from my text this morning. Hebrews chapter 13. Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers. where thereby some have entertained
angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds
as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity as being
yourselves also in the body. Marriage is honorable in all,
and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Let your conversation be without
covetousness, and be content with such things as you have,
for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will
not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have
the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose
faith follow. Considering the end of their
conversation, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever,
be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it
is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not
with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied
therein. For we have not an altar whereof
they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the
bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary
by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Wherefore,
Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood,
suffered without the gate. Let us go forth, therefore, to
him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have
no continuing city, but we seek one to come. Now, we won't cover
all of these, but I want to pick up here again this afternoon. I want to look at some of these
verses in Hebrews 13. Let brotherly love continue. Let brotherly love continue. Now, if you and I were perfect,
we wouldn't need all these exhortations that are given us in God's Word,
such as this. We would need exhortations to
obey them that have the rule over us or to remember them that
are in difficult times. But you and I aren't perfect,
are we? As children of God, we're born of God, but we need these
exhortations. We need the encouragement to
do these things that are commanded us to do. And when we're told
to do them, one of the things that we find out we need is grace
to do them. and grace to continue to do.
He says here in our text to let brotherly love continue. Brotherly love. This is talking
about the family of God, isn't it? We have families that we're
naturally born into and we naturally love one another. But this is
talking about a different family. This is talking about a heaven
born family. Those who are born of God are
born of love. One of the statements that you
and I probably never should make, it just don't sound right and
I don't think it's right. We have to love one another.
It's just as natural to love one another if you're heaven
born as it is to breathe. He that is born of God is born
of love. He has the very nature of God
in him. And that nature is love. God
is love. And for a man to profess to know
God and not love is a bad profession, isn't it? They who are born of
God, they love God. They love Jesus Christ. They
love the Gospel of Christ. They love the ways of Christ.
And they love the people of Christ. Let brotherly love Now, when
you and I were in nature, when we were in this dark world's
night, as the old songwriter said, we did not love. We're
not born loving. No unregenerated man loves God. As a matter of fact, he hates
God, doesn't he? A thing that we don't like to hear in our
day because it doesn't sit right with a natural man, that the
natural man hates God. I had a young man came to pick
my daughter up one time for a date when she was in high school.
And I got to talk to him for just a minute. And I noticed
he was a religious fellow. And I said, what if I told you
that you hated God? He said, that would scare me
to death. I've never hated God in all my life. But the Bible
says the carnal mind, the unregenerate mind is enmity against God, doesn't
it? But listen, when we're born from
above, When we're born of God, we have this new nature put within
us. And then we love. We love the family of God. We
love the brethren. Let brotherly love continue. Brotherly love. And notice what
he says here, let it continue. We're born again and we love. Now he says, let it continue.
Now, He's not talking about the grace of it in our hearts. You
know, when the Lord begins a work of grace in the heart, that'll
never die. I mean, it may diminish. We may
think that it's died. But when He begins a work of
grace in the heart, that work will never die. This love will
never die. Those who are born of love will
never cease to love. But what He's saying here when
He says, continue in that love, is this, continue in the exercise
of that love. Exercise it. Don't let it grow
cold in your heart. Let it abound. Let it increase. Exercise this love. You and I
know what kind of shape we get in if we don't exercise, don't
we? If you've forgotten, I can remind you. Some of us go look
in the mirror and that reminds us, doesn't it? We need to exercise. What happens when we exercise
this grace of God, this grace of faith? You know what? It becomes
stronger, doesn't it? Continue in brotherly love. Luther used to say about the
doctrine of justification by faith, he said, the church stands
or falls upon this truth of justification by faith. You know the local
church stands or falls upon this word right here. Let brotherly
love continue. Where that love is not exercised
one to another, where it does not grow, For it is not firment
one with another. You know that church will dry
up and die. Brother John gave me some tapes by a friend of
his on the autopsy of a deceased church. And this guy went around
to many churches, local churches that had folded up. And he gave
several reasons why that happened. And you know what the first reason
was? They left their first love. Their love. Wasn't firm. Their love didn't continue. It
wasn't exercised. That's what Paul means here.
