by Pastor Donald J Gettys

Biblical quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.

Jesus in Six Cities

I remember one day as a kid in Indiana, I was hiding one day in the furnace room of grandmother Carson's house in Hartford City. I had done something naughty. I was in big trouble. I had accidentally broken one of my grandmother's glass dishes. That was a bad thing. My security was jeopardized because I knew that adults tend to spank first and then think about it later. I didn't want to be swatted, and so I went and hid. I stayed there in that sequestered spot for a long time because adults tend to swat first and ask questions later. Was it wrong for me to hide? I don't think so. And I think God agrees with me, because back in the Old Testament days, there were no jails, no police. Each family was sort of on their own. If someone came into your yard and killed your son, you had the right to kill them: you would be legally authorized to take blood vengeance. It was quick and easy. No messy appeals. Probably when Cain killed his brother, Abel, he ran away so fast because maybe he was worried that vengeance would be taken. And this is practiced today in many third world countries to take vengeance. In one area of Italy, there were 600,000 retaliation type murders over a 400 year span of time. It's still going on today. We turn into Hatfields and McCoys real fast. It's the law of the jungle. God is aware of human nature and so He has provided a way, at least in the days of the children of Israel, an ethical method to deal with this: to check hot vengeance. God meticulously explains this in Exodus 21, Numbers 35, and Deuteronomy 19 about the cities of refuge. Yes, I am going to preach on the cities of refuge today. God realizes that unpremeditated homicide is not the same as manslaughter. Our kind God demands justice of course, but He also provides for mercy. He provided a hiding place for unintentional killers. So, listen to this as we go through this. During the forty years that the nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness, because the tabernacle was physically present, all the accidental killer had to do was run in and hold onto the horns of the altar, and he was safe. But when the 12 tribes scattered out on either side of the Jordan river in the land of Palestine, it was no longer within easy running distance. You might be as much as one hundred miles from the tabernacle. Therefore God ordained six strategically located cities of refuge, three on either side of the river Jordan, for unintentional killers to escape. Not one of them was so far away that you could not get there quickly. Now come with me to Deuteronomy 19 where the Bible speaks of these Cities of Refuge. This explains a typical scenario of what might happen and how this would handle that problem. Deuteronomy 19:5 For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Because pretty soon you accidentally killed your neighbor. His relatives are going to be after you. You need to run fast. Now, was this man guilty or not? Yes, he was guilty. He did kill his neighbor. Did he do it intentionally? No. So, it's not quite the same. Such a man was guilty - but because the crime was unintentional, God provided the killer with a hiding place, like the furnace room. Such a person should quickly run for his life to one of the designated Secure zones . You remember on the news not long ago a woman was a tourist down in South America. Did you hear about this? She picked up a small local child to just hold the child. People thought, "Aha! She is going to take this little child and take it to a place and harvest its organs for profit. And so they beat her unmercifully. It practically killed her. She didn't have any protection. She had no place to hide. Had those cities been there she could have run. In these last days when terrorism is so rampant and some governments offer so little protection, maybe these cities of refuge need to be built everywhere. God provided a place of safety in Bible times to eliminate mob vengeance. Our God believes that we are innocent until proven guilty. Our western legal system finds its foundations in this Biblical base. Accidents happen! Axe heads fly off just like people, fly off the handle. The Israelite family could not sue the axe company for making a shoddy product because there were no attorneys in those days. But they could take out personal revenge on the man who was cutting the tree down, but only if they could out-run him. He must flee quickly to the nearest city of refuge. Probably today we would sue the axe company. We are good suers here in America But they didn't have any attorneys, bless their hearts. And so they had to take personal vengeance. You could do that if you could outrun him. But if he outran you he could get to a city of refuge before you did and you would have a chance to do it. These six cities were spread out evenly, three on each side of the Jordan River. I suspect each was built on an elevated spot so they could be spotted from a distance. Maybe with a huge flag flying there. Numbers 35 describes more of this, how they spread these cities out, how they named these cities. Numbers 35:11 "... select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee." Inside those walls the fugitive was safe. However the Refugee had to stay in that city. He can't just go running out. He was fair game outside the walls. The death of the high priest secures final deliverance. His death marks the end of the statute of limitations, - Numbers 35:25. Like the Year of Jubilee canceled all debts, just so the death of high priest canceled inadvertent blood guilt. I believe churches are like cities of refuge.

The McDonald Road Church should be a place we can run to for refuge. A haven where you can come
1. Regardless of our saintliness or our sinfulness.
2. Regardless of our past or our neighborhood.
3. Regardless of your color
4. Regardless of our poverty or our wealth.

