basketball until God gave you the ability to do it God didn't you didn't have the ability to preach the word until God gave you that ability and Paul says uh who maketh need a different from another and what has thou that thou didst not receive means you didn't have it until you received it so we need to all be thankful for whatever Talent God has given us and be sure that he gives to every man a talent now if thou did US receive it why does thou Glory as if thou has not received it I I I really like that because um said why do you glory because it wasn't yours somebody else gave it to you and and it wasn't yours so don't Glory as though it was yours brother J.T Payne told a story many years ago that I've told it you know telling how many times you're down through the years but for that person that maybe hasn't heard it and those that will benefit by hearing it again he told the story of this famous organist played the organ and he he did concerts and would pack out large auditoriums and but it was back in the days before they had the electrified organs they had to they had to pump the old organ some of you may have seen those I have and uh the The Heirs what gave it the power to make the sound and you'd pump that organ and then you played like the the accordion you you open the shut the accordion and it plays on the same principle well he was doing a concert to a packed out Auditorium and he just just I tore the house down I mean he did such a great job they were they cheered and then they had an intermission and when they went back behind sage in those days they had so the the musician didn't have to pump the organ they had the pumping machine back behind the curtain and he had the a janitor or a helper someone that was doing the the pushing and uh when he went behind the curtain for intermission that his helper said we really did a great job didn't we and the organist said we nothing he said I'm the one that was doing the playing well he didn't say anything else but when he went back up there he took a bow and flipped his coat tail sat down and put his fingers on that keyboard and nothing came out and he tried again and nothing came out and it occurred to him what was taking place and he stuck his head back behind the curtain he said we did a great job while going and we'll even do better this time if you'll help me well this is kind of like what the Apostle Paul is saying and said why act like you've got to get yourself if you've got a gift it's because God gave it to you you didn't have it till God give it to you and I don't care who the singer is I don't care who the musician is I don't carry the preacher we have no right to glory in ourselves because it is God that gives us the ability I don't understand how a young man like like Nathan Milstead can sit down and play so beautifully because I couldn't do that I don't think if I if I practice a hundred years because I hadn't got that much time to practice now but anyway I I just don't now I can I can flunk on a guitar you know I can make a few chords I couldn't tell the arthritis begin to affect me but anyway I thank the Lord that I was able to do that what but God gave brother Mills their brother Nathan the ability to do what he's doing I can't sing like uh sister Kelly I can't sing like some of the rest of these because God has given them that Talent and whatever Talent is giving God has given you and he has given you a talent whether you realize it or not um a Ned's sister McCool Sunday night I said would you listen to our grandson he can just spit it out I even got a charge out of him making up that word over there don't forget that word Anthony and then and then of course he stopped and straightened it out but I I thought man I'm an expert at that I make up words all the time first time I've heard you make up one like that but what I and I told listen to him the command of the English language and how great it is all right verse 16 then he that had received five talents went and traded with the same and made them other five talents he had five and he went and traded and worked and developed and he got another five talents so he had ten and likewise and he then received five thousand and traded the same made him five talents likewise he that had received two he also gained two second Corinthians 8 12 for if there be first a willing mind and it is it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not now my point in these uh accompanying scriptures which is not in the Sunday School lesson but I felt they they fit in with the lesson Paul said for if there first be a willing mind it is accepted to that man to a man hath and not according to what it hath not for I mean not that other men be ears and ye be burdened but by an equality that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want and their abundance Also may be a supply for your want that there be no uh equality that there be equality and it is written he that hath gathered much had nothing over and he that gathered little Had No Lack now I'm gonna you may think this is a little bit stretch in application but he that had much had nothing over he didn't have anything to brag about he didn't didn't have a thing to brag about even though he had he had he had nothing over him and he that had little Had No Lack if you have little Talent OR you consider it little Talent don't complain about that because God has given you what you have and you need to use it to the best of your ability and it it depends Paul said I magnify my office now he didn't mean by that that he was puffed up and he was