1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"-. We say, dont you wait too late because the day of the Lord draws near!. Death is a sure appointment But notice how he describes the value of Scripture: it is like a "goad." This year is the prophetic 70th year of Israel existing as a nation since If you ever want to know where we are on God's calendar then watch what is happening to Israel. God may be working some other things out for you. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. I want to impress upon my hearers the need to God time is not my time. But now hes dead, so thats that. JESUS IN HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE POWER OF PARABLES; TO BOTH TRANSFORM MENS LIVES FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, AND ALSO TO SET ADVERSARIES OF THE CHURCH, TO CONTEMPLATE THE ERRORS IN THEIR OWN THINKING; USES A PARABLE HERE TO TEACH, TO HUMILIATE, AND INSPIRE To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. RESURRECTION . You know, the same thing happens when youre trying to go out somewhere (going out to eat, catch a movie, or to a ballgame, etc.). Verses9-10: Besides being wise, the Preacher [the Searcher] also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging proverbs with great care. There must be urgency given to our lives spiritually that many of us simply do not bother to live with. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Again, no man knows the day nor the hour in which his or her day will come. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil She has no idea what Jesus is about to do and she does not expect him to raise Lazarus from the dead. Matthew 25:1-13, Denomination: But its also interesting to note Jesuss nonverbal response to Mary: When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was angry in his spirit and troubled (John 11:33). Denomination: Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. It's Not Too Late Ezek. IT WILL BE ONE OF THESE DAYS. And thats what weve read here in the SEVENTH CHAPTER, he is crying out to the people. Temptation is all around us, it is subtle, it is powerful. We use god for our convenience. However, his ways and his time are best. For example: When you have to clock in for work, everybody rushes off to work hoping to get there on time. read more, Scripture: For Belshazzar it was too late. It is never the wrong time to say "I Love You," or "I'm sorry," or "I forgive you." Now is the time not later, not when you get around to it, but now! But what is his response to Mary? He started as a young man and he literally prophesied for 39 years and through the reign of FIVE different KINGS. Dont misunderstand; He taught it, He lived it; He just never said it. 2. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. Then it is striking that Mary says the exact same thing that her sister said to Jesus: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:32). "Hard-pressed on every side, we are never hemmed in" (NEB). It is aweful because one man had so much suffering in this life and the other man had so much suffering in the next life. More than any other book it has this ability. ", Remembering God does not mean merely thinking about him once in awhile. What a marvelous mind that can comprehend all the billions of pieces of information in this universe and hold them continually before him, that can hear every voice and relate to every person who has ever lived! They have experienced a terrible drought and a massive invasion of locusts, 1:7-20 . Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. Even the dogs came and licked 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich mans table. (14 of 28), Overcoming the Barrier in Your Brain (2 of 3), CCPA - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. read more, Scripture: And in Verses 5 and 6 we see his response. Jesus gives an offer to anybody to drink from His fountain and that choice belongs to the person free will. Mennonite. 06/02/2019 Mark 5: 22-24; 35-36; 41-42. Tell him to drop everything because he whom thou love is sick. Upon delivering his message, Jeremiah encountered much hardship: The People of his hometown Plotted Against him - Jeremiah 11:18-23, Jeremiah was Put in Stocks for Prophesying in Judah - Jeremiah 20:1-6, People Plotting Against Him from the beginning Jeremiah 20: 7-18, The Priests and Prophets sought Jeremiahs life - Jeremiah 26:7-11, Jeremiah was Locked in a Dungeon - Jeremiah 37:11-21, Jeremiah Carried Away into Egypt - Jeremiah 43:6, Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His, Name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was, weary of holding it back, And I could not., Abraham Lincoln My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.. If you live in Atlanta, with our traffic, you know that you cannot wait too late to leave home when youre trying to get to work! When you are young, life seems to stretch endlessly before you; it seems that you will never approach old age. His sisters Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus to come to Bethany (John 11:13). Back in 2017, we had a little old lady that came to church here. Luke 16:19-31 It's Not to Late for you. John 11:21-23, Joel 2:25-28, Denomination: Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Test 2 Blog. When I see you I should not have to wonder if you are saved and sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost. But why does Martha respond this way? To "Fear God, and keep his commandments" is to learn to be and to discover the secret of being a whole person. I use to say God I want you to come right now quick fast and in a hurry. It was used of Him, but never by Him. While Martha exhibits hope through theological insight, Marys interaction with Jesus is noticeably different. The handwriting was on the wall. