YP Address—D. Nicolet
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Let's open our meeting this afternoon, singing hymn #42 hymn #42 in the back of the book.
Savior, lead us by thy power safe into the promised rest. Choose the path the way whatever seems to thee. Oh Lord, the best be our guide in every peril. Watch and keep us night and day. Else our foolish hearts will wander from the Strait and narrow way. Hymn #42 in the back of the book. Would a brother please raise the tune to that?
Particularly thinking about that phrase in the first verse that we sung choose the path.
The way whatever seems to Thee, oh Lord, the best.
With the Lord's help this afternoon, perhaps we'll talk a bit about choices.
Let's ask the Lord's blessing.
You know, beloved young people. The word of God is full of accounts recorded of those who made choices.
Accounts of those who made good choices and were blessed and happy Accounts of those who made.
Very sad choices and suffered terribly for it. It's not my intention this afternoon to go through a list of choices, but that's the theme that I'd like to.
Take up a little bit, but what I really have on my heart after.
With the Lords help, some introductory remarks they'd like to present to you, not what choices to make.
But why to make them? The reason for making them the reason for making.
Good choices.
Let's look at a.
Couple or three verses to begin with. To just introduce a little bit our subject, let's start in the book of Joel, the little prophet Joel.
Joel Amos.
Obadiah, Jonah. The Little Book of Joel and the Last Chapter.
In that book.
A verse that I'm not going to take up in, certainly in its prophetic.
Aspect, but just to apply the words of it to our hearts, this afternoon, Joel, chapter 3.
And the first phrase of verse 14.
Multitudes. Multitudes.
In the Valley of decision, beloved young people, you more than perhaps most sitting here.
Answer morally.
In application to this phrase, multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision.
Our dear brother Ryan this morning mentioned to us that perhaps the third of those who the Lord is allowed to be here at this very happy occasion, our young people.
That was quite a solemnizing thought to me. So many lives.
On the line.
What do I mean by that? I suppose I'm talking to the vast majority this afternoon here, who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
I hope that so. I hope if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, I hope if you're not sure.
That you know that Blessed One as your own personal Savior who shed His blood on the cross. That.
Your sin washed away. I hope that's the first decision you'll make right now.
This afternoon, right at this moment.
You perhaps are looking forward to three days of fellowship and joy and.
Certainly that's not wrong. It's a wonderful thing to be able to be back here, see so many beloved brethren, and to enjoy indeed the fellowship and the hospitality and the facilities and all of that. But people have young people you may not be here to see those three days. None of us may. Lord Jesus has promised to come momentarily. He's been waiting some 2000 years now to gain, to claim that which cost him the agony of Calvary's cross.
And I think it's not wrong to say that we can, with some measure of assurance, say he's not.
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Going to wait much longer.
So now you have a decision to make. If you don't know Christ as your savior, make it.
Now, in faith, I can't make you do that. No one else can. We pray and desire that it might be solved.
But my comments this afternoon are going to be directed more in the sense of those sitting here, especially the beloved young people who do know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
And you are making decisions that if the Lord should leave us here, those many of those decisions you are going to.
Experience the effects of them for the rest of your days.
The world would talk to you about not thinking and worrying much about tomorrow, just having fun today.
Not taking things too seriously.
Grab the moment. Enjoy it.
Live it.
Bright, exciting world out there that offers so much.
The beloved young people. The reality is every decision you are making today.
About your life, about all that attaches to it, about your relationships.
Everyone of those decisions.
Is going to be part of whether or not you live a happy, joyous, fulfilled life as the Lord Jesus desires you to live.
Or whether your life is one of sorrow and misery.
That's kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? A child of God redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.
A member of the body of Christ, one who will form the part of the bride of Christ.
Having cost him so much agony and grief, having heard him say.
Rejoice evermore. It's kind of an oxymoron to say that such would live a miserable life, but it's possible. It shouldn't be, but it's possible. You're going to meet lot in heaven someday.
He lost everything because he made a lousy choice.
You're going to meet Adam and Eve in glory someday.
And the sorrow and the sickness and the death and the violence in this world was the result of a terrible choice they made.
Cain made a horrible choice when he decided to spurn the sin offering that lay at the door after he had committed that.
Abominable act of murdering his brother.
But rather than taking heed to that sin offering that lay at the door, he turned his back and went out from the presence of God.
And said, as it were, I'm going to build a place in this world where I will be happy.
Without reference to and apart from God, a terrible choice.