a bragged but he magnified in other words he didn't always put himself down he he uh he praised God for what God had done for him and though he claimed to be chief of Sinners yet he said I magnify my office and each one of us while we don't need to be puffed up and we don't need to be conceited but we need to magnify the job that we do well let me go on and likewise he that received two he gained two but he that received one now the man that had on the tune he gained two more he didn't gain near as many as the man that had five talents but he on the scale he doubled what we had just like the man that had five talents now the man that he gave one Talent he received one went and digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money after a long time the Lord of those servants cometh and reckoned with them there is going to be a reckoning day now the man that had five gained five he had more ability than the man that he gave because remember my opening scripture he gave to them according to their ability he knows who can do what uh now I heard this little story of this fellow that couldn't sing and he sang in the choir and the choir director came to the pastor and said you're going to have to do something with so and so that's he can't sing and he's ruining my choir said you're going to have to do something so the pastor went to him and said say I I've got a new job for you um I'm going to take you out of the choir and I I want you to be a an usher oh he said no but we need you we need do more good ushers and you'll make a good one and I'd like you to no sir he said I like singing in the choir and I'm going to be singing in the choir preacher said well I'm just going to have to tell you like it is the choir director just told me that you can't sing and you need to be put out of the choir he said preacher don't think anything about I've had a dozen folks tell me you can't preach so much for the little tidbit be careful when you throw off on somebody else they may have something to throw off on you so the whole story is a simple little story it's not one of those deep deep edifying and soul-searching sermons Jesus just said man had had five talents and gained five a man had two and he gained two and Amanda had one now remember it was according to their ability evidently the Lord knew this man didn't have the ability of the man that had five talents that's what gave him one now the the point of reasoning tells me that all he had to do was gain one talent and he would have been rewarded by his master the same as the five and two talented servers but he didn't do he he was afraid and this may be indicative of an inferiority complex of a fear but he went and dug a hole and buried his Lord's money he thought he was being wise because he's sure not going to lose it nobody's going to trick him out of it he he didn't put it in a dangerous way he dug a hole and buried it and kept it there until his master came and of course he expected to give back to his master what the master had given him but the point of this is whatever God gives you he expects you to gain something with it to do something with it our church our church has been blessed and the last few weeks though our hearts were broken at the loss of uh brother Roger Davis but he was a young man with a severe stuttering problem you had to listen very close to understand him and many a person would have developed a complex that they would try not to speak to anybody in the public but he regularly called the radio stations and these call-in shows were sports for and he was very knowledgeable about the sports program especially about the University of Tennessee sports program and he would he would talk to the announcers about this and actually a nationally known columnist John Adams wrote an article which I read verbatim in the funeral the other night and it was a such an um uh an example of writing he did such a great job and I had to write him a letter or an email and commented on it and they won Sports writers took three hours of his program for call-ins and for folks that were paying tribute to brother Roger and then the others have mentioned his name others mentioned his name I got a call this morning brother Jimmy the bus told me that John Evans had had published My article in my name that I'd written him we've never had never had anybody that has caused uh so much interest with their death associated with our church and yet he was known for being mild and kind and would not speak evil of anybody they talked about trying to get him to run down some coach that wasn't winning and he wouldn't run them down anybody they spoke of he would not run them down he would he would he would brag on them and I thought this bird this this very day my name was in the newspaper this very day I've never had anything that just the sports writer published my letter in the Knoxville News Sentinel and yet this young man that sat on the front seat that many folks would not he'd try to speak yet he has had such an impact on this city with his testimony I want to tell you something if you and I will only use the talent that God has given us you don't have to be a great singer a great musician thank God if you are don't hide it if you if you've given you a great great talent but living for God God is love Jesus said by this shall all men know that you're my disciples if you have loved one to another there's nothing will kill your testimony quicker than getting with someone and running someone else down that don't enhance your status with them and it don't please God either but