You know the prosperity of this local church. The usefulness
of this local church. The health of this local church
depends much on this verse of Scripture right here. Let brotherly
love continue. The exercise of this love. Well, these Hebrews had suffered
great trials. They'd been suffered, they had
suffered, and they were still suffering. Look here in chapter
10 and verse 32. In Hebrews the 10th chapter,
and look what they'd been suffering. Look in verse 32 where the Apostle
tells them this. Call to remembrance the former
days in which after you were illuminated, you were enlightened,
your mind was enlightened, Christ was revealed to you. You endeared
a great fight of afflictions, partly while you were made a
gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly while
you became companions of those that were so used. For you had
compassion of Me in My bonds, and you took joyfully the spoiling
of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better
and an enduring substance. Man, the world from without had
attacked this church. They had even compensated some
of their goods, their property. And look here what else was happening
in verse 25. Not forsaken the assembling of
yourselves together as the manner of some is, but so much the more
as you see the day approaching. Boy, the saints had to be on
guard. How much this passage of Scripture meant to them to
listen to what this great apostle was writing. Let brotherly love
continue. You need each other, he said.
And the way you'll help each other and encourage one another
is by continuing to love. You know, he makes a statement
like this, and the Bible often does this. It just makes a statement. It doesn't go into detail. But
in that statement is everything that you and I need. I've often
said if the Lord wrote a book that dealt with every situation
that we found ourselves in, the book would be so big we couldn't
hardly find anything. But He gives us these principles. And if we take these blessed
principles, we can work our way through every situation that
we find ourselves in. What do we face as a congregation
in our daily lives? What do we face? All sorts of
things. How do we get through it? How
do we prosper and be healthy as a local church? Boy, right
here this principle is, isn't it? Continue in brotherly love. And when we do that, we can work
our way through and we can suffer no matter what comes upon this
little congregation. We can endure it. And we can
be successful in the Lord if we love one another. You know
the true test of regeneration is love. That's one of the acid
tests, boy, have I been born of God. And that's a good test for am
I a disciple of Christ. Am I following Him? By this shall
all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one
for another. And you know something? This
is the continual assurance that I've been born to God and I'm
a disciple of Christ. If my love continues, let brotherly
love continue. Now look in verse 1 and look
how it's connected in verse 2. Look how it's connected. These
verses, they flow together. They're connected. Be not forgetful
to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels
unaware. See how these verses flow together.
Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers, Why would He ever have to give them that exhortation?
For the same reason you and I need that exhortation. We're very
apprehensive about strangers, aren't we? I mean, there are
some people so apprehensive about meeting new people, they won't
even go shake hands with a stranger that comes in. They sit there
and try to get up a nerve just to say, it's good to have you
with us. Apprehensive about strangers. There are some times that we
ought to be apprehensive about strangers. We tell our children,
don't go near strangers. And what happens when you're
walking across the parking lot and you see a stranger approaching?
Don't you feel a little bit apprehensive about that? Strangers. We're weary. We're leery of strangers. What he tells us here, you need
to use wisdom. You need to use wisdom. You need
to be wise as serpents. But listen, I refuse to shut
myself up in my house. I refuse to be overcome by this
apprehension of strangers. We need to be hospitable to strangers. He gives them three or four things
here that will take the edge off of being so apprehensive
about strangers. Man, when you go to the grocery
store, when you're out in the community taking a walk, don't
be so afraid to talk to people. Stop and strike up a conversation
and let it lead to the Lord and the needs of the soul. But He
gives us three or four things here that will help us from being
so apprehensive about strangers. They had a necessity back then.
They had to talk to strangers. Back then they didn't have the
motels we've got now. If you was out traveling then,
you were probably walking or riding in an old sled or something,
a little chariot, and you come to a place to spend the night
and you may have to go knock on the door and say, can we use
your stable? They didn't have the convenience that we've got
now. Man, we got everything. We don't have to entertain strangers.
