[00:00:01] Hello and welcome to Tal Paul's preaching. Episode 18 was recorded on Sunday, August 11th of 2019, and it is simply titled Today.
[00:00:15] This sermon is all about living and experiencing life with God today by grace and not worrying about the past or what will happen tomorrow.
[00:00:27] There are many short verses referenced in this episode, so be ready. The opening to prayer was not recorded for this sermon, so we'll just jump right in.
[00:00:39] Before I get into the message today, I have a joke about the price of a sermon.
[00:00:48] It was a beautiful Sunday morning and a reverend announced to his congregation. He said, my good people, I have here in my hands three different sermons.
[00:01:03] I have a $1,000 sermon and it lasts only five minutes.
[00:01:11] I have a $500 sermon and it lasts about an hour.
[00:01:16] And then I have a $20 sermon and it will take up about half the day. And now we're going to take up a collection to see which sermon I'm going to deliver.
[00:01:30] I'm sure they gave generously.
[00:01:36] Today I would like to talk about. Well, today I'm going to discuss our walk with God and how. And what truly matters is what is happening now.
[00:01:51] See, yesterday or the past, we tend to view it as really good or really bad. You know, we forget those blah days. They just right out of our mind.
[00:02:06] And for the good ones, sometimes those good old days, you know, we just reminisce and just remember the good old days and.
[00:02:17] Or we yearn for something that happened in the past that was awesome. We just want that to happen again.
[00:02:25] Those pleasant memories we just remember.
[00:02:29] Or the bad ones, we want to throw a pity party for the past.
[00:02:36] Sometimes we don't even want to think about some things in the past because they're just so, so awful.
[00:02:43] And we never want to experience those again.
[00:02:46] Nevertheless, either way, the past is. Well, it's past, it's gone, it's over. We can't go back, there's no do overs, we can't restart.
[00:02:59] The best we can do with the past is we move on.
[00:03:04] We can use the past as experience, to use now or to plan for the future.
[00:03:12] Christ tells the church at Ephesus to remember, repeat and repent.
[00:03:20] In Revelation 2, 5, Jesus says, Remember therefore from where you fell, and repent and repeat. Or do the first works again, or else I will come unto you quickly and will remove your candlestick out of its place, except you repent.
[00:03:42] The Apostle Paul also speaks of the past in Philippians 3:13, 14. Very well known.
[00:03:52] Philippians 3:13 starts with brethren, I count myself to not have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before.
[00:04:08] I press towards the mark for the prize of the high, calling in God and Jesus Christ.
[00:04:18] Forget the past, look towards the future.
[00:04:22] But right now, work. Strive for that finish line. As Paul just said.
[00:04:30] Speaking of the future.
[00:04:32] Well, it's always the future.
[00:04:37] Tomorrow never comes, because tomorrow always is.
[00:04:42] Now, let's say you go to your favorite restaurant and, you know, picture yourself at your favorite restaurant. Not Taco Bell, I'm talking something super fancy.
[00:04:52] Sit down and nice, you know, and while you're eating there, you know, you're eating this lovely meal, and you look up and you notice on the wall there's a sign. It says, free food tomorrow. And you're like, oh, wonderful. So you come back the next day, but the sign still says free food tomorrow.
[00:05:16] And it's going to say that the next day and the next day after that, because it will always be tomorrow.
[00:05:24] In the future, it can cause us anxiety because we're not always sure what will happen.
[00:05:32] Even good things coming up, like, say we're going on a vacation. So you had a vacation coming up.
[00:05:40] And we stress over it, you know, it's like, well, where should we go?
[00:05:46] Where will we stay?
[00:05:48] Did I pack enough socks?
[00:05:51] Do I have enough shoes?
[00:05:54] What if it rains? What if it snows? You know?
[00:05:59] And the worst is we worry about anything having to do with flying anymore, don't we?
[00:06:06] The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4, 6, 7, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.
[00:06:23] And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
[00:06:34] Don't worry about the future, but pray about everything.
[00:06:39] And even when we are certain of the future, that is when we should really pray.
[00:06:47] James, the brother of Jesus, says in James 4, starting in 13, James says, understand you that say, today or tomorrow we are going to go into such a city and continue there for a year and buy and sell and. And get gain.
[00:07:07] James says, whereas you don't know what shall be on the morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapor, just a breath that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
[00:07:21] For you ought rather to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.
[00:07:31] See, we can plan for tomorrow all we want, but God has that future in his hands. God is in complete control.
[00:07:44] Oh, that thing that we like to predict. And some people pick dates and we Just want to know the day and the hour when our Lord will return.