if we can just only he didn't say by this alone I know you're my disciples because you're great preachers you've been a great missionary you've given a lot of money to the work of the Lord he didn't say that at all but he said if you have loved one to another didn't say if you love God if you have loved one to another we must assume that you love God but the Bible even says how can you say you love God whom you have not seen when you don't love your brothers whom you have seen the greatest gift you have is the gift of love my own mother when she got wound up in years she was unable to go to church hardly any and uh there were people in the church they regularly called her and she would she would comfort them and she would be on the phone darling honey well the Lord is working something out on you God's Gonna undertake God God sees what you're going through and God's Gonna help you dear and when she did get to testify she would usually closer testimony by saying I want to go to heaven and take everyone with me well you can have no greater desire than that than to want to take everybody to heaven but he that received one went and digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money the Lord's it was the Lord's Talent don't hide the talent that God's given you now we often refer to the pulpit and and maybe to the extremes but you may not have a Pulpit Ministry you may not have a a a preaching Ministry you may not be able to play musical instruments but I can promise you God has given to every man as it pleased him and you may not realize it but God has given you talent that that no one else can do but you after a long time the Lord of those servants cometh and reckoned with them and so he then received five dollars came and brought other five talents saying Lord thou Deliver Us unto me five talents behold I've gained beside them five tell us more his lord said to him well done the good and faithful servant thou has been Faithful over a few things I will make thee ruler over many things enter thou into the joys of thy Lord he didn't say why didn't you gain twice that much you you've doubled it and you've been faithful and he and it committed him he also that received two talents came and said Lord thou deliverest unto me two talents behold I have gained two other talents beside them and his lord said it unto him well done good and faithful servant thou has been Faithful over a few things I will make thee ruler over many things enter that of the joys of the Lord he didn't say why didn't you gain five more like this other no he he gave to them according to their several ability and and that's what it is to to whom much is given much is expecting and if God has given you a great deal to tell it use what you have then he which had received the one Talent came said Lord I knew that thou art a hard man now here's where you you run into real serious trouble I think in this parable of this story this may be indicative of why he only had one Talent he started not blaming himself not taking responsibility for doing anything but he turned it on his Lord and started accusing the Lord he you know if we're not careful when we when we fall into difficulty the last person we want to look at is ourselves uh somebody did something to me I was offended over something or this or that happened and and this man turned it on his Lord and he said I knew thee that thou art a hard man reaping for thou has not sown and Gathering where thou Hast not strong now again look at this we there's a great deal to be learned right this may be why he was had had only one Talent those who are always accusing someone else don't get very far and I don't know somebody wrote a book and I talked I mentioned it and and somebody in our church went out and bought the book and I don't know the man's name but I had read about him and it's the politics of ridicule and he wrote a book about it and you the way you get ahead is ridicule your opponent tell bad things about him and we're experiencing that in politics today there they even hire people to look into people's past to try to find something bad and dirt to tell on them and and to accuse them of something instead of showing what they can do what I want to offer you is not accusations against someone else but this is what our country needs we need this and this and this well in the work of God the same thing I I don't need to get up and beat you over the head and accuse you of something I need to say hey let's go we got we got a great opportunity and and the reason this is not doing it because you're not doing your job and you're not doing your job and you're that's that's not the way God wants it to be I don't get he said feed my sheep he didn't say beat my sheep he said feed my see and I need to be I need to be inspired uh when these preachers get up here we got a fantastic pastoral stuff and they they always inspire me to do more for God that even inspired me when Pastor Anthony preached Sunday night about resting in the Lord and there's times I need I need to do that and there's been times I didn't do that I used to we would close a Revival on Sunday night sometime we'd drive all night long to get to our neck and sometimes start a Revival on this Monday night and back then we didn't have rest nights like they they do now and we would go three weeks at a time and every night well maybe maybe I should have rested a little bit more but after all I've made it to 86 years so I'd got anything to complain about doing uh and he said I was afraid that does a lot of people a lot of harm fear the Bible said