We don't have to interact with strangers. We got motels. We
got cars. We got cell phones. We got friends. We got everything we need, don't
we? But here's this warning to us. Be not forgetful to be hospitable
to strangers. And he gives us about three or
four things here that will take the edge off of that fear that
we have of entertaining strangers. And what's the first one? I just
looked at it, didn't I? Let brotherly love continue. Boy, love. Love. If you have the love of God shed
abroad in your heart, won't that remove a lot of the fears that
we have? Fear has torment. He that feareth is not made perfect
in love. But when the love of God is shed
abroad in your heart, that has a tendency to take that old torment
and fear away. And you know what you'll do?
You won't be so afraid, even of strangers. Be not forgetful
to entertain strangers. And secondly, he gives another
reason why in here in verse 2, the last portion, for some have
entertained angels unaware. You know, we have recorded in
the Scriptures so many times that angels, the angels of God,
these holy angels that can't be seen with the natural eye,
they take on our farm, the farm of people. And it's always the
farm of men, not women. And they talk with people. They
did that way with Abraham, and they did that way with Lot, and
they did that way with Samson's parents, and Joshua. And the
Apostle Paul seems to be saying here that this is still happening
in our day. When you see a man or a woman
and you've got an opportunity to be hospitable to them, don't
be so afraid. You know who that might be? That
might be an angel. I just wonder if you and I haven't
had this experience ourselves. Well, I don't know it if I have.
Well, that's what he said, wasn't it? That's what he said. You
don't know it. If you did it, don't tell them
how you'd react to it. Probably fall down like John
and try to worship him. But let this take the edge off.
There are still angels. The angels, the elect angels
of God, and they take on human form sometimes. Be hospitable. You don't have to go out of your
way to entertain strangers, but every one of us has an opportunity
to do it, don't we? We have an opportunity to do
it. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers. And then in verse 5, in verse
6, he tells us this. I'll deal with this just a little
bit tonight, but look at this. Let your conversation be without
covetousness, and be content with such things as you have.
For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,
so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, He is my Protector,
He is my Guide, and I will not fear what strangers might do
unto me." Now won't that take the fear off? Won't that take
some apprehension off about going up to a stranger or entertaining
a stranger? I used to pick up hitchhikers,
but I had to stop when I got married and I had some kids. You know, you just have to be
careful, don't you? But still to this day, it doesn't bother
me. It just doesn't bother me. What can they do to you? Nothing
unless the Lord allows it. And what if He lets them kill
your body? I don't mind to pick up a hitchhiker today if my wife's
not with me. It just doesn't bother me. The
Lord is my helper. Years ago, back in the 1800s,
still today, we have some street preachers. But back in the 1800s,
we had men that went out on the streets and in the fields. And
they'd just get up and get a little podium and they'd start preaching.
People would come around and listen to them preach. And you
had these hecklers. that used to come around and
heckle them. They'd throw rotten eggs at them, rocks at them.
And I was reading the account about this one preacher, I forgot
his name, and he's preaching. And this gang, a gang of men,
and they had their leader came up and they said, Preacher, we're
going to whip you. We're going to whip you. And
that preacher walked right up and looked that fellow in the
eye and said, Buddy, are you saved? Do you know the Lord? Has the Lord ever saved you?"
And he said, the man just melded. He just melded. And he said,
all you fellows stand back. Don't lay a hand on this preacher.
And he said he guided him to his next place where he was scheduled
to preach. I read another incident. I had
to chuckle when I read it. Another was preaching in a barn.
