Children—J. Short
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You know your hearts are tender now.
And the more often you put off that decision to come to the Lord Jesus, the harder it is going to be and the more things will stand in your way.
But don't let anyone, anything stop you from coming to the Lord Jesus.
So who would like to give out the first song this morning? Like to begin with singing yes.
#47 #47.
I'm glad you chose this song. It speaks about the precious jewels in this song and I would like to speak a little about things this morning that are precious.
Things that are precious, when he cometh, when he come.
Like the stars of the morning, his right round and ironing sunshine in his beauty bright and fond.
Is brown. Yay. Will gather me will gather.
In all of your runs, all the bright ones here is all down near the ground of the morning trip right now without joining me. There's no fire here. You're confused. You're confused. You're confused. You're you're you're you're right here.
A wonderful start. We've got another hymn this morning.
Crystal #5.
For five.
Oh Happy Day, that fixed my choice.
You're going to be Quadrant oranges. What is Jesus? One of my sins of the way.
He taught me how you watch and pray. I will wear the bridge glory straight every day.
I want to be made who I can hear the voice. My sins go away.
Nor ever from 5:45.
00:05:16
Where?
It's your everything is crying and crying. I have to hear you're ready to be ready.
I'm going to give another invitation for those of you who have just come in or haven't responded to the early invitations. We do have a lot of seats.
For your children up front, I do have something to show you and it's pretty small.
And if you're up here, you're going to be able to see it better.
Plus I like to have company.
Who else has a song?
OK. I'm going to ask Catherine. Right? Actually 42. OK.
Number 42.
A little child of seven or three.
Or 4.
Ways of Heart.
Very good.
Have a song?
Which one?
Behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock. OK, I think we, most of us, know that song.
Behold, behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock. Behold, behold.
Thank you. Good song. OK, which 43?
One door and only one, and yet it.
Two songs there that speak about the door.
The door to our hearts only we've sang about. We opened it to the Lord Jesus as we come in and be our guest there. I trust so because there is an inside and there is an outside, and there is the door to heaven too that we speak of, and that door is someday going to be shut.
And what a sober and tragedy tragic thing to be found on the outside of that closed door. Who has another song this morning? OK, I'm going to go down here.
Which one would you like to see?
Number one, OK.
Would you like?
Almost persuaded. Is that the one you're thinking? OK, sometimes the home number one is.
About Zacchaeus, I don't want you to be disappointed. We'll sing number one on her hymn sheet.
Almost persuaded.
Now to believe.
Almost persuaded.
00:10:03
Christ to receive.
Well, I trust that each one here is not just almost persuaded, but altogether persuaded to come to the Lord Jesus. I saw another hand over here, Stephanie. Which one?
29.
OK.
#29A ruler once came to Jesus by night, who asked him the way.
To me it's one I can't hear any problems. He's called together.
Give her a straightforward life.
OK, I'll have another hand here. I have a hard time passing it. Someone that wants to sing #646 OK #46.
Plenty.
Ideas.
OK, well, let's ask the Lord to help us this morning, precious jewels, I told you I would like to speak to you about some precious things. You know, in our lives we have to think about things and how much they mean to us, and sometimes we have to.
00:15:19
Well, if I said assign a value to it, would you understood what I meant?
Maybe this would help you understand. I have a little nephew, his name is Brandon and.
Brandon went to the zoo with his mom and dad and he was given a few dollars to spend at the zoo and it was up to Brandon to.
To decide what he wanted to spin or what he wanted to buy with that, with those dollars.
Well, the first thing that they came across there in the zoo was camel rides.
They didn't give those camel rides away. You had to pay for them, and Brandon had just enough money to buy a camel ride.
So he talked with his dad about that. Dad said. Well, you know.
Are you sure you want to buy a camel ride?
Brandon said yes, I'm sure so.
He got to ride on the camel and he went around a little bit, came back in a few minutes, Brandon said. I guess I don't want a camel ride.
You know, but it was too late. Brandon had already made the choice and he he decided that was what he wanted. And when he found out that it really wasn't worth the money that he had to spend, it was too late. And you know, there are precious things in this that we've that we want to talk about this morning and maybe few of the aren't so precious.
Right now.
But no, I hope that in your heart.
What is precious to God is precious to you. And Lord willing, we'll talk a little bit more about that. But you know, we had a little experience in our family this summer I'd like to share with you and it kind of helps to kind of helps me to understand what we want to talk about.
You know, there's something in the Bible that's mentioned that it's.
Not much value, not much value.
You know some things that don't have much value.