in there's torment in fear he doesn't fear is torment and you're not supposed to to fear perfect love casteth out fear if we love God and love one another it'll it'll cast out fear I was afraid he had a complex he had a fear they couldn't get the job done and went and hid that tattle in the earth low there thou hash that is thine here it is I haven't done much with it I haven't but at least I didn't lose it and the Lord answered and said unto him thy Wicked and Soulful servant thou knewish that I reap for I sowed not and gathered were I not strong now I think the lesson in this Parable and this story is that um he's he's trying to get us to see that there is great Doom in neglect and fear and failing to use what you have there the person that looks back on a wasted life the sons of song was three men that were had great voices and and they used to sing a song Wasted Years oh how foolish a lot of us how people can waste their lives living in sin and they look back and I I wrote an article uh years ago and the voice of Pentecost uh called Spring training and I talked about how some men will look uh when they if they've been wise with their money and their morals when they reached their Peak and they feel like they know they retire and re retire with with great admiration but there are others that go on and go on when they know they've lost it and they they become a joke and then I talked about men like uh like uh Saul and the in the in the Bible and men that that wasted their lives and wasted their substance and and I made this statement that a loving wife may forgive and God May forgive but can you forgive yourself if you've made a wreck of your life if you if you ruin your marriage with infidelity if you've crossed over that cheating line you better be careful and don't look back on a wasted life and as this man did this I was afraid and I knew you I knew that I knew the churches no I want to do do what I can for God it may be little but the song says little is much if God is in it his Lord answered and said unto him thou Wicked and Soulful person the servant thou knowest that I reap where I sowed not gather who had not strong thou Artest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers and then at my coming I should have received my own with usury take therefore the talent from him and give it to him which those have ten talents for everyone that a hath shall be given and he that have abundant and he'll have abundance but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that of which he hath and cast you be unprofitable servant into outer Darkness there's somebody weeping and gnashing them teeth this is not a this is not a a an actual happening it's a parable it's a story Jesus told to give them appreciation for the reality and The Facts of Life and and you and I need to understand I just referred to that some people have cast themselves into out of darkness by the way they live David said if I make my my bed in hell Thou Art there if I make my bed in hell Thou Art there pastor and I was at Johnny James funeral and and uh uh brother Kenneth Kenny goldair who is a superintendent of a ministerial organization I knew his father his brother's brother came to the Lord Johnny go there they were well-known preachers and I may mentioned I said your your brother came to the Lord in my meeting many years ago and and uh Portageville Missouri and uh he said Not only did my brother so I came to the Lord in your meeting and he said I'll never forget what you preaching so I bet you don't remember it I said I couldn't tell you if my life depended on it he said the night you preach if I make my bed in hell and you said you made hell so real he said I didn't want to make my bed at hell I said I hit that Altar and I've been living for God ever since well don't make your you can you can make this life a hellish existence don't do that if you follow God's way and and go the way God has for it you could have a beautiful beautiful life well here we go I shouldn't do it but I can't resist it system of cool and I had our Wellness checkup today and they had a new nurse and she's uh studying to be a doctor in fact in two weeks she's to get her her doctor's degree and and become her own doctor and for some reason she just sat down and just talked and talked and talked to us and was waiting for our Dr law to come in and she said how did y'all get how did y'all meet how did y'all she shouldn't have said that yeah she shouldn't have said that because when she asked me how how we met I started writing to tell her about that first date in the Irwin Highway and and I'll be there Thursday night if I can get my boyfriend to bring me in my second date I I proposed to her and and then she was just sitting there eating it up and and I said and we've been married 66 Years be 67 years in June and I said that on her 80th birthday I wrote her a song let me sing and I sang it one more time foreign and when I got through she had the same response she said you better go somewhere to a studio and record that well what I'm what I'm telling you I told and she wanted to know what was the secret of our success of of being happily married for 66 years and I had to tell her it was such a glorious life we tell each other we love you every day every night the last thing I say is I love you and I good night kiss and and the next I got up this morning and and I looked over at it and I cut lucious singing Have I Told You Lately That I Love You can I tell you once again sweetheart Have I Told You Lately That I Love You well darling I'm telling you now