And these young people came there and said, the preacher was going
to have a dance here. And some young lady walked up
to him and said, Preacher, will you dance with me? And he reached
out and took a grip of her hand and he said, Yes, young lady,
I will, right after we have prayer. And he fell on his knees and
began to cry out, Lord, be merciful to this poor young lady. And
he said when he got off of his knees, she was weeping. What
would make somebody be that bold? The Lord is my helper. That's it, isn't it? I will not fear anybody what
they can do unto me. The Lord is my helper. And boy, he has something else
here, the last thing I think that will help us. And this is
part of our problem right here. I just know it is. For as entertaining
strangers, I just read it to you in verse 4. Be without covetousness. How do we relate that to entertaining
strangers? Well, it'll keep us from entertaining
anybody, will it not? I've got a little extra time,
what am I going to do with it? I'm going to use it for myself.
I've got a little extra money, what am I going to do with it?
I'm going to spend it on myself. It's for me and mine, and that's
where my heart is, and it's for nobody else. Do you ever get
that way? And then you're entertaining
nobody. You're not taking time to speak to nobody because your
mind is turned inside and all you think about is yourself.
How much I can get? How much I can keep? Covetousness. Boy, we have a problem with that,
don't we? We have a problem with that. These things will hinder
us so much from being hospitable because it takes time. It takes
love, doesn't it? Look now how verse 1 connects
to verse 3. Remember them that are in bonds,
as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity, as being
yourselves also in the body. Well, there's different kinds
of bonds. And he says, remember them that are in bonds. And boy,
if we love people, if we love people, We don't know very many
people in bonds, do we? At least in this kind of bonds.
The Apostle Paul was in prison probably at this time. And he often wrote about those
who loved him and remembered him. The Philippian church often
sent gifts to the Apostle Paul. And you know what he said about
that? It made such an impression and so encouraged the Apostle
Paul. Here's what he said. He said
it was a sacrifice well-pleasing unto God. That's the way he said
that. Another man, Onesiprius, he went to Rome when Paul was
in prison and couldn't find Paul. Didn't know where he was at.
And he searched for him probably for days. Searched him out very
diligently and found him. And Paul said, I pray God be
merciful to him in that day. Remember those who are in bonds. Boy, there's different kinds
of bonds, aren't there? You know there's some today in
bonds for the gospel? They're in bonds because they
preach Christ. There's an underground church,
a real church in China. that preaches the clear gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace, but you don't hear
anything about them. If they come up out of the underground,
they arrest them. They beat them. There's one in
Russia. They're even in the Arab world. But they put them in prison when
they catch them. They put them in bonds. Oh, brothers and sisters,
if you know any of those folks, if you hear about them, keep
them on your heart. Pray for them. We're free, aren't
we? We're free. None of us have been
bonds, and we'll probably never be in bonds for Christ's sake.
But there's plenty of people who are. Paul said, Remember
them. And you know something? Let brotherly
love continue. There's different kinds of bonds.
There's some poor people in bonds who don't know the Lord. They're criminals. And they're
in prison. They're in bonds. One of the
saddest things to witness, and boy, it's another world to go
to prison and visit somebody. That's a different world in there,
boy, a different world. I know a fellow, Brother Milton
Howard, he's down in Ball, Louisiana, and he visits a federal prison
there, and he has a ministry to the Hispanic people. And boy,
I know we've got an issue today with Hispanics, don't we? illegal
aliens, the crimes that they're committing. I hope they do something
about it. But over and above all of that,
boy, there's a lot of them in our penitentiary system. And
they're criminals. And they don't know the Lord.
