Voice of the Nazarene 3-24-24

I'm coming to you from North Central Ohio, we share with you the voice of the Nazarene. A WEEK BY WEEK venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene. We join our Pastor Reverend Ray Lasalle and the voice of the Nazarene.

I know a lots going on today and we'll kind of move along quickly. But I would like to say thanks to every guest that's in our building. And we're glad to have you and we welcome you don't forget after service, you want to slip back to the cafe, you get a free coffee, tell him it's on the pastor that you're new and you're our guests.

Thanks for coming. Palm Sunday is commonly what we do the Sunday before Easter. And it has to do with the triumphal entry of Christ. Very unique scene, pastor called me earlier this last week and said, Do you have any thoughts on that subject at all he said, I find it the most difficult to preach on. And I will say this very little said about it other than the Gospels.

And all four gospel writers wrote about it, there's some kind of an emphasis that needs to be caught on it. Christ comes riding in and they thought they mistakenly took it that he was coming in to take over as king.

But he arrived to be our Savior.

And interesting three of the various writers mentioned the fact that two of his disciples went to find a colt for Jesus to ride into the city on their names are not mentioned, we do not know what Apostle, what disciple they may have been all the spotlight, all of the focus is on Jesus Christ. And while I said that, that's the emphasis that I'm giving to the triumphal entry, I want to stick with the disciples that we've been preaching about the series. Next Sunday, we will break for Easter. I don't think that we would dare skip Easter at all.

Instead of going to John's gospel, I want to pull from Matthew chapter four, verse 21.

And going on from thence, Jesus saw two brothers, and James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother in a ship, with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called them and he called them two brothers, at the same time, are called. Now what was there about these 12 men that Jesus chose, I've been doing a little research and amazed to find you can hardly find any material about the 12 disciples, not very much written about them. But we know these are the 12 men that turned the world upside down for the kingdom. There has to be some reason why Jesus chose them. Now I talked to you during the series about Peter and we moved on to talk about Andrew then we the following Sunday talked about Thomas and then we went on to Matthew and today, I want to talk to you about the youngest disciple of them all. His name is John, fact of the matter at the empty tomb, when Peter and John heard that Christ had risen. They went running to the tomb John beat Peter to the tomb, why not? Peter was the oldest. John was the youngest.

And so he was the young one and he's the only disciple that died a natural death. All the rest were martyred except for Judas, of course. He's the only one that died a natural death and I'm gonna look at the apostle of love. He wrote more about love, the love of God than any other particular writer. There's three things I want you to see. I want you to see John, the person see the Bible said that Jesus passed by a boat. The boat is owned by a man by the name of Zebedee and his two sons were involved in the fishery business. Their business is along the coast to the Sea of Galilee. It's more like a lake than a sea, it's only 13 miles long and seven miles wide and 200 feet at it's very deepest depth. And it's there that the boat and Jesus spottedJohn. John was a fisherman may I say that first of all about him as a person and ordinary person. But I want you to see that Jesus called him. I believe that Jesus calls ordinary people, I believe he uses ordinary people. And then using ordinary people, he gets all the honor. And he gets all of the glory. Abraham Lincoln said, God must love the common people because he made so many of them. The Bible said that the common people received Jesus gladly. Probably the greatest preacher of our time has been Billy Graham. Least he's touched more people probably than any other living preacher in our era. Billy Graham, he was asked by someone when you get to heaven, what would be the first question you'd want to ask God?

And Billy said, Well, I don't know if we'll get to ask God any questions. But if I could ask him I'd want to say to him said why would you use a boy from the farm out of the hills of North Carolina to reach so many people and how many millions of people his life touched. Now, he was in a crusade when he was young, they're in Los Angeles where a lot of the Hollywood stars came to his meeting and producers and those who ran the films and many were converted. Now there was a black lady a maid that came to every service during that eight week crusade that started out as a three, she didn't miss a service. Fact of the matter every morning, she would make breakfast while she was making her biscuits and gravy and scrambling eggs. And she worked for a guy by the name of William Randolph Hearst. And every morning while he would sit there and she was getting breakfast together and it smelled so good.

She would say to him, Have you have you thought about going to the crusade? I went to the crusade the other night that kid preaching really preached good and Heaven came down and flooded my soul and you need to go to that crusade. She wouldn't give up on him. Now, we have no record that William Randolph Hearst ever went to the crusade.

But he did something. He happened to own 90% of the newspapers in America. He was what we would call a media mogul. He was over all, I mean, he controlled the news media and all the outlets. And he sent out to all of the media outlets two words puff Graham, puff Graham.

That lingo meant put Billy Graham on the front page, and make the crusade the highlight and the primary story that we're talking about. And when he did that, it launched Billy Graham's ministry and millions upon millions came to Christ. No record that Hearst ever met Billy Graham, no record that Billy Graham ever met Hearst.

