BNC Podcast
BNC Podcast
Voice of the Nazarene 12-22-24
Voice of the Nazarene 12-22-24
Coming to you from North Central Ohio. We share with you the voice of the Nazarene, a week by week. Venture into the Word of God, sponsored by the Bucyrus Ohio Church of the Nazarene. We join our pastor, Reverend Ray La Salle and the voice of the Nazarene. Well, I wish they were we'd add birthday cake here. We wish you a merry Christmas. We wish you a happy birthday. Whatever middle aged lady was posting her wish list on the refrigerator door, hoping that her husband would read it. And she didn't just simply give all of her desire, she just said, simply give me something that's make me look sexy and beautiful. And of course, Christmas rolled around, and when she went to open the package, it was a exercise bicycle. It wasn't a lingerie. That's not the end of the story. That man's been missing for days now. In Luke chapter two, verse 25 behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he has seen the Lord's Christ. And He came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him, after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now let us thy thou, thou, Thy servant, depart in peace according to Thy words. My question to you this morning is, are you ready for Christmas? That's what I want to talk to you about. Most of the time. When you ask somebody if they're ready for Christmas, they're thinking, Do you have your shopping done? Are all the Christmas cards sent out? Is everything wrapped and under the tree? Do you have all the food ordered? And is the family coming in? And are you ready for Christmas? Well, there's a man in the Bible who was a part of the very first Christmas, and I read to you about him. His name was Simeon, and he experienced the very first Christmas, and he was ready for Christmas because he literally held the Christmas gift in his arms, the baby Christ, Jesus, God's gift to the world. And honestly, having all the gifts bought and packages wrapped and the card sent, and the cookies baked, and the ham or our turkey, or whatever it is that you fix for Christmas, all the trimmings, really, that doesn't have much to do with the Christmas, because truly, you're not ready for Christmas by having those things done, and you have to, you can have all that complete and be so unready for Christmas, and what makes someone ready for Christmas? That's my question. I believe the very same thing that made Simeon ready for Christmas is the very same thing that will make you and I ready for Christmas as well. What makes us ready? Number one, that you're saved. Look at what the Bible says here in Luke two, verse 25 behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just notice that word, just that tells me that he was saved. You say, Well, Pastor, how do you know that he was saved? Well, look at Romans, chapter five, verse one, Therefore being justified, just as if I'd never seen being justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. See, you're not ready for Christmas if you're not saved, and you're not ready for Christmas if your heart is not right with God, and you could have everything else, but if your heart's not right, you're not ready for Christmas. Young pastor, some of the people came to him and they said, our our grandpa, we don't know that he's ever given his heart to Christ, and we wish you'd talk to him. He was a new preacher, young do it. So he went to the old man, got him to one side, and he said, Sir, how's your heart? The old man stood there for a while. He said, Well, I've got kidney problems and I've got back problems, but as far as I know, my my heart is as strong as it's ever been. Well. Said, I'm not talking to you about your physical heart. I'm talking to you about your spiritual heart. So when we ask, Are you saved? What does it mean when we ask that kind of a question? Well, Romans 10, verse nine explains it That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with a heart, man believeth under righteousness, and with a mouth, confession is made unto salvation. Notice you're not ready for Christmas if you're not saved. And I want to ask you, in just as kind a way as I know, how are you saved? I'm not asking if you're baptized. I'm not asking if you've joined the church. I'm not even asking you if you tithe on a regular basis. I'm not asking you if your mom or your dad were Christian. I'm not asking you if you're a good person or a bad person, because really, none of those are nearly as important as the fact that one day we're going to stand before God at a judgment seat. And if God were to say to us, why should I let you into my heaven? You say, Well, because I I sang in the praise group, or I played it in the praise band, not good enough. Or I preached in the pulpit, not good enough. Or I taught a Sunday school class once not not good enough. Or I tithe regularly, not good enough. I was a faithful husband, still not good enough, or I was a faithful wife, still not good enough, it won't get you in. See, there's only one answer that's going to work, and that's the fact that you've given your heart to Jesus Christ, place your faith in the fact that he died on the cross to forgive your sins, and you confess those sins and you were forgiven, and your name has been written down in the book of life. You're not ready for Christmas unless you're saved. But there's a second thing that kind of grips my thinking