Voice of the Nazarene 7-30-23

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 Ray LaSalle, and the voice of the Nazarene.

People will drive miles to be fed, but they won't walk across the street to be fooled. And may God annoint His word. I'm reading out of Second Kings chapter six. And beginning in verse one, the sons of the prophets, that's the young pastor boys. They said unto the old prophet Elisha, behold, now the place where we dwell is too small. And I'm paraphrasing said, Let us go, we pray thee unto Jordan. And take this every man of beam and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell, in other words, we need a dormitory. We need a college and we want to be mentored by by you. And He answered, said, they asked him, they said, Will you go with thy servants and he said, I will go and so he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood.

But as one was felling a beam, the axe head, fell into the water, and he cried and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

Therefore said he, take it up to thee. He put out his hand, and he took it. Pastor, do you believe that an axe head can swim? Yes. I just believe the Bible. I figured out one day when I just believe what the word said, it just made a whole lot more sense. I believe that Noah survived the water. I believe God used Moses to part the water. I believe this axe head swimmed or swam whichever you like best to the top of the water. I believe Jesus walked on the water. And by verse seven, he said as it came to the surface, reach out your hand and take hold of and lift it out.

And then there's a verse that really stands out in this story, and in this account, and I like it. It rattles around in my thinking. And it's verse five, and they're felling the beams.

The axe head come off of the handle. And it's that little phrase the alas master for it was borrowed, it was borrowed.

I'm glad there's things that we can borrow in life, it means that we don't own them. But somebody was willing to share them for a little time. So we could use them that's borrowing.

Sometimes, I've had friends borrow things, and I had to go and borrow them back. And I think about books, I've loaned out a lot of books and evidently they were to bookkeepers. I haven't gotten back yet, and I don't know who lent them to. I'm sure someday at a garage sale, they'll find my books. I don't know what you think about borrowing. But don't marry for money. It's cheaper to borrow.

If you want somebody to remember you loan them some money. Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which one you need the most. Am I going too fast. The only man that sticks closer than a brother during adversity is a creditor. Now this story is about the prophet Elisha. He was the big guy that was in the last yoke of oxen. When Elisha the old prophet walked by the farm and saw this gigantic man pulling along with that team and took his mantle and threw it over him and something happened and that young guy's life and he left off farming and went into the ministry and God doubled his miracles more than Elisha and ever had. Fact of the matter, he said I want a double portion and he got a double portion God I really used Elisha. Now he's mentoring these young preacher boys, trying to share with them a little bit about the ministry and about miracles and about what God is doing. And they're saying, hey, the class is growing, and we've outgrown where we're at. And we need a building in a place where we can dwell and rooms and we want to stay together, could we build some buildings? Somebody said that a healthy growing church is always in a building program.

Because if your growing you need more space, not trophies I'm talking about but tools to reach people. That's what buildings are for their tools. Now, as they're cutting down the timber and trying to build buildings, they're down there by the Jordan River. And this ministerial student takes a swing and the axe head, flies off the handle.

And he saw it tumbling down into the mud. And then it suddenly went into the water, the fast flowing streams of the great Jordan River, and he's beside himself. And he's calling out and the old prophet comes over and ask what's happened? And he said, I've lost the axe head.

You said preacher is just an axe head. That's not very important.

You need to understand something. There was not a blacksmith in all of Israel in that day. Fact of the matter, if

22, you will find there was only two swords in all of the land. Only Jonathan and Saul had a metal weapon. You need to understand to have a piece of metal and then to lose it. It's rare, it's precious. And on top of that, he said I borrowed it. And I've lost it. And this is what you need to understand ladies and gentlemen, everything in your life that's precious or rare, is borrowed. Everything that is precious and rare in your life, is but borrowed. Jesus only let me use them. There borrowed. You say, Well Pastor, what are you talking about? Do you realize the talent, talents are borrowed. They're God given?