And you can go down through the annals of history and you can see individual after individual, recorded in the word of God that made terrible choices, terrible decisions.
You can also see those who made very wise decisions.
And I hope this afternoon that that's what you will be encouraged to make turn with me to.
Next to the book of Proverbs, the first chapter.
Look at the negative and then we'll look at the positive.
Proverbs, Chapter One.
And we'll read of Wisdom personified here as this.
A wonderful woman.
Verse 20 Proverbs one wisdom crieth without.
She uttereth her voice in the street. She crieth in the chief place of the concourse, in the openings of the gates in the city. She uttereth her words. Nothing hidden, nothing hard to find out, nothing difficult to discern.
About Godly wisdom, it's there. Will you lay hold of it beloved young people to guide you in making the decisions and the choices that you are making now. And if the Lord leaves us here, you'll be making tomorrow for the for the coming days as you're left here. That will have such a profound effect on your life, your testimony, your happiness.
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But look at this.
She calls out.
In verse 23 Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you. I will make known my words unto you.
Free wisdom, May I say it this way reverently and carefully.
Guarantee.
For your happiness and your satisfaction, don't you want that?
But here were some who made a lousy choice.
Verse 25 Ye have said it, not all my counsel. There were those who heard the wisdom of God. We talked about that this morning, to open the word of God and read the word of God, and find the wisdom of God written for your joy and blessing, and for mine. There were those that heard it.
And they rejected it. They spurned it.
The result so solemn.
Verse 28 Then shall they call upon me? But I will not answer.
They shall seek me early, but they shall not.
Find me.
Why? For they hated knowledge and did.
Not choose.
The fear of the Lord.
They chose to make their own decisions.
They chose to do what was satisfying to them, what was best for them.
Without reference or regard to God. That's the fear of God.
To take him first into account, to seek his face, to determine what is pleasing to him.
And to bow to it and they wouldn't do it.
And they call for wisdom in a time of trouble and because there's No Fear of God.
They get no answer.
You look around this world today and you find.
Innumerable multitudes of people desperately looking for answers.
To solve the enigmas of the choices that they have made apart from God.
Looking for ways to get out of the holes they've dug for themselves.
Because when the wisdom was there and available to them.
They said I'm not interested in religion.
I don't want to hear about Jesus anymore.
God is not part of my thoughts and plans.
What a stupid.
Choice.
That's the negative.
Let's look for a moment at the positive.
Turn to the prophet Isaiah.
The 7th chapter.
Isaiah Chapter 7. Just one word. Again, I'm using this as a wonderful moral principle.
The Word of God, beloved young people, is an absolute treasure chest of the most precious, priceless principles, every one of them the Spirit of God, can take and use to some facet of your life. Never a circumstance, never a difficulty, never a problem, will you ever face that the word of God?
Applied by the power of the Spirit of God is not sufficient to give you life.
And answers and direction. What a resource?
Verse 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil.
And choose the good by nature apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ beloved young people.
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You will always.
You will always man will always choose evil over good.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked who can know it? It's a heart. It's a spring that will lead you only and ever to choose the wrong thing, to make the very worst choice.
In every circumstance of life.
Unless.
You have dwelling within you Christ by the Spirit of God.
Knowing Him as Savior and Lord. And let me just add what you have heard so many times before from so many.
Standing at these kinds of podiums, speaking beloved young people, make no mistake about it. It is altogether possible to know Jesus Christ as your Savior, to be on your way home to heaven every one of your sins washed away in His precious blood, and not know Him as Lord, not allow Him Lordship in your life, because to do that requires something.
It requires that you set aside all of your wisdom, all of your thoughts, all of your plans. Not that you can't go to him and tell him every single desire and plan and everything that you would wish to have. Of course He wants to hear that. But you set aside all of your thoughts about how to achieve happiness in this life if you own Christ as your Lord, if he is your savior.
And you want him to be the Lord of your life. You give him full rights to control you.
In everything without question, and this is, may I say, the controller.
You know, this morning Brother Bob said something that made me very uncomfortable.
Not because it was wrong, but because I far too often find it for myself. And that is so often I read this precious treasure chest and when I'm done, I get up and walk away and I'm not letting it control and give me wisdom.
Beloved young people, let me ask you where you're sitting this afternoon.
Ask yourself This is Jesus, Lord of my life.
Does he have unquestioned rights?
In my life.
Do I submit?
Without question, without argument, without debate, do I submit to his clear.
