The Bible says in the 5th chapter of Job, in the 17th verse, it says, and his hands make whole. I didn't know what verse to read. There was some confusion about the services and how they were going to go today. But I had a thought on our mind that sometimes we give the Lord the leftovers and then wonder why our religion is stale. And I didn't know what verse to read. Rock was running over and over in her mind. And I didn't know what verse to read. And we thought and we turned through some of the Scripture. But it come to this and it truly is. Happy is the man whom God chasteneth if we see that it serves a purpose. I'm afraid there's too many people today that is miserable and their bed's too short and they can't find no rest. How will the Lord reach us if it isn't to discomfort us? Yet they are discomforted and they don't trust the Lord. They blame God for it only because He's trying to bring you to a place where you might see that you need to repent only because He loves you so much that He would want you to see that you are in need of a Savior and yet we pray for easy lives. Oh, you know, there was those that lived over there dwelt amongst the things the Bible tells me, that he would not find no peace. And so there he lived among the dead. And when Jesus come walking by, he spoke to him whose name was Legion, for they were many. And when the Lord touched him, the Bible I heard what the Bible said was the condition of the swine because the man, the Lord chose to save this one man from the two men and the torture not by one devil. But by many, that when the people seen him, clothed them in his right mind, the Bible says, they looked to the Lord and prayed that he would depart from them. What kind of people would pray that the Savior would depart from them? that would see the chastening of the Lord as a way and a burden to be avoided. But the Bible says, happy is the man whom God correcteth, therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. Oh, for he maketh sore and bindeth up, he woundeth, and his hands make whole. If you're out trapping, fishing, whatever you're doing, use it as an occasion to pray to God that you not give him your leftovers and then wonder why your life is so stale. Oh, but if you would give him your first fruit as the Bible says, gather it up in baskets as you would. Oh, but I'm afraid. They couldn't hold, but in one hand, or maybe two. But the Bible tells us, and promises us, that if we give our first fruits, that we can gather them up in baskets. But what be the purpose, if he would chasten us, and we would not surrender? What would be the purpose? what would be the joy as it says, happy is the man whom God correcteth, therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty. Can you imagine that the God of the universe had not only died for me in order that I might have life, in order that I might walk on the ways that the Bible tells me, a path that the vultures ain't never even looked on. Why would God do that? Because he would love us and would want us to be used by him and walk with him. I see some people struggling and it's because they're given God of the leftovers. Oh, don't do that. Oh, those that do that are bound to fail. Those that do that are bound to get stale, right? We need to understand that the Lord, if you trust in the Lord, well, then we'll obey him like Gideon did when he laid out a fleece. Listen to me now. There are those praying to God that he might show them what he would have them to know. But they're too lazy to get up out of their bed of affliction. And yet the Lord will rain manna down as I do. And yet we crumble and complain because there it is laying on the ground. I want to tell you something. If you believed that manna was going to fall, maybe you'd go get the tablecloth off your table and you'd lay it out in the yard. so that the manna might fall on it. Then gather your children and say, come on, honeys, we got the tablecloth out in the yard. The Lord set the table. We just gotta go and gather that which he blessed us of. Oh, but we don't see it as that. We see God's correction. as his chastisement in order that we might be punished, in order that we might feel pain. But that ain't why the Lord sent him. That's why we can be happy when it comes, that he would care enough that he didn't leave us. continually down the road and being happy. But he blessed some of us to see the chastisement of the Lord, of the correction of the Lord as a blessing. Oh, don't, don't turn from God because you experience pain. Don't turn from God because you don't get what you want. Oh, but seek His face in order that you might receive what He would have you to have. You know, I mentioned that we preached on it last Sunday. Why is it that there are those that would consider themselves to be Christian men. Why are they drawn by their lust to a wicked woman? I'll tell you why. Because your heart's wicked. You've left some part of your life and say to yourself, you've made an idol of a woman, or you've made an idol of an ideal, or that ain't of God. Oh, and if you would say, thank you, Jesus, for correcting me, then you could find joy. and your salvation, you could eat the things of God instead of giving him your leftovers and then wonder why he's not providing for you as you see fit. Wait on the Lord. And I again say wait on the Lord and he will provide you with the strength you need. Rest when he says rest and fight when he says fight. Oh but what do we want to do? We want to mourn, oh in the Lord. for us, we want to mourn. When the Lord says dance, we want to rejoice. When he says mourn, we can't, we're not unto ourselves. We are children of the most high God. We don't serve God in order that he might serve us. We serve God because we are needy. We need a savior. Because without Him, every one of us are split hell wide open. So we are at the mercy of God. There are those today that would say, oh, just you ought to rejoice that the Lord died for you. and provide it for you and you can go out and do and receive whatever you put your mind to. You have not because you ask not. Well listen, sometimes we have not because we're not in the position to receive it. But listen, you can ask like Paul did. Paul didn't have, not because he didn't ask, but he asked. The Bible said three times, and the Lord communicated to him that it weren't on his will, that whatever this thorn in the flesh was, that it might be removed. The Lord wanted to use him in order that Paul might see the glory of God work in. We pray for easy lives in order that we might serve Some of us an order that we might see his hand were If that's what the Lord would have for us, well then we can rejoice and know that happy is the man whom God correcteth, therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty. For he maketh sore and bindeth up. He woundeth and his hands make whole. It's for a purpose that we might repent. And then if we repent, then the healing can come. and we can receive the blessings of God. I believe the Lord's finished with us. We're not well embodied today, but I sure am glad that I was able to come to church. You know, I