And Milton Howard said that he When he first started going there,
he'd go there in the prison and they'd say, and there's where
you need to go, Pastor. And they'd point him to this
room and he'd go in there and sit down. Two or three tables
in there. And he said sometimes he would
sit there for two or three hours and then he'd go home. Nobody'd
ever show up. He'd go back next week and sit
there for two hours and nobody'd show up and he'd go home. But
he kept going back. until 1 and 2 and 3 began to
show up, and He told them about that salvation that's in the
Son of God. Why did He do that? Love. Love. There you and I go. I bet you there's some of you
that can say with me, therefore I would have been if God hadn't
preserved me. And you too. You too. I was in prison and you visited
me. And boy, there's another bond
worse than any physical prison, and that's the bonds of sin and
Satan, ain't it? Oh, how we need to remember those
that are in bonds to sin. And you know that's a bondage
that you can't get out from. You may get a good lawyer or
have the governor to pardon you and get you out from a prison,
physical prison, but I'm telling you the chains of sin, and Satan
is such a strong man that keeps the heart, nobody can break that
bond but Jesus Christ the Lord. It takes Him to do it. And boy,
we should remember them, and we know plenty of them, don't
we, that are in bonds to sin. Oh, if our hearts are filled
with God's love, let's remember them. I remember Missy. I remember Missy, the little
girl we thought she was going to die. None of us have ever
met her. Robin's daughter. And they gave
up on her. The doctor said, we can't do
anything about her. She's probably going to die.
And I was talking with Dave, Joanne's dad. one day, and I
said, well, Dave, it looks like the doctors gave up on her. And
you know what he said? This thrilled my heart. He said,
I ain't give up on her. I'm going to pray for her. The
Lord's able. I don't care if everybody gives
up on her. The Lord is able. And I tell you what, the Lord
has extended mercy to her body, and I hope he does to her poor
soul, because she's in bondage. She's bound. Remember those who
are in bond, even to the point of being bound with them. Being
bound with them. Put yourself right there. Can't
you remember when you was lost? Can't you remember when you had
no liberty? You were in bondage to sin and
you couldn't get out, in bondage to darkness and you couldn't
deliver yourself. I remember that, don't you? That's
why I say over and over and over, there's no use getting mad at
lost people. There's no use trying to cram
something down their throat. Oh, just tell them about a great
Savior that is mighty to save. Remember those who are in bonds. And he says here in the last
portion of verse 3, those who suffer adversity. Webster says
this word means an event or series of an event. which oppose success
or oppose our desire, misfortune, calamity, afflictions, distress,
a state of unhappiness. Oh, when things are going well
for me, it's easy for me to forget that somebody's having trouble. Some of the Lord's little children
are suffering opposition. I could just tell in Brother
Larry's prayer this morning, I pretty much know him now, and
I can pretty much tell when he's suffering some opposition, when
he's going through some adversity, remember them. Remember them. We all have that, don't we? Afflictions
in our bodies, afflictions in our souls, from our families
sometimes. Well, we can talk about love,
but talk's cheap, ain't it? Let it continue. Let brotherly
love continue. Now, verse 4. I was reading a
commentary on this chapter, and he just passed right over verse
4. Didn't even deal with it. I guess probably he couldn't
relate it. to the context. And it does seem out of context,
but it isn't out of context. You notice here what he says
in verse 4, Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled,
but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. You see the context
that he's in? Marriage is honorable in all,
comes right after love. That's a good context, isn't
it? And it comes just before verse
5, covetousness. So it fits in very well, doesn't
it? Love. Love. There's never any
reason why two believers should divorce. Why? Love. Love. What causes divorces? Covetousness. Love will bind
two hearts together. It fulfills the law. For this
thou shalt not commit adultery. How could we be filled with the
love of God and commit adultery against our spouse? Covetousness. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
wife. Fits in your good, doesn't it?
Marriage is honorable in all. And then he goes down to verse
7 and he says, Remember them that have the rule over you.
Who is he talking about? Pastors. Why is he talking about
pastors in the same context of marriage is honorable in all?
Marriage is honorable even among pastors. I love it how the Holy
Spirit knows what's coming, don't you? I just wonder when the apostle
wrote this down if he didn't say, now why should I put this
in here and now I'm writing about pastors? Because it's lawful
for pastors to marry. Do you know anybody that says
it's unlawful for their pastors to marry? We do, don't we? The whole Catholic organization
has brought the greatest reproach upon marriage of any other institution
in this world. Fornicators have did it. Those
who refuse to commit to a person and marry them. Adulterers have
brought dishonor upon marriage. I tell you, these preachers and
these congregations who will not set a scriptural bounds for
divorce and remarriage among the members of their church.
