Sermon – “Supernatural Serendipity”

I do greet you all in the name of Jesus and all those who are with us through cyberspace. And. I was grateful to be able to stand behind this pope but. I never know when this will be my last sermon. And perhaps I should preach. Any time if I ever get another chance after today as if it is my last sermon maybe every preacher should preach as if it’s their last sermon. Years ago one of the theologians said that. And this is not politically correct but he said we are a dying man preaching to dying men. I’m a dying person I’ll clean it up a dying person preaching to dying people and that’s true. So bear with me today. I have a saying oh preachers never die they just ramble on you know. So bear with me and pray for me that somehow the No two get shorter something will get you. Like to first unite us in prayer. Graces God we’re grateful and thankful. To be in your house. To be with people that love you. So that kindles in our hearts. That something special that we love one another we have. That communion that coin Anea. That special supernatural community. Of sharing. And bearing one another’s burdens sank you Lord. For these people. Both here assembled and across the Internet. And may we all focus our attention upon you and your word. Help this poor preacher Lord. That he might speak. Out of your thoughts. Bless. Preparation and bless the delivery in Jesus’ name amen. I’m really grateful for the Ministry of this church and last Sunday I. Knelt at this older and had the pastor pray for me and through his prayers and through a set of antibiotics I’m feeling much better. I think I’ve been sick for two over two months since I had the flu in March I never quite got rid of everything so now we’re going to get rid of everything. And have a healthful summer. I looked at my calendar and I think Sunday of next week. I have been preaching fifty seven years. And I don’t I didn’t know I was that old. But. Can you imagine all of the moans and groans. And all the people I’ve put to sleep. And the little kids whose whose legs would hang out over the pews is mommy is he ever going to quit. How many times does that happen in six or seven thousand sermons. Well God as God has been good to me maybe maybe I have aggravated people but he’s been good to me I’m going to share with you a first scripture it’s from Deuteronomy the thirtieth chapter in the nineteenth verse. And it’s Moses. Giving a word as he has been given the word from God. I call heaven on earth as witnesses. Today against you. That I have said before you life and death blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life that both you and your descendants. A live. And then a word from Second Corinthians if we have any pistol lesson this would be a second Christine six. And. One to ten. We then as workers together with him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain for he says in an acceptable time I have heard you and in the day of salvation I have helped you behold now. Is the acceptable time behold now is the day of salvation we give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed but in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God in much patience in tribulations in needs into stresses. In stripes in imprisonments into malts in labors in sleeplessness in fastings by purity by knowledge by long suffering by kindness by the Holy Spirit by sincere love. By the word of truth by the power of God by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left in honor and dishonor in evil report and good report as deceivers and yet true as unknown yet well known as dying and behold we live. As chastened and yet not killed. As sorrowful yet always rejoicing. As poor yet making many. It. As having nothing and yet possessing all things. And from Matthew chapter six thirty one to thirty four. Here it is. Therefore do not worry saying what you eat what should we drink or what shall we wear. For after all these things the Gentiles seek for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things but seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things sufficient for the day is its own trouble. And from John ten again the words of Jesus. Verses two and three ten through twelve. The thief has not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly for I am the Good Shepherd the good shepherd gives his life for the sheet. But here is a Harlingen not the shepherd. One who does not own the sheep sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and fleas and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them the Harling cares nothing of three other Harling flees because he is a Harling and does not care for the sheep I am the Good Shepherd and I know my sheep and my sheep know me read just a little bit more. Life is. Very wonderful thing. And to me it has a lot of serendipity in it in fact it’s a supernatural serendipity. Now I thought I should really. Look up that word in the dictionary and I couldn’t find a dictionary. Just to make sure I was on track so I’m going to wing it this morning. To me serendipity is when I’ve lost something I’m hunting for and then I find something else that I’ve lost a long time ago. To me that serendipity. And sometimes it’s better yesterday I was looking for a gift card and I found the stadium so I needed to mail a letter. Now the older I get the more it happens. I. Lose more things all the time. And I guess it will if it wasn’t for being clumsy I’d get hardly any exercise because I’ll be always dropping things I had to bend over and pick them up it takes me longer to get down there in a long time to get back up again. That’s the fun of getting older. Yet life is a lot of fun with Jesus even if we are getting older if we do have