Fellowship in the Word

Jason Gephart: Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gephart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

Bil Gebhardt: Have you ever in your own prayer life almost been embarrassed what you're praying for? That something to you seems pretty important, but you know it's not really that important. And so you you may have friends or family are fighting for their lives. They're in the intensive care unit. Marriages are being dissolved and you're you're interceding and praying for them. And then you have something small, you know, my dog has a limp. You know, and I really I bored, you know, help me. And you start feeling like I don't want to say that to God. I don't want to say it.

That's too small. What Jesus is telling us is it's never too small.

Jason Gephart: Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gephart. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gephart now as once again he shows us how God's word meets our world.

Bil Gebhardt: Maybe some of you remember this, most will not. But in 1988 uh Edgar Whisenant wrote a book and he entitled the book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. He uh he sent out copies to virtually every pastor in America. And he sold over 3 million books. He predicted that the Lord would return on September the 11th, 12th or 13th of 1988. Now at the same time then TBN, the Trinity Broadcasting Network uh changed its regular programming and it ran pieces to instruct non-believers on what to do if their loved ones were suddenly missing.

Now I'm not really sure non-believers were watching TBN. It even became financially viable. Uh Bible Prophecy News writes this that Charles Taylor planned his 1988 tour of Israel to coincide with Whisenant's date with the possibility of being raptured from the Holy Land as the sales incentive. Only $1,975 from Los Angeles or $1,805 from New York, no return ticket necessary. He said we stay at the Intercontinental Hotel right on the Mount of Olives where you can get the beautiful view of the Eastern Gate and the Temple Mount. And if this is the year of our Lord's return as we anticipate, you may even ascend to glory from within a few feet of his ascension.

What is that? I mean it it's wishful thinking. I mean you don't have to be a Bible scholar to realize that the Lord just said that when he comes back will be as a thief in the night. No one would know. I mean it's nothing like that at all. But people wish they could really know what the future holds. Would love to know that. But I'm not so sure God would ever show us that at all. W. A. Criswell, the great legendary pastor of First Baptist Church, says this. There must have been a kindness and goodness of God in thus veiling the future from our eyes.

For if a man knew what the tomorrow would bring, he would live in constant fear and foreboding. Dying he would die a thousand deaths before just dying once. Faining he would fain a thousand times under a stroke that is yet to be delivered. God hides the future from our eyes that we might live in confidence and in hope in the present. This whole concept of time My wife who did not know what I was preaching on the day sent me a text this morning. And the text she sent me is so fitting. She says when it's hard to see what's in the distance, ask God to light the just the next step.

A lamp never shines down the path and only gives you the next step or two. How wise. That's what James would tell us. James would say look, there's something you have to understand. Your time doesn't belong to you. It belongs to God. Open your Bibles to James chapter 4 and verse 13. This is the ultimate in your face epistle. I've said this all along. There are very few things written like this in scripture. James is straightforward. He's forthright. And he has one goal in mind. He's trying to tell all of these dispersed Messianic Jewish believers.

He's trying to let them know what does real faith look like? What does really strong faith look like? You see and he he gives us one case after another. He kind of jumps jumps from subject to subject. He's already told us when you have real faith that you know how to deal with trials from the outside. In fact, he says you can even consider it all joy when they come upon you. Whenever you have real faith, you can deal with temptations on the inside of you. When you have real faith, you're not delusional about your spirituality.

You don't think you're spiritual, but you're not really. In fact, he says you're probably more likely be humble before the Lord. When you have real faith, you 're not prejudiced at all. You don't see people by any other thing other than are they lost or are they saved? That's how you see people. Then James went on and told us that when you have real faith, it produces works. He said if you have the true real faith, it produces works in your life. And then he said to us that when you have real faith, you can control your tongue because of your faith.

And last time he told us that if you have real faith, it allows you to be controlled by the grace of God rather than by your own emotions. And today it jumps to completely different subject matter. He starts out with those words come now. That's really unusual. It's so unusual by the way that in verse 13 and in chapter 5 verse 1 he says it again. It's the only times it's said in the New Testament. It 's not something that New Testament writers write, but it is something that Old Testament prophets say. And James is almost like that.

Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 18 come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. It just means that to get our attention. We would say today listen up. Get this. He says come now. I want to say something that's very important. And then when you read it, you're almost mystified. He says come now. You who say today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, engage in business and make a profit. I think you guys talk like that, don't you? Didn't that describe you? James is saying something here.

Didn't that describe just the way we live? Notice what they did. They chose their own time today or tomorrow. They chose the place to such and such a city. They chose the duration. We're going to spend about a year there. They chose the action. We're going to engage in business and they chose the goal. We're going to make a profit. What is he all upset about? They excluded God. You see they excluded God. James says people with real faith would never do that. You see you can't exclude God. You can't plan your future without God.

