THE SLIPPERY THINGS
CALL TO WORSHIP Psa 37:35-36 I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. (36) Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.
SERMON SYNOPSIS THE SLIPPERY THINGS are TRANSIENT. TEMPORARY. We did not bring any thing in with us when we were born into these tents of bodies, and we CERTAINLY will not take anything with us when we depart. Try as we might, they SLIP right out of our hand when the short stay on Earth is done. They are VERY SLIPPERY! I have often wondered what thoughts might have been in the mind in those last hours of folks like Vanderbilt, or the Rockefellers. Earthly wealth beyond the imagination. Perhaps thoughts about WHO will soon own ALL of their stuff. Will anyone remember ?
The old adage is true -- YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU!.
OPENING PRAYER Lord it seems that we wear blinders for most of our earthly walk. As youngsters we earnestly pine for that day when we will be adults. Young Grown-ups have a sense of being immortal, almost bullet proof. Later in life we realize how much of what You have given us has been squandered. We lay up earthly treasures. We often worship the material. As the sun begins to set in our earthly life, we who believe can clearly see Eternity ahead giving thanks to You, O Lord, who created us. Praise you Father, Praise you Jesus, Praise you Holy Spirit, Amen.
SERMON I Love being a Dad, and a Grand Dad too! When all creatures are very young, most all are super cute. As they grow, they often transition into the LESS CUTE. For humans, this LESS CUTE plateau comes at or about 15 or 16 years of age. In certain cases and times, this period is often termed THE DOWN-RIGHT-UGLY-KNOW-IT-ALL-JUST-ASK-EM Phase. It can be rough. Mom and Dad become horribly STUPID, while the child knows everything there is to know or ever will!! I Love the smell of a newborn baby. I love puppy breath, kitten breath, not so much goats or calves. Babies are special!
I had the honor and joy of witnessing the birth of my son, and my daughter. Years later, God allowed me to again be witness to the birth of my Son's SON, and my Daughter's daughter! Grandpa even cut the cord following his Grand-daughter's first breath. The miracle of Life at the very hand of God never gets old. None of these babies brought any baggage with them. There was nothing in their tiny hands. Nothing.
Psa 90:10 [Written by Moses. This Psalm records the time-table for our short audition here on this Third Rock from the Sun-- He Writes]; As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.
Here in our midst are those whose years are in the NINTIES. A couple of them are racing each other to 100 year mark. When our mind attempts to fathom ETERNITY, our earthly life time is but a single blink, then we move on!
Psa 102:25-26 "Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. (26) "Even they will perish, but You [Lord] endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. This Psalm records a man afflicted-- praying to His creator expressing the realization of the TEMPORARY status we have here. We try and try to hang on to STUFF, to EMOTIONS, to FLESHLY PLEASURES and TREASURES, but ALAS, they become SLIPPERY, and no matter how hard we try, at our last breath, they slide right out of our hands. At birth We arrive with no Hand Baggage, and when we depart, our hands will likewise be empty.
Luk 12:19-21 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' (20) "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' (21) "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
In the AFTERMATH of storms like the ones who ganged up on us this year, precious souls become paralyzed, unable to move forward or backward as they confront the enormity of the damage and destruction. They MOURN their stuff. Piles and piles of stuff piled high in their front and back yards. Mountains of memories, destroyed, moldy, smelly, stacked as high as the roof of the house in which they once were stored. A group of Chaplains, including me, traveled to Baton Rouge a few years ago, spending a few weeks after a similar pounding by hurricanes. We went house to house, holding tiny funerals. Not for people, but for their stuff. In each occasion, the solemn remembrance, the LOVE that results from a funeral gave closure and a sense of finality that allowed the families to take that important first step and grieve the loss.
They also found the value of storing up their treasures in Heaven where hurricanes, floods and fires cannot destroy. All they had to do was look deeply into their own souls and see that these same treasures, were safe and in good repair tucked into the archive of memories in their mind.
1Co 13:8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it [too] will be done away. Hurricanes and floods and fires will continue to reek havoc on our material possessions. LOVE carves out that special archive in our hearts that safe repository for treasured moments, memories and gifts from Jesus.
SUMMARY 1Pe 1:24-25 For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, (25) BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.
Isa 40:6-8 A voice says, "Call out." Then he answered, "What shall I call out?" All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. (7) The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. (8) The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Everything that makes us unique was ordained by our God when He formed us in our mother's wombs and is manifest as we grow into productive and responsible Children of GOD. The gifts and talents that He gave to His children remain as cherished possessions for all time, and all eternity. Every beat of our heart, every breath we take, every day we live should be lived as if it were our last. Let us look to that distant horizon with joy when our audition on this earth is complete and we finally enter the Kingdom as CITIZENS ETERNAL!!
CLOSING PRAYER We are so thankful, Mighty Lord, that ample room is available in Paradise for the treasures of our heart to be stored for the arrival of us who have chosen to follow Jesus. Earthly treasures will remain, wither, and go away. Naked we came into this world, Naked we shall depart. For the children of Salvation, our treasures and rewards await our arrival into Eternity. We will certainly leave the "SLIPPERY" things behind. But the greatest of all news and hope is that each of us will see when Our Lord calls us home. That great dinner bell will sound, and the table will be set. I promise you, not one of us will miss those SLIPPERY THINGS once we cast our gaze on HIM our CREATOR! Let us bow with great reverence and Awe when we see HIM...as HE truly is, Our God, Amen
DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, Ye heav'n-ly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen
BENEDICTION AND CLOSE 1Ti 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE Ps 37:35-36, 90:10, 102:25-26, Lu 12:19-20,
1Cor 13:8, 1Pe 1:24
NEXT WEEK BELOVED: Lord Willing, We are going to answer the great question "DOES IT PAY TO PRAY?" Having said this, I must confess this SPOILER to the question: The ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING YES!!! Won't you join us next Sunday, same time, same place as we Travel through the Vast Majesty of Holy Scripture!
UNTIL THEN.....Christ go with you!
HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?
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