as I read this passage, I don't believe you're ready for Christmas unless you're surrendered. Verse 25 says, And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simon, and the same man was just and devout. Not only was this man saved, but it didn't stop there. It said that he was also devout. And what does devout mean? It means a burning passion for Christ. Now, Webster Dictionary says it like this, Surrender means to yield to the power, the control and the possession of another, and that's why Paul wrote in Galatians, chapter two, verse 20, he said, I am crucified with Christ. Yet I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I'm talking about when we die out to self, we find there's a greater life. And you're ready for Christmas when you know that you're saved. You're ready for Christmas when you know you've totally surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. I read this week for the first time about a man by the name of Judson. Judson van de Venter. He was a public school teacher over in Sharon, Pennsylvania, some years ago. He was also the head of the art department at the same school, well liked very gifted, great singer, tremendous musician, and he was asked to come to a lot of churches and to sing and and to play instruments. And he felt like God really wanted him to go into full time Christian work. But it seems as though he was in a struggle. He said, for five years he struggled. I don't know if it had to be job security, but he didn't want to quit his public teaching position to risk it and go out into full time evangelism. But he said, after five years, he said, I said, God, I surrender all. I'll do whatever you want me to do. And he turned in his resignation at the school and set out to travel. And God laid these words on his heart, and he wrote, All to Jesus, I surrender all to him. I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him in His presence daily live. I surrender all. I surrender all, all to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. Now listen, when you talk about all, it begins to get tough when you begin to get specific and you're pointing out things like. Like, does that mean that I surrender my job? Does it mean I surrender my security? Are you saying surrender even the future to God? Surrender my maid, surrender my family? Let me tell you something, when we surrender all to God, it gets just a little bit tougher. But victory is won through complete surrender. And I say that not from a gray hair guy, you know, but from my heart, when we totally surrender, it's a great day in the life of people when they reach that point where they surrender their lives and say, God, I completely surrender it all. I'm not going to call the shots. I want you to call the shots. I'm not going to make all the decisions I want you to make the decisions of my life. So you're not ready for Christmas until you're saved. As I study the life of Simeon, you're not ready for Christmas until you're surrendered. But I want to point out one other thing. You're really not ready for Christmas until you become spirit sensitive. Let me read it again. Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. The same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Now catch this and the Holy Ghost was upon him. You say, Well, preacher, I got the Holy Spirit when I got saved. Okay, my question is, does he have you? I'm not asking if you have him, but does he have you? Have you totally, completely, entirely surrendered your life, your will, your future, to Him. The Bible said that he was devout. First, he had already surrendered first, and then the Holy Spirit came upon him. And the way to get more of God is to give God more of you. So you're not ready for Christmas if you're not spirit sensitive. Now, the name of Simeon means one who hears. Scripture says He hath ears to hear. Let him hear what the Spirit saith. Now look a little further with Simeon. Notice in verse 27 and he came by the Spirit. Spirit sensitive, okay. He came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child, Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law, it was a purification ceremony. Generally took place within 40 days after the birth. Mary and Joseph come and they bring Jesus. You say, Well, Simeon just happened to be there. No, no, that's not the way it worked. If you read it again, it said he came by the Spirit, and the same Holy Spirit that led him is the Holy Spirit that wants to lead you and wants to lead me, and he wants me and you both to be sensitive to His Spirit. Now call it whatever you want to. Call it a gut feeling. Call it a gut check, whatever you want to call it. But he wants to guide our very lives. And I believe people that are led by the Spirit will be at the right place, at the right time. Here's what Romans 814 says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. You say, Well, Pastor, I'm having some struggles. I'm having problems. Let me help you. Galatians 516, walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. So what does it mean to walk in the Spirit? It means moment by moment, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings in your life. If you walk in the Spirit, you'll not fulfill the lust of the flesh. You say, Well, I keep messing up. I'm saying, walk in the Spirit. There's your answer. Walk in the Spirit. Well, Pastor, how could I know if I'm the Holy Spirit directed? I