GOD'S MEETING HOUSE

Friends, we are suggesting right now. Slow down, take time to relax. Drop whatever you are doing. Relax in your easy chair in front of your computer or webtv. Try to throw out the things of the world that worry you and drag you down. In your mind's eye, realize that the Holy Spirit is right there with you and you are not alone. Enjoy that roll and cup of coffee or orange juice and begin to think about the Lord. Let the Holy Spirit help to keep your mind on spiritual things instead of worldly things. Realize that Jesus knows all about your problems; is right there with you and wants you to accept his peace. He will continue to be there throughout this service if you will allow Him to be.

Some glad morning when this life is over,
I'll fly away.
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O Glory,
I'll fly away.
When I die, Hallelujah, bye and bye,
I'll fly away.

When the shadows of this life have flown,
I'll fly away.
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O Glory,
I'll fly away.
When I die, Hallelujah, bye and bye,
I'll fly away.

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away.
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O Glory,
I'll fly away.
When I die, Hallelujah, bye and bye,
I'll fly away.

Now, let's sing that old favorite,

I don't know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what lies ahead.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

I don't know about tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

Now, let's sing

O, what a wonderful, wonderful day
Day I will never forget
When I was wandering in darkness away
Jesus my Savior I met
O, what a tender compassionate Friend
He met the need of my heart
Shadows dispelling with joy I am telling
He made all the darkness depart

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul
When at the cross my Savior made me whole
My sins were washed away
And my night turned to day
When heaven came down and glory filled my soul

Born of the Spirit with life from above into God's fam'ly divine,
Justified fully thru Calvary's love, O what a standing is mine!
And the transaction so quickly was made when as a sinner I came,
Took of the offer of grace He did proffer
He saved me, O praise His dear name!

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul
When at the cross my Savior made me whole
My sins were washed away
And my night turned to day
When heaven came down and glory filled my soul

Now I've a hope that will surely endure after the passing of time;
I have a future in heaven for sure, there in those mansions sublime.
And it's because of that wonderful day when at the cross I believed;
Riches eternal and blessings supernal from His precious hand I received.

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul
When at the cross my Savior made me whole
My sins were washed away
And my night turned to day
When heaven came down and glory filled my soul

Now then, let's sing

All the way my Savior leads me
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav'nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate?er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate?er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me
Oh, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father?s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.

THE SERMON IS BROUGHT TO YOU TODAY BY REV HAROLD HOWARD. OPEN YOUR HEARTS AND LET THE HOLY SPIRIT BRING THIS MESSAGE FROM GOD!

The title of our message today is

Please open your bibles and read with me to
James 4:13-17
--I am reading from the KJV
--"Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell and get gain: Whereas ye know what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.

For that ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

In 1899, Charles H. Duell, Commissioner in the U.S. Office of Patents said, "Everything that can be invented has been invented." Since then, the world has witnessed the advent of airplanes, automobiles, manned space travel, plastics, computers, cell phones, and literally millions of other devices and products that we use and take for granted every day. I guess Mr. Duell just couldn’t see too far into the future.

In 1988, a book was distributed to nearly every pastor in America. It’s title was: “88 Reasons Why Christ Will Return In 1988.” In that book, the author, Edgar Whisnant, predicted that the rapture would take place on Sept. 11, 12, or 13th of 1988. Many people believed the prediction. Trinity Broadcasting Network even went so far as to change their regular schedule and broadcasted selected videotapes telling non-believers what they should do if their loved ones suddenly disappeared. Over 3,000,000 million copies of that book were distributed, millions more believed it, yet it never came to pass. I suppose Mr. Whisnant couldn’t see too far into the future either.

In truth, man just doesn’t know what the future holds. People spend millions of dollars per year calling psychics and visiting palm readers to no avail. They still don’t know any more than they did. By the way, did this thought ever occur to you: If those psychics know so much about the future; why don’t they know you are going to call, and why don’t they call you first? We are able to look backward fairly clearly on the past, but we cannot look forward into the future at all.

To my mind, it is a great blessing to know that God has veiled the future. If we were able to see it, then our lives would be altered. If we knew that prosperity was coming, we would live carelessly. If we knew that adversity or trouble was the forecast, then we would live with constant anxiety and fear. Man would die a thousand deaths before his physical death ever arrived.

Certainly, God is good to keep the future a secret. James deals with this idea in these verses. He tells his readers that even though they cannot know the future, they should deal with it honestly. They are told not to presume on a future which they can not control, or makes plans regarding the future without taking God into consideration. They are also told not to postpone until the future those things God has commanded to be done today.