That's what he's saying. You just can't do that. But be honest with yourself. Don't you do that? I mean realistically, don't you do that? You plan your future without God. I've got this kind of figured out. I'm on my way. Now God's there. I mean he's everywhere, so he's got to be with me. But we plan our future that way and we had to be so careful with that kind of thinking. Hold your place here and go with me to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. And Jesus is speaking to apparently a very a very big crowd.

Some passages strike me funny. I just can't help it. Verse 1 says under these circumstances after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, he began saying to his disciples. Luke had to add that. You had so many people they're stepping on each other. This is like a Mardi Gras crowd. You know, everybody is packed in and they want to hear what Jesus says. And he has some profound things to say. He says in verse 4 I say to you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.

But I will warn you whom you fear whom to fear. Fear the one who after he has killed you has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you fear him. Now they're afraid of the they're afraid of the Romans, they're afraid of the Pharisees. Jesus said don't fear them. You better fear God. And then he says something interesting. He said are not five sparrows sold for 2 cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before the Lord. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. He said do not fear. You are more valuable than the sparrows.

What? Why does he tell us that? What's his point? May I put it this way? Have you ever in your own prayer life almost been embarrassed what you're praying for? That something to you seems pretty important, but you know it's not really that important. And so you you may have friends or family are fighting for their lives. They're in the intensive care unit. Marriages are being dissolved and you're you're interceding and praying for them. And then you have something small, you know, my dog has a limp. You know, and I really I bored, you know, help me.

And you start feeling like I don't want to say that to the God. I don't want to say it. It gets too small. What Jesus is telling us is it's never too small. He's fact in another passage he says every time a sparrow falls I see it. I mean think of that. How many sparrows are there in the world? How many? You know, billions upon billions. How many hairs are on all the heads of everyone in the world? I mean just think of that number. Think what that would be like. Why is he saying stuff like that?

Because nothing's too small for God. He says you're more valuable than sparrows. You see we seem to think that no like God somehow would have to muster up energy to answer a very big prayer for us. God says it's no more energy to ask answer the biggest prayer or the smallest to the same to me. But you're valuable to me. You see I care about you. So then Jesus goes on. He said I say to you everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God. But he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

He said the whole thing in life comes down to just simply this. It's me. That's it. You want to know what life is? It's me. Jesus Christ, he says. He that has faith in the Son has life. He that does not have faith in the Son has not life, but the wrath of God abides on him. If there's only one question you need to answer in your life is who is Jesus Christ and what has he done? That's nothing more important than that. Jesus is that's what it all comes down to. Just that. So while he's after he gives this plea, verse 13 says someone in the crowd said to him teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.

Don't you just love people? Like okay, he's talking yeah yeah yeah, eternity, me, all that big stuff. But I want to know something. Where am I going to get the money? You got to tell my brother I was supposed to get a portion of this money. My brother has it all. Just vintage people. And Jesus said to a man who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you. Now he knows he's the ultimate judge. He's talking about this issue. And he said look, I want to tell you something. Beware and be on your guard against every former greed for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.

Money's no basis of life. Money is no basis of life. He said when you base your life on money, he said you're going to fail. He said that's a terrible way. And we call basing your life on money, we call it the American dream. You see I base my life on how much I can have. Scripture says over and over again it's not the case. You see that's not the case at all. And Jesus then sets into this parable. It's a very very famous one. He told them a parable and he said the land of a rich man was very productive.

Notice he was rich already and his land is very productive. And he began reasoning to himself and he said now watch how many eyes in my show up. What shall I do since I have no place to store my crops? I've got so much abundance. I don't know what to do with it. He said now notice he said this is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul soul you have so many goods laid up for many years to come.

Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry. Don't miss it in the passage what he just said. It's not just a presumption about his money. It's a presumption about something else. Verse 19 and I will say to my soul soul you have many goods laid up for what? For many years. You never presume time. You don't own your time. Nobody owns your time but God. You don't own the time you have. He said many years. Now I know I know the culture we live in, you know, hey I exercise and you know in in vegans.

You know that's that's you know whatever we whatever it is we can do, you know, whatever it is we can do cuz man I'm going to stretch out longevity. I'm going to be in charge. See I'm going to be able to do this. James would say you can't. It's not your time. Time's a creation of God. He owns it. You and I are not owners of time. Only God is Notice this God's response to the man, but God said to him you fool. You fool. This very night. Wait a minute. I'm still in my prime.

I 'm still healthy. This very night your soul is required of you. And now he says who own what you have prepared? And a great statement. That's life. Remember Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes, one of the great books of the Old Testament. Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes, you know what real vanity is? Real vanity is this. You you you choir for yourself all of these incredible amount of wealth. Your portfolio is this thick. You got all kinds of stuff and then you 're dead. And then once you're dead, your kids and grandkids take it and squander it.