Sometimes people give them away.
I think Mr. Brother Nicolette has noticed this.
Sometimes you'll see, you know, pennies and nickels laying on the road and.
People don't consider that they have any value, so they just leave them there. So sometimes people give away things that aren't free and that aren't as much value. They'll give them away for free. I remember one time.
When I was a teenager, I had a job at A at a place that sold campers, and my job was to keep the campers clean and washed and so on. And one day I was working out on the lot and a girl came down the sidewalk with a box of stuffed animals, you know, and she said she didn't speak English very well, but she made me understand that if I bought one Ant, one stuffed animal, it would cost me $1.00.
And if I bought three of them, I could get them for $2.00. So I was going to get one free, wasn't I, If I'd spent $3.00. So I thought that was the best deal. And I got three stuffed animals for $2.00.
I was a little embarrassed when I tried to sneak them to my car, but.
My friends that I work with saw me carrying these stuffed animals. You bought one of those? I bought three of them, didn't I? Well, it didn't. They weren't very valuable, but I got one for free. And you know what speaks of something like that in the Bible? If you have a Bible open to Matthew. If you don't have a Bible, just listen to what I read to you, Matthew.
Chapter.
Ten, I believe it is.
Let's see.
Matthew, Chapter 10.
And verse 29 says this.
Are not two sparrows sold for a Farthing?
Are not two sparrows sold for a Farthing?
And my Bible it tells me that the Farthing is about a tenth of it Roman penny. I don't know how much the Roman penny was worth, but probably not very much.
And a tenth of that would be a very small amount. So if you wanted to buy a Sparrow you could get.
Two sparrows or one Farthing?
OK, who's good at math here this morning?
OK, you got a good one at math. OK if you could buy 2 sparrows.
For one Farthing, how much would four sparrows cost you?
00:20:00
That's kind of hard. How much too far things? That's right. You're good at math. Two sparrows for one Farthing. You should be able to get 4 sparrows.
Or two farthings, right? Does that sound right to you? I'll now turn it over to Luke's Gospel.
In the 10th chapter. In the 12Th chapter. Luke's Gospel, chapter 12.
Says.
In verse 6, Luke chapter 12 and verse six, are not five sparrows sold for two farthings?
So it looks like this was one of those opportunities that if you bought.
If you bought 4 sparrows you could get one free. Does that sound like the way it the way it adds up? Here it says 5 squirrels are sold for two farthings. And our friend here, what's your name?
Sarah, thank you for helping us. You said that if you bought 4, it would cost you 2. Looks like perhaps if you bought or they would throw an extra 1 in for free. So that doesn't sound like the Sparrows were worth a whole lot, does it?
Well, you know, I would agree that sparrows are not very valuable.
In fact, where I live in Iowa.
We have a grass that has to be kept in the woods, so there's a tractor there to mow the grass. And you know, when I go out to get on the tractor to mow the grass, sometimes I'm pretty disgusted with the sparrows because they like to perch on the steering wheel and it kind of makes a mess of things when I have to go steer that tractor. But the other few weeks ago, I was out there tinkering with that tractor a little bit trying to get it to run, and I heard a little noise.
And if we were to ask our brother Monk over here to make the noise that I heard, I know he could do it.
Do you think we should ask him?
Maybe.
Yeah, there was. There was something like that, but you know, it wasn't quite that.
Pretty. And I wasn't. It wasn't quite that loud either. It was more of a little peep, peep, peep, peep, peep.
Oh dear, I hear some noise. Some birds. They were little birds. And where was that noise coming from?
That's coming from right inside the tractor.
Right up front in front of the radiator. If you know where the radiator radiator is and you know I could hear it, but I couldn't see him.
Oh dear, what am I going to do? I bet they're sparrows. They're not worth anything.
What would you want to do with those sparrows? I had to use the tractor, You know, I thought, well, if we let those sparrows grow up, it's going to be a long time.
So.
What I did was got my tools out and took the front of that tractor off and there were the sparrows in their little nest.
And you know, they were the ugliest little birds that you've ever seen.
Perhaps they were one day old, or maybe two. They didn't have any feathers.
Their eyes were shut. They were not even open yet.
They had little.
Bulging eyes and the fat little tummies and skinny little wings and great big mouths.
And they open their mouth so wide when they when they sensed that I was there, they were hungry, you know. Well, my heart kind of went out to those worthless sparrows. And, you know, by the time I gathered them up, they'd kind of fallen here and there somewhere in my toolbox and somewhere on the tractor. And I got them all and put them in my hand and I brought them in. And, you know, my daughters were interested in taking care of those sparrows, and they did that.