A modern church should be like that. Modern churches should be shelters from the evil of the world. But we church members don't like to admit into our perfect little clique anyone that smells differently than we do. Do we enjoy that? Or anybody that has a radically different style of music than we have. They're not welcome here are they? Or even if they have a different theology or different mannerism. Have you ever thought how nice your church would be without the presence of so and so? Those are all bad thoughts. They're not good. Even Failures should be welcome here and in every Christian church, welcome to come in just as they are. They are urged to depart as Jesus wants them to be. In these six cities of refuge we find one of the richest Old Testament pictures of Christ. They speak to us about Jesus. Let me read from Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 516 - (EG White). "These cities of refuge...were a symbol of the refuge provided in Christ." These six cities, I would submit to you, are symbols of Jesus Christ. You're going to have to be tuned in and awake to get the message out of this. I want you to notice twelve similarities between Jesus (Any time I get a chance to preach Jesus, even in the Old Testament, this old preacher is going to preach Jesus.). Notice the rich Type-ology here. Jesus is the ultimate city of refuge. 1. Each city, like Jesus, was appointed in the wilderness long before it actually came into use. Appointed long before Israel ever reached the promised land. Our Heavenly Father appointed Jesus as the Savior long before the entrance of sin (1 Pet.1:20; Rev.13:8). Then, at the proper time, Christ our refuge came to this earth. 2. Each city, like Jesus, provided a shelter from certain death by the person entering into the city. The guilty man could only be saved by coming INTO the city. Now, I want to talk about that before we go on to point number three. We have too many of these "periphery" Christians. Have you noticed people like that? They actually come to the city of refuge. They pitch their tent not in the city, but along the outside walls of the city. Out there! They never enter in. They are on the perimeter of the church. They are what you call "borderline Christians." They never really enter into Jesus. Hanging around with saints doesn't make you a Christian. You must hang around with Jesus. Unless you have personally entered into a saving relationship with Jesus, you are still a fugitive. The devil is still your fair game. You're going to succumb. No power can remove you from the designated place of safety, Jesus. Of course you could always choose to walk out any time you wanted to. 3. Each city, like Jesus, was easily found. Each was on a road with clear legible signs marked "REFUGE." Now, we have a nuclear power plant here in our area. There are well marked signs at every intersection showing the escape route if there were to be a bad accident. Israel did the same by putting up clear signs directing the way to safety. Who maintained these signs? God's people. The Gospel should be plainly preached by the church. By YOU!! 4. Each city, like Jesus, was always attainable. The gates of the cities of refuge were never to be locked. If you had run for thirty miles to get to the city, and you arrived in the middle of the night only to find the gates shut and locked, your life was in jeopardy. Even if you show up at midnight, you don't have to beat on the door and wake Jesus up, because he is watching and waiting for you. In fact instead of you knocking on His door He knocks on your door. Revelation 3:20 "I stand at the door and knock." 5. Each City, like Jesus, was lifted up. Each was built on high ground to be visible. Maybe you could see a flag flying. You could see it; you knew where it was. Just like Jesus was lifted up on cross to draw men to himself. John 12:32 "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." 6. Each City, like Jesus, was easily accessible. Each city was located so that it could be reached within a half a day or less. Each was strategically located for easy access. Palestine is about the size of Maryland, so nobody had to run very far. In Deuteronomy 19:3 God says, "Build roads to them These were not narrow foot trails. Each highway was well maintained for easy access. Scholars believe that bridges were built over every creek so the way was smooth and easy travel on. The gates were thrown wide open to freely admit the fleeing guilty man. The refuge was easily approachable. Just as our churches ought to be. Just as Jesus is. 7. Each City, like Jesus, provided Protection only for those who were willing to leave everything behind and enter fully into the secure shelter. Luke 18:28 Peter said to (Jesus), "We have left all we had to follow you!" You don't have a refugee running to a city of refuge with armloads of suitcases under his arms. You've got to shed everything and run for your life. 8. Each City, like Jesus, was the only place of safety. There was no other place you could go. If the killer didn't flee to the tabernacle or to the city of refuge, there was no other place of security. Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Jesus Christ, He's the only Savior there is. 9. Each City, like Jesus, could only protect those who were willing remain there. You must remain, you must abide in that city. Jesus said we must abide in Him. (John 15:4,7.) We must daily trust in Jesus, not just at conversion. Stay in the presence of Jesus. It is not enough for the sinner to believe in Christ. He must abide in Him. In Patriarchs and Prophets p. 517 - EG White.) it says, "It is not enough for the sinner to just believe in Jesus, he must abide in Him." 1 John 2:28 (KJV) "And now, little children, ABIDE IN HIM; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." 10. Each City, like Jesus, was open to everybody. The Bible says, "Whosoever will." (See Mark 8:34) That's exactly what Jesus did. Available to Gentiles as well as Jews. Joshua 20:9 of the Israelites or any alien living among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to the designated cities... These cities were built not only for the Jew but for the aliens: for the children of Israel and strangers. Those cities are there for everybody. Anybody can come. That's what Jesus provides: salvation to everybody. Jesus says anyone who is weary and broken can come to him. Prostitutes, tax collectors, notorious sinners either Jew or Gentile, can be saved. Whosoever will may come and find asylum. The same protection and provision is for everybody. God's same amazing grace is free to all. 11. Each City, like Jesus, was more than ample. In other words, they were required to be stocked with provisions. They had food stuff there. They had extra clothing because they knew people were going to be arriving with very little. And they even had extra rooms, like a motel. They were expecting people and they were more than adequate to care for the people that came there. That's exactly like Jesus Christ is. Jesus is more than able to take care of us when we come to Him. When you come to Him. His grace os more than adequate to cover your sins. His forgiveness is more than adequate, more than adequate. 2 Timothy 1:12 (NIV) Paul said: ...I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that HE IS ABLE to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. Just like that strong city of refuge. Our God is more than able. He not only saves us, by His death but he also provides us continuing daily spiritual resources for as long as we remain in Him. 12. Each City, like Jesus, because it had a high priest in it. And who is our High Priest? Jesus. Only the death of the high priest was capable of actually liberating that person that had accidentally killed someone. His death would set the fugitive free. Only the death of Jesus gives us complete redemption. What kind of place would a city of refuge be? Each was a Levite city with its own priest or minister. I can Visualize myself as the pastor of this place. Maybe one day I am standing on top of the city wall and I see in the far distance a man running fast. He is zooming along zeroing in on my front gate. I know there is another accidental killer. He's gotten into trouble. He didn't intend to. Here he comes. Then I notice, hot on his heels is a group of yelling angry men running close behind the first man. They are all headed for my city gate. This may be a close one. Maybe I'll have to slam the gate. We're going to have to do something. And many times I may have seen when the runner did not make it to my city. I know the story so well. Some of the fugitives can't outrun their predators and are brutally killed just outside my city gates. If only they could have gotten here faster. Of course, you know that the good news is that the Bible promises that whoever looks to Jesus in faith, will immediately find refuge. Isaiah 45:22 (KJV) "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth..." So if you look to Jesus you have protection, you've got instant protection right there. Romans 6:23 warns us that the consequences of our sin is death. We are being pursued by the avenger of blood. "Satan, the great adversary, is on the track of every transgressor of God's holy law" God's appointed refuge is Jesus Christ. Because we are sinners on the run, we must quickly come to Jesus in order to be saved. If I were the pastor in a city of refuge I would have to close or at least quickly post guards at the gate to shut out the pursuers lest there be a fight inside my church. I don't like church fighting. If the Fugitive was found guilty of premeditated murder by a group of Elders from his neighborhood, then he would be extradited from my city of refuge and stoned to death. The family who had suffered loss would then be appeased. But if it was found that the person had accidentally killed another he would he would be given the right of asylum. But because he was guilty of manslaughter he was required to stay in my town until I, the minister of the church there kicked the bucket and died. That could be an extremely long time. I can imagine that some folks kept a mental note of the age of different high priests in the near by cities of refuge thinking that if they ever need to run for their life, they will run to the one with the oldest parson. I want to mention something else to you. I want you to look at the names of these cities. Come over to here to Joshua 20, and I want you to notice the names of these cities. Every city, the name of that city is something that Jesus provides for Christians. I didn't know this when I studied this. Joshua 20:7-9 Notice each City:

Each City Exemplifies something Jesus provides:
1. Kadesh (sanctuary or righteousness or holiness); Jesus is able to sanctify the unholy because Jesus is the source of holiness and righteousness. I Timothy 2:5 says that Jesus is the only Mediator between a holy God and unholy man.
2. Shechem (shoulder); Jesus carries the Unsure. The Government is on His shoulders. Jesus finds the lost sheep in Luke 15:5. "And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home." I have this picture that hangs on my wall in my office of Jesus carrying the one lost sheep on His shoulders. Jesus carries the unsure on His shoulders. That shows a very wonderful picture of Jesus because the word Shechem means "shoulder." The government is on His shoulders, isn't it (Isaiah 9:6). You and I are on the shoulders of Jesus. He carries us.
3. Hebron (fellowship); Jesus invites the unwanted into an intimate relationship with Himself. I John 1:3.
4. Bezer (fortress); Jesus, our stronghold become the stronghold to those who are unable, to those who don't have a fortress, to those who have no strength. Romans 5:6 (KJV) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Wow! What a picture of Jesus!
5. Ramoth (high/elevated); Jesus lifts the unworthy. John 12:32 (KJV) "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
6. Golan (joy); Jesus is the fountain of Joy to the unhappy. So, to the unwanted, to the unable, to the unworthy, the unhappy, all of these people, Jesus is the answer. Isn't this a beautiful picture of Jesus. Luke 1:14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,

When I found this I just had to tell you about it. This is a beautiful window on the life of my Savior. Isn't this awesome! Isn't Christ Jesus awesome! Jesus is the modern City of Refuge! In Jesus we have all of the things these cities could provide, and more. Christ is more than adequate to meet all our needs. Let's get this message of Jesus out to our friends and neighbors. Tell them there is a place of safety in a scary wicked world. Tell them about Jesus the Rock of Ages. Give them the true knowledge of Jesus. Tell them they can hide in Him. You need to be letting Him live out His strength, His life in you so that you can come out of the furnace room and stop hiding because you know Jesus will shelter you.  

Hymn of Praise:  #2, All Creatures of our God and King
Scripture: Joshua 20: 7-9
Hymn of Response: #5252, Hiding in Thee 

McDonald Road Sermons

 by Pastor Donald J. Gettys

Biblical quotations are from the New International Version NIV unless otherwise noted.