He said that's the whole point of life. And Solomon said isn't that vanity? And that's exactly what Jesus says. He said now it just goes to someone else. Your life never consist of what you possess. You can't presuppose ever your money or your time. You can't plan your future without God. You just can't do it. It doesn't work that way. That's what he is saying. Now back to James. He then goes and he says this. You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. By the way, don't you always plan for tomorrow? He's not talking about that, but do you really know what your life's going to be like tomorrow?

You see do you really know what it's going to be like tomorrow? For someone in this room, tomorrow could be the worst day of your life. You don't know that. Several years ago I read a book and the title of the book was in just intrigued me and the book was even better. It was called Between the Lightning and the Thunder. And there's a book written by a youth counselor. And he talked about his ministry to children. And when they would come to camp where he did the youth counseling, the last day they would run an obstacle course.

And he had the record for the course cuz he'd run it a lot. And so he'd be one of the last guys to run. And so he ran the course as he always did. And the last thing he did before he got the finish line, there was a long vat of mud. And you dove into the vat on your belly and went down and come out the other side, got up and faded the finish line. And so he ran the race and he dove in the vat. And then he realized he couldn't move. And he could hear laughter through the mud of everyone standing around the vat.

And then he realized he probably is going to drown in the mud. And someone eventually jumped in and drug him out, saved his life. And he's a quadriplegic. He broke his neck between the lightning and the thunder. He broke his neck. He had no idea what running that obstacle course was going to be. It was going to change his life forever. You see that was what's really going to happen here. When you think about that from any other point of view even too, it happens in our lives every day. One of my best friends one of my best friends prime of life, healthy as could be, and in a moment just like that lost his wife, the mother of his five children.

She was healthy. She was in her prime. And a lady on drugs came across in middle of the highway and hit her head on and took her life. They had no thoughts of anything. They were planning their life together, planning their children's lives and it's all over. You see it's all over. You see you don't own the time. That's just the way this works. There are people in our church that have said I can still remember a young man in the lobby and he said I'm a little disoriented. I'm I'm in trouble thinking today. And so the next day his wife took him to see a doctor and the doctor told him he basically had the most aggressive form of brain cancer possible and that he had 11 months to live.

All on a day, not expecting it, not thinking of anything. You go and you sit across the desk and a doctor looks at something and says I don't like it. Looks like this could be ALS. This could be advanced cancers, whatever it is. You don't have a promise of tomorrow. Neither do I. You see and the reason for that is I don't own the time and you don't own it either. That's what James is telling us because we don't own the time. He says in verse 14 in the second half he says you are just a vapor that appears for a little while.

He said then you vanish away. You ever think of yourself that way? You're just a vapor. What he means by that by the way is my physical life in your physical life. He said it's just a vapor. We're created as eternal beings. You and I will live forever. The choice is yours. You can live in heaven or hell, but the choice is yours because all human beings live forever. We're eternal beings. But my body You see my body, me. He said you're just a vapor. He said you're just a puff of smoke. And from God's point of view, remember he's an eternal being.

It doesn't really matter to God if you live to be 8 or 80. In light of eternity, neither one of those are long. They're almost nothing. He said that's what life consist of for us. Over and over again I find in the Bible, listen what the Bible says these verses. Our days, he said on earth are like a shadow. That's what Chronicles said Job, my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle and they're spent without hope. Job began oh remember that my life is just a breath. He said as a cloud disappears and vanishes away, he who goes down to the grave doesn't come up.

He said my days are swifter than a runner. They flee away. They see no good. They pass like swift ships like an eagle swooping in on its prey. Man is born of a woman is of a few days and then his life is for a trouble. He comes forth like a flower and he fades away and flees like a shadow and does not continue. The psalmist said Lord make me know my end. What is the measure of my days that I may know how he said how frail I am. Indeed you have made my days like my hand breath.

My ages is nothing before you. The psalmist also said my days are like mean consumed by smoke. My days are like a shadow that lengthens. I wither away like grass. And I love this one. As for man, his days are like grass. The flower of the field he flourishes and then the wind passes over and it's gone and his place remembers him no more. That's your physical life. Mine. Why does the Bible keep telling us over and over over again smoke just just a flower that blooms and then you're gone. For us to understand this time, it's fleeting and it's not ours.

I love the way that the psalmist ends it and you remember no more. Think right now. I want you to think. Think of memories of your great grandmother that you have, your great grandmother. And some of you say I think I got it. Okay, now give me your great great grandmother. Tell me your memories and your great great great grandmother. Tell me all the memories you have. You know, right? You remember no more. You see remember no more. That's the path all of us take. You see my grandchildren will remember me. My great grandchildren Mike, but my great great not likely and after that never.

My life will pass just like everybody's life passes. And that's okay with me. See our ignorance of the future and the brevity of life and the fragility of life should give us pause that we don't own our time. We don't own this. This actually belongs to God.

Jason Gephart: You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gephart on the radio ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called oneplace.com. That's oneplace.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online. At that website you will find only today's broadcast, but also many of our previous audio programs as well. At Fellowship in the Word, we are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help this radio ministry continue its broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly or just a one-time gift.

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