Wednesday Night Bible Study

praise the Lord everyone that was a little bit weak praise the Lord everyone we greet you tonight in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ The Only Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved now I told you Sunday night I was gonna bring my guitar I bought a very special guitar tonight this is a Martin guitar Martin is the most famous name in musical instruments for professional country singers and others and this is a Triple O 18 Martin and according to its serial number it was made in 1956 the Year sister McCool and I were married and this was a present to me from her brother brother Dallas cook on my 50th ministerial anniversary when I've been preaching 50 years and as a matter of fact down in it I can see uh written in the ballpoint Inc Dallas and that was his name and that was his gift to me and it's not the most expensive guitar I own but it's probably the nearest Guitar that I own and I decided to use it tonight [Music] isn't that pretty [Music] notes and um when you get 86 and yet your voice has got old and weak and Scratchy you you try to find songs well you know they they call it rapping uh if you can call that music but we were rapping along before that ever came out to be popular and this song is I'm about to do right now was written by Brother Lewis Hera and strangely enough he was doing a recording session and they needed one more song to fill up the record back in those days they had the big 12 inch records and they put I think 12 six songs on each side and during an intermission while they were waiting uh he wrote this song to Philip that record and it goes like this oh what a sermon he preached oh what a sermon he preached foreign everything from A to Z and most of it was hitting me oh what a sermon he preached now it was on Sunday afternoon and I can tell you now there was plenty of room with that little Country Church house that day a lot of the good folks wasn't there ever seen they just didn't care to hear what that preacher had to save now our very quietly slipped in and sat near the back by a friend and I joined in as Everybody sung a song [Music] is he right from the start because I had this feeling down in my heart that the afternoon could turn out to be quite long I thought when I get a chance I'll run because this ain't what I call having fun but it was about then the preacher took the floor well they stood up there and he opened his book and right straight down on me he looked and friends I had never seen the lights before he wore two sizes to be closed as glasses sat on the end of his nose and he had that taken her to leave it kind of a smile he looked over the top of his specks and said where I come from they bear the dead you folks look like you've gone your last long mile why some of you are sitting here for the first time in over a year I tell you neighbor it's a pure disgrace [Music] how can you live the way you do as good as the Lord has been to you I'd be ashamed to show my under face oh love the sermon he preached oh what the sermon he preached he covered everything from A to Z and most of it was hitting me oh what a sermon he preached well it preached a while about God's love and made a brief mention about the home above and then he really come down on sin well they must have thought my feet were his the way he was walking around on them well he talked about smoking and dipping snuff and lying and cheating and all that stuff and I thought Lord how I'd love to go well my friend now Jimmy and I looked at him and he looked back with a great big grandson I guess you're wondering how they come to know by then I'd really begun to squirm I was feeling about as high as a worm the way he had cut me down and all I was ready to crawl up under a Pew when I heard him say Well folks I'm through will you please stand will I give the altar call he said buddy what do you say the Lord's been dealing with you today and I turned around to see who he was talking to [Music] now my friend knew I was going on he said it was where you're going because it's like I said he's been talking to you for the very first time it occurred to me I was just as miserable as I could be and sick and tired of living a life of sin battle or began to play and before I knew it I was on my way to the altar I was spotted by my friend the saints of God all met us there and I want you to know we had a prayer and that place shook from the pulpit back to the door I got up and my life has changed I looked at my friend he was acting strange she said I had never felt this way before a lot of the folks were running the aisle and everybody was wearing a smile and I looked and there came that preacher and with both arms I reach I hugged his neck and shook his hand and said I want to thank you man because that was some kind of a sermon you preached [Music] laughs and they returned with me to the Book of Life the once lived a man a man in life God gave them a newborn son said the world is strong man and this is one he shall not be defiled by track our word strength will lie well you never heard don't you cut his hair I'm not a little bit because the Long Way to Grow the struggles you get he was walking alone in a lonely place when a lion came face to face he threw the lion right there that day and the bees made honey in his bone they say a few days later when they came back by the bones and the Honey must have caught his eye he ate the humans on his way and he killed the Thousand with the bone they say then he met a little woman that he thought he loved in my mister from God above she found