well say it the Bible said let the redeemed of the Lord let the redeemed of the Lord what say so say it if you love her tell her you love her if you love him tell him you love him the wife said to her husband they rode along said uh do you still love me he said you you know he said if I ever stop loving you you'll know I'll tell you I said I told you 40 years ago and it's still good well that's not good enough you need to say it and not only with that you need to tell Jesus you love him he said I know what other men say about me but who do you say that I am I want to hear it from you that's why we that's why we gather around this front and and shout and dance and praise God we're telling him one more time that we love him we love him we love him [Applause] oh my how do I get into this First Corinthians 12 Pastor Tuttle on this few weeks ago and what a job he did but let me go back over it First Corinthians 12 12 for as the body is one and as many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ for by one spirit I will baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be Bond or free and have been all made to drink into one spirit for the body is not one member but many if the foot shall say because I am not the hand I am not of the body is it therefore know the body now he's talking about parts to this body comparing itself to another part of the body and I get this pastor did a great job on this but let me review it a little bit if the foot shall say because I'm not the hand I'm not the body does that mean it's not known the hand and the foot are separate but they each have their own function and one is as important as the other and if the ear shall say because I'm not the eye I'm not of the body is it therefore not the body you know that my my ears uh I have to give them a whole lot of assistance I've got a set of hearing aids that makes things louder it don't necessarily make things cleaner but they used to be an old song that said beautiful beautiful brown eyes I'll Never Love blue eyes again eyes are romantic song many songs have been written about the eyes now the ear could say now why don't you sing a beautiful beautiful big ears no it don't go that way does it you never hear songs written about the ears are cute and pretty but I want you to know if you didn't have them and when they start failing you you can't hear them say I love you the ear is just as important as the eyes now notice this if the whole body were an eye where were they hearing well at the eyes and uh wait a minute I want it all I want all the glory then where would be the hearing if the hole were a hearing where were the smelling but now God set the members every one of them in the body as it has pleased him and if they were all one member where were the bodies now what he's telling and very simple it's nothing it's nothing complicated or deeper anything like that but God is trying to tell us that no matter what you are in the church and some some will say I'm just like I'm just I've heard women's I'm just a housewife you're not a housewife you're a homemaker and you are important I read in the paper just the other day some woman had sued her husband for a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for past servant work cooking and cleaning and won the case I hope my wife don't ever sue for all that she's done for me if she does it'll be cast him into outer Darkness Let There Be weeping and asking him saying would you stand your feet with us please ah we was very busy today going to the doctor for nothing wrong with this other just just say well they call Wilderness Wellness thing and and they'd go put you through this that now to see if you can hear them see if you can draw a picture of a clock and remember three things and you know you older folks go through that and we got in uh kind of kind of late and I looked up on it here it was getting close to church time and she had fixed me a a delicious sandwich and a bowl of chicken noodle soup and you talk about some kind of good and it was almost Church sign and I gobbled it down with Great Gusto and thankfulness and and I jumped up and I went to the bathroom shaved again um I appreciate it at least twice a day now my joke and I don't take this too serious I better not even tell it because it's beards have become so fashionable somebody might get the penis hurt but the joke is a fellow that grows a beards covering up something now laugh about it because I you gotta you gotta get the real meaning you see but maybe that's why I saved twice a day and try to keep them covered up an ugly face but uh and I went and by the time I got through shaving and got dressed she had already washed the dishes cleaned up the kitchen and she was ready to go to church I said how in the world did you do that well she said I didn't have to shave I don't know why I'm in such a happy mood tonight but I am and I hope you are I hope you and enjoy the the happy atmosphere that we have in this place tonight don't forget about the memorial service for sister Brian this coming Saturday and this weekend we're going to expect a Great and Mighty time in the Lord remember all the requests father we thank you tonight for your goodness and mercy we thank you because you've been so gracious and good to us kept us another day and let us hear the word of the Lord I pray that you let this word sink deep into our hearts that we may grow and be a better child of God dismiss us from this place but not from your presence in Jesus name we pray amen you're dismissed in Jesus name Shake Hands bump elbows be friendly