Cast Thy Bread Upon The Water

Years ago, the building of an house was a serious business in our grandfather’s time.

-What strong foundations they laid.

-What massive timbers you find in those old houses.

BUT today, there is not the same desire to have a house… to live in one place for any length of time.

SO, houses are built less solidly, but more

Showy!

AND thus is the whole fabric of society! Which is very flimsy and very temporary!

We see it in marriages… divorce is almost as common as marriage itself!!!

One parent households are almost as common as two parent homes.

Step brothers and step sisters, are almost as common as

Full blooded brothers and sisters.

WHAT has taken place? We’ve been living in a society that has SOAKED UP EVERY LAST BIT OF HARVEST

And has not made any investment at all for a future harvest!

We see it in Literature! The newspaper is written at 8th grade level. Books that have any depth at all collect dust on library shelves, while people have opted for the light, superficial reading!

Television has become the industry standard for the home…. Because people no longer have to think! The television industry does the thinking for them!!!

Mentioned TWO words at the beginning of the message:

Self-denial and Self-restraint

The willingness to forego the gratification of today for the sake of the days to come.

Give you example: In New Orleans, they have

Some very magnificent live theatres.

-the New Orleaners love their theatres…

and it is well known that many people will plan

their food budget around their theatre tickets.

They would first go without food than to miss

A performance.

You see it all around.

-Many people would buy their cigarettes first before food.

Driving through Mississippi many years ago, and noticed an unusual sight…

-beautiful shiny cars in the driveway….

-satelite dish outside…

BUT their home was nothing more than a shanty…

Some covered with cardboard.

Is not this so true with the church? Have we not the nicest of things in life? Have we not learned to dress the best? Do we not have the nicest of homes, the nicest of cars? Have we not had the best of foods?

And yet what about the condition of our spiritual houses?

WHILE we have feasted on the HARVEST, The temple of the Holy Ghost has laid in ruins!!!

The dedication of yester-years lies buried underneath layers and layers of greed, impatience, and thoughtlessness.

I feel tonight that the Great Archeologist of Heaven, the Holy Ghost, is trying his best to dig up some valuable artifacts of the past in hopes that there is some sort of resurrection of life brought back to the CHURCH of Jesus Christ!!!

Can you not see tonight how important it is to have some degree of self-denial and self-restraint???

Even Jesus said it this way:

Mark 8:34 34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.