more aches and pains because there is that supernatural serendipity. Jesus taught us. To be intentional. That even though something may we may find something while we’re looking for something else or really seeking one thing and find something else as as Jesus taught us. Seek first the Kingdom of God is righteous and all these other things will be added and you’ll find them. But Jesus taught us to be intentional he said to ask to see it and to knock. So we need to be serious it has the same time. Kind of hang loose when it comes to the things of the world. Because they pass away they are passing away. Oh my all the things I have are starting to wear at. But were to ask were to say couldn’t knock. But we are to seek first in the economy of the kingdom. The King and His Kingdom and other things will turn up. Now seriously we live in some of the most dangerous times I have ever seen perhaps the most dangerous. I remember the fifty’s where people were hiding under desks in the in the schools. Because of the Cold War. And then communism fell. It was a great opportunity for Christians in America to spread Christianity. If not to go themselves as many lay people did and work teams and still do. But even to finance those who didn’t go. But that door is closing. In many missions feels we need to be there while it’s open. But. On the other hand the mission field is right here. People are not choosing life. The divine intention is from the very beginning that we have life and we have blessing. And Moses shared that with the people. Jesus shared that with us. The same thing but we must choose life and we’ve got to help other people choose life because with all the people dying of overdoses around us in their teens and twenty’s and thirty’s and forty’s and maybe beyond. It is more serious than ever that is not God’s will that these young people and anybody who’s under seventy is young now anymore. All these young people being all lost that’s how the. Will God would like for them to all other things being equal to live wonderful joyful blessid happy lives together. That’s God’s Will God didn’t create us just to die. Now we do know that there are those who have died for their faith and and we honor them. And God has helped them and given those special grace when that’s happened but all other things being equal God wants people to have the abundant life Jesus said so. But I have exceptional good news this morning and I’m going to copy this from a. Person who was a young pastor several years ago he said. From his earliest years his mother when she tucked him into bed at night she would say and his first name was moves on wherever he got that name I have no idea and she had to he had to have a loving mother to have a name like that you know MOUZON. Your special. God loves you and I love you. And God has a special plan for your life and I hope that you will search and you will seek to find out what that play as well he became pastor of a large church in the south. And I heard you speak he was a good speaker but you know I wish that every child on the planet had a mother or if not mothers not around a father that would talk them into bed each night and give them the gospel. According to Moos on Biggs’s mother. You’re special and I can say that to you today without any equivocation. Your special God loves you and I love you. And why do I love you because you know Jesus. I have traveled across the planet and love people immediately because I knew that the car geisha that gathered there they had G.. Yes and I love them immediately Now how can you do that any other way outside the Christian faith. And I love you but God has a special plan for your life for the rest of your life whatever that is even for the rest of my life. Whatever that is. And I hope that you will seek and search to find out what that is. It’s especially appropriate to young people but I believe it’s appropriate to all of us because that’s God’s intention we need to get in line with God’s intention of how he has designed us. And so with that good news and I’m really kind of just preaching basics this morning because in terrible times where everything that has been nailed down seems to be coming apart we need the basics. But we have these this serendipitous surprise. When I was nine years old my mother my grandmother died. And she was a tremendous Christian and I knew where she was. A life that she lived the love she had for us. But I don’t know where I was going to spend eternity. And I knew that I was sinful. A nine year old can be sinful. I was and I had a great dread. Of where I would spend eternity. And for nine years too I was eighteen I thought that I even read the Bible through at age eleven I was so under conviction I started tithing at that age. Through high school. My dad would give me a dollar fifty every week cost me twenty five cents for lunch. Well that left twenty five cents left so I gave fifteen cents to. The Lord of church left me ten cents that was two bottles of of Coca-Cola. That was in the fifty’s. But I didn’t really have the piece that pass a law understanding I had to go to college to find that and how I could find it in college I don’t know but I had a Christian friend who challenge me and he said if you don’t know that you’re saved you’re not saved. And I got mad. But I went back to the Bible that I’d read over many times you know he was right did I really trust Jesus Christ and what he had done on the cross for my sins and for my salvation did I really trust him for myself not just the sins of the whole world but for my sins even mine. And I knew he was right. And God spoke to my heart I was eighteen years old. With and within a couple months I was preaching my first servant. Fifty seven years ago week