Voice of the Nazarene 4-5-26

Voice of the Nazarene 4-5-26

Transcript

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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 Busyrus Ohio Church of the Nazarene. We join our pastor, Reverend Ray Lestow and the Voice of the Nazarene.

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I'm reading from Mark chapter 16, beginning in verse 1. And when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, they came bringing sweet spices that they might anoint him, the body of Jesus Christ. And you see, they waited till the Sabbath. If you understand Jewish culture, they're not allowed to travel on the Sabbath. You couldn't labor on the Sabbath, you couldn't buy or sell on the Sabbath. So the ladies waited till Sabbath was passed. They come to the tomb on Sunday, the first day of the week. Verse 2. Very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? Now there's a message in that. I mean, these three ladies come to the tomb, and on the way to the tomb, they're worrying all the way. How in the world are we going to get that 2,000-pound stone that's blocking the tomb? And God was going to take care of it. Why don't we learn how to just cast our cares on him for he careth for us? Our God neither slumbers nor sleeps. So both of us don't need to stay up all night worrying. Just let him handle things. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were affrighted. Interesting that every angel mentioned in the Bible were a male angel. And in verse 6, and he saith unto them, Be not affrighted, ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified. He is risen. He's not here. Behold the place where they have laid him. But go your way, tell the disciples and Peter, that he goeth before you into Galilee. There shall ye see him as he said unto you. I find it incredibly amazing that God took the greatest message ever given to this world and entrusted it to these three ladies. You just gotta take your hat off and stand back and scratch your head. I mean, he gave it to these three ladies. I don't know if you watch the news lately, but uh Tiger Woods has been in the news. Somebody said a lion won't drink, but a tiger would. I'm being a bad boy, I should have said that. Can you erase that? Tiger Woods came onto the scene in stardom, almost an overnight success some some years ago on the golf scene. And uh in 2009, uh Woods had a had a terrible accident, and uh his car crashed, and there seemed to be a lot of mystery surrounding the wreck. And uh they found there was some things in his bloodstream, and they they put him in a clinic uh for addiction. And uh right after that, 2010, they found that and they proved that he'd had multiple affairs, and so his wife sued him for divorce. Right after that, there were four major back surgeries. And 11 years pass, and it seems like he's drifted off the scene. And then in a major tournament, he won the masters. And when they interviewed him and put the mic before him, he looked at the interviewer and he said, I was given a second chance. Second chance. And when I studied the resurrection story, the message of a resurrection is a second chance. Now think about this. Three ladies on the resurrection morning, they come to the tomb, they're bringing spices to anoint his body, they get there, there's an angel there, and the angel says to these three ladies, the one that was crucified, the one that you're looking for, he is not here. He is risen. And because he is risen, we don't have a hopeless end, we have an endless hope. He is risen. Now, nothing is in the Bible just to be in the Bible. That angel with a message from heaven said, Go tell the disciples and also tell Peter. And I'm thinking Peter was one of the disciples. I mean, just get with it, just go tell the disciples. But if you remember, Peter had turned his back. Peter had failed, Peter had missed the mark. Peter wasn't following now. Peter's in spiritual trouble. And you may be here this morning in the same condition. But it's a gospel of a second chance this Easter. Go tell the disciples and Peter, because the message is found in that little phrase, and Peter. Now I would have thought he would have said to the disciples, go tell them, but while you're at it, tell that old Herod, the fox, that I'm alive. I would have thought he would have said, Go tell the disciples, but tell Pilate. I mean, they they gave a fake trial, they crucified me, they sentenced me to death, and uh I'm getting the last laugh. Tell him I'm risen. I would have thought that's the way he would have handled it, but he didn't. I would have thought he would have said just tell him to forget Peter and remember John, the disciple that was my beloved disciple. He loved me, he stayed with me till the end, the only one that really did. There at the cross when I'm dying, he took my mother home. Go tell John, besides the disciples. But it was a message of forgiveness. Not only tell the disciples, but tell Peter, who had failed. Now, Peter had been following Jesus, but the problem was he was following a fore-off. And we get in trouble in our spiritual lives when we're following Jesus a fore-off. When we want to be a Christian and everything else also, we get in trouble following a four-off. And not only that, when he was at the fire, at the wrong fire, he was with the wrong crowd. And the problem