They're borrowed from God. Now some folk, they get all caught up in themselves. I don't know if you've seen them. They strut when they sit. Mom would say if I could buy them for what they're worth, and sell them for what they think they're worth, they'd have to build a larger bank. It's amazing. Some people with looks, some people with a face and some people with their body and some people with their brawn and their brains and their giftings. And, boy, they're just, they're bigger than life.

Will Rogers, he said that God created us all dumb, in different areas. But a preacher can't say that and get away with it. So I would simply say, people are all smart just in different areas. But understand one thing, God created us all equal. Nobody is better than somebody else. Some just have more giftings and their God given and they're borrowed. The Bible said in Matthew 25, that a certain man went into a far country. Before he leaves, he gives some talents out he gave one man five talents and gave another man two talents. He gave another man, one talent. And we need to understand whatever that talent is it's just borrowed from God. And there's no reason to be proud or arrogant about it. God is the one that bestow that upon us. When somebody's bragging about you just start going like this pointing toward God. That brain surgeon that one that can play a musical instrument. Just point toward God. If you don't take any glory, you won't get all built up in yourself. It's borrowed.

And we need to realize it's a great day when we realize that all the giftings are from the Lord. If it's in music, it's from the Lord. If it's mechanics, it's still from the Lord. If it's in masonry, it's still from God, if it's plumbing, if it's electricity, and we're able to know how to wire and connect up things, it's all comes from God. It's God that giveth, he's the giver of all good gifts. And it's all borrowed. Let me tell you something, God can choose to take his hand off of us. God can choose to take away his blessing and God can take away that gift that you have. If you're not using it for His honor and for His glory. I thought of one of the greatest singers in my time on Earth. And how suddenly overnight, some things happen.

And his voice left him. It's borrowed. You're not promised to always have what you have. You better use it while you have it.

Let me tell you something else.

Your treasure is borrowed from God. What do you have that money can't buy and death cannot take away from you. And that's how wealthy you are. Children of Israel was going into the promised land and God assured them when you get there, you'll build great houses and you'll have tremendous things. It's a land flowing, and milk and honey and wealth is everywhere. And just be careful. Deuteronomy, chapter eight, verses 11 through 14 he said, Beware that you forget not to the Lord, thy God, when you get that big house and you got that nice limousine, and everything's running fine. And there's money in the CD and the 401K and the kids are raised and you got nice things be careful, lest you forget me, he said. And he said less than when thou has eaten and art full, and has built goodly houses and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold multiply, and all that hast he said, then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought you out of Egypt, and out of bondage. Because if we're not awful careful, it's easy to forget it's from the Lord. You say, Pastor, I worked hard, I know you worked hard.

But Deuteronomy at 8:18 says, it's the Lord that giveth us the power to get wealth. It's the Lord that gave you that ability to get ahead when others are right beside of you, and they can't seem to get ahead and God has blessed you. I counted dollars while God counted, crosses, I counted gains, while God counted losses. I counted my worth my things gained in store and he'd sized me up by the scars that I bore. I counted otters and sought degrees, he counted the hours I spent on my knees. I never knew until one day by the grave how vain are the things that we spend our life to save. Let me say to you folk it's all going into the box. You're not taking it with you. You leave it all behind.

Stories about one guy that he kept a box in his attic and everything of value, he'd go up there and hide it in that box.

He'd put his money his extra money in the box, he buy a pocket knife of value and and put it in that box and he had bought some hand guns and they were special and they were antique, and he put it in that box and he put his CDs in that box and he'd tell his wife he said, when I when I go to heaven, I'm gonna grab that box on the way up. And he died. She got to wondering about the box and went up in the attic and there was a box and she said I knew he should have put it in the basement.