not square and strength didn't lay and she cut his hair right there that day then she called for the Palestines that must have been cruel and so mean cause I had them iron as red as wine Health enthusiastic mind took him to the mill to turn the wheel his eyes started going back in God's will I see him there as by a pillar he stood he leaned up again like anyone would he grasped out he pulled it down upon himself and everyone around thank you that's the story of Samson that was written by my older brother brother Don and here's something he wrote it goes like this in the foothills of North Dakota just outside of town a preacher was sent and he put up a tent he scattered sawdust on the ground he laid some boards across some blocks those were to be his pews and from the bottom of a barrel turned upside down was where he'd deliver the news the first night of the meeting the crowd was rather small just one old Indian by the name of Joel but he stayed to hear it all [Music] that preacher preached for a solid hour but what interested Jill the most was the part where he read from the book of Acts about tongues and the Holy Ghost well when the preacher finally finished job came forward with a beautiful knife in Chief he said God you give your Holy Ghost sake he'll give you a night to keep well needless to say nothing happened but the next night the number was ten Adam and the preacher gave the altar call here came old Joe again a handmade blanket and a beautiful knife and Chief and he said God you give Joe holy ghosts and he'll give you these to keep needless to say nothing happened and Joe went away with a frown but the next night before 34 people Indian Joel came down he had a bow and arrow a handmade blanket and a beautiful knife and chief he said God you give their O Holy Ghost and he'll give you these to keep well needless to say nothing happened and Joe gathered up his Goods the people heard him mumbling as he disappeared into the woods the next night that tent was filled to capacity much to that preacher's Delight but what he didn't know is they came to see Joel and to see if the price was right when right down to the middle of that tent came a pinto Pony a tomahawk a bow and arrow pipe a handmade blanket and a beautiful knife in sheath and he said God you give Joe holigos and he'll give you all these to keep needless to say nothing happened and Joe's head began to nod he said God Joe has always been good traitor God you give Joe Holy Ghost and Joe will give you Joel well needless to say the power of God failed and job was quickly filled but God God let him keep that Pinto Pony the tomahawk the bow and arrow [Music] the beautiful knife and sheep and the blanket to keep out the chill but God didn't want that old pipe and neither did Joel so he threw it out in the darkness as far as he could throw now the people in the foothills of North Dakota will never forget the trade between God and and in job [Music] I told you Sunday I was going to sing you a new song I'm going to be singing it before this service is over a song that has never been sung in public before me God and sister Mercury are the only ones that have heard it and she's heard it till I'm sure she's tired of it but I was actually going through some old papers of mine and I there were so many sermon notes and so many funeral arrangements and and I ran across this song that I had written many many years ago but never sang it anywhere and I didn't realize that it would fit in with tonight's Bible lesson because of it's entitled the prodigal and I'll be singing that before I get through but I want to remind all the men folks tonight that Sunday morning this week this coming Sunday morning 7 30. we have our monthly men's fellowship breakfast and um if you've never been you get your first time is free but if you've been there before it cost you a whopping three dollars what can you get for three you might can get a cup of coffee for three dollars if you're getting it at uh one of these specially places but we always have a great great time at our men's fellowship breakfast and we'd like to see all of you men and let's be in prayer for pastor McCool he's a on an Excursion preaching as uh well the Lord has blessed us with a great pastoral staff and they are so talented so gifted and so blessed they're in demand all over the country but the Lord's given us such a great leadership body that we're able to share them with others because we have a great staff still yet left behind but let's be praying for pastor I believe he's in Las Vegas maybe now and then there's two different places he's got to got to go and I think I heard him say that he's taken midnight flight out of some place to go someplace ain't that now they won't he'll be flying all night but he'll be blessing folks everywhere he goes and God has certainly blessed us with such a such a talented pastoral staff and I'm delighted to be their Bishop and to see this church grow as it has it's such a wonderful wonderful thing so I'll be praying for Pastor Mark McCool all right tonight's lesson is entitled the father is waiting and the focus verse is Luke 15 32. it was meat that we should make Mary and be glad for this thy brother was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found and we're going to pray and as we pray we're going to pray for sister Jeanne Massengill that is uh brother Justin's grandmother and she's very buried ill she's had surgery today and she's now in hospice and um sister McCool and I got to visit with her and and one of the songs that she is requested for her funeral is well the two songs