The Healing Word

Pastor Jack Morris: Think of the problems you have faced and you have overcome. If it had not been for the Lord. Think of the sicknesses and the difficulties and the trials and the testing times. If it had not been for the Lord. Think about it. Whatever you're going through right now, it's the Lord. He's going to show a side of His glory to you that you've never seen before. And you're going to come away saying, "Isn't He wonderful? Isn't He wonderful?"

Guest (Male): Welcome to The Healing Word. Here's Pastor Jack Morris with today's message that will grow your faith in God and lead you to a closer walk with Jesus.

Pastor Jack Morris: Jesus is wonderful. Everything about Him is wonderful. Can you say Amen to that? Amen. His name is wonderful. That's what I want you to write down in your bulletin, in your sermon outline.

The Scripture says in Isaiah 9:6, "And His name shall be called Wonderful." Now, what's in a name? Everything. You name a person and everything about that person comes to mind almost instantaneously. Your association with them, your history, that person's character, whether there are good things or bad things, everything comes to mind when you name a person.

And this is what we think when we name the name of Jesus: everything wonderful about Him comes to mind because He's wonderful and He has done so many wonderful things and He continues to do wonderful things. He's a wonderful Savior. You think about it for a moment. He was wonderful in His birth. It was a virgin birth. That is awesome.

Now we think about that at Christmastime, but to think the person who came into this world to be our Savior was virgin born. No one before Him, no one after Him, only Jesus was born of the virgin. He came, God alone is His Father. And then think of His life here on earth. He lived among men, He went about doing good, blessing, healing, restoring, teaching. Satan's kingdom began to crumble wherever Jesus was, even in His life and His ministry. His name is wonderful. His name is wonderful.

And then in His death, think about His death on the cross of Calvary, bearing my sins. What a wonderful Savior to come from the realms of glory to this earth to die in my place and in your place. What a wonderful Savior. But our dear Savior there on the cross, dying, bearing my sins and your sins, looking down at those who crucified Him and praying for them, "Father, forgive them."

Have you ever heard of such a thing as that? Anybody do that to me, I'd say, "God, You curse that person. You bring that person to judgment. You shake them over the flames of hell." Have you ever prayed for your enemy? If you did, you are filled with the spirit of Jesus. Jesus prayed for His enemies. And He's wonderful in His death.

I think of Him dying on that cross, giving up His spirit, calling out, "It is finished," our redemption made complete. And then resurrected on the third day, never to die again. Yes, Lazarus was resurrected, but Lazarus died again. Jesus was the only one that was resurrected never to die again to destroy death and the sting of death and the fear of death. We have nothing now to worry about, be concerned over, or to fear. Death is gone, it has been banished. Jesus did that for us.

And then He ascended back to heaven and He's seated at the right hand of the Father, praying and interceding for us. His name is wonderful. Can you say Praise the Lord? Praise the Lord. His name is Jesus. Can you say that? His name is Jesus.

And number B in your outline: His salvation is wonderful. Say that with me: His salvation is wonderful. Now read the Scripture: "My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation." When I think how God reached down into a family in Western Pennsylvania and there were all of these Morrises, and there were a lot of them, aunts and uncles and cousins, a lot of them, and He reached down and got a hold of me and pulled me up into His salvation.

Now, you think in your family how many cousins, aunts, uncles, friends you have who may not be saved, who may not be in church today, who may not be as devoted to the Lord as you are, but how God reached into that family of yours and brought you out into the light of His glorious Gospel, into this great and wonderful salvation. And today you're sitting in the house of God, rejoicing in Jesus Christ. His name is wonderful. His salvation is wonderful.

The Scripture says, Jesus says, "The wind bloweth where it listeth," or the wind blows wherever it decides to blow. Nobody can say wind blow this way or wind blow that way. The wind blows wherever it wishes. You hear the sound, but you don't know where it's coming from, you don't know where it's going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. God is sovereign. He's touching hearts. That doesn't mean a thing. I'm not sick.

The wind is blowing. The Holy Spirit is moving. You are being saved and I'm being saved and our hearts and our lives are being transformed. His salvation is wonderful. And His ministry is wonderful. Point C in your outline, write down the word ministry and then read this Scripture here on the screen: "I am the Good Shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me."

He saved us. He called all of us into ministry to be the light of the world, to be the salt of the earth. I know when I received the Lord, it was a very short time after that I felt called to become a minister, a pastor. I even felt called to be a pastor even before I was saved. I can't explain that. I don't know how to explain that. I don't know what was going on in my heart and mind, but I know God was working and I knew that the Holy Spirit was calling me to do something.

And I yielded to Him, gave my heart to Him, and then came the fulfilling of the call into the ministry. And I believe the years I spent before coming to the Largo Community Church, those years were all in preparation for coming here to pastor this congregation. Remember, I had a little church over on the Eastern Shore I took care of for four months and I was only 18 years old when I was over there at that little church.