There were three mistakes being made by these early believers that many in our day still make. I would like to share these three mistakes with you in an effort to prevent us from falling into the same trap into which these folks fell. I would like for us to look into these verses together for a few minutes as I preach on the thought: Avoiding Future Mistakes.

• V.13 AVOID THE MISTAKE OF FOOLISH PLANS.
  James’ readers were guilty of indifference toward the brethren, 4:1-10. Now they are said to be indifferent toward God. He was ignored in their planning. This is a form of worldliness! Nothing is wrong with planning for the future, but it is a sin to leave God out of the planning process!

  Here is their plan!
  The Plan Is Constructed
  - Today or Tomorrow.
  The Place Is Chosen
  - He is going to go, get in on the ground floor and make his fortune.
  The Period Is Calculated
  - They would need only a year to succeed.
  Their Purpose Is Considered - “Buy and sell” They are going retail!
  Their Profit Is Computed
  - “Get gain” This became their focus! Putting our treasure in the wrong world is a sure road to disaster. When we begin to love gold more than God, we are on shaky ground!

  Their problem was two-fold:
  1. They lived their lives with no regard for God’s will.
  2. They planned their future with no regard for God’s will.
  Simply stated, many people live their lives as if God did not even exist!

  One of the best known atheists in American history was a woman named Madelyn Murray O’Hair. She was responsible for prayer being removed from the public schools in this country. Miss O'Hair, along with her son and granddaughter were murdered for their money some years ago. But, during her life she was famous because she was an atheist. She said that she did not believe in God. She was an intellectual atheist, she said, "I do not believe that God exists." You may recall many years ago now when the first Russian Cosmonauts went into space and returned. Listen to what one of them said when he returned from his journey in outer space, "Some people say there is a God out there, but in my travels around earth all day long I looked around and I didn't see him. I saw no God, nor angels, I don't believe in God."

  Well, if he'd stepped out of that capsule he'd have seen God within five seconds and he would have known that there was a God! But, he was an intellectual atheist, he said, "I do not believe that there is a God."

  Did you know that there is another kind of atheist? And, did you know that some are reading this today? You see, an intellectual atheist says, “I do not believe that there is a God.” They are honest, and while I disagree with them, I can respect an honest person. The other kind of atheist is called a “practical atheist.” While an intellectual atheist says there is no God; a practical atheist knows there is a God, but lives as if He does not exist.

  Not one person reading this is an atheist. Everyone here believes that there is a God and you are here to honor that fact. However, is it not safe to say that many are living their lives as if there was no God? Is it not safe to say that many here are doing as they please; living as if God did not exist; making plans and living life with no regard for the Lord’s will? If you fall into that category, you are a practical atheist. You may believe in God, but you live as if He does not matter! My friend that is a dangerous way to live your life! You will get into trouble if you continue to follow that path!

  God has a wonderful plan for your life. And, as His child, your first consideration ought to be, “What would God have me do with my life? What is the Lord’s will in this situation?” The thought mentioned in verse 15 is worthy of note. All of the future is in the hand of the Lord. Your best course of action in this life is to find the Lord’s will for your life and follow it to the letter. You will find the Lord’s will by submitting to Him, Rom. 12:1-2.

  When we fail to acknowledge God and His leadership for our future, we are living in pride. We must do nothing, plan nothing and attempt to bring nothing to pass without first seeking the Lord’s will in the matter. What I want is immaterial. What God wants is material. For what I want may never come to pass, but what He wants will always be done. Whatever we do, we need to be sure that God’s goals are our goals and that we always maintain a proper view of the future. Have you been guilty of these things? Planning and leaving God out? Let’s not be guilty of the sin of pride and presumption. But, rather, let us learn to trust the Lord and submit to His will for our lives. We must never leave God out of our planning.

• AVOID THE MISTAKE OF FOOLISH PRESUMPTIONS:
  They Failed To Grasp The Complexity Of Life
  - They counted on too many things going just the right way. Life is filled with too many variables. How could they know what the future held? How can we believe that we do? Notice their “I will’s” – This was the main characteristic of Satan’s rebellion – Isa. 14:13-15.

  Some time ago, a Senate Sub-committee made the following predictions: Men will be working 22 hour weeks, 27 weeks per year and will retire by age 38. This was predicted in 1967, for the future. The year all this was to happen? 1985! They certainly did miss that one! The fact is no one can know what will happen!

  Then, They Failed To Grasp The Uncertainties Of Life: Their statements in v. 13 – These people seem so certain regarding what is going to happen. Nobody knows what curve life will throw you tomorrow. (Death, illness, accident or injury, etc.)