Understandable.
Divine, perfect and unchangeable word.
Or do I decide?
That my path to happiness and I say this reverently needs.
Jesus and me.
No needs Jesus, Jesus only.
Would you this afternoon ask the Lord Jesus?
To teach you the joy of finding the richness and the sweetness.
Of his presence. That's my application of butter and honey, the richness and the sweetness.
Of fellowship with him, of sitting with him, of reading of him, of learning of him.
Of talking to him, Butter and honey. And what will that do for you?
You'll learn.
To refuse the evil and choose the good and.
Don't be fooled, you've already, I'm sure in many ways.
Realize that the evil in this world does not always look evil.
It very often looks very, very refreshing, bright, happy, promising and the good in this world, according to the world at least, looks so dull and boring and restrictive.
And legal and hard.
Don't expect it to be anything different in an enemy's land, The enemy of your soul and mind, who has disguised himself, at least in our western world, as an Angel of light.
Will not show himself always as violent and wicked and horrible and detestable.
You can go to parts of this metropolis and you can find those results.
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But you'll find far more on the surface that looks very beautiful.
Very much worth your efforts and your life to achieve and to attain.
The only way you're going to have wisdom to make the right choice.
Is to eat butter and honey.
To feed on the Lord Jesus.
And find the richness.
And the sweetness?
That you'll only find wanting.
And whatever you try that the world has to offer.
Will you do that this afternoon? Will that be your first choice, my beloved young friend, sitting here this afternoon? Will you seek the Lord's face and in some way express to Him the desire of your heart that you do truly want?
To find satisfaction and joy and sweetness.
In him.
You know what this at times very beautiful world did to him? You can read about it four different times in the word of God, in great detail. Detail. It ought to put us on our face, weeping in tears, when we realize what the creator of this universe had to go through.
If I can say it this way, to buy my redemption and happiness and to give me eternal life and you.
Did he do that?
Did he let those people spit in his face?
Did he stand there?
Without answering or fighting back when they beat him.
To the utter those words, father forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Hanging with nails through his hands and feet from across a crown of thorns that had been beaten into his head.
And hanging there a spectacle to people who thought it was part of their entertainment to watch a man so agonize and suffer.
Did he do that beloved young people so that you can have a lousy, miserable, unfulfilled life?
Is that why you suffered?
So what the world will tell you in 1000 ways.
Let's be very, very plain about it, my dear young friends.
Though it may be cloaked.
In very acceptable forms.
What the world is seeking.
To get you and those of us who are older too, this is an address to young people, but I'm going to address all of us.
I trust the speaker first of all.
But what the world is seeking to get you and I to say, whether we will say it with our words or not?
Is by our actions to say Jesus isn't enough.
He alone can't make me happy.
Let's lay it on the line. Let's be honest. Isn't that what if we're going to be honest?
The world seeks to get us to say.
You can have your religion.
But you've got to have something else too.
Something that he won't give you.
Satan is a murderer and a liar.
The father of it. Don't expect the truth.
Out of the scene, the world over which Satan is presently the Prince, you'll never get the truth from the world.
You'll get it from this precious book.
And from the one who wrote it.
Manual.
Which you followed will give you indeed true happiness.
And satisfaction.
Butter and honey she.
Shall he eat?
That he may know to refuse the evil even if it doesn't look evil.
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But if down the road, choosing it will result in sorrow, unhappiness.
Destroyed lives.
Broken dreams.
He'll give you to refuse the evil.
And give you the ability.
To choose the good.
I'm not going to go through the word of God and give you in the remaining.
Moments. We have together a list of things to do, a list of choices that you ought to make.
I feel it gets to be a kind of a.
I want to be careful with my words, but it seems to me.
Kind of a dangerous thing.
To set a list of rules up that guide you as to what choices are acceptable.
And what choices are not acceptable? Some of those things are so obvious from Scripture that there's no question.
But much of the things that you face and are going to face if the Lord leaves us here, beloved young people in your life, will require real fellowship with the heart of the Lord Jesus for you to determine if in your life to please Him and for your ultimate good and happiness.
If that is a choice you should make. And sometimes what throws us is we see other Christians who have made those choices and they seem to be getting along fine. Don't let that throw you. It may if they had been in the presence of the Lord asking his wisdom, it may have been the right thing for them to choose. I'm not talking about drunkenness and immorality and corruption and violence.
I'm not talking to a bunch of bricks this afternoon. You know what the word of God has to say about that kind of life.