[00:07:57] Only the Father knows that day and hour.
[00:08:01] And so we should just have the faith in God and trust God and put all our hope in God.
[00:08:09] Romans 8, starting in 22. Romans 8, 22 it says, for we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now, and not only it, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
[00:08:39] Verse 24. For we are saved by hope.
[00:08:43] But hope that is seen, that isn't hope for what a man sees, does he yet hope for it?
[00:08:51] But if we hope for that which we do not see, then do we, with patience, wait for it?
[00:09:00] And this is what we should do about the future.
[00:09:03] Remember that God is already there, waiting.
[00:09:07] The past is gone and the future may come. But we're missing God in both of those. We're missing God in the past, in the future.
[00:09:18] Because God is here with us right now, today.
[00:09:25] Remember that vacation we're worried about in the future?
[00:09:29] A real vacation is when we are living in the now. Because if we are on vacation and we are thinking about what we have to do when we get back home, or what is the weather doing there? Is it on fire with smoke? Or is it lake of ice and snowing?
[00:09:49] Or if we're worrying about anything after the vacation, then we are missing it.
[00:09:58] The past and the future are what that vacation was supposed to take us away from.
[00:10:05] See, that vacation is now, it's today.
[00:10:10] We're often like that with God. We. We're missing God.
[00:10:15] We're missing that opportunity to be with God right now, right here, wherever we are, God is there.
[00:10:24] We don't have to go and climb the highest mountain to be close to God.
[00:10:29] We don't have to go to the lake or the ocean, or even to Fiji. Although I have to say I would love to experience God in Fiji.
[00:10:41] Amen.
[00:10:43] But God is everywhere.
[00:10:46] Are we missing our vacation with God in this life?
[00:10:53] I'm reminded of the story of Mary and Martha.
[00:11:00] It's at the end of Luke chapter 10. At the end of Luke chapter 10, starting in verse 38, it's now. It happened as they went that Jesus entered a certain village and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.
[00:11:18] And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus feet and heard his word.
[00:11:27] But Martha was encumbered.
[00:11:31] She was distracted with much serving. And she approached Jesus and said, lord, do you not care that my Sister has left me to serve alone.
[00:11:43] Therefore tell her to help me.
[00:11:47] And Jesus answered and said to her, martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. And Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.
[00:12:08] See, Martha was so busy that she couldn't listen to Jesus.
[00:12:16] Sometimes we get so busy on the business for the King that we don't have time for the King himself.
[00:12:24] Martha was so busy serving Jesus that she had no time for God's word. While Mary sat at Jesus feet and soaked up everything he had to say.
[00:12:38] Mary was living in the now and was right there at the feet of Jesus.
[00:12:46] Someday I hope to be right there at his feet.
[00:12:51] But when we get busy like Martha, God is sometimes the first thing to go.
[00:12:57] As we go through this life and we get busy here, busy there, busy doing everything.
[00:13:03] I soon find that I don't have time to pray.
[00:13:07] I don't have time to read my Bible. I don't have time for fellowship.
[00:13:13] I don't have time for church.
[00:13:16] And on the other side, the flip side of being too busy is when we're full or content or happy.
[00:13:27] God is often forgotten during those good times as well.
[00:13:33] See, we don't want to take a vacation from God. We want to take a vacation with God.
[00:13:41] Remember back at our favorite restaurant now and.
[00:13:46] And I've just finished that lovely meal and I started thinking, why didn't I even come here? I'm not hungry.
[00:13:56] I'm not hungry anymore. I'm full.
[00:13:59] I'm not enjoying the meal anymore because I'm already content.
[00:14:06] I've got nothing to look forward to. It's over.
[00:14:11] If you turn with me to Deuteronomy 8 if you want. This is Deuteronomy 8. It is way back at the start.
[00:14:21] It is one of my favorite verses as it shows us how we should pray concerning our meal.
[00:14:28] Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 8.
[00:14:35] It is a great verse. And next time you are at a a wonderful meal with friends or family and you want a conversation starter about God, this is the verse to pull out Deuteronomy 8. Starting in 10, Moses is talking to the Israelites. And he says, when you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you.
[00:15:05] Moses is telling them, after you are full and you've eaten a meal, that's when you should pray.
[00:15:12] 11. He goes on, verse 11. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God in not keeping his Commandments and his judgments and his statutes, which I command you this day.
[00:15:26] Unless when you have eaten and are full, you have built nice houses, and you dwell there, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, don't Forget the Lord, because 14 then your heart be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage.
[00:15:56] So pray after the meal, pray when you are full or content, so that we do not forget God.