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 1:5), not a priest like his father and his grandfather. In the times that we now live in, I find myself being both saddened and even depressed that many are still putting off coming to the Lord. It just happens - whether or not you worried about it or tried to plan it. Jesus takes Marthas belief in resurrection at the last day and redirects it toward himself. Some folks are this way because they believe they can show up whenever because no matter how late they are, they wont miss anything. You can hang on to it and hold fast by it in times of danger and temptation. This sermon deals with a simple biblical truth: God's ways and his sense of timing are not the same as ours. Who knows, maybe they are realizing that the water smells coming from some of the fountains or that the water is hot. Share this . History confirms it. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying. He knows the motives that we seek to hide from others. A lot of times the enemy tries to convenience us that we missed our blessing. Saved by Grace An old saying is, "You can't beat the system." But today I hope to change your opinion. to that. When they discover a bunker formerly occupied by the Nazis, little do they know it's not the only thing that was left behind. There is a world of evidence that God is there. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. "When the sound of the grinding is low" is thought by some of the commentators to refer to the digestive system. The last letter, "R," stands for resolve. into your window just waiting for Bunbury Those days become "evil days.". The appeal of the world and the flesh is constantly with us, turning thousands of young people away from the truth of God. (So, there was an urgency to follow Him at that time because He had a deadline to meet.). Proverbs 27:1, The 2nd Saying from the Cross (Good Friday), Listen, Its Not too Late Theres Always Hope! Home / Sermons / Sermons / It's Not Too Late! But its amazing how when we get in trouble and we need something we want him to come quick, fast and in a hurry. Christ was crucified so that you can stand in the good graces of the Lord one day. Im gonna tell them that its LATE but not TOO LATE to repent., I may be way off here but I can imagine her saying, Ok, but theyre not gonna listen. The water from the other fountains were simply not all that satisfying to me. There are stories (thank God for every one of them) of people turning to God in their last moments of life. And once it happens, there is nothing we can do about it. "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." For Belshazzar it was too late. Remember Christ's Return I dont need nor want anybody to follow in my way, but follow the way of Christ. They did their own thing. The ground for letting it not be troubled is in the words that immediately follow: Jesus said, "You believe in God, believe also in me," (John 14:1b). Then, it will start disabling certain features, starting with the radio, GPS and other "discomfort-causing . It is aweful because one man ended up in, He awoke to the fact of eternity too late (vs.22-23) The lie of too late of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up Turn to your neighbor and repeat these words after me say neighbor its not too late. Our culture tries to hide death. In this message (the first of 4 messages) we are going to meet an elderly couple and a teenage girl who are going to teach us a life altering and world changing truth, that it is Never Too Late, and it is Never Too Early. He is sitting by the temple gate and as Peter and John were walking in he asked for money. As I have pointed out many times, Scripture is not saying that that is wrong; it is right to read and search and know and learn. Church Of God. He delays it for a reason. When you get the hand of God and the Spirit of God and the Word of God working together, there is absolutely NO LIMIT to what God can do!! This, the Searcher says, is a result of various forms which death can take. It is smoothed out because it is not clear why Jesus is angry. With all our advanced science and medicine, the best we can do is delay death. He had fathered 7 children and had walked with God. B. Best quote from this message: "Don't be impatient for the Lord to act. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. https://tonyevans.org/know-jesus-christ/ Stream Sermons: https://tonyevans.org/podcast/ Free Sermon App: https://subsp. Paul had warned the captain of the ship not to leave port. The Searcher says there are coming days "when you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them.'" 25:13). Roger Thomas. Matthew 25:1-13 These two things are both true! Sermons from January 2021. Please heed this message! They are afraid of the cracks in the sidewalk; they are afraid to mount stairs; they are afraid of "what is high." I have oftentimes observed the tragedy of people who have acknowledged the fact that they had missed the secret of life but they were unwilling to change simply because it was so hard to do so when they were old. What does this mean to us: Lost time with family, back to school, being away from family, vacations are over, summer chores not completed, time to prep for winter. When we give up because we think it's too late for something to happen it could be that we've given up when God is still involved and at work in & through our lives. Most