I'm talking about the infinite number of choices.
That you must make for which there is no chapter and verse.
That tell you what to do or what not to do.
The kinds of choices that will require you to come into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As your savior, your Lord, your very best friend, the one who alone truly wants you to be happy.
And there to hear the shepherd's voice.
Talking to you with a personal message.
To direct and guide you personally that you might have joy and enjoy his fellowship.
And so while I don't want to.
Give you a list of rules and I won't try to do that.
I do want to give you 7 reasons in closing this afternoon.
For why?
You need.
To get to the Lord Jesus.
To find out what choices to make.
I want you to not have a list of rules. I want you to have a person.
To whom you can go.
And find out what he wants to tell you, not what I think you ought to hear.
Because if you will go to the Lord Jesus.
There at your on your knees, as it were, at his feet.
In his presence, I assure you.
In listening and being obedient, you will make the right choice.
Turn to the Gospel of Luke. We're going to look at 7 times. I've enjoyed this recently. It's been very precious to my heart for those perhaps who have.
Heard some of these thoughts.
I'll ask you to bear with me and remember what the Apostle Paul said that.
It wasn't a grievous thing for him to repeat what he had said, and it was safe for those who were hearing it more than once.
Turn to the Gospel of Luke, please.
And I'd like to follow through the seven times it seems to me in that gospel you find someone at the feet of the Lord Jesus and beloved young people. I'm doing this to encourage my heart and yours to see that it's that person and in that place humbled at his feet, at the at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's there.
That you will be given the wisdom and the direction.
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To make the right choices.
Turn to Luke chapter.
7.
The city which was a Sinner.
That's not very good qualifications, is it, For making good choices.
If that's the only thing that qualifies someone to.
Make decisions that are supposed to grant them a full and rich and satisfying and joyous happy life.
We might rightfully say there's trouble ahead.
But this sinful woman?
Found the right person in whose company she was welcome, who would give her the answers?
To take care of that which Sin had robbed from her up to that point.
And that's the person I want to direct you to. That's the person I want to direct my own heart to afresh this afternoon. Jesus Christ.
To be found at his blessed feet.
And to find.
There all that I lost.
Through stupid self willed decisions that I made on my own.
When she knew that Jesus sat at meet in the Pharisee's house brought an alabaster box appointment.
Here's the first one and stood at his feet behind him.
Weeping.
You know, when I've read this before, I'll just suggest these thoughts. I don't press them dogmatically.
But I'll just suggest these thoughts when she stood at the feet of the Lord Jesus behind him, weeping. I've often read that and thought to myself.
That's because she wasn't accepted in front of him. She wasn't good enough.
To be in front of him.
No, she was accepted there.
And not even for the cultural significance, for as I think any who have studied the culture of this day, the biblical culture, they weren't sitting on chairs at a table.
They were laying at table and there in the center of the room was a table where the food was placed.
And the guests were given couches, and they lay on those couches, their head toward the table, their feet.
Away from the couch. It was normal custom in those homes in biblical times that it could afford.
To open their homes and show such hospitality. And so if you read Mr. Darby sometimes or Mr. Kelly's translation of the Gospels, you'll find at times the phrase lay at table.
So here was the blessed Lord Jesus reclining at the table.
And the woman stood behind him.
And had access to him. You know what's beautiful about that?
The very word that we might shudder out when we first read it. She stood behind him.
That's not because she was a second class citizen. That's because in the center of that room serving was a Pharisee.
Who thought she was a pretty awful person and wanted to send accusations.
This man, if he were a prophet, would know what manner of woman she is. He wouldn't touch her.
She's a Sinner and I'm a Pharisee and that gives me right of judgment.
To look down on someone and accuse them.
And rebuked them. But you know what if you love it? Young people.
His rebukes had to get through Jesus to get to her because she was behind him.
You're welcome there.
Whatever has happened in your life, you're welcome there at his feet.
You're welcome there with your tears of repentance.
And nobody's going to accuse you.
Because they got to get through, I say reverently the Lord Jesus to do it.
What a wonderful place to be.
At the feet of the Lord Jesus behind him, expressing.
Her sorrow.
She was weeping.
And she was going to find something very, very precious, beloved young people. She was going to find that what she thought she had lost was not lost at all.
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She was in the presence of perfect love.
Perfect holiness, Perfect power.
And she was going to find that in his presence.
What she had done.
Could be and was forgiven.
And she had no longer to fear an accuser. She had to enjoy a defender savior.