And then I had a little church down in Virginia. Now I'm married. Along a country road, cow pastures and tobacco fields all around us, a little white clapboard church, a little white clapboard parsonage, and a little cemetery. You've seen those churches along the highways. Well, I was there for a year and a half. Then for another year and a half, I went down to Elizabeth City, North Carolina. And then out in Missouri for a short time.

And then I came to Baltimore and I pastored five years. And then another church in Maryland for five years. And I was doing study, working on degrees. All of that was in preparation to coming here. And then the Lord said Largo. And we came over and looked this place over. We saw all these houses going up, about 1500 houses in Kettering, and that became the place where the Lord planted me to complete my life's work right here at the Largo Community Church.

We bought the hymnals, we knocked on doors, we invited people to come. The Elburns walked in to the multipurpose room. We were so happy to see them. They became pillars in the church and then went out to become missionaries in the Philippines. What a wonderful time that was. And the years passed, 36 years. I can hardly believe it. I want you to turn to your neighbor and say Happy 36.

And then we began to look for land and we bought this land here. And I'm not going to go into that story. That is a beautiful story of God's grace and God's miracle-working power. And then we built that little chapel that we have. Then we bought two acres over here. And then we bought 42 acres over there. And we kept right on building. God was doing great things.

I shall never forget that men's fellowship breakfast that we had way back there, years ago. And I said to the fellows, God was speaking, God was moving in my heart. There was that farm next door. And I said to some friends, I said, "If we could just get five acres, if we could buy two to five acres for additional parking, I would be delighted." You know, we think so small, don't we? We have tiny thoughts.

I mean, God created this whole planet and all the earth on it belongs to Him, and in addition to all the other worlds. But we somehow think that God just can't do it because we measure God according to our wallet. You still with me? Okay. And so God spoke to my heart, put it in my heart to go over there and claim it all for Him.

And I mentioned to the fellows, I said, "Fellows, I'm going to go by there. It's down about where the south entrance is now. There was a stand where a man used to come and sell produce and we could drive off, pull our cars off." And I said, and it was cold, the wind was blowing, the ground underneath our feet was like cement. And I said, "Any of you fellows would like to drive by and stand on that property and claim it with our feet before you go home?"

And so 15 fellows, now a lot of fellows had a lot of things to do and I understand they had appointments, but only 15 guys, and I'm thankful for those 15. And Phil, you were one of them. And any of the other fellows in here this morning that were one of those 15? Gary and Aldobe, and who is that? John King. Anybody else? All right. That was history-making.

We went over there and got out of our cars. Kusic, I think you were there. Yeah, you were there. I remember seeing you there. And we stood on the ground. We couldn't pray long prayers because we were afraid we'd freeze to death. So, "Lord, catch this one fast. Here it comes." And we claimed that ground with our feet.

And we didn't have the money. There were seven Arab brothers who owned it. We had to track all of those men down and all of them had to sign for it. And off we went and we got it. God gave it. And then we wanted to build a building over there. Yes, thank the Lord. Praise the Lord. And then we wanted to build a building and we found out after we bought the land, after we bought it, that there were covenants there that the community said you can't build anything on that.

So here we had a piece of ground with nothing, couldn't do anything with it. So we again brought it to the people of faith, the Largo Community Church. Said lift this matter up before the Lord. I started walking through that community. Every house in that community I would point at it or rest my eyes on it, praying, "God, soften their heart that they'll vote this thing through."

The night this was to be voted upon on the covenants to be removed, a lot of you people came into the sanctuary, knelt at these altars and prayed. Some of us went down to the Kingsford school and walked the corridors while the people were in a closed room, the library, talking and debating whether or not they should remove the covenants. The Heinzes, Herman and Lee. Herman and Lee walked around the building in the dark. Circled that building in the dark.

I mean, there are some people of faith at the Largo Community Church. Now, there were some people at the Largo Community Church who just kicked back waiting to see what would happen because they knew that minister was a fanatic and they knew that God didn't have any money to buy it. You see, they were measuring God according to their faith and their money. I don't understand people. I mean, God is the God of creation.

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves for putting God down and making Him a miniature God. We bring Him down to our level. You know, I preached a sermon many years ago: God is dead. I don't think I ever preached that one here. But you know, some of the gods that we have in our mind should die because that is not the God of the Bible, the God of the New Testament, the God that opens the Red Sea, the God that opens Jordan, the God that moves mountains.

I mean, your God to many of you can only do about what you think He can do according to what you've got in your wallet or in the bank account or what you think you're going to take out and give because you know you're not going to give. So you bring Him down and say, "Pastor, this is too early. This isn't the time. We can't afford it." Mean you just don't want to exercise faith and you want to not get out of your comfort zone.

Hallelujah. You get me stirred up. And if you don't, I'll stir myself up. Hallelujah. His name is wonderful. He does wonderful things, things that we can't even imagine or think. He will do it. You know, the word wonder comes from the Middle English and the Old High German. It means you've got to see it for yourself. It's like going out to the Grand Canyon and you say, "Whoa," and then you come back home and you try to tell somebody what you saw.