Sabbath: A Day of Blessing

When I was a boy Lincoln Logs were a Sabbath toy but my Gilbert Erector set was not. And neither was my Chemistry set. When our kids were growing up Lego Blocks were okay as long as we built a Sabbath project with our Lego. We consider walking as a proper Sabbath activity but people raise their eyebrows at jogging? Many people consider jogging wrong. Why? I don't know... Maybe because jogging makes us sweat?!? Maybe it's too much like work. Today I want to broaden our possibilities of Sabbath-keeping. I want you to think of some positive things, immense blessings that God has given to you in the twenty-four hours of storehouse of what we call the Sabbath, amazing things that we can do on the Sabbath day. True Sabbath keeping is an opportunity, not a millstone. I want you to view it that way. Let me clarify, first, why we keep the Sabbath. Do you know why I keep the Sabbath? Because I love Jesus. Is there any better reason than that? I want to tell you that Sabbath keeping is not and has never been the basis salvation for anybody from Adam and Eve until today. We are not saved by keeping the Sabbath. Nobody ever has been. We have all been saved by Grace. Romans 4:5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Everybody who makes it to heaven will be there courtesy of Jesus. One hundred percent saved by His grace. Would you agree with that? He is our Savior. Even Adam and Eve were saved by Jesus. Now, you may say: "How could that be, Jesus had not even died yet." Are you sure? Revelation 13:8 speaks of Jesus as the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. When was He slain? He was slain way back before the creation. Adam was saved looking ahead to Calvary and we are saved by looking back to the cross. Everybody is saved by Jesus Amazing Grace. The Gospel is the good news that somebody else lived the life that I cannot live and died the death that I deserve, that I would have had to die, and gave me eternal life. That's why we keep the Sabbath. Not that we might be saved but because we are saved by grace. Hebrews 10:14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Clearly if we are still being made holy, then we are not perfect in our deeds and actions yet, are we. In Indiana there used to be a Holy Place Movement. Nobody is holy yet but we will be some day. So, we are saved by grace. Not by works. Therefore, why do we keep the Sabbath if we're not saved by works? If works has nothing to do with it then why should I keep the Sabbath? Sabbath keeping is my response, it is the fruit, the relationship with Jesus. Sabbath-keeping is the result of our Deliverance. It is our response to the gift of grace. Let us go back now to where the seventh day is first mentioned in the Bible. Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Now, was God Exhausted from His work of creation? Was He physically tired? Does God get tired? No, God never gets tired, - Isaiah 40:28. The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He ceased from His work. God stopped laboring. I suppose He could have kept on creating another whole week. Just imagine what else we would have had. It's a good thing He stopped when he did. We can't even see it all in one lifetime. But He stopped creating, not because He was tired, but so He could stand back like sculptor and admire His work. If you make something nice, like the wood shop you're going to make when you get to heaven, if you make some nice piece of furniture you want to stand back and admire it and that's just what God did on the first Sabbath day. He took pleasure and joy, and that's just what you want to emulate in your Sabbath-keeping. You want to take pleasure and joy in admiring what God has made. That's a true key of Sabbath-keeping. Come over here to Exodus 31. I want to read this in the King James Version because it brings out one word that really is meaningful in this context. Exodus 31:17 (KJV). It is a sign between the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. Don't you like that? After you drink a glass of lemonade you are refreshed. That's exactly what the Sabbath should do. It should leave you refreshed. You shouldn't be asking when is sundown. The Sabbath refreshes, it revives, it restores, it rejuvenates, it re-invigorates. That's the whole purpose of the Sabbath. True Sabbath keeping is one day delighting in what the Creator has made. What did Adam and Eve do on the first Sabbath? Do you suppose they crashed. Do you suppose they spent Sabbath in bed? No! They had just been made of Friday. They weren't even tired. They hadn't even done anything much yet. They spent their first Sabbath, not in bed, but in getting tune in with God. You can be sure that's what they did. They wanted to learn more about God. They wanted to fellowship with God. They wanted to establish a relationship with God. That's what they did. And that is still the correct agenda for Sabbath-keeping. That's what you want to do. You want to utilize those special Sabbath hours to discover more about Jesus. Working to the point of exhaustion during the week and crashing on Sabbath is not exactly true Sabbath keeping. Genesis 2 says God blessed the Seventh day and made it holy. Think about that. Was Thursday unholy? Did God make only one day good? No. Were the other days good? Yes. In fact He pronounced them "good." So, what did He do different about the Sabbath day? He made it holy. Were the other days holy? Was the Sabbath more perfect that the other six days? No, because the Creator called them "good." He calls the Sabbath, "holy." We humans are good at dedicating babies and buildings. This church was dedicated once we paid for it. The family center was dedicated. We're good at dedicating monuments and parks and things like that. But how do you dedicate time? Isn't that hard to do? Human beings can't do that, and yet I would submit to you that buildings and belongings and monuments and lands can be taken away from us but time can never be removed. If you think about that, the very first building that was dedicated and made holy was the tabernacle. Do we have the tabernacle with us today? It's gone, isn't it. The temple was made holy. Do we have the temple today? No, it's gone. All those things are gone, but there's one thing that stems clear back to creation that we still have that was made holy and that is the twenty- four hour period of time called the Sabbath. That can't be taken away from you. That's eternal. It's equally available to all. It cannot be quantified. It cannot be bought. It cannot be sold. Praise God for the Sabbath. I'm glad He did that. The seventh day is the very first thing in History to be hallowed. The Sabbath, a common ordinary day of the week acquired standing that correctly belongs to God alone. We don't call our ministers "Reverend" do we? Are we holy? Nothing is holy except God and the Sabbath. He made it holy. So there are two things at least that are holy. Because God is holy he created holy time. He blessed this day. He rested on this day. He Sanctified this day. He set this day aside, not for Himself, but for you benefit. I praise Him for that. How many words are there in the Ten Commandments? I counted them in my King James Bible, and there are two hundred ninety seven words in the Ten Commandments. Do you know what the middle word is? A hundred forty eight words on each side. I'll point it out to you as we read the fourth commandment. Let's look at the precise wording of the Sabbath commandment: Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day (24 hours) by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Is is the middle word of the Ten Commandments. The seventh day IS the Sabbath. I like that. This day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. Why was the Sabbath made? For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Now I want to switch gears. That happened back at creation when God made the Sabbath. I think the fourth commandment is a record of what happened back at creation. Then when Jesus arrived in this world and was born of Mary, He did something else. He again added additional rich significance to the meaning of the Sabbath. Jesus, our Co-Creator, rested again after He finished His work of re- creation. Now, you think about this. Stick with me on this. Four thousand years after creation Jesus again rested after His finished work of re-creation. I hadn't thought about this. In fact, in Genesis 2:1 it says that when the heavens and earth were "finished" immediately God rested. Four thousand years later in John 19:30 we read of a great parallel. When He hung on the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and died. He had finished His great work. And again He rested on the Sabbath day. Can you see the parallel? It happened at creation and it happened when Jesus was on the cross. He bowed His head. He had finished His great work. So again Jesus rested after His work of recreation. He rested during the entire twenty-four hour period of Sabbath time. He rested in the tomb during the holy Sabbath hours. With that act Jesus widened the meaning of the Sabbath. From that point on the Sabbath would not only remind us of our creation, as it had been for four thousand years but also of our redemption through Jesus Christ. Now, Jesus added significance to the Sabbath by pointing to salvation. When I celebrate the Sabbath, I don't think only of creations, but also of salvation and my Savior who saved me. And He wants to re-create me. It is interesting that we had no part in either our creation or our re-creation. All we can do is accept them both. Jesus is both our Creator and our Re-Creator. In the future, at the third creation I suppose, when God creates the NEW heavens and the NEW earth. So I guess there are really three creations. The first one is in Genesis 1 and 2. The second one is when Jesus creates a new heart in us. Let me read this to you in Manuscript Releases, Volume 5, p. 359. "Christ put His hand a second time to the work. He would recreate man." You see, He did it four thousand years ago and now He recreates man. "And when the fullness of time came God sent forth His Son to recreate man." So that the second creation. The third creation is when He recreates the new heavens and a new earth. You can read that in Isaiah sixty six in your Bible. Jesus recreates the entire world again after it has been cleansed by the fire called Hell. So once again, after the millennium, the significance of the Sabbath will again widen to include remembering the day when Eden was restored. The Creation of this present Earth Genesis 1:1 - Jesus made it possible to re- create His image in us. "The Lord Jesus came to earth that he might recreate the image of God in man. He says to the repenting sinner, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." - Signs of the Times, 8-21-1893. The 3rd Creation: the New Heavens and New Earth. Isaiah 66:22,23 "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the LORD. Notice in Isaiah that immediately after the creation of the new heaven and the New Earth that the Bible goes right into Sabbath keeping. The same as the creation. The same as when Jesus died. And the same will again happen the third time. True Sabbath keeping will have three very unique symbols to them. It seems that right after all three creations, the Sabbath, a day of holy rest, is mentioned and kept and its significance is broadened. There are more similarities: Notice that just like the first Adam at the first creation was tested at a tree, Jesus at the second creation was tested at a tree (The Cross). Both trees were located in gardens. Where was Adam's tree? In the Garden of Eden. In Jesus' time when He died on a cross, where was the cross located? John 19:41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. And Jesus was laid in that tomb. Both Adam's, Adam and Jesus, had their sides opened on the sixth day. The first Adam had his side opened that he might obtain his bride, Eve. Jesus, the second Adam had His side opened that He might obtain His Bride, His Church. There is quite a bit of similarity here. Both Adams on the sixth day just prior to the day of rest were naked at the tree. The very next day both Adams rested on the holy Sabbath day. There is a lot of depth to think about here. But at least you can see that the Blessed Sabbath commemorates some of God's greatest gifts to us: 1-Creation, 2- Salvation, and 3- Restoration, eternity with Jesus on the Earth made new at the third creation. For Christians, the Modern Sabbath is therefore a triple sign of God's creation, redemption, and final restoration in the earth made new. Today the Blessed Sabbath is a time for full fellowship with Jesus our Creator and Re-Creator. Contemporary Sabbath-keeping Christians rest FROM their regular work and they rest IN the finished work of Jesus on the cross. These two gifts are two of the greatest treasures that God ever gave to the human race. Mark 2:27,28 Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." That's not Sunday, is it. Bless your hearts, that's Sabbath, that's Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Isn't the Sabbath a wonderful gift to Christians? Luke 4:16 - Jesus also personally demonstrated that regular church attendance enhances the Sabbath blessing. It's a great day for you to remember His creation, His redemption, and His coming kingdom. True Sabbath Keeping is devoting twenty-four hours a week, totally to God, in love, within the context of His creation your family and God's church and coming away uplifted, refreshed and renewed! Are you taking advantage the potential blessings that God has stockpiled within its sacred hours? I hope you are. I hope you're not just into erector set and Lego blocks. Use this holy time to deepen your relationship with Jesus our Creator, Savior, and coming King.  

Hymn of Praise: #10, Come, Christians, Join to Sing
Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11
Hymn of Response: #383,  O Day of Rest and Gladness
McDonald Road Sermons

by Pastor Donald J. Gettys

Bible quotations are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted

How To Be Happy Even Though You Are Married

Can you remember when marriage was a good word? Now the news headlines are filled with smut, some of which is flowing from the oval office. The white house is finding out that low living has a high cost. News commentators broadcast loathsome reports including hot steamy words we wish our children would not ask about. But the claim of adultery in our white house is not the worst part. What incriminates Americans is the fact that we don't even care. The popularity of this leader is up to 68%! We are more concerned about Dow Jones than Paula Jones. Most folks think the hanky-panky life of a leader is his own private business because what he did was not illegal. But it was certainly immoral. As we throw out the Ten Commandments from our court houses and toss Christian values from our nation, we are reaping further moral decline. Perhaps if some of these leaders had more vision they would have fewer nightmares. Hebrews 13:4 "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Our little children are picking up on these things. One small 4 year-old boy brought a neighbor girl to see his mommy and said: "Mother, this is Marcy, she is going to be my first wife!" The girl who remembers her first kiss now has a daughter who can barely remember her first husband. "Till death do us part" is still a part of the wedding vows. But far too often, it isn't a part of the real commitment of the heart. A groom said: "I'm getting married and thereby saving enough on my income tax to get a divorce if it doesn't work"..... Almost as if he were planning on divorce.  