  V. 15-16 All of life is subject to God’s will, not mine or yours! The future is best left in His hands. People ignore God when they make their plans because they are afraid that God will get in the way; read Matt. 6:31-33. And, He will! People would do well to remember that even with our best laid plans, our lives, our futures and all that we have and are, are in the hands of Almighty God. Only He knows what the future holds. Therefore, the advice given in verses 15 is of note. The phrase “If the Lord wills…” should be more than a catch word with believers. It should be a way of life!

  They Failed To Grasp The Brevity Of Life
  - At its very best, life is terribly short. How could these people know whether or not they would be alive tomorrow, much less next year? Death is coming and it comes suddenly and unannounced!
  1. See 1 Chron. 29:15, “For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.”
  2. Job 7:6, “My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.”Br> 3. Job 8:9, “For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:”
  4. Job 9:25-26, “Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good. They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.”
  5. Job 14:1-2, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.”
  6. Psa. 39:4-5, “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.”
  7. Psa. 103:15-16, “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.”

  READ ABOUT The Rich Farmer
  - Luke 12:19 - His mistake? He planned his future without God. He presumed on years that he had not seen!

• V. 17 AVOID THE MISTAKE OF FOOLISH POSTPONEMENTS: Procrastination is nothing new. There are a couple of notable examples in the Old Testament times:
  1.) Pharaoh - read Ex. 8:10
  2.) Belshazzar – in Dan. 5:1-31

  If we know that the end of life is coming, and if we know that it may come sooner than later, we are fools if we do not prepare. There are two areas of life where this is vitally important.

  1. The matter of salvation
  - 2 Cor. 6:2; Pro. 27:1
  – The pits of Hell are filled with men and women who said, “I’ll do it later.” The problem with that is the fact that later may never come!
  2. The matter of service
  - When we put off what we know we ought to do, in the Lord’s work, it is sin! It is the sin of omission. There is a price to pay for this sin - Luke 12:47-48. There are some very important areas where we need to act and act today:

  a. We are to obey God’s commands
  – The time to live for Jesus is now! A better day and more opportune time may never present itself. The time to witness, to preach, the worship, to go in His name is now. The time to work is now, John 9:4. The time to do good is now - Pro. 3:27-28.

  b. We are to surrender to God’s will
  – Where are the Isaiah’s who will hear the call of God and say, “Here am I; send me”? The time to serve Him is now. The time to go all out for Jesus is now.

  C. Tomorrow may never come. What a tragedy it would be to have to face God with unfinished business hanging over our heads!

AND IN CONCLUSION: In one of his sermons George W. Truett, long time Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, TX, gave his testimony of his first efforts to win a friend to Christ. They were in a revival meeting and the preacher was coming over to the school every day and speaking. And he had a friend named Jim, and he and Jim went to the services one night and George Truett, just a young Christian, didn't know how to witness or anything, but he had a burden for his friend, so he said to his friend Jim, "Jim, let's go tonight." He said, "I'll walk down the aisle with you." He said, "Jim, give your life to Christ tonight." And Jim said, "I can't do it tonight, George. Let me off tonight. If I still feel this way I'll do it tomorrow night, but let me off tonight, George." George Truett said he went to school the next day and Jim wasn't there. He said he didn't think a whole lot about it, went to school the next day and Jim was not there again, so he went over to Jim's house, and when he got over there Jim’s mother said to him, "Haven't you heard?"

And to make a long story short, what happened is that Jim had become seriously, seriously sick with fever and with pneumonia, so George talked the mother into letting him stay there on through the afternoon and on into the night. And late that night, in a delirium, Jim began to speak and here's what Jim was saying in his delirium, he was saying, "Not tonight, George. Let me off. If I feel this way tomorrow night I'll do it tomorrow night, but let me off tonight, George." And that's the way he went out to meet God. You don't know what you'll be on the morrow, your life is a vapor, it appears for a little while and it's gone. What have you been putting off in your life? Have you been putting off serving the Lord? Make up your mind to do it today! Have you been putting off coming to Jesus for salvation? Get to Him today, tomorrow may never come!

“The saddest words of tongue or pen, are these four, “It might have been!”

I must needs go home by the way of the cross,
There’s no other way but this;
I shall ne’er get sight of the Gates of Light,
If the way of the cross I miss.

Refrain:
The way of the cross leads home,
The way of the cross leads home;
It is sweet to know, as I onward go,
The way of the cross leads home.