from tomorrow. But. With a it was. Do I trust the next step you know do I sure I trust in Christ for my salvation but do I trust God for the rest of my earthly life. Do we really trust Jesus this morning for the rest of our earthly life I think that’s important. And I felt called to the ministry. God I don’t want to be a minister. That’s not macho enough. I mean I was of the first heavyweight wrestler from my high school. And being a minister to me was oh yeah get up in a pope and preach in and the hardest thing I had to do was to give a speech in senior English class. I don’t want to do that. And then I didn’t want to find myself. Sipping tea and eating cookies with the ladies. I didn’t like to eat other cookies were OK. But that time I did like tea. But what I didn’t know was that God God’s plan. Was so much better. See God knew. My strengths my weaknesses my talents my hidden talents things that I didn’t know that I had inside of me and the same way God knows yours. You may have hidden talents and gifts and graces that you don’t know you have yet until you really say OK I surrender God I’ll do it your way. C.S. Lewis. Now Frank Sinatra said I Did It My Way you know. C.S. Lewis says are two kinds of people. The cons of people who will say to God Your will be done. And there’s the other kind that one day God will say OK your will be done God will say to them Your will be done. And I’ll see what a disaster that is God’s will is the best. Do you really believe that Christ died for you. And that he died for your sins according to the Scriptures that he really was dead dead not to be buried. And that he rose again. And then he appeared to have disciples. And he told them in Luke twenty four forty seven that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his. OK There was. Somehow lets slip that OK here anyway. And do you believe that he died. So that you trust him eternity for eternity. And if you are willing to trust him to follow his directions even on a daily basis. For he owes you that you will have a supernatural blessid life. And yet it doesn’t make sense does it you know seek first the kingdom and all these things how that’s not reasonable a psychological. I had a really great seminary professor L. Harold the wolf. Dr De Wolfe taught at Wesley seminary and. He taught the New Testament theology. He had written a book called The theology of the Living Church. I had to buy that book and it was expensive but the professors do that too you know you got to use my book as a textbook say and I get to sell more the more students I have. Well that was Dr De Wolfe a good man. He had he was dean of the seminary he had been at Boston University School of Theology. And he had bad advisor to Dr Martin Luther King Jr in the fifty’s Dr King had been a smart Baptist he decided to go to a Methodist institution to get his doctor’s degree. And Dr De Wolfe was his advisor. But in the same of Dr the wolfs class and his book. He kept using the statement comprehensive coherence. Everything has to be logical everything has to be reasonable. Have all the facts you can get and make them coherent to some intelligible. Way of thinking. And that sounded good. But you know it doesn’t really match up to the Bible because the Bible has. Serendipity. It has a. Dichotomy. It has all these other things that. We have we have. Things that don’t make sense together they seek first the kingdom. And his righteousness and then other things will be added unto you. But while he was a good man and I believe you know G.E. knew Jesus. But he didn’t really bring in the things that somehow are not the way the New Testament is like Paul listed in second Corinthian six. That didn’t make sense. Anyway. I no one see a login he couldn’t live with Paradox. There are a lot of paradoxes in the Bible as far as you know that part of serendipity. And so. I think C.S. Lewis said that if you seek for Heaven you’ll get over thrown in. But if you seek Firth. First you’ll get neither. And that’s essentially what Jesus was saying to wasn’t. But Jesus. Who is a perfect man and perfectly God knows all about what the stuff of life that is. And so he loves you so much that he want you to have the best life but you have to trust him in for what he says. In John ten ten he says a thief comes but for to kill and to steal and destroy but I am come that they might have life and have a more abundantly I want to believe Jesus I want the abundant life. The plan of Satan who is the see. It’s very clear. He’s out to kill you. He’s out to steal from you. He’s out to destroy you he will try to destroy your spiritual life if he can if he can do that he will try to destroy the best of your earthly life. That’s his plan That’s Satan’s plan. And he’s also a liar he he told Jesus if he would just bow down to him he’d give him all the kingdoms of the earth. Saying to know the Kingdom of the earth that’s a lie Satan will tell you a direct lie if he can. But Jesus came to give us real life. And so not only does Satan actually plan to destroy us we did he plan to destroy those that we love. It so it’s important that we somehow reflect Jesus in our lives and by our our deeds as well as our words so that people want to know the Jesus that’s in us. And I know that none of that none of us are perfect. But Jesus wants us to have the abundant life. So Jesus did this in the recent in the same way echoing Moses choose life in Him was life and the life was the light of man. In him his life Jesus has a life in him. Now we also know. That Jesus promised in the world you shall have tribulation didn’t. So I’m not telling you what’s not there it is part of this whole package of what life is. In the world you shall have tribulation. But then Paul says. Tribulation. And I’m