Wedding vows are a life-long COMMITMENT to stay married. Vows are made to four different parties:
1. God
2. Their new spouse
3. Family members
4. Friends and witnesses

Marriage is not a contract. Contracts can be broken. Marriage is a life commitment to be kept. Let's study the exciting account of a godly woman who was zealously committed to her rotten marriage and what eventually happened to her. I Samuel 25:2 A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. This Hebrew word for wealth is HEAVY, .. he was loaded! How often God gives to the Nabals of life. 3 "His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman," She was beautiful on the outside and the inside. Brains and beauty are nature's gifts, but character is an achievement made by personal effort and a daily relationship with God. 3b -"but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings (dishonest)." Even though Nabal inherited Caleb's land he acquired none of Caleb's fine qualities. Nabal was like a snapping turtle, snarling and mean. His name means Fool. Beautiful Abigail stayed married to this drunken crusty, sour man. How many an attractive Abigail is tied down to a harsh Nabal. Any other woman would have considered leaving. But Abigail was a person of commitment. Nabal was abrasive and violent. Their marriage appears to be one of the worst in the Bible. But, sour crabby behavior does not neutralize marriage vows. Verse one says Samuel died. This put David in greater personal danger from king Saul. So David was hiding in the outback. He and his band of mercenaries needed food. One day Nabal was out shearing his sheep. David's men came up and politely asked for a little food. David's men had been like a wall of protection guarding Nabal/s property from the vigilante-like Philistine raiders. Here is a bizarre thing. The evil Nabal abounds in surplus while a prominent a saint like David suffers want. How often the saints go begging while deplorable sinners flourish with money and goods. Nabal said: "Who is David?" and he ordered them away empty handed. "Don't ever expect any help from me." He hurled obnoxious words at them. Nabal was short sighted and short fused. He sent David's famished men away destitute. I Samuel 25:12,13 "David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. David said to his men, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies. You don't put on swords to have a friendly discussion at the neighbors. 400 troops set out to exterminate a selfish stubborn cheapskate. verse 14-17 "One of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail: 'David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them. Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him." Here was Abigail's opportunity of a lifetime. All she had to do was sit back and watch David's troops handle her marriage problems. In just a few hours she would be free. As the galloping horses rounded the mountain in a cloud of dust she could simply pray, Lord, take him quickly, don t let him suffer. All this is his fault, now he is going to reap what he has been sowing all these years. Thank you Jesus! That is exactly what a carnal husband or wife might do. That is the way a non- Christian employee might think. But not Abigail! At Nabal s weakest moment she protected her vulnerable doomed husband. Proverbs 12:4 A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. Proverbs 31:10 A wife of noble character...... 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. Abigail protected her worthless husband (I Samuel 25:18) Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two (leather bags of fresh grape juice), five dressed sheep, five seahs (10 gallons) of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Abigail could work fast! David and 400 hungry men with heir stomachs growling are coming as fast as a cruise missile on a death mission. I don t know where Abigail could come up with 200 loaves of bread so quickly out there in the wilderness of Paran. Abigail sure was an industrious bride. She was a self starter but her husband was a crank. 19 Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." She got spruced up and joined them. I Samuel 25:23, 24 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. She fell at his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. Notice how submissive she was. Yielding is often the only way to achieve peace. Don t be slow to yield in an argument. If Both husband and wife will totally submit, then they can achieve reconciliation. Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Notice that sweet Abigail did not leave her fighting, cranky, harsh husband. No divorce here. It was hard, but she stayed with her husband and allowed God to take care of unfairness in His own time. Make the best of the marriage you have. Marriage is for life. If you are already divorced and now remarried, you can t divorce your currant companion and go back and remarry the first one. No. But from this moment on, stick it out. Matthew 19:6 what God has joined together, let man not separate. Your marriage is for life. This was probably not the first time Nabal s life was saved by his wife s wisdom, action and council. You know, we men don t listen to the council of our godly wives like we ought to. If you have a godly companion, listen up. It could save you a lot of grief. Abigail went out as a mediator between the forces of evil. In this respect she represents Christ our Saviour. Notice how Abigail takes the blame upon herself. She was prepared to suffer for the faults of others. She pled with David to forgive her husband for he knows not what he does. The word Nabal means Fool. She tries to atone for his faults. She speaks with wisdom: David, what you are about to do here is so uncharacteristic of your kindness. Don t spoil your Sterling record with murder. It is true that you have been hurt, but I know that you are a bigger man than to stoop to kill in revenge for personal wrongs. Deep down in my heart I know that you want to keep it that way. She tries to protect David's integrity in view of the office he will soon hold as president of the nation. David is such a neat Saint. His sword is drawn, his heart is pounding and yet as he listens to this godly lady his heart is changed. How impossible to be angry with a woman holding a tray of fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies! David is humble and flexible. Wisdom wins the day. I Samuel 25:35 Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request. Abigail turns and goes home. Imagine her homecoming! Can you just see her husband come running out to thank her? Oh, sweetheart, you saved my life! Thank you so much! I am going to live a different life from now on. I promise! They stand there in a warm embrace. But... not so! I Samuel 25:36 When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until daybreak. That night he suffered from a massive hangover from his drunkenness. A hangover is something that occupies the head that you neglected to use the day before. 37 Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and became like a stone. (It was already as hard as a rock!) The Lord didn't intervene and 10 days later, he died. Nabal had a massive heart attack or stroke.

Nabal was dead four times over:
1. Dead Drunk! It is hard to live with a drunken wife or drunken husband. He had died years ago.
2. Dead in Marriage. The marriage was long since dead. Yet his wife continued to be faithful.
3. Dead with Despondency. Verse 37- his heart died within him. How quickly he changed. The night before his heart was merry with wine, and the next morning as heavy as a stone. Maybe the reason he had a sudden heart attack was when he realized how much money his wife had just spent appeasing David s hungry men.
4. Dead indeed! When David heard the news of Nabal s death, he gave God thanks. Abigail must have breathed a sigh of relief. Tears are not shed at the grave side of misers.

Abigail was a person of distinction. No matter what your marital predicament, you can become a person of character and worth. I Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  

One of the Yardsticks of a great marriage is Unselfishness! The New English Bible expresses it this way:
• Love is patient;
• love is kind and envies no one.
• Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude,
• Never SELFISH,
• not quick to take offense.

