Open—David So
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243.
200.
And 43.
Right.
Yeah.
You're saying this him?
Oh Lord.
We were delighted.
And on all thy care depend.
I'm sure we know this him well.
But how often?
Do we really believe and what we say, what we're saying, what we do?
I'm finding it difficult in life in the sense that.
It's easy to say things.
In fact, it's easy to encourage someone else.
And then?
When the circumstance happened.
To me.
It seems to be a different story.
With the Lord's help, I won't take very long. I like other to be able to share thoughts from scriptures. I like to look at just couple two or three examples of how ones behave when the news when news were delivered to them.
00:05:03
Let's turn with me to Luke chapter one now in In these instances, I'm not looking more at the story itself.
But the response I use this example, I believe that the Montreal conference, but my thought would enlarge a little bit past this year. I was thinking of this man.
And his wife, this man Zechariah.
What's interesting is.
He's a very godly man, we know that, and so was she. And they've been praying. I was thinking, is it not like us? Have we prayed and asked for something?
And it seems that.
Doesn't seem to come.
But let's just read a little bit of this.
Umm, just for time's sake. Verse 13. Luke chapter one, Verse 13. For the Angel said unto him, Fear not Zechariah, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Wow, This is why I learned that he was praying. You would think, well, the story tells us that they are old. We know that.
But they didn't have children. They continued in faith, praying for it.
And now the Lord said.
You're going to have a son.
Now the set is very old so I don't put myself in that category. I feel I am still very young, but oh enough.
But I don't think I want to be the one that my wife said to me we're going to have another baby.
I'm going to find that to be very difficult at this age, so I can empathize with.
Zechariah in a way, but we learned too. If something happened and you can read two of this, it didn't believe. Isn't that our problem? Unbelieve sets in. He prayed and prayers answered.
He was made down. We know the story, don't we?
Why can't we speak for the Lord?
Why can't we speak for him?
How come sometimes we feel that we do with me?
Could, and I'm only merely suggesting could One of the many reason is unbelief.
And you know, the good news is.
Being made dumb is temporary.
He believed afterwards, didn't he? And he was able to give glory to God when they said, what should we name him? Oh, he piped out, John.
What a wonderful story, but I thought more for ourselves is what if we're the one You know? I think too sometimes we pray for the Lord to use us in different ways and we have in our own mind what that way should be.
So I know maybe I'll share too much information, the family life, but I'll share with you this. My wife wanted to go to Hawaii. I promised her that on our 25th, I thought I'll start up for 25 years. Well, that's long past. I said, well, maybe on our 35th. We haven't yet, but Can you imagine? And I say, Lord, yeah, Hawaii, I'll serve you there.
And what if the Lord said no, David is Malawi?
How would we, how would we behave and react to that? Because we pray, don't we? Lord, send me to Hawaii. No, Malawi.
Do we listen? Do we truly believe that the Lord?
Have something for us. And are we truly saying that our life depends on him?
I will leave that thought with you. Now I want to go to the another example. Luke's Gospel chapter I believe is chapter.
4 Oh, I'm sorry, Chapter 5.
So we know the incident here. The Lord asked Simon to use his boat.
Let me just do a little sidebar before I get into the story. The Lord is no man's better.
00:10:00
I looked at it. Here is he rented the boat from Simon. He really did because we find in the story he pays him afterward.
To vote for fishes. So we have to remember that, but that wasn't my thought, but that just came. So let's look at Lukes Gospel chapter 5. So here the Lord said to Simon as he's trying to pay him. Let's read just a couple of verses verse four and now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep and let down your Nets for a draft and Simon.
Answer said unto him, Now this is the part that I had in my heart. I'm thinking what Simon about to say is often something I would say, Now let's look and see what he said. He said, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.
If we ever find ourselves in that kind of situation that we said to the Lord Master, we worked all night, I've done everything.
And what's the result we've got?
Nothing. Still you ever felt like that?
What a terrible answer question that we should never question the Lord. Why?
I believe if we talk to the Lord with the word, why?
That's already a bad question.
But let's see what he learned. He's a quick learner.
But he used to work nevertheless.
Add thy word, I will let down the net.
Oh, what a wonderful lessons that he learned quickly from the Spirit of God.
Lord, there's no sense. Oh, wait a minute. Well, if you say so.
Let me just do it.
We know the result, don't we?
You know Peter, you think about assignment. In this case, I'm quite sure he is a well seasoned fisherman.
He knows what he's doing. He knows that body of water. He know where the fishes are.
But the Lord knows better.
Is that a lesson for us?
Rather than saying and say there's nothing, Lord, nothing, why done everything there is to do? Can we learn a little lesson in our heart nevertheless?
At thy word, I will let down the net and we know the rest of the story.