Fact of the matter, William Randolph Hearst, as far as we know, never became a Christian.

But I want you to know something, God used a maid. And God wants to use you and I came to tell you that God wants to use you, you might just be an ordinary person like me. But God wants to use the ordinary people to do extraordinary things to have any impact in our world.

And you're the only hands that God asks. You're the only feet that God has. And God wants ordinary people to do extraordinary things to make an impact in our generation, everything about you, your business, everything. God wants it to be about ministry, and God's put you where you're at so you can affect the kingdom. He was just a fisherman, not only a fisherman, but John had flaws.

And don't we all, don't say amen. It's spoil your record.

Here in Mark chapter three, verse 17. Jesus gave him a nickname, he and his brother James. He called them Sons of Thunder because they were loud.

They were very opinionated. And they were very volatile. And John was one of those that he called the son of thunder. What kind of guy was John? Well, let me explain. He was kinda like you and I, he had some weaknesses. He had some flaws.

He and his brother came to Jesus one time and said when you come into your kingdom, here's what what we think it's, Mark chapter 10, verse 35, he said, You know, when you come into your kingdom, what you ought to do, you ought to put my brother on one side of you and put me on the other side. They loved position. I know a lot of people like position. They like to have the say, they like to be recognized.

Mark 10:35

They like to be noticed. It's a struggle when they don't get the spotlight. And John had a little problem like this it's called position. And then this guy in his writing, you talk about pride six times in his book, he said, the disciple whom Jesus loved. He had to be the bride in every marriage in the corpus of every funeral. It was kind of prideful, to say the very least.

And don't you remember I said, my brother ought to be on one side and I ought to be on the other side, when you come into your glory, talk about power.

Look in Luke chapter nine, verse 52, through verse 56, they sent messengers before his face, they went entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready.

Now, the Jews did not like the Samaritans. And by the way, the Samaritans didn't like the Jews either. And there was this war going on between them, this competition. And in verse 54, when his disciples James and John saw that he was going to have a ministry among the Samaritans. And they kind of turned against them. They said, Lord, wilt thou that we just command fire to come down and just zap them like Elijah did? I don't see much love in that, do you? Does that sound like holiness to you? I don't even sound like Christianity, let alone a gentleman. And he had this problem. And Jesus said it all the Son of Man didn't come to destroy man. But he came that he might save, and they went on to another village, not much love. Talk about prejudice. Look at Luke nine, verse 49, through 50. And they had met a guy and he was casting out devils, I'd sure like to have that guy and take him to a few people I know.

And he said, we stopped him because he didn't belong to our little group of 12. And Jesus said, My goodness, John, I mean, why would you stop him, If he's doing good, If he's not against us? He must be for us. Wouldn't it be a great day when churches quit fighting other churches?

Wouldn't be a good day when denominations quit fighting other denominations? Can I let you in on a news flash?

Denomination is pretty well man made anyway. Have you found anywhere about denominations in this good book? I haven't. They might be a good conveyor and a good channel and they can be useful, but they're still man made. When Jesus comes back.

He's not coming for the Methodists, the Baptists, Pentecostals, Nazarene, or all the rest. He's coming back for the bride of Christ. Good preaching. Thank you. So John was flawed. And not only do I see him as a person, and all of us have our flaws. But I see Secondly, John, the practitioner, the word, what I mean by that John got old, he became a old man, it just happens overnight folk, trust me. And he goes to Ephesus and he starts writing. And he's writing books he'd never written all those years. And he's writing the book of John and he writes the first epistle of John, the second epistle of John and the third epistle of John and Ephesus and he pastors at the church there in Ephesus. And Ephesus, Turkey is about 99.9% Muslim today. So he goes to Ephesus and he starts writing, and he's writing these books. He writes at least four books that bear his name, John, the Gospel of John first, second and third, The Epostle of John, and he says, My little children. Do you know why, He said, My little children over and over because he was an old man. Everybody looks young when you get to a certain age, I don't know yet.

But I'm just going on what I've been told. He had gotten old and he started writing, and he's written four books bearing his name. Now get this folk at the cross, when Jesus said, It is finished. He makes seven statements from the cross Jesus did. And remember, he said, it's finished from the cross, now you need to get this, John was there. You said, well, preacher, how do you know he was there?