Never marry a selfish person. They will take up more than their half of the checkbook, the bed, the assets, the time. An unselfish husband constantly looks for ways to make his wife happy. If we could put all known sins in a humongous iron pot and boil them all down to their single ingredient, that component would be selfishness. Nabal was an extremely selfish tightwad. How Abigail ever married him is not known. Especially since Nabal s parents chose a name that meant Fool. His miserly cranky attitude eventually cost him his life. Abigail s sweet nature and wisdom gained her a better life. Abigail's example lives on through the ages in distinguished excellence. This wife was committed, unselfish, wise, hardworking, patient, and virtuous. If you married a Nabal, allow Jesus to make you into a person of excellence. God often allows some of His dearest saints to be tried or buffeted by the winds of adversity so that they may be strengthened for His service and prepared to fulfill His highest purposes. Abigail was destined to be the companion of the King. So are we. Therefore in our homes and work places let us bloom where we are planted until that day when the king of king comes with His eternal reward to give to His faithful children.  

Opening Hymn # 88 I sing the Mighty power of God
Scripture Reading: Responsive Reading # 829
Hymn of Response: 335 What a Wonderful Savio
McDonald Road Sermons

by Kent Crutcher, Associative Pastor of

Quotations from the Bible are from the New International Version

Spirit Filled Living

Let's open our Bibles this morning to 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." "My message and my preaching were . . . with a demonstration of the Spirit's power." What is a demonstration of the Spirit's power? What if I invited you to go to a Bible study with me and you asked me to show you a demonstration of the Spirit's power, what would you expect to see? What about during a worship service? If you saw the Spirit's power demonstrated in a church service, what did you see? Eliot Wigginton was involved in a survey of religious services all over the South. He reports about one service with the following personal comment. "Each of us who participated in the worship service found this a church of incredible strengths, tremendous energy and honesty and of total commitment to God and to the congregation. It is not a church of talk, but of action so dynamic that beside it, more conventional forms of worship seem stale and lifeless." (Foxfire #7)  

Is this a description of your worship experience?
• Action not talk
• Dynamic
• Tremendous energy
• Honesty

I hope those adjectives truly do describe your worship and your life, but I hope that you don't do what this church did to get that dynamic energy! This report was given about a snake handling service! You can bet there would be tremendous energy in and service I attended that handled snakes! 'Where would you like a door? I'm going through the closest wall!" When we think of a demonstration of the Spirit's power, we are inclined to think of the dramatic and the spectacular. Like some preachers who weep and wail and shout and pound and jump around, wiping sweat from their brow with grand demonstration. Being Spirit filled does not necessarily mean being spirited.  

How did Paul describe a "demonstration of the Spirit's power" in our opening text? Look again at 1 Corinthians 2:1. He starts off with what it is not:
1. "I did not come with eloquence"
2. "I did not come with superior wisdom"
3. "My preaching was not with wise persuasive words"

Whatever a demonstration of the Spirit's power was, it was not eloquence or wise persuasive words.  

His Spirit filled preaching was:
1. In Weakness
2. In Fear
3. In much trembling

So what then does a demonstration of the Spirit's power consist of? It is none other than a Spirit filled life! A sinners changed life is the greatest demonstration of the Spirit's power! The changed life of Paul was a greater testimony than anything else. The man who had once persecuted Christ was now filled with Christ! He was filled with the Spirit and was himself a demonstration of the Spirits power. He manifest this power by bearing fruits of the Spirit that are produced in a person's life and as he witnesses to others. Let's take a look at Galatians 5:22. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy , peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." This is what Paul wrote about being filled with the Spirit. If Paul's witnessing was filled with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, then it must have consisted of the fruits of the Spirit. LOVE----Spirit filled witnessing is full of love. There is a witnessing that seeks to change the mind of the person with no love. It can even be a well intentioned attempt to manipulate for Jesus. Too often we seek to mold people's opinions without melting them first.  

There are those who when they witness
• let the chips fall where they may.
• separate the sheep from the goats.
• point out the sins of the people.

Some respond to this tactic, but this does not make it right. I don't deny that there are times to point out the sins of another, but it had better be spoken from a broken heart with tears, without judgement. That is a witness of the Spirit's power of love. JOY----Spirit filled witnessing is also full of joy. When the Gospel has been experienced, there is joy in the life and joy in telling others! We Share Good News!  

What do children see in you and me?
• Do they see joyful Christians?
• Do they hear us speak joyfully about the Church? About Jesus? About the person whom we sat next to during the service?
• Do they watch us sing hymns joyfully (the words may be over their heads but they can tell if you are moved by what you sing)?
• Or do children see you as some that I remember in the church as a child: Bible under one arm, finger pointing at whatever was considered unacceptable behavior.

If the children do not see joy in you and the church, they may seek joy elsewhere! PEACE----Spirit filled witnessing is full of peace. Peace is more than the absence of war. We can have an inner peace that will be a great witness to others during times of turmoil, whether it be personal tragedy or a world crises. That is why it is called a peace that passes understanding. It is confidence that God is in control and is leading you in the best paths that you can take even though you do not understand why. I was in the city of Munich, Germany. With me were a couple of acquaintances with whom I did not have a close relationship. We figured out that we were lost. That can be a high stress situation in a foreign city when you have a train to catch. One of my defense mechanisms is to appear very calm even though I am extremely nervous. My acquaintances were drawn to me for guidance because I appeared to be at peace about the whole situation. They decided that I was worth having a deeper friendship with. If they had only know how unpeaceful I really was! True peace of mind draws others to you and to Jesus. PATIENCE----Spirit filled witnessing is full of patience.  

• Do people change as quickly as you would like?
• Do you change as quickly as they would like?
• Do you change as quickly as you would like?

Maybe things don't happen as quickly as you would like around your church. Be patient. My greatest disappointment is not in how little others have changed, but in how little I have grown. I like the saying that I have seen on T-shirts and bumper stickers: "Be patient. God isn't finished with me yet." If God has not finished with you, maybe He hasn't finished with the person next to you either. KINDNESS----Spirit filled witnessing is kind. Kindness can mean so much. Receiving a card or encouraging word can change a person's whole attitude. I had two friends in 7th grade over at Spaulding. One had turned against me and was trying to turn the other against me as well. In fact, he arranged a fight between us in the church parking lot after school. I didn't want to fight but I also didn't want to appear afraid. Well, the rains of Collegedale kept postponing the big event, much to my relief. But finally the day of reckoning had come. I had a plan. I invited the person who was going to knock my teeth out to go on a camping trip with my family. That took the fight right out of him! After school, in the church parking lot, we circled each other with the third guy egging us on. Then we pounced on him! It didn't matter much. He was bigger than both of us put together. A kind word turneth away wrath. Kindness can be as simple as saying the right thing at the right time. Just because something is true does not mean that now is the best time to say it. Even Jesus knew better than to tell His disciples everything. He knew that they would not be able to bear such knowledge at that time. GOODNESS----Spirit filled witnessing manifests goodness. There is a false goodness that we all fall for. Goodness developed to meet other s expectations. Doing things to keep up appearances. Putting a burden on your children that they need to keep up the appearance of goodness. True goodness is a natural kind that grows from the genuine heart and is not worn like a costume. The goodness of the Spirit is not a goodness of avoidance, or artificial separation from the world. The world we live in basically sees religious piety as just avoiding evil, and some of us see it the same way.