Well, I told you I had something to show you. Perhaps I should have shown you this a little earlier, but.
This is something that we picked up on the way that on the way out here.
What do you think that is?
You know what that is?
What do you think that is?
See that?
You probably don't know what that is, don't you?
And yes, Bethany says Ness. And that is everybody see that.
This is a little nest. I don't know what kind of bird's nest this is, but.
We found it in the Teton Mountains. I don't really know what kind of nest it is.
But it's kind of like a sparrow's nest. This is a nest from a really small bird. Maybe if somebody knows a little bit about birds, a Hummingbird. It's very possible, because even that sparrow's nest that we had was a lot bigger than this nest. Hummingbird is about the smallest bird, isn't it? But do you think this bird that was in this nest was very valuable? I want to see that nest. It's nice and soft, isn't it? I feel it. I don't know what it's made out of. It looks like almost a cotton or something.
00:25:25
Well, these little birds aren't very valuable, are they? But there they were, five little sparrows.
If you want to take a look at the nest, you're welcome to do that after Sunday school.
But you know those birds became loved and cared for.
Over the course of the next two weeks, those birds were fed and fed and fed and fed and take and cared for and, you know, it kind of became attached to those little sparrows.
And after about two weeks, they were ready to fly.
You know they went.
You know, it was kind of a happy thing, kind of a happy thing when those little sparrows took off and and flew away. And, you know, the next day after one of them had taken off, I was out there working outside and here comes a little spare waking and landed next to me and.
My little daughter was able to, my daughter was able to come out and capture him and get reacquainted, and then off he flew again. So it was kind of a joy to my heart, you know. But the Lord Jesus, do you think he cares about sparrows? I think he cares about them. Are they valuable to the Lord Jesus? Well, if we turn back there to Luke's gospel, where we were.
Where we were reading in verse.
Six, we read. Five. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings?
The rest of that verse says. And not one of them is forgotten before God. Not one of them is forgotten before God. Isn't that something that God cares? God has a value that he places on that little Sparrow.
Well, let's read on though.
Says but.
But.
Even the very hairs of your head.
Are all numbered.
Fear not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Ye are of more value than many sparrows, and the Lord of Jesus loves you far more than He cares for you in those little sparrows.
You know, there was one Sparrow that I didn't tell you much about.
He was affectionately named Crumb because he was little.
He was littler than all the others.
You know, Crumb didn't get as much to eat as the others. He didn't. Wasn't quite so.
Forceful and it came feeding time and didn't seem like he had a lot of appetite but we tried to get him to eat as best we could and.
You know, one morning about 3:30 in the morning.
It was feeding time and.
Don't think that dad was a super dad, just that he would get up at 3:30 just to feed the sparrows. But I couldn't sleep because they were making too much noise.
The only way to keep them quiet would be to feed them. So there I was, feeding them a little crumb. You know, he didn't eat that that time. Didn't eat.
And when I got up to go to work in the morning, a few hours later, he'll come and die. And there he was laying in the nest and.
He had gone.
And you know, I haven't told anybody this, but I'll tell you this morning, kids, you know the way to work. That morning I had tears in my eyes when I thought about that little Sparrow. And not so much about the little Sparrow, but when I thought about.
What that little Sparrow might represent.
You know, children, the Lord Jesus cares for you more than he cares for many sparrows.
And that the Lord Jesus sees one of his little ones perish.
Oh what a what a sad thing to his heart.
What a sad thing to his heart to see see one.
Lost.
He doesn't want to see anyone of his little ones perish, you know. But there is.
There is a big problem because.
How many of you?
Unless it would be a very hard question how many of you memorized the verse last?
Large state a lot of you did, but does anybody remember what it was?
00:30:03
Definitely. I have a hard time remembering from one week to the other. But here is the verse from last week, and you'll probably remember when I say it. I believe it was last week, the soul that sent it.
It shall die. Remember that now you know that was found in Ezekiel, the book of Ezekiel.
I believe it was Ezekiel 18.
Ezekiel, chapter 18.
And I believe it was verse 20.
The soul.
That Sinner it shall die.
That's our problem, because we are sinners.
And the judgment pronounced in this chapter says the soul that sinneth it shall die. But you know, at the end of that chapter, verse 32, what does it say?
What does it say in the end of that chapter, for I have no pleasure.
In the death of him, that diet.
Saith the Lord God.
Or I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God. Wherefore turn yourselves and live. That's what the Lord Jesus is pleading with you this morning, to turn yourselves and live. We talked about repentance last night.