Well, this is what I know you're not going to take anything with you, your treasures but borrowed from God. What about your time, clock of life is wond but once, no man hath a power to know just when those hands will stop at late or early hour. Life is like a roll of toilet paper it comes off faster as you get to the end of the roll. My brother and I used to play and we'd be out in the yard or in the fields and the dandelions had gone to seed and remember they looked like a little puff ball. They're white their little circle and we'd hold them by the stem and we'd blow them and they just pop and go in all directions sometimes back into your mouth. We try to blow them into each other's

14 said, For what is your life? See with a vapor that appears for a time and soon it vanishes away. Ben Franklin said, Does thou love life? Then don't squander time. Because that's the stuff that life is made of. God has a purpose, for every life in the house and those watching. And God has only given us so much time to accomplish that purpose. Don't squander time. Your talent is just borrowed from God your treasures borrowed from God, your time is borrowed. Could I add that your health is borrowed from God. Acts 17:28, For in Him we live and move and have our being. Jennifer Worth, said that health is the greatest of God's gifts. But we take it for granted. Yet it hangs on a thread as fine as a spider's web. And the tiniest things can make it snap, leaving the strongest of us helpless, in an instant. Pastor, I've got health, enjoy it. But don't take it for granted. Every day we ought to thank God for our health because when it's gone, something leaves our lives. The poet said today up on a bus I saw a lovely maiden with golden hair. I envied her. She seemed so gay and oh, I wished I was so fair. When suddenly she rose to leave I saw her hobble down the aisle. She had one foot and wore a crutch, but you pass with a smile. Oh God forgive me when I whine. I have two feet the world is mine. When I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm. He seemed to radiate good cheer. His manner was so kind and warm. I said it's nice to deal with you such courtesy I seldom find he turned and said Oh, thank you, sir. And I saw that he was blind. Oh God forgive me when I whine I have two eyes the world is mine. Then when walking down the street I saw a child with eyes of blue.

Acts 17:28

He stood and watched the others play and he seemed he knew not what to do. I stopped a moment then I said why don't you join the others dear? He looked ahead without a word. And then I knew he could not hear. Oh God forgive me when I whine I have two ears. The world is mine.

With feet to take me where I go with eyes to see the sunsets glow. With the ears to hear what I should know. I'm blessed indeed the world is mine. Oh God forgive me when I whine. Borrow.

Borrow time, treasures, talent, health. What about your opportunities? Are they not borrowed? Why does God allow certain opportunities to come our way? Why would God be that kind to us?

I drove the miles to do my brother's funeral. I don't know if my sister in law had a clue of how precious that moment was that I would get to stand by the lip of the grave and commit my brother back to the dust to the ground. I didn't want to say goodbye. But he was my brother.

I really in my heart of hearts didn't want anybody else to do it. He was my brother. We were always together as kids.

Skimming the stones across the waters. Joined at the hip in mischief. Standing for each other against a bully. We were brothers. I'll be driving this week, down to Shepherdsville, Kentucky to preach the funeral of a minister's wife. Why does God allow us some of these opportunities? They're borrowed.

And God gives you special opportunities to be influential and to make a difference where you live. Relationships are also borrowed from God the people that God has brought into your life. Aren't you glad that God brings people into our lives? I hope you appreciate that one that's sitting right next to you right now. Unless it's somebody else's wife. Scoot away a little bit here. Heard about one guy his wife died and going to bury her are down by the creek and the pallbearers were carrying her down the trail and they had to go around a huge rock and one of the pallbearers caught his foot on the rock and stumbled.

This is back before they used inbalm and it shook the casket and suddenly they heard a thumping on the inside and set it down in the mortician open the casket and she was alive.

Fact of the matter she lived another 10 years. But then she died. Carrying the casket down again. They come to that stone and the husband said careful boys. Little humor. But what I know is God was right in Genesis

18 When he said it's not good that man should live alone. I believe I'll make him a helpmate. I think God was right.

I think God was right over there in Proverbs 18:22 When he said a man that finds a wife finds a good thing. Got one? I said to Jan this week I was thinking about this. I said, the Bible says when a man finds a wife, he finds a good thing. She said, Okay. I said, Are you a good thing? She was about as loud at answering as you are. Now I love the church. I love ministry, I love our board. I love my staff.

Proverbs 18:22

But before all of that there was a family. God gave us a family.