is one is address change notification and the other is uh when either way whether he heals me or whether I go on and she said I'm tired I'm tired I'm ready to go I want to go home but let's pray for heroin God's got his own timing she used to be our our only piano player at one time our musician and what a blessing she was through the through the years but let's pray for her that that God give her rest and and keep her from great pain and discomfort because she has been in a state of great discomfort and let's continue to remember brother Jack I don't know if he got his name back on the the list or not but we whoever puts on the the prayer list let's put brother Jack uh Rutherford's name back up there because because he's here don't don't mean that he's well he's still battling his uh ailment and we want to put his name up there and be in prayer for him father we thank you for your goodness and mercy we ask you oh God to touch sister Jeannie Massengill pray for brother brother I pray for all those and our church we're thankful that sister Betty Richmond was able to come to church over the weekend you've strengthened her body and Lord you know the unspoken request of those that's going through great trials in their family in their life we pray for each one of them you know the need and you're able to perform Miracles and bring about that which needs to be in our lives in Jesus name we pray bless this Bible study give us the word you would have us to say in Jesus name amen well having sung quite a bit I'll try to keep that in mind and shorten uh the uh the preaching a little bit but a lesson text is taken from Luke 15 11 it's one of the most familiar stories in the Bible and very honestly it is one of my favorite stories in the Bible and he said a certain man when Jesus told Parables he didn't have to say anything other than there was a certain man a certain place and we told you this the last few services that uh Jesus and his teaching he didn't try to go into great profound things but he talked about everyday things wheat tears sheep farming and many things that were so common to everybody he said a certain man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father father give me the portion of goods that followed to me and he divided unto them his living wasn't theirs but they divided unto them his living and not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and their wasted his substance with the riotous living I want you to notice something here after he had requested the the living and The Inheritance that belonged to him the Bible said he gathered all together and I I I got a a great thought out of that when folks get ready to uh leave home and we call home the church they usually don't just leave they usually do a lot of gathering before they leave when the devil starts helping you pack your suitcase and and help you to gather some thoughts with the church and faults with other people in the church and somebody failed you in this way or that way and and somebody did this or did that it's a it's gathering enough to to get in your suitcase and get you a a enough reason so that you can leave without too much of a guilty conscience who someone said here lately I forget who the preacher was that nobody backslides instantly uh might have been Pastor said that I don't remember but but they usually takes a little bit of time and and they begin to gather all and when folks start together sometimes they they gather others to share their views and they try to see if somebody else feels like they do about such and such and I'm not going to I'm not going to manufacture any certain thing but the old devil will give you something to find fault with or he'll give you something to get your feelings hurt over something that that you don't like and and he'll make you believe something whether it's true or not not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and there wasted his substance with riotous living and when he had spent all let that let that sentence a part of a sentence resonate in your mind and when he had spent all that's a that's an ominous sound when you have spent all now as long as you've got something to fall back on that's one thing but once you leave the family of God you're going to find yourself after a while having spent all there are rows of Mighty famine in the land and he began to be in warmth now it's awfully easy to spend that which is not yours according to statistics I read this some time ago that if a person is left especially widows many times up there they maybe their husbands of the family maybe have accumulated uh quite a bit but no matter how much they are left with it's usually depleted and almost all gone in a space of two years because there's something about when something balls to give me that which followeth to me now when things just fall to you it's not dear enough for you to protect it preserve it and appreciate it and remember remember that because we we all had true to life experiences and when give me that which followeth me when that's which fell to him he didn't earn it he didn't own it it was an inheritance and so it wasn't long he had spent all and after he had spent all now we have but took uh to to deduct reasoning from this story while he had plenty and was a big spender he had friends he had folks that was ready to take from him and accept his substance but by and by it did run out and he began to be in want himself and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country once you break your tithes with the family of God the next thing when you leave your