Have you ever seen a day among churches that preach the gospel
where their members are divorcing and remarrying? And then we got
this issue today about the homosexual issue. And I was watching the
lady the other night and she said she was in this gay rights
issue about gays marrying. And she told the truth, what
they really wanted. And she's upset with that whole
bunch that she's in because she said they won't be honest. She
said, this is what we're after. We're after the elimination of
the institution of marriage. That's what it's about, is it
not? I tell you, vile flesh and black demons would negate, would
eliminate every holy institution of God if Jesus Christ was not
upon His throne to uphold these institutions. Marriage. It's honorable. And you know
it's the only institution that you can join together with the
opposite sex. And the bed not be undefiled.
Fornicators, God will judge. and adulterers, God will judge. People need to think today, well,
there's nothing wrong with it, everybody's doing it, or I'm
going to sneak and I can get by with it. It will not happen.
God will judge. God will judge. Verses 5 and 6. You know, we can still, we think
sometimes, and we get in this frame of mind, we think, boy,
things have got so bad. It's almost like we think we're
ready to shut the doors. Things got so bad, the world's
changing. You know the world hasn't changed. We just hear
more about it. We hear more about it. People's
hearts haven't changed. The church has always been separate
from this world, and it always will be. And we can serve the
Lord today and love the Lord and love one another just as
well as the church has ever done. Listen to how Paul said it in
Philippians 2.14. Do all things without murmurings
and disputings, that you may be blameless and harmless, the
sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst, right in the midst
of a crooked and perverse nation. It was bad back then? Bad back
then. Just like it is today. David
said this of his day, My soul is among lions, and I lie even
among them that are set on fire, burning with lust, even the sons
of men whose teeth are as spears, and whose tongues are sharp swords. But what did he say our shepherd?
prepared us a table right in the midst of our enemies. Did
he not? Let brotherly love continue. Yes, it can. Yes, through the
struggles of marriage you can make it because His grace is
sufficient. Verse 5 and 6. Let your conversation,
your mode of living, your style of living be without covetousness. And be content with such things
as you have, for he hath said, I will never leave you or forsake
you. Let your conversation be without
covetousness." One man said, this doesn't mean this, to have
an improper regard for the future. That's not what that says. Well,
I'm not going to covet, so I'm not going to get a job. If you
don't get a job, you'll starve. Now, that's the truth about it. Well, I'm not going to clean
my house. Well, you'll be in a pigsty pretty soon. I'm not
going to take care of my health. I'm not even going to think about
the future. Well, you're probably going to get sick. You're probably
going to get sick. It doesn't mean not to use wisdom. You live in this world. It doesn't
mean that at all. It doesn't forbid, this man said,
seeking proper opportunity of improving one's condition in
this present life. We ought to always seek better
conditions for ourselves and others. Nothing wrong with that.
Get an education and you won't have to dig a ditch by hand or
flip a burger. Seek to improve yourself. Those
nations where Christ was preached and God was honored was the most
prosperous nations upon this earth. Had nothing to do with
being covetous. But covetousness and contentment
are diametrically opposed, are they not? They're so diametrically
opposed that if you get the least degree of covetousness in your
heart, you know what it'll root out? Contentment. It's just like
serving God and mammon. It's impossible. You can't do
it. They're so diametrically opposed
one to another. Contentment is a satisfied spirit. Covetousness is a complaining
spirit. Contentment is a quiet spirit,
but covetousness is an envious spirit. Contentment is a patient
spirit. Covetousness is an anxious spirit. Contentment is trusting God to
provide all things out of His bounty. A covetous spirit is
restless. It seeks restless schemes and
endeavors to have more. You cannot serve God and mammon. Godliness with contentment is
great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain
we can carry nothing. If we thought about that, that'd
give us a little bit of contentment, wouldn't it? That'd have a tendency,
hopefully, to relieve our covetousness. Everything we hoard up to ourselves,
we're going to leave it all. One man asked his friend, how
much did that rich man leave? He said he left it all. He left
it all. Ain't going to take anything
with us. That's certain, isn't it? That's certain. Don't be
ruled by covetousness. Godliness. with contentment is
great gain. Content for our own comfort.