What God's trying to tell us is relationships are important. And you know what I know about God many times when God allows someone to slip out of our lives, and pass away, if you'll look up. Amazingly, God brings somebody else along into our life. Why? Why does he do that?

Because he knows how much we need relationships. I grew up in a culture where there wasn't a lot of expression. It was seldom that you'd hear anybody say I love you. Ya know, I put gravy on the table there's the mashed potatoes, I give you a clothes what else do you want, kid?

Sometimes you need more than just some clothes and you need a hug. Somebody to say I love you.

I called my sister. We're years apart. Now I wasn't raised around my sisters. They were that much older. And I called her and I told her I said Jim died. And she began to weep. And she said I don't know how I'll get there. She's 91. I said sis, Jan and I will drive to Indianapolis and we'll pick you up and we'll take you to the graveside. Okay? We weren't close in those early years, but now I try to call her every month. And before we hang up from the other end of the line, I hear her say I love you, little brother. I love you.

What's important, our relationships. Success is the love and the respect of those that are the closest to us. And the relationships that we have better cherish them. Better cherish them. They're borrowed from God. I had a preacher buddy by the name of Mike Morgan and last year went to the funeral.

There were many of us that spoke. Boy how I've missed Mike.

Mike was brilliant. Mike would never answer your real quick like he always took a moment. He had been a multimillionaire in life. Besides a full time pastor, just smart. If you needed a friend, Mike was a friend. In the bad times and the good times. That's what friends are for. We need friends. I just lost Bob Bedford and he was my tax guy. I could call him and just we we're like brothers. I think of Tom Reed and he spoke at my first wives funeral. I knew him when I was just a boy before I went into ministry.

Cherish friendships they are only borrowed from God. They're here today and they're gone tomorrow. But before I close Could I just say to you that salvation is a gift from God?

Salvation, that axe head fell into the Jordan River. That's a picture of you and me. How's that a picture of you me? Let me tell you how it is. It was lost.

You and I were lost. And that axe head was lost in the water, what do they do pastor? Well read the text, they put a piece of wood in the water, and a miracle happened that axe head begin to float to the surface.

When they thrown that piece of wood, that stick of wood into the water 2000 years ago, they took a heavy piece of timber and drove it into a socket on Calvary Hill. Jesus said, If I be lifted up, I'll draw all men under me. There's a drawing for us about the timbre of Calvary, and the cross of Jesus Christ. I was a nine year old boy, I was as lost as last year's Easter egg. Had no concept of God whatsoever. Mom and dad had gotten saved prior to that and began to take us to church. But it was a while before the Holy Spirit begin to open my mind and my heart and soften the timbre of my inner being. And somebody preached to me about the cross of Christ and it was like a magnet. It literally drew me it lifted me up out of my past and out of my sins. And I arose a brand new creature in Christ Jesus. Our salvation is borrowed. How can you prove that pastor? Well, Psalm 51, and that 12 verse restore under me the joy of thy salvation. Notice it didn't say restoring me the joy of my salvation. But thy salvation, is God's. And God lends it to us. We borrow his, it's not ours. Did you know that 82% of Americans believe that you can go to heaven if you're good? And my question is, how good do you got to be not good English, but I wanted you to get it. How good? That's my question. Because I'm going to try to be that good. In reality, we can't be that good. We're not good enough. You may be too good to go to hell, but you're not good enough to go to heaven.

The only way I can go to heaven is through coming by faith to the cross. Gotta be like that, old axe head, admit your lost.

Now I need directions in life.

And God takes the cross. Just like the old prophet said, cut that stick down, throw it into the water. God hung a cross there at Calvary. And he throws it like a log across our path.

To keep us out of hell. I worked with an old preacher by the name of Roy and his last name was Roy. He went by and initials. I preached one night and he came to me and sat me down said I want to tell you I've got a boy named Charlie, my boy was called to preach. I put him all the way through Bible college and he and another buddy or two, left the Bible college and went their own way and begin to make money and forgot God and his buddy is the one that invented what we call radar. And then he invented a radar detection. So he selected everybody after selling the others to the police force.