going to kind of embellish it’s from the Greek tribulation work of patient in durance. And patient in durance produces character. And character produces hope and hope make us not ashamed because the Supernatural Love God is the broad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit I believe it. Tell it I’ve experienced it and when I go through rough times I’ve even bragged about it. I don’t brag about to toggle everything’s going easy and everything’s smooth I brag about the times. That it’s been rough but Jesus has walked with me through it. No it doesn’t make sense but I’ve seen it in actual human experience if you seek to be happy you’re probably going to be miserable. I’ve had people in my office and say oh. I ever wanted to do was to be happy. But stupid jesus says Seek first the kingdom. And a lot of people are trying to be happy. Because that’s their main goal in life. Why I want more than happiness I want joy I want supernatural Joy I want supernatural peace. I want all the best the god has to offer. People say well I married a woman will say I married him to make me happy. That’s stupid. It’s not reality. Did you marry him to make him happy. Or the man say Bob I married her cause I thought she’d make me happy. You see this it doesn’t work that way but what if two people put God first and put the kingdom first then they find themselves trying to please. Each other because that’s Jesus’ will for. That’s a different thing isn’t it but it’s a kingdom thing. Or let’s look at it another way. I read the alumni periodical from Frostburg where I went to school. And I tell couples say well we came to Frostburg to get our education. And we fell in love. See while we were doing something else we met each other. Two people sit on the porch swing gazing at the moon. Might find they’re holding each other’s hands. But they’re gazing at something else. People may go on to work team of young people to go build a house for somebody in another country. And they find. Someone else thinks the way they do believe the way they do and they look pretty good to me. It’s OK to look good. I may not qualify but it’s OK to look good. And they find they fall in love with each other you see that’s the way life is I know of a young couple Oh they’ve been married almost eighteen years now. They met in the store while each of them was looking for a birthday present for their nephews. But that’s the way life is serendipity look for one thing find something else. Well. Do we really believe Jesus first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. I remember reading about an amazing church in Tallahassee Florida John Wesley United Methodist Church. The path. Aster was Danny Morris. And he had a Sunday school teacher by the name of Sam TIG. I read about this story back in the seventy’s believe it or not. Sam take was teaching a Sunday School class of young adults and he was trying to convince them that the main thing in life is not to try to be happy but to try to have a life that really matters in life that really counts for something life that counts for this world and the next world. And so while he was meditating on this one one Sunday morning preparing for Sunday school class. The Lord inspired Sam. In about a half hour he wrote out a program to help people put God first in their life by doing five specific things he wrote that in about a half an hour. Here are the five things. First. Give the first hour of half hour of your day to God in prayer. At five thirty in the morning. And the first ten minutes of that half hour show you were to have a Bible. And a notebook with you. The first half hour you were to write out. After reading a scripture passage that Sam had selected for thirty days. What does this mean to me. The second ten minutes you want to write. A. Totally unselfish deed that I’m going to do today. And the third ten minutes you want to write out. How you believe God wants you to build your life in the future. That was a first discipline pray between five thirty and six every morning for thirty days. Call it to John Wesley grade. Experiment after the church they named it. Ten brave Christians because they believed of ten people would do this and John Wesley church it will change the whole church. And of course it had other names the great experiment etc. Now the second discipline. Was to give a tenth. Of your money to God. As a sign that God is first in your money the money is the means of life that the Greek word is by also means of life. And then the third discipline was to give two hours at least a week to the church in some kind of service now if you’re already serving the church couple hours you had to add two more hours. Every week. For thirty days. And the Fifth Discipline. Was it you had to share Oh I’m sorry the fourth discipline was but you had to meet. With weekly with other people who are doing the same thing you’re doing. And pray together and pray for each other and share in the Fifth Discipline with the share what God is doing your doing in your life while you’re trying to put God first in these ways. Well and change the church in the whole movement began that spread throughout the United Methodist Church after I read about it. In the seventy’s. I challenge on February beginning in March I’m challenging as many of you who dare to do this to try this for thirty day for the for the month of March all these five disciplines. And then I wait to see what would happen I just challenge because I couldn’t beg people. You know you’ve got to bribe anybody. Can you put God first in some specific ways hopefully with the idea. Putting God first for the rest of your life and surrendering more totally to God that was really what was behind this. Eleven people signed up. At the