can remember hearing stories about years ago how the deacon or somebody the preacher or somebody, it was their job to go to church maybe two hours or more before the service to turn on the heat. Not necessarily turn on the heat, but to build the fire. I can remember some of the old people talking about the stove that set off to the side, and everybody got huddled around it. And as it got warmer, people moved away from it. I would to God that this world would see Christ living in us to the point that it does not matter if it's minus seven degrees, that they'll come a little closer to see the Lord work in your life. I ought to see the Lord correct you. I ought to see you repent in order that they might learn what they need to do. more. Oh, but if they could see us when troubles come, that God's children pray when troubles come. God's children are happy because they know God's in control, just like If our car broke down on the way to church, I could rejoice in knowing that I did the will of the Father. Why? Because it's church today, and we're going to come to church. we're gonna worship the Lord. And if any ill would befall me, if any ill befalls me on the way home, I don't want you to mourn. If we die in a car wreck, don't be sad or sorry for me. I was doing the will of the Father, and he brought me home. And that should be our desire, ain't it? Like we heard in the Sunday school lesson, that he will raise us up in the last day. I'm looking forward to that, don't know when it's coming. Don't know when my last day here on this earth is, but I have a promise the Bible tells me, that all that we see here, and all that there is, that there's coming a resurrection day, when this whole body will be once again reunited with the spirit that's within me, and then I'll be in the presence of the Lord forever I'm not gonna serve a God 20% of the time because the rest of my life, the other 80% would be full of misery. But if you give him 100%, though you are corrected and chastised and sore, the Lord will heal you up and the Lord will make you whole. Or you can look to somebody else to do that for you and you'll find out. that the medical situation in our country is fast, fast degrading. That's what's happening. You know, I don't understand why anybody had ever wanted the government to take over the health care of our country. All you got to do is look at how they ran the post office the last 50 years, right? Well, now they're over a lot of our health care. They ain't over mine. I was able to have health care until the Affordable Health Care Act, and I ain't had it since. But you know what? I'd rather stand in the presence of God than to stand in the presence of the best physician that there's ever been. We need our knees worked on, but you know what? The Lord is able to do exactly what needs to be done in Daryl's life to provide for my family. He didn't promise us easy lives, but glory to God, He did promise us that we could be happy in the midst of His correction. We could rejoice, why? Because God's people don't look at what's in front of them. They don't walk by sight, they walk by faith. And they know that what we have tomorrow is better than what we face presently today. I love each and every one of you. Let's get some songs sang. What'd you hope for? What'd you expect to receive? You know, there ain't no point. There ain't no point in coming to a well without a pitcher. The woman at the well, she pointed that out to Jesus. What do you mean you can give me everlasting water while you don't even have a pitcher to draw water with? But you know what? That's where a lot of people are, right? They make no provision for God. They live their life as they see fit and then wonder why. The Lord isn't there for them. But in order for the Lord to be there for them, they have to follow Him. The Lord searched me out, as the Bible said, with the prodigal son. The father didn't go look for him, but you know what? What that son received all his life, it was brought to his mind there as he was feeding the hogs. And he brought to my mind the many times when I was out, when I was just a child and I heard the preached. And when I was out in sin, he brought that to my mind. Why? Because the Lord desired for me to have more than a stale religion. He wanted me to have life everlasting. He wanted me to have life more abundantly. Is that what you're experiencing? Or are you somewhere in between? Are you somewhere, as the Bible says, and one of the minor prophets that said, multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. Listen, you can't get nowhere with your heels set. The Lord's not gonna drag you to heaven, but he's made a way, and we ought to seize that opportunity. We ought to follow him wherever he would lead us. And when we find ourselves in the darkness of the darkest night, we can trust in him that he'll provide us a light, but we gotta turn to him. If you've walked away from him, you know where you went, and you know where he's at, and you need to be like a prodigal son and return unto him, because if you do, well then, the correction and the chastisement's not in vain. The soreness and the pain is not in vain. Oh, but if you are wounded and you refuse the healing that God provides, this is just a preparation place for the suffering that's yet to come. But aren't you glad those that are born again, this is the only hell we'll ever see is here on life. We see a lot of death. We see a lot of, we was out in the cold and we just marveled at how God's provided for the animals. The kids was mentioning, you know, them old hogs. We got some small pigs. We got them a plate. You give them, they're just land seals is what they are. You put food in their belly. They don't have no hair, but they got a heavy coat and a lard. You give them a dry place to lay out of the weather. You block the wind. They was in their little old hut. They was laying down there in the hay. They was quite warm. Ain't that amazing? We'd freeze to death, but the Lord has provided for those little pigs. They don't have no hair to keep them clean, but you put food in their bellies. Listen, that's what the Lord's promised. Listen, he's provided for me and you, but you're gonna freeze to death if you refuse to eat the food that God set before you. Oh, but if you do, not only will you grow, but you'll stay warm. In the middle of a cold night, we live in a cold world, but the Lord has provided for me and you. If you eat what he's given to me and you, and happy can be the man that sits at the table of God and eats the food that he provides. Go ahead. ♪ Almost persuading Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? Listen, if what the Lord set before you, you can't eat, well, then just come to the Lord and He'll provide for you. There's something sweet about the Spirit of God. When you think that I can't do what I have to do, He is the salt, right? He is the spice of life. I ask each and every one of you to understand that the Lord has fit us for this day. There's no reason for us to be troubled or to be depressed, but we can rejoice in the Lord. Alright, let's gather with this one that's come.