Buddy Ross was his name. And then he developed another way to bypass that radar detection and came up with another kind. In the trail of all of his inventions. He came up with what is called Custom speakers Custom amplifiers it was called Custom.

I had a set. Charlie and Buddy they were old classmates. They work together and Charlie became his number one salesman or representative and he would take these large speakers and amplifiers and called Custom and he would try to get great musicians in those who were celebrities to use them. He traveled his way with an outstanding set of those in his van and he had heard that Jerry Lee Lewis was going to be at a certain venue and he asked if he could set up that sound and let him try it out. And if he liked it that even let him have it because people would see it and it helped to sell it. He said, Dad, I set up the speakers that night. He said it was time for the show to start, and the building was jam packed, because Jerry Lee Lewis was hot to trot in those days. They brought out several to do some music. And then finally, it's time for the big show and the number one performer and said, they announced Jerry Lee Lewis, the curtains parted. And he said, there was Jerry hanging onto a curtain so drunk, he could hardly stand. And somebody had to help him over to the piano and he sat down and he pulled the mic over and he can hardly keep his eyes open, his tongue was so slurred that he could hardly be understood. Made a few off colored remarks and begin to sing and begin to warm up and pretty soon he was doing pretty good and the crowd got with it and then it came to a close of all of his venue that night and begin to sing What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and grieves to bear what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer tears begin to go down his cheeks. Finally, he stopped for a moment in between those verses. And he said, probably you guys think it's strange that a man like me would sing a song like that in a place like this.

But what you don't know I was called to preach one day, now I attended Assembly of God school, studying for the ministry. They had asked him to play in chapel and he played but it was so Boogie Woogie. They were upset and they kicked him out of school. He became angry, bitter at the church, bitter at the college and he turned those talents that God had given to him to become a rock and roll singer. Made big money. And he said, that's why I sang the song. And I'll finish it up now.

When he finished, they helped him to his feet and he started across the stage behind the curtains, the crowd began to clap but begged for an encore and they wouldn't sit down and they wouldn't quit and they had to bring him back and he sat down at the piano again.

Everybody sit down if they could find a seat. He said I'm gonna sing a song you've asked for another song, I'm gonna sing a song.

He said, I'm on my road to hell.

I know better. God says Jerry, you can do better than this. And he said I need to do better. I want to sing a song and throw it like a log across the pathway of all of you folk. I hope maybe it'll keep you out of hell. And he began to sing almost persuaded now to believe almost persuaded Christ to receive seems now some soldiers say go spirit Go thy way. Charlie said Daddy, he said there wasn't a dry eye in the house grown men turned their face to the wall and cry and their tears stained the wall. They were leaning over tables crying and sobbing. He said the next morning it was my responsibility to meet with Jerry and he said I knocked on his door and he said come on in.

And he said I stood there for a moment or two and said Jerry, I never seen never heard anything like last night. He said God really called you didn't he? He said yes, God called me to preach to use the talent that I have for him and I've abused it misused it. He said, My name is Charlie and he said my dad, he's a holiness preacher and I'm on the run from God to. He said, Does God ever speak to you Jerry? And Jerry Lee Lewis said this looking over there you see those empty bottles? He said every night God speaks to me Jerry, I'm the one that called you I'm the one that gave you those talents. Jerry, when are you going to come back? And he said, I have to pick up another bottle of liquor. And every night I drowned out the voice of God. I can hear him. Charlie said, Daddy, I can hear him a lot. In my mind, I hear him saying, I'm going to sing this next song like a log. I'm throwing it across your path, hoping it'll keep you. Maybe it'll keep someone he said here out of hell. Salvation is borrowed. It's through that great cross. He said, throw a stick in the water and that axe head began to swim and God threw another timber from the skies and planted it on Golgotha Hill to keep you out of hell. And that opportunity to get saved is only borrowed. You'll only be there for awhile. And with shortening breath, death the sod of God, we're gone.

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