time I had Pers Presbyterian Church in Chesapeake city on the north side of the can now and Trinity United Methodist Church on the south side of the canal. We all did this together I never saw two Methodist churches cooperate any better than those two churches did. And it did change. Eventually. Within a couple years we had a prayer group that met every morning Monday through Saturday at five thirty. In jhana Genovese Seward’s home. They wanted to sleep in on Sunday and I couldn’t sleep in on Sunday but. And would you believe for those two years it is a church of over two hundred forty members. Nobody died. Now it’s a coincidence it’s to me it’s a god instance but sequence of somebody would get sick we pray for him five thirty in the morning. We get calls at five thirty in the morning. We had one ministers father that was supposed to die I was in hospital with that minister and we were planning his funeral. He got well enough to go home he didn’t die though after I left there. Co-incidence. If we put God first marvelous and wonderful things happen. Now gets a little more dicey. I made this challenge at her Maryland. And that. Holy Cross Church in. Karpen Dale. And a lot of wonderful things happened there we had a we had a prayer meeting that method to kitchen at the church five thirty five days a week. And we read the entire Bible we would read a chapter of the Bible discuss it and then get out our prayer lists and pray for people from five thirty to six thirty that was a whole hour every morning Monday through Friday. After five years we’d read the Bible through the group. And they were miracles I kept a journal between one thousand nine hundred two and two thousand and two someday when I get real brave I’m going to get out that journal and try to read all the miracles I can hardly read my writing so it’s going to be a challenge but. I know one a lot of wonderful things happened. At Rawlings I challenge them again when I was pastor there. And this time God worked on me he said Well. As you signed up for this. You’ve been tithing since you were eleven why don’t you give us a second ties. I said God what are you trying to do to me. It’s only thirty days. Just I just give twenty percent for thirty days. Well I grumbled. But I did it. And the following month I did another thirty days then another thirty days. And you know this coincidence after about a year of giving twenty percent I said Now God I expected some material blessings out of this I know that I’m only looking for spiritual like to like to see you know where I could repeat. And within a couple weeks I read a report from the board of pensions of the United Methodist. Church. That extra ten percent that I gave. Made my pensions increase ten times. And I retired two years earlier that I had planned. Just a coincidence. Well I’ve done enough stories but let me just share another other scripture and then. I got to quit here. All of the second Corinthian six. He gives us great. Dichotomy I guess or whatever the proper name is. Nine and ten. As unknown and yet well known as dying and behold we live as chastened yet not killed as sorrowful yet always rejoicing as poor yet many making many rich as having nothing and yet possessing all things. Now I may not have much material blessings. But I have something worth all the billions of dollars and all the gold there is in the world. And having a God who is a supernatural god. And give supernatural help. When we cry out to him in our need in crisis. In an eighteen month period. I had five main crises in my family. First my wife Mary broke her leg. And I was gone how good a nurse I was. Just beginning to learn now I’m learning more. But the good thing was that we prayed for Jamie. And Atocha Well Jamie was Natasha’s fiance had to tar he wrecked on a motorcycle psycho on the other side of me. And we thought we were going to lose. He had severe head damage. He didn’t wake up for a couple days. But God gave me a scripture. As I was praying and pouring out my heart to God. I. Said God this is my granddaughter’s fiance. We help he gave me a scripture. I was to go to the old Memorial Hospital. Take that Scripture to Natasha. And we were to go into his room and I was to read a Scripture while he was unconscious and in the talks you were supposed. To. Tell him what that scripture was when he woke up and I was to annoy him with a will in the name of the Lord. That may sound crazy to a lot of people but. That’s what I felt God telling me to do. Jamie then woke up. We couldn’t tell we’d had a brain damage. Then we were concerned see having personality problems with a concussion he had two concussions. It has no signs of it. And of course he got married last year he called me pappy. But the third thing in an eighteen month period was our great granddaughter. Needed brain surgery in Baltimore. I’m not going to win the detail of origo in detail once then my daughter. Found out she had cancer. And then my son needed I see her dream in which there was a danger he could go and live. In those. Instances God gave me a scripture. And told me what I was to do to minister to each of them. Now I want to tell you. I’m going to be poor but I’m trying to make many people rich and I may have nothing but I possess all things but I have a supernatural god. Who does wonderful things. And does miracles. And I want to thank God. For his plan for our lives. Let us pray Lord. Your people have been patient to listen and it’s been I’ve been alone and. Kept going on. But bless them the Lord. Bless them supernaturally with the presence of your Holy Spirit. Let each here know that we are loved. And we’re cherished. And we’re special. And you have a great plan for our lives. In this world and the next. In Jesus’ name amen.