The Value of One Sparrow - Don Pruitt

Several years ago, not long after my open heart surgery,

there was a preacher study and Aurora Missouri.

And I wasn't up to the drive and a dear brother came and picked

me up and provided Transportation.

As a went to the, to Aurora, to the study, went to the morning

session on Saturday and left for lunch.

Went to Hardee's for a burger and server, the preachers were

there. We had a good visit and it's

sitting visited till it's time to go back to the assembly and

walking across the parking lot. I looked down and saw two

pennies. And I said I shouldn't have said

it out loud but I did, I said if I didn't hurt so bad, I'd pick

that up and the brother said, what is it?

I said, it's two pennies. And so he walked over to the

spot, picked him up and slipped him in his pocket.

And I was sitting there, you know, Finders Keepers losers

weepers, but he put two pennies in his pocket.

But I got the storage for nothing.

I grew up poor. But never knew it.

And the exceptional parents who raised me, taught me the value

of little things. What's a pennyworth?

In the day of Jesus, you could buy Two Sparrows.

For one penny. And there were two of them

laying on the parking lot. Matthew gives us the price and

in Matthew 10:29 and when Luke tells the story, he tells us

Matthew 10:29

that you could buy five sparrows for two pennies.

Luke 12 verse 6, What's the fifth spare worth?

Luke 12:6

The others are worth a half a cent apiece, but if you buy as

many as five, you get one pitched in for nothing. the

gospel writers, follow that story, both Matthew and Luke by

letting us know that God values, those sparrows.

In fact, it says that there never has been espera die.

That he didn't see it. When Luke tells it, he said

there never has been a dead sparrow.

That God forgot. And that incredible.

Some of us are preach more funerals that we can't even

remember who they were. And many of them were dear

friends. Jesus goes from that and tells

us that he's attentive to a lot of things.

In fact, he said, God knows how many hairs are in your head.

I looked at that a little bit, I found out that redheads.

Well, a normal head, whatever. The normal size of a head is has

approximately 100,000 hair, follicles.

Redhead has 90,000. A blond has 140, 440,000.

No wonder. They have more fun.

They have more hair. And brunettes.

Well, we fall in some place between the redheads and the

blondes. I figure that there's close to a

thousand people here. I figure Tuesday night that,

it'll be a packed house and if there's a thousand people in

this room, I would estimate that there will be 100 million hairs.

And this room. But God.

Will know the exact number. He knows what follicles work and

what follicles Dome, he knows you extremely well and after he

tells us about The Sparrows and the number of our hairs, he

tells us that he values. You more than many sparrows.

God is attentive to us. He doesn't ever miss anything.

They're not very many fifth sparrows In This Crowd.

You're an exceptional audience. You're an impressive crowd of

people. You're beautiful people both

inside and out. Your people have great talent.

Wonderful singers and Powerful preachers and outstanding church

leaders and exemplary families. You look at this crowd and and

you know, that they're part of the cream of the Brotherhood and

it's such a joy for us to be together.

But, there's not very many fifth sparrows in this room tonight.

There's usually a few. Through the years that I've

preached, I've had people that I've encouraged to come to the

meetings. Tell me that they've come to the

4th July meeting or the New Year's meeting and I said it in

a joy and they often say no, we didn't like it.

And when I asked him, why, it's because they didn't know

anybody. They didn't know anybody when

they came. and I didn't hardly know anybody, when they left

They were just fifth sparrows. Romans chapter 12.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

And verse 10 says be kindly affectionate one to another with

brotherly love and honor. Giving preference to one

another. We look forward to coming to

this meeting because we know so many people from so many places.

All of us are that way we all have special friends and maybe

this is the only time we get to see and we always roll out the

red carpet to our peers to our favorite peers and we share that

time together telling stories about ourselves and asking about

the others and talking about our family, and our friends, and our

congregations, in the things that are important to us.

And all the The time that we're sharing the joy of the company

of our friends, there's a few fist sparrows that are sitting

over on the lower wings of the spiritual Tree of Life.

Watching us in our selfishness and they're not enjoying.

The presence of the kingdom of God.

Jesus was very compassionate. He loved all kinds of people,

the scribes and the Pharisees. They had nothing good to say

about him because he would eat with publicans and sinners.

He was a master teacher and I think Mark gave him one of his

greatest compliments about his skill.

When he tells us in Mark chapter 12 and verse 37 and the Common

Mark 12 · chapter mention

People heard him gladly he mixed well with everyone.

He could and would talk to anyone.

Jesus was a communicator. I want to look with you at the

139th psalm. It's an amazing text of course,

and I know you're familiar with it but it's a song that tells us

great things about God. I like to read this song out

loud. I like to get off by myself.

Someplace private behind closed doors and read it out loud.

I like to read it to God because it glorifies him it honors him

and that's what glorifying really is.

And I want you as you listen to these words, not to think about,

we're just talking about the great King David here.

I want you to know that David sings this song but he sings it

by inspiration and it's recorded for us in the word of God.

Because God wants you to know how God feels about you.

Even if you are fists Perry, even though you think you have

no value though, you think you have no merit, though?

You may think you have no Talent, God loves you.

Incredibly O. Lord, thou Hast searched me and

known me now. Knowest my down settings in my

uprisings that understand us, my thought afar off.

Now compasses, my path and my lying down and art acquainted

with all of my ways. For there is not a word in my

tongue but Lo O, Lord thou knowest, it all together.

Now has to be said me behind and before Or and laid down hand

upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful

for me. It is high.

I cannot attain it. Whether shall at go from thy

Spirit, our weather shall I flee from thy presence if I Ascend

into heaven? Thou Art there, if I make my bed

in hell, behold Thou Art there. If I take the wings of the

morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even

there, shall I hand Lead Me. Me and thou shalt thy right hand

shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness

shall cover me. Even the night shall be light

about me either. Darkness hideth, not from the

for the night shineth as the day, the darkness and the light

are both alike to thee. For thou Hast possessed, my

reins now has covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise thee, I am fearfully and wonderfully.

And marvelous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right,

well, my substance was not hid from thee When I Was Made In

Secret him curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Mine eyes did see my substance yet being unperfect and in thy

book all my members. We're written, which in

continuance were fashioned when, as yet there was none of them.

How precious also are thy thoughts, unto me o God.

How great is the sum of them if I should count them there more

number than this. And when I awake, I am still

with you. May we open our eyes Brethren to

The Sparrows that flit about us. And we all go back home to our

local congregations and assure our sparrows that they are

created by the almighty God and that God holds Us in his right

hand. Let them know that God listens

to all and of our thoughts of fears and doubts.

Tell them that they were wonderfully, made by the power

of the almighty God. Tell them that God knew them and

their mother's womb even before For their mama knew she was

pregnant. God knew them can tell them

that. There's a real place in the

kingdom of God for the him. And then help them find it.

God, help us. Not to look over our past.

Anyone for God. Wondrously made them all.

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