Beloved young people get at his feet.
Whatever's happened in your life, find yourself there, 211 brethren. Let's find ourselves there, because that's the first place that we need to go weeping.
To find the right choices.
The next thing?
Began to wash his feet with tears and wipe them with the hairs of her head.
I pondered this and I understood. I don't understand it. I've heard people try to explain it in biblical culture.
About tear bottles and so forth.
But what comes home to my heart? Beloved young people.
Is that she had to cry a lot.
To have enough tears to wipe the dust of Galilee.
Off the feet of the Savior.
This wasn't a game with her. She was serious and beloved. Young people, I want you to be serious this afternoon.
Beloved brother and I want us all to be serious about these things this afternoon. He's there and forgiveness is there, and he wants us there and we're welcome there.
But we, may I say it this way, better enter that presence.
In a spirit of repentance.
Being able to display the fruit of a repentant heart.
Do you know what Pete Washington did? It did two things, I believe. Perhaps more, but it showed respect.
And it brought refreshment and comfort.
If you want to show respect, I say reverently to the Lord Jesus.
Try repentance.
Don't try to do better tomorrow. Don't try to turn over a new leaf tomorrow. Repent.
Right and I'm wrong?
What a comfort that's going to be, I say reverently to him.
It's the tears that come from that that brought not only showed respect but brought comfort to those blessed feet that walked this pathway to the glory of God and for your blessing and mine.
She laid her glory down. All of her thoughts, all of her rights to choose, She laid them down.
The hair of her head wiping his feet.
With that glory.
Lay your glory down.
Just get at his feet.
What refreshment it will bring to him, what joy it will bring to you.
The third one kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment.
He'd like something from you.
He'd like to receive a display of your heart's affection.
And you say, but I made such lousy choices.
I think that's lost to me. I don't see how I can respond.
And satisfy his heart any longer.
I don't see how I can kiss his blessed feet.
And anoint them with ointment.
That's the beauty of being there in repentance, to find out he's looking for something from you.
He's looking for an expression of love.
An expression of affection.
You give that to him, you can.
And I want to suggest that if your heart is presenting love and affection.
Real heartfelt.
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Expressions.
Of love to the Lord Jesus.
Your ear is going to be tuned to not just hear what he has to say.
But you're going to be listening.
And we'll read about that a little later.
Beloved young people, She was a Sinner.
She was despised. She was not in the top 20.
Acceptable.
Ladies of society in the village in which she lived.
She was as low as you could go.
And she was welcome at Jesus feet.
And she was welcome to give him something that he desired.
That's the one.
That will make the choices for you and not one of you here, beginning with a speaker, is barred.
No matter what has happened in your life from finding yourself there.
Turnover.
To.
Chapter 8 the next chapter.
You know these stories well, so we won't dwell on them.
Just to remind us, now we're going to be hearing about a man.
Who was naked, unhappy, friendless, and spent his day, the days, the hours of his life wounding himself.
Shackled with chains.
As an attempt to control him and snapping those chains.
Miserable, unhappy existence.
Maybe he made some really bad choices in his life, and here's the result of it.
And then Jesus comes.
Blessed Jesus the person.
That I want to know more about in my heart and life, and that I want you to know more about Jesus.
And the Lord Jesus casts those demons that legion out.
And now what do we find?
We find one who in another gospel read how he walked about crying and cutting himself with stones.
Living in the cemetery, in the tombs, naked, destitute, without friend, without hope, We can say it, perhaps in the language of the apostle and the epistles, without hope, without God, in this world.
And now where is he?
Sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Clothed and in his right mind.
What peace?
From an absolute miserable existence where he knew, I'm sure not a moment of peace.
To sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus in absolute peace.
And joy.
Covered Young people Who do you want to make decisions for you?
Someone who can take the most hopeless, one of the most hopeless cases written on the pages of the Word of God.
And bring peace.
And a right mind and fellowship and comfort.
Or a world that tried to help him by wrapping him up in chains.
Which ones you want to make your decisions this afternoon?
Who do you want to turn to to make your choices?
Want to be careful, but you know, beloved young people It is really, isn't it? Kind of a number brainer of a question.
A world that's got chains or Jesus Christ.
That has healing, liberty and peace.
For the sake of time, we'll go on down to the same in the same chapter.
Verse.
41.
And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. This is not a despised person. This is a very prominent person, a very acceptable person, someone who has.
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A certain position of honor and dignity in the community.