Because the Bible said he was there. That's how I know. I'm not making all this up part of his true. He was there. And there in John at 19, verse 26, and 27. He looks down and he says to John, who happened to be the only disciple that was there at the cross, John, take mama home. He's talking about his own mother. He knew he was going to die. He's leaving behind a mother and he couldn't care for his mother. And he said, would you take mother home? John, you say, Well, why didn't he ask his four brothers? And he had at least two sisters, Why didn't he ask them, because they didn't believe in him till after the resurrection. And there's a stronger bond between a Christian brother and a physical brother. There's a stronger bond between the spiritual connection and the earthly, physical connection. And when Jesus said it's finished, and none of the other disciples were there, they couldn't write it. But John was there. And that's why he's the only one that could write 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. Nobody else was there to see, he said, I was there. I saw how much God loved the world. I saw that Jesus cared, I saw that Jesus died, I was there. I saw him die. And I listened to what he had to say.

He was a witness to it. And he wrote about it. Let me tell you something folk, John was flawed.

Jesus rebuked him. Fact of the matter, Jesus rebuked him over and over and over. But that's why John can write first John chapter one, verse eight, and nine. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, truths not in us. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness John said I know all about that I had my shortcomings. I had my flaws. I had my weaknesses. There was a time or two I'd sinned. But Jesus provided a way back. And he became that channel that we get back when we've stumbled and fallen, and he was willing to forgive me. Do you know, there's so much bad in the best of us, and so much good in the worst of us that it hardly behooves the rest of us to talk about the others of us. Do you know what I know?,I know we've all got faults, we've all got feet of clay. Now, I'm glad that God said that would just simply confess our sins. He's faithful and just to forgive and he'll cleanse from all unrighteousness. John said I know what it was like to be there at Pentecost. I was there when the dove of heaven like a mighty rushing wind the Holy Spirit came and not only flooded the room but came into all of us. I was there. That's why I can write first John chapter four verse four, he are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is He that is in you that Holy Spirit, and He that's in the world. That's why I could write it, I was there. You remember when he had said about those Samaritans we ought to call fire down from heaven and consume them? Well, after spending some time with God in Acts chapter eight, verse 14, he goes and he preaches to those Samaritans and here's what he said, In First

14, we know that we have passed from death into life, Because we do what? We love the brother. He that loveth not his brother bought it and death. You can't love Jesus and hate your brother. No two people can be right with God and wrong with each other.

I just wanted you to see John the person. And I want you to see John the practitioner of the word. He practiced what he preached. But I want you to see John the Prophet. It's John who went out on the Temple Mount and it's there in Mark chapter 13.

Mark 13 · chapter mention

You'll pick it up in verse two and three, it was about four disciples, Peter, James and John and somebody else. And they get Jesus privately to one side, and it's a little just between us.

When shall the end be? And what should be the sign of that coming? He asked those questions I'd really like to know. And do you remember when I said that?

Jesus said, John, take care of mama. Do you remember that?

Hello? Well, he did. He's getting old now. And he takes Mary the mother of Jesus with him and he goes to Ephesus. And he takes the pastorite at the church at Ephesus. And it's there that he sits down and he's doing all of this writing. And he writes Gospel of John, first, second third epistle of John.

And while he is there and pastoring and he's taking care of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and he's writing these books that you and I could read. There was a Roman Emperor by the name of Domitian, and this Roman Emperor built a temple unto himself and demanded that everybody worship him and John didn't go along with it and he addressed it. And here's what he said in Second John one seven, For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Boy, the Roman emperor Domitian did like that he decided to punish John.

And he had John arrested, and he put him in prison. The prison was an island. And it was an island for slaves. And he has been taken out of this place called the island of Patmos.

It's a it's about 10 miles long is about six miles wide. It was an Alcatraz and he's an old man.

And he's being punished, and seemed to be the most difficult time in John's life. Could I just stop here for a moment and tell you that sometimes in the most difficult times in life can be the most fruitful. The worst moments in your life can sometimes turn out to be the very best. You say, Well, I was all alone. No, you're never alone. He's there. John was there. You say, Well, Pastor how did John feel? Well, he was there on the island of Patmos.

And by the way, they did everything they could to kill him. It wasn't that they didn't try to martyr him. Did you know they took a barrel of oil and got it to a boiling point, and they put him in, and it was too hot to cook. They watched him, he sat down in that barrel of oil while it boil and looked at them. And finally they pulled him out. What are you gonna do?

Who wanted to keep the fire going? Then they gave him poison. And did you know he drank the poison and he never died? Could I just mentioned something and if you think I'm going too far out, just wink it offer, check it off, whatever.

You're immutable, until God's ready for you. And when God's ready for you, there's nothing you can do to stay here either.

So either way, Hey, you don't need to fear we're in the hands of God. God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Now look at Revelation chapter one, verse nine, John the prophet. He said, I was there on the island of Patmos, for the Word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ. And I've told you many times, we shine the brightest when we're going through the darkest. And for him, it takes a test to give you a testimony.

And after the test, I hope you do have a testimony and it's more of a testimony than just a bunch of moaning and groaning.