Have you found that when you're content that you're very comfortable?
I've found that in my own heart. I like to go for walks. I've
told you that different times. I love to walk. And sometimes
I meet somebody and I love to talk. Love scenery. See what's
going on in the neighborhood. Checking it out. I just love
to get out and walk. But if I get a gravel in my shoe, it takes
away all the joy of walking. I hobble a few steps and stop,
hobble a few steps and stop. And if I can't get it out, I'll
go back home. And it's the same way with discontent
in your mind. You can't be comfortable walking
with the Lord, can you? It's like having a splinter in
your foot. Gravel in your shoe. Discontent. For your own comfort and peace
of mind, don't be covetousness. Don't let it get you. Contentment
for the comfort of others. I don't much agree with what
John Wesley preached at all. But boy, sometimes he hit on
something that you could really relate to. And here's what he
said. He was a very content fellow, I guess. Here's what he told
some fellow. He said, I have persons around
me murmuring and fretting at everything that happens. And
he said, it's like tearing the flesh from my bones. I know that
God sits upon His throne. I know that He is sovereign,
that He is rule in all things. Wesley said this. I copied it
out of his writing. With this thought in my mind
and the grace of God in my heart, I may learn well to be content
with such things as I have." If I get discontent, it's going
to bother you, is it not? If you come in here and start
complaining to me about everything that's wrong and bad, it's going
to bother me. Don't do that. Don't do that. At least wait until Monday morning,
not Saturday night, okay? The Lord is with me. Oh my goodness. What more could
we want? I will never leave you or forsake
you. I'll go with you always, even
to the end. What more could we want? Do we
need guidance? Here's the wisest shepherd that
ever was to lead you. Do we want someone to provide
for us? Here's the richest provider that
there is. He's rich. Do we need a protector? Here's a sovereign Lord who is
with us. Do we need healing? Here's the
greatest physician that ever was. Do we need someone to keep
us from being lonely? Here's a friend. the sticketh
closer than a brother. I had a lady, an old lady, she
was an old Westland lady, Pilgrim Holiness lady. She made a good
statement to me one time. She said, I tell you what's the
matter with many of my relatives, and I knew some of her relatives.
Couldn't ever get enough. I don't know how they afforded
what they got. Both of them working two jobs,
and now the kids look like they're about to go to work. But she
said, you know their problem? They're not content with Christ. Boy, they're not content with
Christ. What will give me contentment
to have Christ? Scott Richardson used to say,
is Christ enough? If He's all you've got, He is.
Because if He's all you've got, He's everything. We brought nothing
into this world. We came in naked. And we obtained
everything from Him. And we'll go out of this world
naked, and all we have and all we'll need is Him. Are you content
with Him? Just Him. Just Him. He's going to burn our houses.
We try to keep them up the best we can. He's going to burn them,
Greg, ain't He? Our cars, everything we have, all we're working for.
I'm just remodeling my place over and over again. We're painting
five or six years. We're painting, fixing new ports
five or six years. It's got to be propped up over
and over and over again. And then we're going to leave
it for somebody else to start all over painting and propping
up. And in the end, the Lord said,
I am so sorry, but I'm going to burn it all. And it's consumed. But Christ, oh, if you've got
Christ, He's everything now and for all eternity. This dear old
wither lady called a preacher to have a meal with her. And
she said, it won't be much. And he sat down at the table
and all they had was bread and water. That's all they had. She set a piece of bread and
he had a glass of water. And he said, all of this and
Christ too? All of this in Christ too, having
food and raiment, let us be content. Why? We got Him. He's ours and
we're His. That'll stop my heart from going
after so much stuff with me. And He'll keep me from trying
to hold on to it when it's time to let it go. Don't be ruled
by covetousness. Christ is all. Let's pray.