think the main way to know is when you feel that prompting, it never goes away. It's right there you get up in the morning, and it's there you go to bed at night, and you still feel it on your heart. I've always found the devil will push you, but the Holy Spirit gently leads you. I mean, the devil wants to just get you to make an impulsive reaction to something, and the Holy Spirit very gently tries to lead us along. I was reading this week about a preacher in Chicago some years back. He suddenly awakened out of his sleep, and he sensed that God was trying to burden his mind and heart, and he felt as though God was saying, I want you to go right now down to the railroad tracks, and I want you to preach. He thought, This is the craziest thing I've ever heard, and he just rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, and he kept feeling it again and again. And finally, he rolled out of bed and said, God, if that's what you want me to do. While ago, he went down to the railroad tracks, stood in the dark, no audience, and preached his heart out and felt like a fool, and then went back and laid down and slept the rest of the morning. A few years later, in the same city, Billy Sunday, he happened to be a preacher that had been a famed baseball player. He was converted to Christianity. Drew great crowds. He had a packed out stadium, and this preacher sat down in the back to listen to Billy Sunday preach. And Billy Sunday said, folk. He said, I got under conviction some years back. I was down at a railroad track in the dark, and suddenly I heard the voice of a preacher, and he began to preach, and he said, as he preached, the Holy Spirit began to convict me of my waywardness and the lifestyle that I was living, and I needed to get to God. Are you listening the Holy Spirit? You say, Well, does he speak to you in an audible voice, may I answer by saying much louder than that? Because it's just gently you know that you know that you know it may be the spirit saying you need to speak to someone. It may be that you need to go out of your way to help in some situation, it may be the property of the spirit. Don't you go there? Don't you do this, or you're to do that. But when he prompts us, be spirit directed. But that's not all. If you want to be ready for Christmas, you need to be steadfast. Let me read it again. Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem. His name was Simeon. The same man was just and devout waiting, boy, it's hard to wait, isn't it, waiting for the consolation of Israel. That meant the coming of Christ, and it said, and the Holy Ghost was upon him, and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ, he was told, Simeon, you're not going to die until Jesus is born and you'll get to see him. That's the promise that he had. Do you know what Simeon did? He lived on that promise. He said, God told me that I'd not die till I'd see the coming of this Messiah, and I'm going to live. I'm going to be down there in the temple. I'm waiting for that moment when I hold him in my arms and look at verse 27 it came to pass by the Spirit, or he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child, Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law verse 28 that Simeon picked him up in his arms, and he blessed God. Now, what did he do? Well, God had given him a promise, and he was going to steadfastly wait until God fulfilled that promise. He was steadfast. I believe there are benefits to being steadfast, persistency and and steadfastness is what finally got the snail on the ark. I believe there's a benefits to being persistent and being steadfast. You say, Well, I'm, I'm just going to quit. I'm going to throw in the towel, I'm going to walk off from my marriage, and I'm just going to, I'm going to give up on church. And I'm, I'm just going to throw in the towel. I'm tired of things. Well, I'll be real transparent with you. There have been times when I felt like just throwing in the towel too. Been times when I was discouraged, times when I thought I'm just going to resign. I don't want to do this anymore. I'm tired of the pressure. But I found there's benefits in just being steadfast. There's benefits in saying I'm not quitting, I'm not giving up, I'm not turning around, I'm not going back, but I'm going to be faithful, and you'll get on the other side, if you will. Now I've wondered how many times did Simeon think I thought God promised me that I'd see the baby, the Messiah. I wonder how many days and weeks and they stretched into months and years and maybe decades that Simeon waited for the coming of the Messiah, the Christ. I don't know, but he said, I'm going to stick in there, I talked in the first service about Chinese bamboo, and I'm a walking encyclopedia of useless information. I'll just give you a little bit. Did you know that Chinese bamboo. You can plant it and go back a year later and there's nothing. Go back to second year, nothing. Third year, nothing. Fourth year, nothing. And you just about give up. But if you go back to fifth year, that bamboo, Chinese bamboo, those shoots. Will take off and start growing. You can hear it snapping and popping, and in that one year, grow more than 80 feet high. And you know what, some of you, some of you are kind of like that Chinese bamboo. You gave up before the fifth year. You got distracted, you got impatient, and, and you threw in the towel, and you walked off on