#2 OLD AND COLD! NOT YET! NOT YET! ...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is part two of a two part series, Old and Cold! NOT YET!
If you need part one email Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Joel 2:28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon ALL flesh; and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall
see visions...
Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon
ALL flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams...
Proverbs 27: 17 Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countanance of his friend.
INTRODUCTION: Little things matter a whole lot. In 1871 in Chicago, one little lady was milking her little cow. The little jersey cow kicked over a little oil lamp into a little pile of hay. There was a little wind that blew the little fire and the little barn caught on fire. The little fire caught the little house next door on fire, and before they knew it, an area one mile long and three miles long burned and was totally destroyed. The GREAT CHICAGO FIRE OF 1871 was caused by many little things coming together.
7. MAN IS A VESSEL OF LIFE, HE IS NOT LIFE, GOD IS LIFE!
A.ONLY ONE LIFE, T’WILL SOON BE PASSED, ONLY WHAT’S DONE FOR CHRIST WILL LAST.
B. We are a product of our daily choices. Each breath is a gift of God.
Every missed opportunity cannot be given again?
C. WE ARE HEADED TOWARD HEAVEN AT 60 MINUTES AN HOUR? 1440 MINUTES A DAY.
Honor the life that God gives, and make something of joy and beauty.
8. THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS MORE THAN PLEASURE, TREASURE, FOOD, EDUCATION, LIFE ...
There must be more to life than smart minds and full bellies!
What are the goals before you? What is your mission?
Ponder John the Baptist, what did they go out to see?
Ponder Noah’s huge work and only 8 souls in the boat?
Mat. 6:25, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. IS NOT LIFE MORE THAN MEAT, AND THE BODY
THAN RAIMENT? Consider the BIRDS --- The lilies?
9. DOES A SENSE OF DREAD OF LIFE GROW IN YOUR HEART?
LIFE HAS SEASONS WE CALL A VALLEY OF TEARS?
A. But God’s plan is HAPPY VALLEY!
God is not pleased with those that think there is more wrong than right in the church.
Many think there is NOTHING right anywhere!
All are hypocrites?
B. Criticism can be the death gargle of the dying!
With thousands of things to praise God for, why call this world a place of torment and sorrow?
To have an unhappy life is to say God has failed, life is an error, and cause the angels to weep on
your death bed because you missed the point!
C. Life must be more than agitation, worry and fear. Laughter is as medicine!
10. LIVE EVERY DAY AS IF IT WERE YOUR LAST! ONE DAY WILL BE YOUR LAST!
A. Drive like the state police are right behind you!
Work hard, honest labor for honest pay? Play fair. Love the team even if you lose.
B. Remember God knows and keeps good records.
C. You are accountable!
D. Slip shod works and ministries are hurting many churches.
11. LOVE TO GIVE. MANY WASTE THEIR LIFE BY DREAMING OF WHAT THEY HAVE NOT!
Mat. 10:39 He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.
A. To count your blessings, you cannot count what you do not have.
B. Many know I had a super arrowhead collection from Virginia. Someone broke into the church and stole it off my office wall.
Today the only arrow heads I own are those that down through the years, I gave away.
Some heard of the robbery and felt to return the arrow heads I gave them.
All I have today is what I gave away!
11. LIFE HAS A PURPOSE! YOU ARE ON A MISSION.
A. We are all sent!
We have a commission from God to live in faith and trust Him completely.
What is your assignment?
Any other definition of life that excludes a mission is false!
B. Are we dead fish aimlessly drifting with the current?
C. LIFE HAS MUCH QUICKSAND AND MANY TRAPS.
Our enemy wants you to waste your life chasing rainbows and butterflies.
Prayer will hold you, keep you, and cause you to advance. You can’t guard yourself, but God’s Holy
Spirit can! Pray that you enter not into temptation.
12. THE FINAL TEST OF LIFE WILL NOT BE HOW MUCH WE HAVE LIVED, BUT HOW DID YOU LIVE?
A. Have the trials, troubles, and stresses of life made you bigger, better, and stronger?
B. Or were you a quitter?
Live your life so the minister can tell the truth at your funeral.
C. The people that say it cannot be done will be ran over by those doing it!
D. Our enemy wants you to hate, to be angry and bitter, you will grow old soon.
The forgiven must forgive?
E. Some little one syllable words are what matter ...
hope, faith, love, care, kind, peace, joy, child, life, death, home!
F. Life is not like instant coffee and instant potatoes, you must invest effort, sweat, and hard work.
13. ARE OLD PEOPLE UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE?
LIFE MUST TEACH US UNDERSTANDING AND PATIENCE. Prov. 13: 15.
A. Abigail had more understanding than her husband. 1 Sam. 25: 3, Nabal wanted everything handed
to him on a silver platter. Abigail knew life is not all games and other’s responsibilities.
B. Solomon wanted to be understanding and thus pleased God. 1 Kings 3: 9 -12.
C. Do you have understanding? Do spouses understand their mates?
Parents understand their children? Why not? We have selfish motives?
Well, I don’t want to have understanding because no one understands me?