of us think of it in terms of abject terror, of running from God, of seeing him as a threat, but that is never the biblical meaning of the word. when you thought it was over God says its not too late. It is aweful because one man had so much suffering in this life and the other man had so much suffering in the next life. How do you know when your number is up? If this Messiah is to rule forever, then surely he will not be ended by death. Saints are to be so sweet until we are dripping syrup. read more, Scripture: (Harvest: The reaping is over, time for in gathering is complete: Summer: Corporate America its evaluation time; time for teachers to prep for the new school year, Town officials get ready for the returning college students . Repent at once, and act as you did at first, or else I will surely come and remove your lampstand out of its placeunless you repent., Exodus 20: 2-3: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of. There is nothing like death to make us desire resurrection. We have turned every one to his own way," (Isaiah 53:6a). After a little while, the people would no longer be able to follow Jesus because He would be crucified, resurrected, and ascended to glory. I hope you will remove the word "duty" from your version. "The strong men are bent," is a reference to the legs, the strongest parts of the body, which start to shake and tremble in old age. Having trouble logging into your account? Death is real. 37:1-13 Intro: This story is about a valley of dry bones, and type of Israel. I imagine that there were many people drinking from other fountains back then. That is the power of Scripture. We learn how to look up to God for our hope, and that it's never too late to do the right thing. B. Dont let any doubt destroy your faith. The last five verses of this book are an epilogue. He just says, Where have you laid him? (John 11:34). Remember Lot's Wife! When we get in trouble we take him off the shelf. He grew up in a godly home, exposed to the truth of the Scripture, involved with the work of his father in the carpenter's shop. Here is the secret of it. Most translations smooth out the phrase, he was angry, but this is what the text literally says. It was too late for Belshazzar, but it may not be too late for you. Consider the situation in Acts 1. I feel something electric in the room! What led to his demise? When we minister, we should certainly minister Christ. Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet? 14 For we are made .read more Scripture: Hebrews 3:12-19 The result is that the body crumbles: "Dust returns to the earth as it was, but the spirit" -- the part of our humanity which differentiates us from the animals, that part which seeks after eternity, which longs after something beyond life, that part which is restless and empty within us when we have not found the key to life -- "the spirit returns to God who gave it." 3. That is how Scripture delivers. He has made provision for it all; nothing can be hid. The devil will play with your mind. Addressing the second saying from the cross: The Saddleback teaching team reminds us that it's never too late to do what pleases God; whether it's making a fresh start spiritually or a new commitment to sharing our story that could change someone's life. the house of bondage. People dont like bad news, even when its good for them. It will be too late to get serious about God. What Dramatic Change is coming Your Way? He sat down for a while. There must be urgency given to our lives spiritually that many of us simply do not bother to live with. For I am, with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.. It must be like watching the demolition of a house! In 2 Samuel 7:12-13, the LORD promises David that one of his offspring will rule on the throne that God will establish forever. read more, Scripture: This was a call for the people living in that day to take advantage of the time He would physically be there. Well while that might be true in some sense, its not too late. We have four seasons that come and go like clockwork. We use god like we use table sugar in our coffee. All the inner responses of our heart are confirming it. read more, Scripture: Presbyterian/Reformed. It's not God's will for anyone to go to hell, the Bible says he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. This same type of urgency is hardly ever shown when it comes to faith and the spiritual. Consider today with some urgency your eternal life. Don't give into believing the well believed lie that it's too late! Do you have the willpower to take the mess that has been made and let God revive it?? That COSTS TOO much. Or, Its TOO late. Meaning its PAST TIME. Just another site. Mary utters the exact same words as Martha. One might ask: What lead to the invasion and ultimately the exile on the Israelites? I'd like to prove from these verses that no matter how bad the situation, God is able to turn things around. I was free to let not my heart be troubled. Intro: This story is about a valley of dry bones, and type of Israel. We have not moved very far in reality from the days of the Searcher, even though we have devised many ways to disguise aging. Id like to prove from these verses that no matter how bad the situation, God is able to turn things around. Some of us have a bad attitude. 7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Assembly Of God, Some day it will be too late for salvation; too late for service by the saints; and too late for winning the lost to Christ. . It has been well said that a sign of the onset of old age is when your knees buckle but your belt won't!