the call of God, and from the direction that God had given in your life. And, and you wonder why everything's kind of in turmoil, and everything's in a mess, and and things are not working right. You need to hang in there and be steadfast and, and eventually things will begin to come together. I talk to people sometimes, and I'll say, where are you at? Well, God's just moving me all over the place. Don't blame God. Sometimes we lose our stick to itiveness. Is that a word or you can't say amen. Why would I ask you? But God just moves me over here. No, no, he didn't. You need to go somewhere, and you need to stick there and be used of God there. And that's my word from the Lord for you today. Now, you're not ready for Christmas unless you're saved. You're not ready for Christmas unless you're surrendered. I'm saying you're not ready for Christmas if you're not being spirit sensitive, certainly you're not ready for Christmas if you're not steadfast. But I'll give you a last one, and that's satisfied. Verse 29 he's standing there holding the gift of God in his arms, Jesus Christ. And he looked up and he said, Lord, now let us, thou, Thy servant, depart in peace according to thy word. Now get this down. He held up the baby Jesus. This is what he said. He said, I'm ready to die. I can die in peace now because I've got Jesus. And ladies and gentlemen, you can die in peace. If you've got Jesus as well, and you're not ready to live until you're ready to die and you're not ready to die, then you're not ready for Christmas. I told him in the early service, I'm not one to die, not today. Good things happen around Christmas. I hate to miss it. We went through Sam's Club, and Jen wasn't with me, so I saw one little spiral cut hams. She put brown sugar and other spices, and it's all in a bag. I put it in the I put it in the cart and never said a word, and she caught on that checkout counter. Said, who's fixing that? I said, I will, if you don't well, she don't want me messing up in the kitchen. And so I'm eating spiraled ham with all the flavors, with fried eggs chopped up in soup, beans cooked on a sandwich. Life is good. I mean, I can die, but let's not do it today. And I got a knock at the office door. By the time I got up, it takes me a little while. My brain has to tell my feet and my feet wait around trying to figure where the floor was at. But anyhow, I got to the door, and they were gone, and there was chocolate turtles. Why would anybody want to die if they could have chocolate turtles? Best thing in the world, nearly. And Jan came over there, and somebody give her one of these cream filled pumpkin rolls. You ever had any that's good junk. Now I'm not afraid to die. I'm not wanting to die. I didn't sign up to die, but if I do, I'm going to go on his ticket, because I'm trusting Jesus Christ and His righteousness, and not my own on this journey to heaven. So are you ready? Are you ready? I hope you're ready. There's an old preacher by the name of J Harold Smith. I listened to him on the internet. One of his famous sermons is God's three deadlines. J Harold Smith and his wife has traveled literally all over the world and hit the largest churches, not only in America, but around the world, preaching they're gone now. J Harold Smith was in the fifth grade, and he spotted a girl by the name of miters. Fifth grade, he fell in love with miters, and he said to himself, I'm going to marry that girl someday. After class, he asked her if he could walk her home in fifth grade and carry her books. And he did every day he would carry her books home from school. I. One afternoon, the teacher said, Jay Harrell, I want you to I want you to stay after school today. He looked up with surprise, and he said, why? She said, I want you to clean the erasers for the Blackboard or chalkboard. And just as soon as the bell rang, Jay Harrell raced over to my dress, and he said to her, said, I won't be able to walk you home today. She said, why? Teacher told me I have to stay after school and clean the erasers. She said, Jay Harrell, I'll walk real slow. They were married for more than 60 years. Traveled all over, preaching. She lay dying. He sat by her bedside, holding her hand and weeping, and he said, I don't want you to leave me. And she whispered, J Harold. Do you remember when I said to you when we were in the fifth grade? And he looked up, there was tears, and he said, Yes, you told me that you would walk real slow. She said, Jay Harrell, I'll walk real slow again so you can catch up. And said, it won't be very long, you'll catch up with me. What many months after that, that both of them were in heaven, I want to say to you today in closing, you're not ready for Christmas unless you're ready to die. And my first question this morning was, are you ready for Christmas? I want you to listen as our group comes and they play the Carol of the Bells. And I want you to think, if I'm not ready, I need to get ready, make this season of the year, the time that you totally know that you're saved and that you're surrendered and your spirit led and you're living steadfastly keeping the promises of God satisfied. I'm ready anytime you want me. That's the kind of Christmas I want this year to be. Thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene. Visit us every Sunday at 9am with B and C's pastor, Ray LaSalle, for more information regarding B and C, visit Bucyrus nazarene.org, you.