John says I was in that island of Patmos just working in the rock quarry. And suddenly something happened. I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day. He couldn't go to church so the Lord took the church to him. And I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet, Revelation one verse 10, through 15. I believe that's where the church ought to be is in the spirit, worshiping Him exalting him praising him.

And he said, I heard behind me a great voice of a trumpet, saying, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. And what thou see is write in a book, John write. He had already written four books. But he writes a fifth book. He wrote more narrative than any of the other writers and send it to the seven churches now and he names of them. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira Sardis and Philadelphia and Laodicea.

Write it down, John. And he said that I turned to see the voice speak with me and being turned i saw seven golden candlesticks.

And in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, one likeness the son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the paps with a golden girdle, and his head and his hairs and were as white wool, as white as snow, his eyes whereas a flame of fire and his feet like undefined brass as they burned in a furnace and his voice is the sound of many waters. John, write it down.

Don't miss anything. Write it down. Revelation 4:1, he wrote about the rapture of the church.

Revelation 4:1

After this I looked bold, a door was opened in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was, as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said, Come up hither. Gravity loses its hold, and I'll show the things which must be hereafter. Just write and tell them. It's not the Methodists and Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Nazarenes, just tell them, It's the Bride of Christ. Come up here. Write it down, John, write down that the marriage supper of the Lamb is about to take place. Write down that I'm gonna reward those who have served me I'll give them five crowns. And you can just tell them on that last day they can bring their crowns and he said, they'll lay them at my feet and say Thou are worthy to receive glory and honor and power for thou hast created all things and for all my pleasure they are and were created revelation 14, John, write it down. Revelation, chapter six, verse one, write it down, that after the church is gone, I'm going to come again, the Antichrist will come, but I'm going to come with my church, that's you and I, and write it down. There'll be seven years of Tribulation, hell on earth. And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals I heard a voice of the noise of thunder, one of the four be saying, Come and see. He said, write all this down men will work all day to get a little bit of wheat. They'll beg to die, but death won't come.

And behold, I saw a white horse and he that sat on him had a bow on a crown, which was given to him and he went forth conquering and conquer, write it down. Tell them when they turn on that facuet, nothing but blood will run, its tribulation period, it's judgment. Write it down. I don't want anybody to be here, write it down. Tell them after the seven years, I'm coming back that Heavens going to open and Revelation 19. And I saw heaven opened, behold, a white horse.

And he that set up on him was called Faithful and True in righteousness. He does judge and make war his eyes was a flame of fire on his head, were many crowns that he had a name written that no man knew, but he himself, and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies that's us folk, which were in heaven, followed him upon white horses, clothed and fine linen, white and clean, out of his mouth, gold, a sharp sword, that with it, he should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God. Write it down. John write down, there'll be a great white throne judgment there in Revelation 20.

And the dead shall stand before me. And the hell is going to give up the dead, which are in it. It's going to happen he said, I want you to write it down. Don't miss anything. Put it down. John, write down revelation 21 I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth or passed away and there was no more sea. He said, I was on the Isle of Patmos. This is what I saw. I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of the heavens, prepared as a bride and dorn for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God, Himself should be with them and be their God.

Write it down, verse four, he says, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There should be no more death. Now, a couple of days, I'll be putting two urns and saying a prayer over them as they're put in the ground. Next day, I've got a funeral to do. I think it was yesterday or the day before I can't even remember now I went to a precious friend's funeral, who at one time attended this church, John Mathis. Had the world by the tail had everything you could have. The car, the money. Precious man. One thing that was not set at his funeral was the fact that he had more best friends than any man I think I've ever known in life.

Every one of us thought we were his best friend. But death came he had called me the week before and told me that he was dealing with some cancer on the pancreas. But the doctor assured him that everybody that he dealt with it lived at least, they were still alive 10 years later.

So he said, I've got this.

There'll be a day when there'll be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things have passed away. And John said, I've seen what's going to happen, and I'm writing it down. And he writes

20, He which testifieth these things they have, Surely I come quickly. And he writes, Lord, in the light of all of this Even so, come, Lord Jesus, I wanted you to see John the person, ordinary fisherman, had his flaws. John, the practitioner, the word he, he lived the word as he read it, and understood it and wrote it himself. have wondered if John's mind may have gone back to when he has told him that Temple Mount in Mark 13, and he with a couple other disciples that said, Jesus wants you to be the sign of that coming. He said, I knew he would give me the sign, but I never knew he would show me so much. Today. The reason we're here is so that men and women, boys and girls could get right with God. Because everything John has written is happening or is going to happen.

And you need to be ready. I need to be ready. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. He loved all of them. And he loves you.

Thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene visitors every Sunday at 9am with BNC's Pastor Ray LaSalle. For more information regarding BNC, visit Bucyrus nazarene.org.