[00:16:05] Looking at First Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 16. Starting in 16, it reiterates that great advice.
[00:16:14] First Thessalonians 5, 16 says, Rejoice evermore.
[00:16:21] Pray without ceasing in everything. Give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
[00:16:34] Don't quench the Spirit, despise not prophecies, prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.
[00:16:47] Pray without ceasing.
[00:16:50] That's like waking up and saying, lord, here we go. And when you lay back down at night, you say, amen.
[00:16:59] When life is good, enjoy it.
[00:17:04] Don't be scared that something bad's about to happen because you're having a great time.
[00:17:12] God loves us.
[00:17:15] And don't wish for something greater either.
[00:17:20] Be blessed in that moment, because God is good.
[00:17:26] We pray exactly that when we pray the Lord's Prayer. We say it. We say, today, lord, give us our daily bread.
[00:17:38] You know, that's not a prayer for the future. That's a prayer for today.
[00:17:43] Enjoy God's goodness today and be thankful.
[00:17:47] Bill Keene, he was that comic strip artist from the Family Circus. And it was with Billy and Dolly and PJ and that whole family. He said this. He said, yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future.
[00:18:08] But today is a gift.
[00:18:10] And that is why we call it the present.
[00:18:17] We should never not pray.
[00:18:20] Pray when we're sick and feeling lonely, and pray when we're feeling on top of the world.
[00:18:26] And perhaps hardest of all is to. To pray when everything is normal or routine.
[00:18:34] We, like sheep, are prone to wander. And if we're not diligent in our walk with God, we can get lost in this world.
[00:18:44] And it is no fun being lost.
[00:18:47] When I was younger, in my teenage years and days, probably junior high, high school, somewhere in there, I.
[00:18:56] I was hunting with my dad and my grandfather.
[00:19:00] Now, I had hunted in that area often, and I knew the forest very well. At least I thought I did. And the three of us were out hunting and we were Going down this logging road, and my dad stopped on the corner, and my grandfather and I, we continued on. And then, then my grandfather stopped after a bit, and then I went on forward because it was my job. I was going to continue and loop around, go through the thick forest, and hopefully scare, kick something out to my dad or my grandfather.
[00:19:43] So I went around and I was heading towards where my dad was, and I. I heard him shoot.
[00:19:52] So I stopped and I listened a bit and I thought, oh, great.
[00:19:58] Pretty sure my dad got something. So I just headed straight to where I heard my dad shoot and I just went straight to him.
[00:20:09] And I think it was about the fourth time I passed this same little hill off to my left.
[00:20:16] I suddenly realized I was lost.
[00:20:21] I've seen that rock four times now.
[00:20:27] I was going around in circles.
[00:20:30] And, you know, it was probably only on about 10 acres of land, but that was enough to get me lost.
[00:20:38] The sky was perfectly gray. You know, I tried to find the sun. If I could see a shadow, even I could figure out where the sun was. And I knew about what time of day it was. I could find my direction, but the sky was just gray.
[00:20:56] I couldn't see the light.
[00:20:59] And even though I wasn't far from our cabin, we had a cabin up there, and I knew the area. So I didn't have a compass on me. I mean, why would I need a compass? I was, I was traveling light because, you know, when you're the youngest one, that's who they send to go through all the forest to kick out stuff to the, to the older ones. They're wiser and I'm young and fresh legs. So I was traveling light and I knew where I was going. I was heading straight to my dad.
[00:21:29] But it was hopelessly lost.
[00:21:32] I couldn't do anything to get back.
[00:21:35] You know, everything I tried was useless. It didn't work.
[00:21:40] And ironically, most of the time I was lost.
[00:21:43] I didn't even know I was lost. I was just wandering around, thinking I was going towards my dad.
[00:21:49] And can you believe it?
[00:21:52] I was no longer enjoying hunting. I was no longer enjoying the woods. Being out in the fresh air, in, you know, the trees and the birds no longer brought me joy.
[00:22:06] I no longer saw the world as I once did because I was lost.
[00:22:13] I couldn't go back. I couldn't retrace my steps. My only hope was to be found.
[00:22:19] I was lost. But then I was found, and my grandfather had come back to find me.
[00:22:28] And when he found me, I was completely turned around. I was the exact Opposite of where I thought I was headed in the.
[00:22:37] I was headed west. When I thought I was headed east, it was just backwards.
[00:22:42] And my dad and grandfather, they'd already dressed the deer. They'd taken it back to the cabin. It was already hanging.
[00:22:51] And I was out there just wandering around lost in the wilderness.
[00:22:56] I was missing out in the joy of our success.