He was blessed more than he could done anything on his own. I'll put another sidebar there too. The Lord not only bless Simon, we won't have the time to go into details. If you read through that, you see the word partnered use at least twice. Did you know Peter Simon had a partner? James, He's in another boat.
You know that when you serve the Lord, when you receive blessings from the Lord.
Those who are around you receive blessings to the Lord loved the bless he blessed families. So we learn in the gospel, if thou shalt believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, that's not the end of it, is it? And thine house we find here, blessings come to him, to Simon and his partners.
Looking at the time here when they said I will leave room, I'd like to turn to one more. There are many examples in the word of God of how we answer sometimes how we give the wrong answer, wrong thoughts of the Lord through His help would guide us to lead us to the thoughts and ways that we should have.
Luke's chapter 15 wonderful chapter 3 pair of boats all connected together with the grace of God the the third parable, the prodigal son. Again, it's not my thought about the story of Salva. Some of the comments that one could have made that's very close to.
I was going to say we, but let me identify it as. Use the word I and I will let you choose to see if you can identify.
Yourself with that phrase. So the first is in verse 12. Perhaps I'll read verse 11 and 12 together just to get the connection. Verse 11, Luke chapter 15, verse 11. And he said a certain man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father.
00:15:21
Use the first phrase that I had on my heart.
Father.
Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
I was thinking of that phrase Father give me.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes in our prayer we may have that sense of attitude of Father give me.
If we ever pray, have we ever made comments? But I prayed about this.
I've been praying about this.
I think that's good, is a good start, isn't it? And not just young people, older one. I've seen difficulties even in the assembly was that we're going to pray about this moment. We've got our knees, we'll say well, what, what should we do? We don't wait. And sometimes the attitude that we are demanding the Father, Father.
Give me I want it. We have children here.
And I'm sure even the young parents already learned that. Isn't that a common phrase with little children? Give it to me, it's mine.
Common, isn't it?
And I guess we they say we really never grow up. Those attitude stage Father give me incidentally, the Lords prayer is a good lessons for us to learn. Actually, it's not the Lords prayer. You know, just side comment for your edification. It really is the Lord teach his disciples how to pray and really to me it should be the disciples prayer. And if you notice what he said to them, he taught them the right way to pray.
Now remember, he told them, don't use repetitious words, so I keep repeating. The Lord's Prayer itself is not good, but the principle he taught them is very good.
He taught them to address God the Father.
Thou art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Do we acknowledge we have one who is the Supreme above all, and he's holy.
And then he taught them to say, Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Do we have that attitude? Do we say, Father, do it as according to your will? That's what our prayers should be, not what I want.
Can you see the difference? Thy will be done, Father, give me.
What's the prodigal son's first communication we read off in?
This parable.
Now let's look at another phrase. So we know he got in trouble. He took his money. He squandered his money. We know the story.
And then in verse 17 they said he came to himself. Verse 18.
Something interesting now is that I will arise.
And go to my father.
Interesting.
I often took it as he finally wake up he realized the father's house is better. But now I see he still has an attitude problem.
I will.
Do we find that?
We find in scriptures often the Lord let His people go down to the lower stages if it were until they realize there's no strength of the home, they realize that they need to learn the word dependence.
You look at the Israel old.
Take the example of the Red Sea.
They were stuck. They got the Red Sea before them, they got the mountains beside them. They got the Egyptians armies behind them.
What can they do?
And precisely that when they recognize they can't do anything.
And holy depend on the Lord.
So I believe that's another.
00:20:01
Lesson we have to learn when we still think we can do. I know I'm like that and I don't know if you can relate, but just this is one more thing I can do there's one more thing I want to try. I'm not at the end of it yet just just.
I will. What a terrible thing. But it was. At least he recognized he wanted to go back to his father's house. And then when he saw his father, what did he say? He said.
Umm, verse 19.
He knew he didn't deserve to be.
A son, so he said in verse 19. Make me.
As one of our higher servants.
Has he really learned his lesson now? He said, make me? Well, really he didn't, because he still was son. You never lose the sonship.
But he still thinks that he can do something on his own.
He got into trouble by saying Father give me and then he said I will.
And now he wants a father to make him.
I believe.
Brethren.
Young people.
These are lessons we need to learn.
That.
Let me just go back to the M We don't. It's hymn book we have here, so rich from Scripture. I know we have scriptures before us. We ought to, but sometimes those words rings in our heart. Let me just see if we can relate to what we just talked about and then I'll sit down. We say, Oh Lord, we would delight in thee, and I believe most here do have that desire. And on thy care depend.
To thee in every trouble flee. I will save.
And failing friend and then this prodigal boy knew that learned this when humans, cisterns all are dried. Oh.
Our ways is not a good way. Thy fullness is the same. May we with with this be satisfied and.
Glory in Thy name, and then I'll go to the last verse. Oh Lord, we cast each care on the and triumph and adore of that our great concern may be to love and praise the more.