It is a piety that deals with the world by running from it:
• from rock music
• from pornography
• from bad TV

 

The testimony of one converted to this goodness of avoidance lists all the things they don't do anymore:
• they don't dance
• they don't drink
• they don't smoke
• they don't swear
• they don't....they don't....they don't....

That is hardly a testimony that appeals to the world! Broadcasting such external goodness is like the hypocrites standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Don't get me wrong! I don't believe in doing any of these things. But let's be careful lest we avoid evil, thinking therefore that we are good. Goodness is more than avoiding evil! Spirit filled goodness goes beyond a defensive fight against evil. I have always heard the expression, "the best defense is a good offense." Let goodness take center stage. Let our eyes be focused on the Gospel. Not on what the ultra liberals are doing or on what the ultra conservatives are into. If we are always fearful of the radical right or left minority, we doom the church to searching for liberals or conservatives instead of searching for sinners. Spirit filled witnessing manifests true goodness. FAITHFULNESS----Spirit filled witnessing is also faithful. When we think of faithfulness, we think of being faithful to the truth. Spirit filled witnessing is faithful to the truth. However, before you say, "Yes, I speak the truth so I am Spirit filled." let me warn you that for Spirit filled witnessing you need more that truth. Just because the man in the insane asylum states truth, "The Earth is round." does not mean he is ready for the world. Truth is not enough. There is something nonsensical about the truth in the mouth of one whose life has no evidence a participation in that truth. To preach and prove that the 7th day is the Sabbath is not enough. Spirit filled witnessing is more than a delivery of the truth. It is faithful participation in the truth. GENTLENESS & SELF CONTROL----Spirit filled witnessing is gentle and controlled. Have you ever used a chain saw? Have you noticed that the duller the blade, the harder you push? I remember using a chain saw that was so dull I had to use all my strength and use a sawing motion to cut a small tree. But if the blade is sharp, all you need is a gentle push. The same is true with witnessing. When less time is spent on sharpening the thoughts, more energy is spent bearing down on the point. People who get agitated and pushy if you don't see things the way they do resort to crying heresy to make you take notice. If more time were spent in prayer and Bible study, the thoughts would be sharper and less pushing would be needed. Thus, our witnessing would be gentle and controlled. Spirit filled witnessing is nothing more or less than Spirit filled people. Not eloquence, not superior wisdom, no wise persuasive words. But a people who manifest the fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control. May our lives be truly filled with the Spirit!  

Opening Song: #229 - "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"
Scripture: Galatians 5:22-25
Closing Song: #258 - "Baptize Us Anew"
McDonald Road Sermons

by Pastor Donald Gettys

Quotations from the Bible are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