You try to convince them of what it did to you, the wonder of looking at that Grand Canyon. And that's what the word wonder means. It means a must-see. And that's what Jesus does. You've just got to see it for yourself. You've got to behold it, you've got to behold Him and see His glory. He's wonderful. He's wonderful. His name is wonderful.

His salvation is wonderful. His ministry is wonderful. And Point D: He is a wonder-filled God of blessing. He wants to fill your life with wonder and cause you to see His glorious might and power. Look up here at the screen and read that Psalm 84, verse 11: "For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk blamelessly before Him."

It all began when He saved you, when He saved me. That's where the wonder began. Wonder of wonders, He transformed a sinner into a saint. Yes, the leopard lost his spots. Jesus did it. Wonder of wonders. And then He goes on to establish us in this wonderful relationship with Him. You see, Jesus is alive from the dead. He who walks on water is with us still. And He is walking.

He is moving. He is not a stagnant God stuck somewhere. When a church doesn't move, when a church doesn't grow, it's because they're not following God because the wind is blowing where it listeth. He is sovereign. Things are happening. God never stops, never stops. I'm just excited about what God is going to do next because this isn't over.

We have not arrived. If we have, then God help us because we're not following God anymore. The Shepherd is always out front leading and we're following. The wind is always blowing where it listeth or where it pleases and we hear the sound. Let's march. The wind is blowing in the mulberry trees. Let's march. Let's follow the Lord and do His will. Jesus never grows dull.

I thought about how my life has particularly here at the Largo Community Church. It's like getting in the car and driving across the United States. You come across the Bay Bridge and you see the magnificent bridge and you see the Chesapeake Bay and then you awe and gaw, it's beautiful. And then you drive into the rolling mountains of Western Maryland and they're beautiful. And I'm driving and I'll say to Corinne, I'll say, "Look out over that valley there. Look out over there. Isn't that something else? Isn't that beautiful?"

And then you get into the higher mountains in Pennsylvania, then you go across the flatlands and you see the grain fields of Ohio and Kansas, and then you go on into the Rockies of the Colorados. I mean, everywhere you turn it's a different sight. And that's the way it is with Jesus. I mean, we're walking with the Lord and we think, "Wow, isn't that wonderful what He did? Oh, look here what He's done. Whoa, what He's done over here." And we just keep moving and we keep praising and we keep thanking. Hallelujah. It's beautiful.

You know, He comes in power when you're weak, when you need strength, there's the presence of power and you give glory to the Lord. There's the presence of love when you need comfort and when you're alone. There's the presence of Jesus. He's there with us. When you're insecure and you feel frightened, there is Jesus, the power and presence. And so we're just moving through life and we're seeing this side of Him, we're seeing that view of Him, we're seeing that nuance of Him, and on we go.

And He's ever bright, He's ever glorious, He's ever new. This life doesn't become dull. Not at all. It is always resurrection and life in the Lord Jesus Christ. So call upon Him, friend, call upon Him. He wants to show a side of His glory, a side of His power, a side of His might that you've never seen before and it'll affect you. There will come a renewed sense of wonder and awe as you see Jesus, as you move through your personal life with Him. He will be there.

What did I say? When you're alone, when you need comfort. When you're insecure and you're frightened, He'll be there, He'll remove your fear. Whatever it is that you need, when you are troubled, when you are worried, He'll be there, He'll be peace. You're going to see the side of Jesus that is peace. The side of Jesus that is comfort. The side of Jesus that gives you security. The side that gives you peace. The side that gives you love.

All of these sides of Jesus, they continue like the rainbow, like the nuances, the colors, like a kaleidoscope, they keep changing, they keep changing. He is ever new, He is ever wonderful. This is your Jesus if you'll follow Him. But if you stop and you'll say, "Well, you know, the Largo Community Church, or my life, or my family, this is where we have come."

Jesus is going to keep on going, but I'm ready to stop here. He'll let you stop, but if you keep following Him, it continues to get brighter, more glorious, more wonderful than ever before. This is what the Lord does. Now notice what it says in, read this Scripture with me, Psalm 139: "O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You hem me in behind and before. You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."

Oh, did you read that? Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it's too lofty for me to attain. You see, when you get up in the morning and you go out to meet the day, what is out there? Who knows? God only knows. You don't know what you're going to face, what's going to confront you, but look at what it says. When I sit and when I rise, You perceive my thoughts from afar. You hem me in behind and before. You've laid Your hand upon me.

So He's out there. You know you're going with Jesus. Whatever is there to confront you, He's going to be there. And then when you come home in the evening, He knows where you live and He knows whether there's going to be peace in your house or not. You see, He's behind and He's before. He's got you hemmed in. He's out there ahead of you. Where are you going with your life? He's out there ahead of you. He's got there first. He's opening the door and making a way. And then He's bringing up the rear. He's got your back covered, in other words. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

Guest (Male): If today's message strengthened your faith, we invite you to stand with The Healing Word through your prayers and your generous support. Every gift helps us take the Gospel to more people who desperately need to hear that Jesus still saves. Join us tomorrow for another Healing Word message. Until then, blessings on you.