Some Other Way. Is The Lord Not Good Enough?

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN

SERMON TITLE: SOME OTHER WAY. IS THE LORD NOT GOOD ENOUGH?

“For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

TEXT VERSE: John 10:1 “Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”

It seems like we’re living in a day and time when people can’t get what they want from the Lord so they start looking elsewhere. If you can’t get what you need from God, you’ll not get it from anyone else. If God can’t supply your needs tonight, there’s no other place you can go. If you can’t find God in your own life, you’ll not find him on this world. There’s people who want to go some other way. There’s Christians today that are out of church because they can’t get what they want. People seem to be living in a day and time in their life where they want change. We’re living in a changing world. We talk about how men and women used to get around on horse and buggy and we can’t fathom that in our minds. We have cars that go 120 miles an hour. People used to walk to the house of God in bare feet and even walk in the winter. We can’t even get people to come those cars. We have so many material things and people can’t find time but they want God to bless them. God don’t bless backsliders. God blesses those that are obedient to the Holy Spirit of God. So we’re living in a changing world. Christians should never change.

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I change not...” If we’re going to follow after the Lord, we need to be like him. God won’t leave you, but you can leave God.

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” He’s a God who don’t change. But his people always want change. The pasture is always greener on the other side. We can never get satisfied. Maybe your needs are fleshly. If that’s what it is, then you’re heading down hill instead of heading up. People are always wanting change. I haven’t found anything wrong with the old Gospel that leads sinners to repentance. The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light. If you can’t get it from him, you’ll not get it from some big church with a tall steeple. The Bible says the kingdom of God is within you. Do you ever feel it on the outside? I do.

Proverbs 24:21 “My son fear thou the Lord and the King; and meddle not to them that are given to change.” If somebody can’t stay with God long enough to get a blessing then don’t you be hanging around them. We have to get in the word, live the word, stay in the word, read the word and receive the word. If you can’t get it from God, you’re robbing God. God’s wanting to bless you and you’re not giving him the opportunity to bless you because you’re not right there where God wants you to be because you’re off somewhere else looking for some other way. Why ain’t this way good enough for you tonight? We can not live half heartedly for the Lord. We have to give God our all. But a lot of people don’t. They come in church with a big old frown on their face and somebody will get up to sing a song and they don’t say anything. I guess their here for entertainment. The way we carry a tune around here, you aren’t going to get any entertainment. We’re up here trying to lift up the name of Jesus Christ our savior. It don’t matter if you sing good or not, if you’re singing for the Lord, keep on keeping on. God’s not in the entertaining business. He’s in the saving business.

NUMBER ONE: Christians have changed the way they love the Lord. How do we love him? 1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us”. Isn’t it amazing how we can love somebody so much that we’ve never even seen? People have changed how they love the Lord. People have quit coming to God’s house. If you love God you’ll love God’s house, God’s people, God’s creatures, God’s singers; you’ll love everything about God’s holy kingdom. Here’s how they’ve changed in their loving God. They say, “I’ll love the Lord when I feel like it.” “I’ll love the Lord when my health is in good enough condition to go to the house of God.” If their feeling bad they can’t seem to love God. If you can’t love him except when you’re feeling good, that’s false love anyway. Used to when someone was sick and not in church, people would make a bee-line over their house and fix them dinner. Now when you’re out of the house of God, they talk about you. They’ve changed the way they love God. A lot of Christians today, especially a lot of Baptist folk who think they can correct any problem in any persons life. Man don’t have any power. God has the power. How do Christians love the Lord?