Two Rocks on the Water

(Matthew 14:22-33) 20,000 hungry people had just eaten supper. The disciples rounded up 12 baskets of leftovers. What a miracle that day! Jesus was better than a vast grocery warehouse. Everybody was fed. Jesus was better than the mayo clinic....every ailment had been healed.... These were the healthiest and happiest people in Palestine. What a leader they found in Jesus! This Zealous crowd set out to force Jesus to be their king. They would have a revolution. I imagine this was one of the biggest temptations Jesus ever had. Here He could avoid the cross. Why not be the Savior of the world and let them just crown Him. He was God. He could sit on the throne in Jerusalem. The Romans would be no challenge for this Super Man. He could Christianize the whole world. That is what He came to do anyway. But Jesus ever lived to please His Heavenly Father and so He immediately broke up the crowd. If temptation is ever to be conquered, we must act immediately. If the party crowd urges you to sin, send them home or leave yourself. Jesus knew that if the Leader-Disciples left, the crowd would also leave. It is hard to imagine Jesus sending anyone away isn't it? But He did. Matthew 14:22 - -"Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side", while he sent the crowd back to Bethsaida and ordered the Disciples to the other side of the sea of Galilee by boat. Omniscient Weatherman Jesus knew a terrible thunderstorm would strike the lake in a few hours. Killer waves would come up. The lake was notorious for that. But the trip His disciples would make was only 3« miles and the twelve would have plenty of time to arrive while the lake was safe. Jesus never sends us into danger. Quickly they loaded up the 12 baskets of angel food bread into their boat. It was a fine evening in April, 30 AD. How do we know it was spring? Because Jesus fed the crowds by making them sit down on the GREEN grass. The moon would be full that night because this was the passover season. If the disciples had immediately obeyed Jesus, both they and their oars could have rested while the wind and sail carried them to the other shore. Matthew 14:23 "After he had dismissed (the crowd), he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone," He had a lot to pray about. His cousin John had just been beheaded. He would die next. Verse 24 "but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it." KJV says many Stadia= 1/8 mile. Many would be 25-30, or 3+ miles. John 6:19. Obviously the great storm had carried them several miles South. - - Right in the middle of the sea where the waves were the worst. The 12 followers did not launch out immediately. (See Desire of Ages, p.379- EG White) Unhesitating obedience would have avoided the storm. The $64,000 question is... Why did they delay??? The winds were contrary and so were their hearts. They were headed East and the winds were going West. Bucking both wind and wave. They should have left earlier. Instead they stood and quarreled. Arguing won't move boats across lakes. Perhaps they should have argued and sailed at the same time. Now it was too late. They argued over Jesus unwise judgement and their possible loss of some high positions in His kingdom. "Why does He do what He does?" Eventually the procrastinators set out as Jesus wanted. Do you go where Jesus wants you to go? Let's be people of quick obedience. If today you feel the tugging on your heart, move out and follow Him. The one hour trip took over 8 toiling hours. Had they promptly followed Jesus' command they could have spent the night in prayer like He did. Instead of praying, they spent their night fighting for their lives. Life is hard when we don't put Jesus first. Both Jesus and His disciples stayed up all night long, but what a difference! Jesus was strengthened, the disciples were exhausted. They had taken time to gather food fragments but now had no time to gather spiritual fragments. Millions of tons of water were crashing all around them. Just one four foot wave hitting a one mile stretch of beach produces 35,000 horsepower! The person who figures out how to harness that will be rich. Verse 25 "During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake." It was the darkness just before dawn. Their little bobbing boat was like a lost cork- out there on that vast dark 60 square mile sea . But Jesus always knows where His lost sheep are. David said: "If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Thy hand will lead me and thy right hand will lay hold of me." Psalm 139:8-10. Jesus came to demonstrate that God will go to any length to rescue His lost children. You will never be where Jesus cannot find you. No blast is too brutal for Jesus to save us from it. No storm of life is so awful and no boat so frail and no night so dark and no problem is so deep that we go beyond the loving reach of our Heavenly Father. Why did Jesus wait so long before coming? It is when we are at the tail end of the rope, just barely handing on, that we become willing to trust in Him. Why do we have to suffer so long before the answer comes? If we could only trust quicker. Jesus did come! He always does. Despite their disobedience in leaving late, Jesus came. Sin does not drive Jesus away. He comes near. He knows our struggles. Jesus walked along as if He will pass by. He never forces Himself upon us. Do you feel that you are in a desperate struggle with the waves of debt, or temptations, sorrows, or pain? If the storms of life overwhelm you, call on Jesus. Suddenly here came Jesus walking on the waves! They were seeing a live first hand miracle. Have you ever seen one? Do miracles make you uneasy? We live in a world of relative physical predictability. If I drop a heavy ball bearing, I expect it to hit the floor. I expect the sun to rise. The disciples did not expect God to suspend the laws of physics on their account. You would think they would rejoice to see Jesus coming to save them. But..... Verse 26 "When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear." How often we fail to recognize our Deliverer. We think of Jesus as the problem and not the answer. What they thought was death coming to get them was actually their redeemer. They might have thought they were having a near-death experience. The Phantom of the lake came and spooked them. The disciples turned white as a sheet. Their hair stood on end. But when our hair stands on end in fear Jesus stands near! Verse 27 "But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.'" Notice that Jesus first quelled the squall that raged in their hearts before stilling the cyclone that raged without. They were in a panic. How could anybody walk on water? Do you believe things you can't understand? A youth came home from college and said: "I don't believe anything I don't understand." His father said: "Tell me how a black cow can eat green grass and give white milk from which we get yellow butter!" But Peter believed Jesus. Do you believe? Peter was the CEO of the Fishing business in which at least 4 disciples worked. Impulsive Peter spoke: Verse 28 "'Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water.'" Are we as eager as Peter to step out in faith? Peter could later advertise on his evangelistic handbill the fact that he and Jesus were the only two people to ever walk on unfrozen water. I like Peter. Every time he fell he rose again. A saint is not someone who never falls, but one who comes to Jesus. Peter is ready to walk on the water. He is anxious to try anything. Good thing there were no drugs around in his day. Now Jesus did not come to teach the disciples how to walk on water. It is amazing that Jesus said Come to Peter. Peter said "IF it is YOU." I don't think Peter thought... Now, umm, that just could be a ghost out there?!? Peter would never risk his life to join an unidentified spook on the heaving sea. This life-long fisherman well knew the dangers of drowning in a Galilee tempest. To leave the still floating boat and step into the deep took faith. Peter risked walking on the waters of sure death because they were the only path to His Savior. He risked all for Jesus. Only when you surrender all, will you have all. It was better to be with Jesus on the water than to be without Jesus in the boat! Verse 29 "'Come,' he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus." Do you think maybe he slowly placed his foot out toward the heaving swells of the storming sea. The lake was over 100 feet deep. His foot did not go under. He was standing on the moving water! Then walking on the water! One small step for mankind and one giant step toward God. Let's step out for God! Knowing fast Peter, he probably jumped out of the boat and bounced off the water. He got up dusted himself off, got his sea legs and headed for Jesus! Faith is grows by attempting the impossible. Paying the Tithe you know you can't afford. Giving the offering you don't think you can do. And then watching God as He keeps you floating high! What a thrill! Like a boy showing off on a bicycle riding ... "Look mom! No hands! I'm on the water! But Peter made a terrible mistake. "The instant Peter withdrew his eyes from Christ, that instant he began to sink." - Vol 2 - Selected Messages p. 235. Like Lots wife, he looked back. Keep your eyes on Jesus! By beholding Jesus Peter was enabled. Beholding changed him. Beholding Jesus can change you! Don't focus on the waves. When we let the problems of life become the primary thing we begin to sink. So often the waves of vexation and strife eclipse our view of the Savior. Water in the Bible represents people! How often people come between us and Jesus and cause our loss. Verse 30 "But when he saw the wind..... (Peter had pretty good eyesight to see the wind!!!) He was afraid." It is true that what we look at determines our destiny. "Two men looked out from prison bars. One saw mud, one saw stars." Everything depends on our habitual outlook. What we see is what we get. Look at the waves and sink. Look at Jesus and live! Ps 34:5 - "Those who look to Him are radiant!" Matthew 14:30 "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" Our human helplessness is the most laudable element we can present to the Savior. When you take your eyes off Jesus and look at people you begin to go down. Peter even chose good folk to look at... the disciples! You can't look to the deacon or even the Sabbath School Teacher. Rivet your eyes on Jesus. Verse 31 "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." Jesus did not wait even a split second. The water under Peters feet gave way. He started to sink like a rock. But before he went under, Jesus extended His powerful saving right hand and lifted Peter up. Instant Salvation! The buoyant Rock of Ages reached down to save Peter the Petros a sinking pebble! Peter needed more faith didn't he? Faith is not something that we hold but something that holds us up.  

Sometimes we are battered by terrible Storms. 
Sometimes we feel the darkness has won.  
Sometimes we feel helpless as a fish caught in a net.
Sometimes we feel our best efforts are not enough.
Sometimes we feel the end is near.

BUT when you are near the hand of Jesus, all you have to do is call on Him. He will hear your sincere voice above the howling of the mightiest storm. Jesus hand became Peters life preserver. A Knowledgeable man noticed a farm girl draw water at the well. Before she lifted the brimming pail, the girl took a piece of wood out of her pocket and floated it on the water. He asked her why she did it. She said: "To keep the water from spilling!" When your heart is agitated, put the Cross in it's center to keep it steady. In every storm the presence of Jesus will bring quietude. If you are sinking today, turn your face to Jesus. Verses 31 and 32 - "'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?' And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Invite Jesus into your house and the hot winds of strife will cease. Notice that the instant Jesus boarded the boat two things happened. The wind blew out and instantly they arrived at the land. (John 6:21) They had been in the middle of the sea! When Jesus boards the ship of your life, you reach your destiny. You are saved! So many lessons in this amazing true story. Our walking can never take us all the way to Jesus. Our best efforts cannot make us float. But His power is more than enables us to walk on in the greatest storm. Notice that Peter was totally supported by the water of life. Jesus is the only way!  

Opening Hymn # 83
Scripture: Matthew 14:28-31
Closing Hymn:   512   Just When I need Him most.

McDonald Road Sermons