ARE WE LEAVING MORE THAN A TOMBSTONE?... What about the dash? GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU! HE IS A REWARDER
--- BE BLESSED!BLESSED
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is part one of a two part series.
I. WHAT AM I LEAVING OTHERS?
A. When I was a boy my Dad would sing an old bluegrass song,
"I wonder who will sing for me? After I have sung my last song, who will sing one last song for me?"
B. As I have matured, I don’t want to discuss I am getting older, but as I have matured
I often ponder --- WHAT AM I LEAVING? AM I MAKING A DIFFERENCE?
C. Today while traveling I had a Christian radio station on and as I was listening there was a catchy phrase in a catchy little song --- I do not know who it was that recorded it, and I do not know the writer?
The phrase said ---
" PASS IT ON, PASS IT DOWN, LEAVE MORE THAN A TOMBSTONE IN THE GROUND."
D. There is a neat thought about tombstones.
There will be your name written real big, but on most tombstones there is a DASH ---the date of your birth, a DASH --- and then the date of your death.
You probably can’t remember much about the day of your birth, and the day of your death will hold little of your history ---
IT IS THE DASH BETWEEN THOSE TWO DATES THAT MATTER.
E. As a father I thought very little about my dash --- but as a grandfather I often ponder much about my dash, what memories have I written today? This week?
Do I give HOPE? Do I point others to the Divine Possibilities that come through the Cross?
II. THERE IS A GREAT QUESTION ABOUT BEING BUSY?
WHAT YOU LOVE --- YOU WILL FIND TIME TO DO?
A. IS BUSY OUR GOAL? WILL BUSY PEOPLE LEAVE MORE THAN THE LAZY?
B. Let me share an illustration about being busy?
Let us study two small little creatures of God that stay very busy.
1. I have always been fascinated with the LITTLE BEE and how busy they are.
Their little body is fat and short, yet the bee flies from flower to flower and does man kind a great service far beyond making honey!
Bees pollinate flowers and fruit trees and they do a great service for us.
They are busy!
2. Now let us consider how busy the little MOSQUITO is?
It is a busy little flying sucker! The mosquito ruins many out door events by biting and sucking blood and causing itching and pain.
They fly and fly and pester humans, --- more than that they carry and spread disease.
C. WE PRAISE THE BUSY BE!
WE SWAT THE LITTLE MOSQUITO, SO THERE MUST BE A GREATER ISSUE THAN JUST BEING BUSY.
D. Show me what keeps you busy, and I will know a lot about you!
Show me what you talk about, and I will be able to know something about you!
Matthew 12:34 --- for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
III. SHALL WE PONDER INFLUENCE? SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU!
A. INFLUENCE:
The act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command.
The power or capacity of causing an effect indirect or tangible ways. To sway.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE: AFFECTED BY EXTERNAL SOURCE.
B. Many years ago, rain started falling. The rain formed pools.
The pools started to form together and look for a path in which to flow.
Water always seeks the PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE!
As the rain water started flowing it cut a path, over time the flowing started cutting a pathway, deeper and deeper, until a river bed was clearly defined.
The water then becomes trapped, and the more it is trapped the deeper the water path way is cut and instead of the water defining the flow, the river bed defines the flow.
C. Your words have a great affect on other people!
Your words over a period of time will establish --- THINKING PATTERNS!
Your thinking patterns will be re-enforced by repetitive behavior ---until you clearly
establish attitudes and STRONGHOLDS.
D. A baby crawls and can get around, but the same baby will watch an adult walk and think, walking is better than crawling.
ARE WE TEACHING OTHERS THERE IS A BETTER WAY?
IV. GOD WANTS TO BLESS HIS PEOPLE! YOU HAVE THE KEY TO UNLOCK BLESSINGS!
CAN WE SEE WHAT WE ARE LOOSING --- THE INFLUENCE OF BLESSINGS?
Bless:
To pronounce words and actions asking for Divine favor.
To cleanse, sanctify
To thank or glorify
A gift of God by grace and mercy
Consecrated --- to be devoted, faithful, declare as sacred.
God bless you as a term of endearment or gratitude
A. DOES A SPOUSE SEE THE POTENTIAL OF NEGATIVE WORDS?
B. DO PARENTS USE THEIR INFLUENCE WISELY?
Many parents can only see the NOW, and not the cause and effect that words
open or close in later times.
Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
C. WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU RUB ELBOWS WITH EVERY DAY?
IS YOUR INFLUENCE GODLY? BIBLICAL? ARE WE PASSING ON BLESSINGS?
D. So you hide behind the thought that you are not a leader?
But your sphere of influence is around you and others.
Deut. 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the
Lord thy God giveth thee.
V. GOD HAS PLANS FOR YOU AND YOURS, GOD GIVEN BLESSINGS ARE PLANNED FOR US!
A. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Jesus loves you as much as Father Abraham, Isaac, or Mary.
Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
B. GOD HAS A STANDING INVITATION --- IF YOU WILL --- HE WILL PROVE HIS LOVE AND BLESSING TO YOU!
Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
C. GOD GRINS, HIS FACE SHINES TO BLESS HIS PEOPLE!
Psalm 67:1 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song.
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
VI. GOD GAVE AN ORDER FROM HEADQUATERS TO BLESS GOD’S PEOPLE!
WE MUST VERBALLY RELEASE GOD’S PLAN TO BLESS US.
A. YOUR WORDS WILL RELEASE A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE FUTURE FOR OTHERS.
Numbers 6:22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
B. GOD SHOWS VERY EARLY IN THE HISTORY OF MAN THAT HE LOVES TO BLESS HIS PEOPLE.
C. DO YOU KNOW THE FIRST BLESSING IN THE BIBLE?
Genesis 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
D. WE STILL OPERATE UNDER THIS MANDATE!
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
This is part one of a two part sermon!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
My hands are small small, you could help double my mininistry by pass this on to another.