I must needs go on in the blood-sprinkled way,
The path that the Savior trod,
If I ever climb to the heights sublime,
Where the soul is at home with God.

Refrain:
The way of the cross leads home,
The way of the cross leads home;
It is sweet to know, as I onward go,
The way of the cross leads home.

Then I bid farewell to the way of the world,
To walk in it nevermore;
For my Lord says, “Come,” and I seek my home,
Where He waits at the open door.

Refrain:
The way of the cross leads home,
The way of the cross leads home;
It is sweet to know, as I onward go,
The way of the cross leads home.

I never like to close a service without knowing that everyone has had a chance to accept Jesus into their heart and become a Christian. If you are one of those today, don't go away without finding the greatest joy in the world. It doesn't matter what your age is (I was 50 yrs old when I found Jesus). He is reaching out to you. Try reaching out to him and your life will be changed dramatically.

IF YOU ARE HERE TODAY AND HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED JESUS INTO YOUR HEART AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS SPEAKING TO YOU:

• ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE A SINNER
  --"FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD"(Rom 3:23)
• ACCEPT THAT, AS A SINNER YOU OWE A PENALTY
  --"FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH..."(Rom 6:23)
• UNDERSTAND THAT CHRIST HAS ALREADY PAID FOR YOUR SIN
  --"FOR WHEN WE WERE YET WITHOUT STRENGTH, IN DUE TIME CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY."(Rom 5:6).
• ACCEPT BY FAITH WHAT JESUS CHRIST DID FOR YOU
  --"HE THAT DWELLETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE; AND HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT ON THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE; BUT THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDETH ON HIM." (jn 3:36).

If you will trust Jesus Christ as your saviour, pray this simple prayer from the heart
--DEAR LORD JESUS: I KNOW I AM A SINNER AND I DESERVE TO PAY MY OWN SIN DEBT, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT YOU DIED FOR ME TO PAY THE DEBT THAT I OWE. TODAY, THE BEST I KNOW HOW, I TRUST YOU AS MY SAVIOUR. I WILL DEPEND ON YOU FROM THIS MOMENT ON FOR MY SALVATION. NOW,, HELP ME TO LIVE FOR YOU AND TO BE A GOOD CHRISTIAN. AMEN.

If you do pray that prayer let us know and we can rejoice with you and help you all we can. If you have any questions we'll try to help you. Feel free to contact us. We would be happy to hear from you. Our email address is near the end of this page and on our prayer page.

NOW, LET'S SING

When all my labors and trials are o’er,
And I am safe on that beautiful shore,
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Refrain:
Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

When, by the gift of His infinite grace,
I am accorded in heaven a place,
Just to be there and to look on His face,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Refrain:
Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

Friends will be there I have loved long ago;
Joy like a river around me will flow;
Yet just a smile from my Savior, I know,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Refrain:
Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

Now Let's sing

I am thinking today of that beautiful land
I shall reach when the sun goeth down;
When through wonderful grace by my Savior I stand,
Will there be any stars in my crown?

Refrain:
Will there be any stars, any stars in my crown,
When at evening the sun goeth down?
When I wake with the blest in the mansions of rest,
Will there be any stars in my crown?

Refrain:
Will there be any stars, any stars in my crown,
When at evening the sun goeth down?
When I wake with the blest in the mansions of rest,
Will there be any stars in my crown?

Oh, what joy it will be when His face I behold,
Living gems at His feet to lay down;
It would sweeten my bliss in the city of gold,
Should there be any stars in my crown.

Refrain:
Will there be any stars, any stars in my crown,
When at evening the sun goeth down?
When I wake with the blest in the mansions of rest,
Will there be any stars in my crown?

LET'S JUST RAISE OUR HANDS AND WORSHIP HIM WITH OUR EYES TURNED ON HIM AS WE CAN FEEL HIS PRESENCE HERE. O, GLORY TO GOD! THANK YOU, JESUS.!

Let us close in prayer:
"Gracious, wonderful Heavenly Father
--As we leave this sanctuary, we ask that you would make us aware of your presence every hour of every day and help us to have the strength to continue to serve you and live for you. Help us to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in everything we do and we'll return again at the next appointed service, the Lord willing. In the name of Jesus, AMEN!

WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR VISITING AND WORSHIPPING WITH US TODAY. WE INVITE YOU TO COME AGAIN TO OUR SERVICE NEXT SUNDAY. WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOUR SUGGESTIONS. FEEL FREE TO EMAIL US WITH YOUR COMMENTS. YOUR EMAIL IS ALWAYS WELCOME. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. WE LOVE YOU.

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