church family you will most usually become a citizen of another family you will attach yourself to another crowd and it won't be a good crowd it won't be the crowd that well that will be beneficial to you they will not add to your your uh Prestige that will not add to your character it will usually be something that will drill you down and he joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into the fields to feed swine swine was a considered a very unclean type of meat the Jews did not eat it at all and to even be out there feeding the swine was a very low degrading position for him to be in but he had nothing else but to go feed the swine and he would feign have filled his belly with the husk of the Swan did eat and no man gave to him and when he came to himself this sounds like that he was having a a thinking problem I believe it it was Zig Ziglar the the motivational speaker the late zigziger used to say that uh a lot of folks need a checkup from the neck up because they've got a the problem is up here the thinking wrong they just don't think right and his idea was to get you thinking a positive manner and in a sense that's what we do when we preach we're trying to get you to think Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life and when you see the real way Jesus on the door and he said there's a broad way that leads to destruction and many there be that go in there at but there is a narrow way and that's the way that we have found so uh he would paint and fills his belly with the husk of thus uh swine didn't eat and no man gave to him and when he came to himself yeah he was thinking it was wrong why did I leave what's up what's the matter with me look look look how I had it back at home just look at me now wallowing literally with the Hogs and I'm actually eating the hog food and he began to to think within himself he came to himself and said how many hired Servants of my fathers have bread enough and despair and I perish with Hunger you know I can't understand why anybody if they would just think things out um why would anybody with all the the uh [Music] advertisement we've had even from the government why would why would anybody take up the habit of smoking we used to have preaching we don't have to preach against it now the doctors will tell you that and the insurance company will tell you that and they they they've proven how unhealthy it is but but how can anybody knowing what the situation is there's something that's got my attention here uh on the radio now if you listen to any of the sports station they advertise a very highly Sports gambling Sports gambling and then there's there's kind of like drinking responsibly and gambling responsibly you can't gamble spot responsibly and you can't drink responsibly once it gets a hold of you you're not responsible you're not your own something has taken a hold of you just like this prodigal found himself saying how many hired Servants of my fathers have breaded up in the spirit and I perish with hunger I tell you what I need to do I need to arise I need to get up from the wall of from where I am and go to my father and will say unto him father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and I am no more worthy to be called thy son make me as one of thy hired servants and he arose and came to his father but when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him he could imagine uh his little speech he was going to make some how he could touch his father's heart and maybe and maybe his father would would have mercy and have compassion on him but while he was a straight way of well he was a great way off his father saw him and the Bible said his father when he was a great way off saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him and this is a story that Jesus is telling the church today that we don't hold backsliders at a distance we don't make it hard for them to come well I'm about to I don't want to create a straw man and knock him down just let me say when a person comes to God we don't start trying to lay down conditions you've got to do this or that all we want you to do is come before the Lord the old song said I was on the mountain wanding from the fountain when I heard the Savior Call My Name come to me relenting and of your sins repenting and I will lead you out and set you free that's all you needed just come relenting and repenting and he will restore you and the son said to him and he and the son said unto him followed I've sinned against heaven and in thy sight and I'm no more worthy to be called thy son but the father said to his servant to bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and choose on his feet and bring hither the fatted calf calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost on his thumb and they began to be merry now his Elder son was in the field now here we go he's teaching two lessons here in one teaching of a Folly of the youth leaving home he's teaching the love of the father that's welcoming him back and now he's teaching that we can have an elder son attitude we may not go out into the world we may stay all the but if we are not careful we can be in the church we can occupy a Pew we can pray around the altar we can be active but if we're not careful we can develop a bad attitude towards somebody that has ripped it away and uh you know children we're experiencing this now the the other day when the sister Kelly and brother Anthony was going they went over to Pigeon Forge and sister maku gave Eleanor a little bit of money to so now you you have Mom and Daddy to buy you something but