D. I say again: IF YOU DO NOT LIKE WHAT YOU ARE GETTING, CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE GIVING!
E. Life has a purpose, as does death. We need God to restore our dreams.
So you failed. So what? David failed and is listed in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart.
Death to our dreams will eventually kill us, but the resurrection power of God’s dreams bring new HOPE.
We need NEW HOPE? Death is not death if it brings us closer to God, we just go into the closet,
the grave, and change. Why not change here?
14. PHILOSOPHY 101. ....
A) Nothing is as bad as it first appears. SO GET UP AND TRY AGAIN.
B) Good comes out of evil, I HAVE READ THE END OF THE BOOK THE ENEMY DOES NOT WIN.
C) Nothing can happen to you today that God can’t handle, QUIT ACTING LIKE AN ORPHAN.
D) The good news is the bad news is not true, SO WHY EVEN THINK ON THE BAD?
E) Time is a tonic, IF YOU REFUSE ANGER AND BITTERNESS, GOD WILL TAKE TIME AND BRING HIS
PLAN ... (Rom. 8:28.)
F) You deserve what you tolerate, you are a product of your own choices. CHOOSE LIFE AND WHOLENESS.
G) Life is a mirror, YOUR ATTITUDES COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE.
H) It is not what happens to you that matters, it is what happens in you, THAT IS WHY YOU NEED THE BIBLE.
I) Problems neither make you strong or weak, they just show which you are, QUIT BLAMING OTHERS,
FOR YOU AND GOD ARE THE SOLUTION.
J) Tribulation is a test tube, YOU WILL GROW TALL STANDING IN MANURE.
K) It takes more faith to get out of the boat, than it does to stay seated? Yet the world will talk about the
man that dares to try, THEY WILL TALK ANYWAY, SO TRY HARDER.
L) Bury the past or it will bury you, BITTERNESS IS A FAST GROWING CANCER.
M) You can if you want to....DO YOU WANT TO?
N) What you love you will find time for.... WHY NOT FIND MORE TIME FOR OTHERS AND GOD?
O) Trouble and sorrow and life are only temporary, THERE IS A TIME TO QUIT CRYING AND START LAUGHING,
I’ll cry if I want too is not smart.
P) If you hate stink, keep your garbage can clean, HIDDEN SIN DESTROYS GOOD MEN.
Q) Do not entertain doom and gloom, GOD DELIVERS UNLESS YOU WANT TO STAY IN THE SEPTIC TANK.
15. LIFE’S INVITATION AND CURRICULUM IS IN THE WORDS OF JESUS FOUND: LEARN OF ME!
A. Jesus understands.
B. Anything that dims your vision of Christ and the Cross, that cramps your prayer life, or hinders your Bible study is
wrong! Turn away from it! Bad attitudes, negative words, poor friendships, wrongful focuses --- the trail to Hell is easy.
C.GOD AND LIFE’S PROMISES ARE GOOD, BUT GOD’S PRESENCE IS MUCH BETTER.
Are you submitted to Him? A little selfishness, little lies, little bad jokes, little cutting remarks, cause much grief.
Little acts of kindness, little words of encouragement, little expressions of love, little self-denials, become
threads of gold weaving a beautiful life. No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever forgotten.
16. NOT YET, NOT YET?
One day a little clump of clay lay so dry on the hot ground? The clay felt worthless and dry.
But the master’s touch had not yet come.
A man came by with a shovel and a bucket and off went the clump of clay. The journey was rough, and the clump
could not understand where it was going. Clay, not yet.
The clump of clay sat at the market place, the bucket was cold, and the clay became dryer.
One day as the clay was watching, kind old hands reached down and touch the clay. The clay heard the
sweet voice ask the price, the clay felt he was worth much more than a few cents? Clay, not yet?
The clay sat in the little shop many days, what’s going on here asked the clay? Clay, not yet.
One day the kind warm hands pour some wet water on the clay. What’s going on here thought the clay?
But the time is not yet clay.
The master placed the clump of clay on a spinning wheel, around and around, what is the purpose of this thought
the clay? Not yet clay.
More water, wow those kind hands feel mean pushing me around. Not yet clay. Rework that lump said the master.
Just when the clay started enjoying the process, the hot oven was turn high. Hang in there clay.
The clay sweated and sweated, now what is the use? Not yet clay.
The lump of clay came out and cooled, but the master’s plan was still hidden.
Back in the oven clay, the clay felt I can’t stand this any more.
The master put on the finishing touch, and the clay could not understand, still not yet?
A loving couple walks in the shop, they picked one of the master’s reworked clump of clay, and the ask the master,
HOW MUCH? The lump of clay was so surprised, the master was asking a lot of money?
The clay was placed in a box and gently carried to it’s new home. The clump of clay was amazed his new
home was a mansion. The new owners placed the clump of clay on the mantle.
That little worthless clump of clay couldn’t believe what it saw in the mirror.
Now, clump, now see and now understand, you are a beautiful work of the master’s hands.
The lump of clay was thankful for history had been rewritten, the master’s vision and dream had become
a reality, the clay’s purpose was now understood.
Let us invite the master to make us...
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
For comment or the other part of the series email: Kyfingers@aol.com