with the wrong crowd, sometimes the crowd doesn't pick you up, sometimes they pull you down. And when you're hanging around those lounge lizards, they don't always bless you. Sometimes they're pretty brutal. You can tell me what you're reading, tell me who you're running with, and I can probably tell you in about five years where you're going to be. Because what we're reading and who we hang with affects our future. So he's following a four-off. He ran with the wrong crowd. And thirdly, the people said, This fella talks a whole lot like Jesus. I think he was with Jesus. And Peter said, No, three different times. I don't even know him. So he was following a four-off. He's running with the wrong crowd, and now he's denying Christ. But the message is go tell the disciples and Peter. What was Jesus saying? He was saying, Peter, I love you. I've got a plan for your life. I've got a purpose for your life. It's the gospel of a second chance. Now, a little girl, she was there in Sunday school, and the teacher said, What is this today? What's the day? And Sally put her hand up and said, It's Palm Sunday. She said, You're right. Now she said, What is next Sunday? Any of you know? Well, Sally put her hand back up and said, It's Easter. Well, she said, Sally, what happened on Easter? She said, Jesus rose from the grave. But if he sees his shadow, he'll have to go back for six more days. Well, most people don't know that Easter is about the fact that you can have a fresh start. You may not be able to go back and write a brand new beginning, but you can start right now to write a new end. And no matter what's happened in your life, Easter tells us we can have a brand new start. It's kind of like a Corinth. Kids play with different collar corns, and sometimes they'll break one. And I remember a little girl broke her Corinne and said to the teacher, It's broken. And the teacher said, But it's still collars. And some of our lives have been broken, but I want you to know God can get some good and some collar out of our lives. Let me give you four quick things. The whole message here, a second chance, is insinuated. He said, And tell Peter, a second chance, sir, a second chance, ma'am. You remember when God needed a leader to bring six million Jews out of Egyptian captivity? Who did he choose to lead? A man who had been a murderer. And his name was Moses, and God gave him another chance. And news had it how he had failed. His name was David. But in that great psalm, he said, He restoreth my soul. He understood restoration. Why? Because he'd been restored when he'd fallen. I think again of a man in the Bible by the name of Jonah. And God said, I want you to go down to Nineveh. I want you to head over towards Tarshus. In other words, I want you to go to Iraq. And he said, No. And he headed towards Spain. But the good news over here in the third chapter of Jonah, it said, the word of the Lord came unto Jonah a second time. A gospel of a second opportunity. There was a football coach, 30 years of age, and uh he was a defensive back coach for Ohio State. He was trying to have a career, and guess what? He got fired. But his name was Dick Sabans. He got a second chance. Cleveland Browns. You've heard of the Cleveland Browns. They had a tornado up there in Cleveland the other day, and they said, whatever you do, the safest place is to go over to the stadium at the Cleveland Browns because they haven't had a touchdown in years. I'm sorry. I'm in one of those moods this morning. I better get some more coffee. But Cleveland Brown had a coach, and they said, you're not smart enough, and you're not a winner, and you're fired. And all of us know his name. He won six Super Bowls later. Belichick. Now here's what I know: no matter what's happened in your life, a second chance is possible. I believe Helen Keller said it best. She said, when one door to happiness closes, another door always opens. But we often stand and stare so long regretfully at the door that closes that we fail to see the door that opens. Second chance. But I believe a second chance is inclusive. When it seemed like he's left out and wasn't accepted, and he's on the outside of the 12 now, Jesus reached out to be inclusive. And when Jesus first met Simon Peter, his name was Simon. And because he said, I see potential in you. Do you know that God sees things in you that you don't see in yourself? Do you know that God believes in you and you can't even seem to believe in yourself? God has a plan for you that you don't even realize there's ever going to be a plan for usefulness. And he said, I'm going to change your name, and a name's powerful. A name is powerful. I was just reading about a good old boy that was single, and God had blessed him with a huge amount of ugliness. And he just couldn't find a girl to date. And he had asked a lot of girls out, and they just didn't want to go anywhere with him. And so he's searching. And incidentally, if you're looking, don't don't, if you're single, don't go down to the singles bar. You say, Well, the odds are good, yeah, but the goods are odd. So don't hang around down there. But he got on a plane and he was seated next to this gal when he looked over. I mean, his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. She was beautiful, and he said, It's her. This is the one. And so he looked over and he said, hypothetically, could