But you know what?
He's got a need to.
I need that he can't meet, and it's one I would suggest is tearing his part apart. Much worse perhaps than that man possessed by the demon whose heart was being and life was being torn apart by that legion of devils. This man upright, religious. Acceptable.
Was being torn apart because the object of his heart's affection was dying.
His little girl.
And he found a place.
At the feet of Jesus.
To plead.
For what was so precious to his heart?
There's something dying in your life, beloved young people, or you fear it's dying, Something very precious to you that seems to be sick and wasting away.
Something you've dreamed about, hope for, prayed for, and instead of growing stronger and brighter and more promising, it seems to be.
Fading away and your heart is being torn up.
As you see it seemingly slipped beyond your grasp and beyond your hope of ever.
Realizing it.
And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was ruler of the synagogue.
And he fell down at Jesus feet.
And besought him that he would come into his house.
He got rid of his pride so he could plead.
Don't let pride keep you from the presence of the only one who can make the right choices for you, the only one who can give you wisdom to make the right choices.
He fell down.
His position, his knowledge of Scripture.
His authority, everything. It was worthless.
I'm not in any way.
Denigrating. Living a careful life.
But when his daughter was dying.
His careful, religious, acceptable life.
Was meaningless.
But he found one where he could lay down his pride fall at his feet.
And plead with him and you know the story.
Your daughter lives.
What he thought he was losing, he got back.
Only Jesus can do that. For you, beloved young people, beloved brethren, only the Lord Jesus Christ can do that for us.
Sometimes we talk a lot about being brethren gathered to the Lord's name. I thank God.
That I'm gathered to the Lord's name.
Tremendous blessing.
But that position.
Doesn't mean a whole lot if my heart isn't occupied with the person.
To whom I am gathered, there is no room for pride.
And being gathered to the Lord's name.
There's lots of room.
For praising him and thanking him and worshipping him and being at his feet.
Chapter 10 Very quickly this was mentioned this morning.
I'm going to read this twice. Luke chapter 10 reading about Mary will just read verse 39. I'm going to read it first in the King James translation and then I'm going to reread it in Mr. Darby's translation. And she had a sister called Mary which also sat at Jesus feet and heard his word.
Now, Mr. Darby's translation, which puts dimension to this, that is very precious.
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Chapter verse 39 and she had a sister called Mary who also.
Having sat down at the feet of Jesus was listening.
To his word.
I had the privilege of being involved in teaching for 32 years and I can assure you on multitudes of occasions.
I talked and my students heard what I said, but they didn't listen.
I can assure you that I find painfully often.
Perhaps as we're driving down the road and my beloved is sitting next to me.
That I hear what she's saying to me, but the rude realization comes pretty soon that whoops.
I haven't been listening.
We hear a lot.
We don't listen very much.
Mary listened to the Lord Jesus.
She took every word that blessed man, and drank it in for herself. We were talking about the shepherd and hearing the voice of the shepherd and the sheep, knowing his voice. The way you'll get to know his voice is not just to hear him. And I say that carefully, it's to listen to him.
Listen to what he's saying to you today, right now.
Mr. Norman Berry.
Told a story up at the Nova Scotia tent work one time that I still shake my head at as I think about it.
He talked about a man who was an agnostic.
But a brilliant man with an absolutely incredible photographic memory, who had memorized the Bible so well that he could repeat it from memory backwards.
I'm going to try that. Start in Revelation 22, the last verse and from memory go backwards to the Bible.
What good did it do him? He didn't know. He didn't even know if God was.
But he heard his word he wasn't listening.
Listen in in closing.
Chapter 17.
You have the Lord Jesus in the end of Luke, telling his disciples, Behold my hands and my feet.
Here's the 7th time we find somebody at the feet of Jesus.
Chapter 17.
And the lepers.
Who are healed 10 of them.
And the Lord Jesus heals them. Go show yourselves. Verse 14 to the priests. Verse 15. One of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and he fell down at his face, at his feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. He wasn't a politically or religiously correct person. He was a despised Samaritan, but there was room at the feet of Jesus to praise him.
Beloved young people, wouldn't you like?
To get at his feet.
And let him make the choices in your life.
I would.
And though I've made some dumb, rebellious decisions in my life.
And I felt them.
I can assure you he never has.
Not once.
And he never will.
Let's get at his feet.
Enjoying.
Worship. Praise.
Find peace there.
And let him make the decisions. Let's pray, Father, we thank.