Rethink.
You know Lord Jesus.
Doesn't want one of his little ones to perish.
And so.
Wanted to make a way.
But that wouldn't have to happen.
So we were talking about precious things and things of value and.
What? What is valuable in our lives? But have you ever thought for a minute, what is valuable to God? What do you think is the most precious thing to God?
Well.
We talked about sparrows that have a.
Have a value and we talked about ourselves that are.
More valuable than many sparrows. I'd like to talk about something else that is a value to God for a minute.
Let's turn to Matthews Gospel in.
There's many other places that we could turn to.
And if we turn back to Matthew, I believe.
Chapter.
Three perhaps?
Matthew chapter 3 in the last verse there.
Verse 17 and lo, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved son.
In whom I am well pleased, and whom I am well pleased.
No, that wasn't the only time that.
That God spoke of his Son as being one that he was well pleased in.
Now the Lord Jesus was the Son of God and such.
So precious.
To God.
No, but we were precious to God too.
And he didn't want to see us perish.
To die like little.
Crum and.
Pass into eternity apart from Him.
You know a little crumb doesn't have a soul that will live like.
Like we do, Like your children have a soul that will live forever.
So the death of somebody in their sins.
Is a terrible thing.
Because it means separation from God forever.
And so God had his only.
On and you know.
In order for him to show his love to.
To you.
He had to give that Son, that his only begotten Son.
To die for us.
You know, you might think, why would God do that?
And I don't think we understand that.
It says for a Goodman.
Some would perhaps die for.
But were we good?
No, we were in our sins, but it says while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God commendeth his love, or shows his love to us even when we were sinners.
And he sent his Son, his only begotten Son, to die in our place.
00:35:04
So he gave what was most precious.
To him.
To have you and to have me for his own.
And, you know, sometimes.
We have to make a choice between.
Something over here and something over there, like we talked about Brandon, you know, Brandon had to choose between what was the most valuable to him. And you know, I enjoyed this thought this morning.
Who do you think God loves the most? Does he love his Son the most?
They're doing anything. Love you the most.
You know, just to answer that question I like, I'd like to turn to John 17.
The 17th chapter of John.
Let's read.
Verse.
23.
I and them.
And thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.
That the world may know that thou hast sent me.
And has loved them.
As thou hast loved me.
Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.
That they may behold my glory, which thou behold, my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation.
Of the world. And then verse 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. You know the love in God's heart.
Does not is not divided anymore. It I shouldn't say anymore. It's not divided because we are one with the Lord Jesus and the affection that God has for his Son is the affection he has for us as as his own and he doesn't.
He gave his only begotten Son, so that He could have us as the.
Outpouring in the object of his love, and the love that.
Father has for his Son is the love that He has for you, if you put your trust in that beloved sent one, the Lord Jesus. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting light, so the Lord Jesus.
Was given.
For you, is he precious to you? You know he's precious to God. Is he precious to your heart? Do you value what God values?
Those little sparrows came to mind.
And they thought about how we are cared for.
By the Lord Jesus and by God the Father and how He loves us and wants to bring us into blessing.
You know, but it's a solemn thing to reject his love and to reject the Lord Jesus or to neglect Him because that.
It's the same.
Brothers A brother Stag spoke to us last night about.
Three strikes and you know, as we were traveling here up the Interstate, I was.
Interested in seeing science and science along the road and perhaps some of you have seen these signs.
Signs are big signs and they the first one said.
First warning. First warning.
Said 6% grade ahead.
I was giving a warning that there was.
Possible danger ahead, you know, but it said first warning.
A little bit down the road, it said.
Second warning.
6% grade and that means there was a steep, steep hill coming up.
And it could be trouble if you weren't prepared or if the roads were in poor condition.
You better listen to this warning because.
There can be serious trouble. And then there was the 3rd sign. What did it say? Third warning.
No.
Final warning. Final warning.
6% grade ahead and you know if you went by that sign, there was no turning back. It was too late.
00:40:03
And you know if some of you are here.
For the first gospel meeting here on Saturday evening. On Friday evening.
Received a warning.
There was a warning given last night at the gospel meeting. There's a warning given this morning, an invitation to come and a warning that if you don't come, you'll perish in your sins. Is that the final warning?
Speaks of God speaking to us once.
The ate twice, but man perceiveth did not.
Listen to God's warning and.
Value what God values. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus.
And then all the joy that you will find in being one of those precious jewels of the Lord Jesus.
Let's just look to him, Lord Jesus, so he thought.