[00:23:02] You know, when you are that one lost sheep, the 99, they are fine. They are just fine.
[00:23:11] They are doing great. They are with the shepherd.
[00:23:14] I had wandered off and was alone and afraid and was one missing out on life.
[00:23:22] We should have hope and always stay close to God.
[00:23:27] If you're feeling lost and alone, know that the good shepherd, he's coming for you. He's looking for you.
[00:23:37] If we focus on the present, the here and the now, that's our walk with God, you know, that's our vacation. Spending this life right now with God.
[00:23:51] Diligently seek the Lord your God while it is yet still today.
[00:23:56] Keep in constant contact with God through prayer and God's word and fellowship.
[00:24:03] That's how you won't drift off and wander away.
[00:24:07] Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
[00:24:13] Both my kids played a lot of sports, and I wasn't always their coach. I coached them a lot, but I wasn't always their coach.
[00:24:22] My son had a basketball coach who had this saying about showing up to practice and to games. And the coach would say, if you are early, you're on time.
[00:24:36] And if you're on time, you're late.
[00:24:39] And if you're late, there better be a death in the family.
[00:24:45] Now that's worldly wisdom, with the point being, you can never be too early, but you can be too late.
[00:24:53] My wife, actually, she asked me the other day, she was wondering where the early bird gets the worm saying came from.
[00:25:02] So I looked it up and it was first recorded as an English proverb back in 1670.
[00:25:11] The early bird catcheth the worm. Was the quote, 1670, man.
[00:25:20] It's a long time people saying that success comes to those who prepare and put in the effort, is what that saying was saying.
[00:25:31] God operates in a similar way.
[00:25:35] You can never be too early with God.
[00:25:40] God never sleeps. He never slumbers.
[00:25:44] God is always faithfully at work.
[00:25:48] You're not going to catch him napping or unaware or off guard, no matter when you call to him. You know, you wake up in the middle of the night, you. You're not disturbing him.
[00:26:01] You're not going to wake him up. You know, hey, Lord, he's Already awake and waiting for you to just pray.
[00:26:11] It's always the right time to pray.
[00:26:15] God is waiting for us, wants to spend time with us on our vacation.
[00:26:23] I'm going to wrap it up with some grace.
[00:26:26] Grace that.
[00:26:28] That unearned favor.
[00:26:30] The grace acronym stands for God's riches at Christ's expense.
[00:26:39] Grace.
[00:26:40] Grace forgives our past.
[00:26:45] We remember the sin that so easily entangled us, but move on.
[00:26:52] We are forgiven of our past through that grace of God.
[00:26:59] For God is good and his mercy endures forever.
[00:27:05] And grace is also how we live in this present, in the now.
[00:27:12] Oh, we're going to mess up.
[00:27:14] We're going to sin.
[00:27:16] But walk today in God's grace.
[00:27:20] First John 1:9 says. Oh, it's the famous saying.
[00:27:25] Some call it the Christian bar of soap. When we sin, this is what we wash ourselves with.
[00:27:31] First John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
[00:27:45] And that grace, that favor that we didn't earn blessings from God. That grace is our hope of the future.
[00:27:57] There is a day coming when I will be there with the Lord in heaven forever and ever and ever. Amen.
[00:28:08] That is the grace that I look forward to.
[00:28:14] Let's pray.
[00:28:16] Oh, Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for all the moments that we have that we can spend with you and just walk with you through this life, Lord, through this world.
[00:28:29] You forgive us of our past and we look forward to spending forever with you.
[00:28:35] Lord, you are so good. You have done it. You've done the work and we just want to rest.
[00:28:42] Want to take up your yoke, Lord, rest in you and just walk in this grace that you've given us, Lord.
[00:28:52] Bless this day as we go through it and help us to remember you, Lord, and all the things that you've done and just praise you for all the things that you will do.
[00:29:05] Lord, we ask that you take this collection, this offering that we're going to give, Lord, and bless it mightily, Lord, multiply it for your good work and your good will, Lord.
[00:29:18] Lord, I just ask that you bless all these people here, comfort them and fill them with the spirit, Lord, and help them to walk with you. Lord, we love you and we praise you and we pray all this in Jesus name.
[00:29:36] Amen.
[00:29:40] Thank you for listening to this message.
[00:29:43] We hope you enjoyed it.
[00:29:45] Our prayer is that the message, in some way or another, helped in your walk with God and that your relationship with God was strengthened and grew more intimate.
[00:29:58] If you would like to contact us with questions or comments, you can email us at the following that's
[email protected] or me at R E D L E T t e r s.com thank you.