I ask you a question? If you were looking for the perfect man to marry, who would it be? Well, she said, I really like American natives. They're kind of bronze and well-built and they turn me on. But she said, to be real honest with you, I really like Jewish men. They know how to make money. They don't count it out to others, they count it back to themselves. I like American natives. I like Jewish men. But I have to admit, to be honest, I like those old rednecked Georgia boys that drive those four-wheel drive pickup trucks and have some red man up there on the dash. I I guess I just kind of like American natives. I like Jewish men. I I like rednecked Georgia boys. She said, I don't know why I'm talking to you and just being so open. I haven't even asked your name. Well, he said, My name is Geronimo Goldsberg, and my friends call me Bubba. Here's what's interesting. Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter the stone. And the scripture says in Mark 16, 7, go your way and tell the disciples and Peter. He didn't call him Simon the unstable one, but he called him Peter when he hadn't been stable. Why? Because he believed in him. And that's why. And I want you to know he still loved him and he had a purpose for him. It's the gospel of a second chance. And it's possible. It's also personal. And may I say it's also individual. Here's the part that I like. Over here in 1 Corinthians 15, 4, and that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. That's the Easter message, the resurrection. And following the resurrection, Jesus was seen of 516 different people. And then the Bible says in verse 5 that he was seen of Cephas. It's also the name of Simon Peter. And then the twelve. He said, Before I go and see the disciples, I want to see, I want to see Peter. I believe in him. And even though we'd messed up, he said, I'm going to go seek him out. And I want you to know this morning God's looking for you and looking for me. God loves us. And here's what's wonderful. In a crowd of people, three times Peter said, I don't know him. Remember that? It was reenacted in the last few nights. I don't know him. He denied him publicly, but Jesus forgave him privately. Jesus didn't try to embarrass him. Jesus handed him up along the seashore and handed him back the keys to the kingdom and simply asked him privately, do you love me? He's not out to embarrass us. If you want to be forgiven, just ask him. He'll forgive you privately. You say, well, everybody's talking about me. They'll get over it. Life moves on, but he'll forgive you. And I thought, if he'd forgive privately, why can't we do that? Why can't we be a little more kind? Why do we want to expose somebody else when they have hurt us? Let it go. Somebody said, because there's so much bad in the best of us and so much good in the worst of us, it behoove the rest of us to be kind to us. The best of men are only men at best. And we need to be kind one to another. People need loving the most when they least deserved to be loved. And the greatest compliment that anybody can ever give us is simply to say that we were there with them in the worst of times. But here's another thought of second chance. This is an investment. God wants to invest in you. Peter got right with God. You say, well, whatever became of him? Well, just not many days after that, he preached at Pentecost. 3,000 people were converted under his ministry. That Bible that you're reading out of, those books that you read, did you know that he wrote some of them? Did you know that he became the leader of all the apostles? Now there's another man in the Bible. His name is Jeremiah. In the 18th chapter, there's an interesting little story. God said to Jeremiah, I want you to go down to the potter's house. I want to teach you some things. He's working on a vessel, and I want you to learn. And so Jeremiah goes down, and in the fourth verse, it said, The jar that he was making did not turn out as he had hoped. Let me tell you something. We haven't always turned out as well as God had hoped either. You didn't turn out like he had hoped. I didn't turn out like he had hoped. But look, it said so he crushed it in a lump of clay and started over. Aren't you glad, ladies and gentlemen, he didn't throw the clay away? When the game of golf was invented, the little golf ball, did you know that it was made as smooth as silk on the outside? It wouldn't travel very far. But after they batted that uh or clubbed that little golf ball around and dinged it and banged it and indented it and crushed it, it would travel a lot farther. Some of us have been dinged around a little, haven't we? We've been banged and been hurt and been been damaged. But the amazing thing, if you'll allow that to happen, you'll travel farther. And you'll do better than you've ever done. And beyond your imagination, if you allow God to allow us to go through some things, he'll take us where we've never been. Every one of us needed a second chance. And God gave us a second chance. And let me explain. God is holy, God is perfect, heaven's a holy place. And yet, folk, there's us. Here's God who is holy, and we're at the bottom of the ladder of total depravity and not so holy, and God's holy, and we're separated from God, and so how is God going to reach us? And here's what God did in omniscience: God sent his own beloved Son into