she didn't give anything for Callaway well he's so young he don't know the difference but yesterday she remembered that and we went by and she gave a piece of money to Eleanor and said now you give this to Callaway because the other day when y'all went over to Pigeon Forge I gave you some money I didn't give Callaway she couldn't put that together she uh she only knew what she got last week and sister McCool quickly saw that she didn't understand and she was supposed to give Callaway and she said but what about me what about me and sister McCool very quickly detected that she went in her bill when she got some more money now this is for you right here and then she she realized that she had and they said now here's another one for Callaway so he would have two apiece you know but the the the younger one didn't understand that now that is the very small and Elementary thing but now let me tell you something we are all babies in the Lord and if we are not careful um we really make over a New Soul and if you're not careful we'll develop the Elder brother's Spirit or the elder brother attitude while they're getting all the attention well I've been here I've done this I've done this and and the devil would like to plant a seed of of jealousy in your heart well let's uh let's overcome that and let's not have the the older brother's Spirit now notice what the father said but the father said to his servants bring the best robe put it on him bring the ring and put on his hand shoes on his feet bring here the padded calf kill it and let us eat and be married for this my son was dead as alive again he was lost in his family they began to be merry now his Elder son was in the field and as he came and Drew Nye to the house he heard music and dancing and he called one of the servants and said what do these things mean and he said unto him thy Brothers come and by father have killed the fatted calf because he hath received him safe and sound and he was angry and would not go in therefore came his father out and then treated him and I noticed he was angry and wouldn't go in okay we're still dealing with human nature and we're seeing some points we need to understand if we are careful if we aren't careful if we don't uh brother Bob my twin brother he said to him bad drivers used to really get on his nerve you know they would do something he'd of course his car was your windows rolled up you right where did they get your driver's license serious robaching him and get and he said the Lord condemned him and he said well I repented and so I just went down the road just looking for somebody to drive bad before me he said I was I had Victor over the thing and so I I somebody pulled up I just waved at him and said then I got through it and said I got the name man you're filled with so much pride you need to repent of your pride so I thought how great that is if we're not careful if we don't offend one way we'll offend another if I'm not the elder brother now notice what the father did the father went running out and fell upon his younger son's neck and kissed him now when the older boy refused to come in the father could have said that well you know he's wrong just ignore him no the boy wouldn't come in so the father went out live us let us not be filled with so much Pride that we're not willing to go out they may be in the wrong they may they may be expecting too much but if they won't come in let's go out we've got a great church for them to come in too but we may find them on the street corner wherever it is somebody's uh quit coming to church well they know where the church is bless God they've been here well that don't matter if they are away from God we don't need to let anything keep us from reaching out to them and winning them back it's a bad thing when you lose somebody because you're losing two the the one that you tried to win you've already won and now you lose that money so that's the equivalent of losing to and the answer and said to his father Lo these many years do I serve thee neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment and yet thou gave us me and no kid that I might make Mary with my friends but as soon as this thy son was come which has devoured by living with harlots and thou has killed for him the fatted calf and he said unto him son thou art ever with me and all that I have his thine look at that would you his his rebellious jealous uh stubborn older boy he said you're ever with me and everything I've got is yours it was meat that we should make Mary and be glad for this thy brother was dead and as alive began and was lost and is found on New Year's Day in 1929 Georgia Tech played the University of California Berkeley California in the Rose Bowl and that game a young man named Roy Rickles recovered a fumble for California picking up the loose ball he lost his Direction and ran 65 yards toward the wrong goal line one of his teammates been alone ran him down and tackled him just before he scored for the opposing team several plays later the Bruins had to punt Tech blocked the cake and scored a safety demoralizing the California team the strange play came in the first half at half time the California players filed off the field and into the dressing room as others sat down on the benches and the floor Regals sat down in a corner and put his face in his hands a football coach usually has a great deal to say to his team during halftime that day Coach Price was quiet no doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Regals when the timekeeper came in and announced that there was three minutes before playing