our world, my world, where I live, and begins to work with us. And Jesus Christ came to earth 2,000 years ago, lived a sinless life, and if he had not been perfect. He could not have been a propitiation for our sin. He couldn't have stood in our place. And they nailed him to the cross. And every sin that you and I have sinned, if we'll confess it, he takes that sin on himself there on the cross. And he became the payment for all of our sins right there at Calvary. Now, why is the resurrection so important? Well, there's a little verse I want you to catch it. Try to remember it. It's found in Romans chapter 4, verse 25, talking about Jesus who was delivered for our offenses. Man, I had plenty. That is to say, he died for our sins and my sins, but he was raised again for our justification. What does that prove? It proves that God accepted Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary for my sin. Now understand God's holy. And there's got to be a payment for sin. And your sin is either going to be pardoned by Christ or it has to be punished in hell. There's got to be a payment for sin. So I've got a choice. Do I allow Christ to pardon my sin or do I want to be punished for my sin? Can I just preach on for a moment? It's as simple as A, B, C. A. Acknowledge you're a sinner. Some of us will never get saved because we'll never admit we're lost. We think we go to church, that makes us good enough. You can go to a garage, but it doesn't make you a Mercedes. It doesn't matter that grandpa was a preacher or mom and dad was a Christian. All of us at some point have to give our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ and admit that we're lost. And a second thing is to believe that Christ died on the cross for my sins that I'd committed. And thirdly, confess your sins to him. All you've got to do is say, I'm a sinner. I'm wrong. But I love you and I want to serve you now. And Jesus stood on that darkened night. Simon Peter out there with the moon glow. His heart's broken. And Jesus stepped up and said, Do you love me? Do you love me? Three times. He had denied him three times, and three times Jesus asked him, Do you love me? Well, if you do, here's the keys of the kingdom. You can get back in ministry. I've got a useful place for you. I've got a Pentecost down here a day of Pentecost, and I need somebody to preach on that day. I need an evangelist. I need somebody to write some books. Would you love me? And Peter said, you know. I love you, and he was forgiven. And that kind of forgiveness is in the house today. He'll forgive any and every sin. All you've got to do is acknowledge I'm a sinner. I've come up short. Maybe you can say I'm a backslider. But I believe that you died for my sin. And I want to confess you as Lord of my life. Father, take the little message on this Easter Sunday morning. Wonderful group of people. Most of us have some real needs in our lives. And some of us need you. And we haven't been what we should have been over the months of the past. And we come into a gathering like this, and your divine Holy Spirit has slipped back and is touching some hearts today and whispering into our conscience. And whispering to our hearts that we need you. And I pray this morning that some hearts would even be open. We're not going to make a hard-pressed altar call. But we believe that you're here and you're asking people, do you want to come back? Do you love me enough? You want to be a Christian? I'll forgive your sins. I'll cover all of your shortcomings. I'll give you a brand new ending. And so this morning, people, would you stand together with me with our heads bowed? And if you'd like to pray this morning, I want you to know that God is here. I wished you could know how much God is here. And if you want to pray, would you just slip out? Forget it's Easter, forget who's here or who might be watching. I'm convinced that some folk need the Lord this morning. Sing just a verse.

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Change my heart, oh God.

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And some slip out, would somebody slip in with them? Take it. If you're hearing God is whisper to you on this Easter Sunday morning, please come.

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Change my heart.

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Let's let God whisper to our lives. I imagine Simon Peter Weast did have not made the mistakes that he made, but he did. But there's a way back. There's a God of a second chance. I don't know, maybe the word of the Lord is coming to you a second time. Would you want to pray this morning? Who else this morning, Pastor? This is Please don't close just yet. I'm trying to get the nerve to step out and come. We're waiting for you. Change my heart. Oh God. Someone else want to pray this morning.

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Make it ever true.

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Please don't let anything keep you from God or an old God. If you feel the slightest tug at all in your heart. Only God can transform us. Play it softly if you would.

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Thanks for being a part of the Voice of the Nazarene. Visit us every Sunday at 9 a.m. with BNC's Pastor Ray LaSalle. For more information regarding BNC, visit newstersNazarine.org.