time coach price looked at the team and said men the same team that played the first half will start the second the players got up and started out all but Regals he didn't budge the coach looked back and called to him Regals didn't move Coach Price went over to where Reagan sat and said Roy didn't you hear me the same team that played the first half will start the second Roy riegers looked up his cheeks wet with tears coach he said I can't do it I've ruined you I ruined the University's reputation I've ruined myself I can't face the crowd out there Coach Price reached out put his hand on regular's shoulder and said Roy get up and go on back the game is only half over Reagan's finally got did get up he went into the field and the fan saw him play hard and play well all of us have run a long way in the wrong direction because of God's mercy however the game is only half over Jonah 2 and 1 then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly and said I cried by reason of my Affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the fish's belly of hell I cried and thou hurt us my voice for thou has cast me into the deep in the midst of the Seas and the floods Compass me about all thy billas and my waves pass over me then I said I'm cast out of thy sight yet I will look again toward thy Holy Temple the waters Compass me about even to the soul the depths closed me around about the weeds were wrapped about my head I went down to the bottom of the mountains the Earth with her bars was about me forever yet has thou brought up my life from corruption O Lord my God my soul fainted Within Me I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee unto my holy unto my Holy Temple they that observe lying vanities forsake their own Mercy but I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of Thanksgiving I will pay that that I have bowed salvation is of the Lord and the Lord spake unto the fish and the vomited out John upon the dry land Jonah 3 1 and 2 and the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time saying arise go to Nineveh the great City and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee Pastor made a point a while back when Jonah the word of the Lord came to him the second time and he went and preached and he preached so powerfully the Bible said that God repented of the evil that he was going to do to Nineveh and Pastor made a point man what a preacher when he can preach so that he makes God repent that is some preaching I have I came to know the Lord when I was seven years old and I have never been a professed backslider that's certainly not to say that I haven't had to repent many times and I'm no better than anybody in this congregation and I do not profess to be so but I have never been a person that says I'm backslid I'm no longer living for God [Music] about it go Emma tried to put myself in the position of The Prodigal Son and I wrote this song somewhere in the distance their sweet music so am I there's food love and laughter I knew as a child but I lost it all when I left to Rome oh but things will be different cause I'm going home I'm my father's child and he still loves me I know though I've wasted his goods and have been brought so low his Mercy is sure and his love has no end and I know he's there waiting to welcome me in sweet fragrance of home that our loved ones replaced The Joy love and gladness have all gone from my face they're all contentment that I breathe so long now side Winds of Sorrow so sweep over my soul [Music] but I'm my father's child and he still loves me I know though I've wasted his Goods and have been brought so low his Mercy is sure and his love has no end and I know he's there waiting to welcome me and if there's a person in this building tonight that strips it away from the Lord you mean now that profess being a backslider but you know whether you're where you should be with God or not this message tonight and this song is for you my father's servants live like a king with kindness and can dream just for me while I'm tired and hungry and my pride is gone [Music] oh but things change tomorrow cause I'm going home cause I'm my father show me I know though I've wasted his goods and have been brought so low his Mercy is sure and his love has no end and I know he's there waiting to welcome in I know that all of you are not backsliders but as I sing this last verse again and of course would you do this for me and for yourself let's all come forward around this Altar and let's thank him for the father's house I was thinking that we've got this family [Music] my father's servants who live like a king with Kindred and kindness mid just for me while I'm tired and hungry and my pride is gone oh but things change tomorrow all things change tomorrow yes change things change tonight oh yes things change tonight because I'm already home my mother's child and he still loves me I know though I've wasted his goods and have been brought so long his Mercy is sure and his love has no end and I know he's here waiting to welcome Us in would you worship him with me right now would you love him thank him for his Mercy thank him for his unending love thank him for his goodness Lord we do hallelujah hallelujah thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Lord thank you Jesus praise the Lord don't forget men's fellowship breakfast this coming Sunday morning let's pray for him sister Jeannie Masten Gill and let's continue to pray for brother Jack Rutherford and let's pray upon all of our sick folks God bless you shake hands and be friendly you're dismissed In The Name Of The Lord