This is a little different Easter. I don't know if you're aware of that or not. And Easter moves around. It's really kind of an odd holiday, you know, jumping back and forth. Somebody sent me an email about it. I thought it was a little interesting. It says, Easter's early this year. Easter's always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, which is March 20th. Now, the equinox is day and night are equal, fall and spring, and then you got the winter and the summer, and those things are the longest day and the shortest day and so forth. But anyway, it comes on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, which was on the 20th. This dating of Easter is based on a lunar calendar that the Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier than it is this year, which would be March 22nd. That's really rare. Here's the interesting information. This year, it's the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives. And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early, 95 years or older. And none of us have or ever will see the day earlier than what this is right here. How come? Because the next time it happens is gonna be March 23rd, and it'll be the year 2228. So that's 220 years into the future. If it was gonna show up one day earlier than this, that won't happen until 277 years from now, which is 2285. You say, what's that got to do with anything at all? Well, the only thing that I'd liken it to, and I don't know if we're gonna get far enough into this today, I doubt it, but I know one preacher that believes firmly that the Lord's coming back in the springtime. And the reason he believes that has to do with Song of Solomon, where those verses say, arise, my love, my fair one, and come away, for the winter is over and gone, and the flowers appear in the land, and maybe later on today we'll find out something about that, but there's a bunch of hidden things in here that are really interesting. Anyway, so this is a rare Easter. Do I think the Lord will come back this spring? You better believe it. Do I think He is coming back this spring? No. You say, well, I thought you said He could come back. Yeah, He could come back anytime. You know when He's coming back? He's coming back in such an hour as we think not. How many of you think he's coming back today? Okay. You see when he's coming back, don't you? None of us are gonna really think he's coming at that moment when he comes. He says, in such an hour as you think not. But you know, that's consistent with every hour of every day we live. None of us think he's coming back that time right there. And when he does come back, it'll be a big surprise. But anyway, it was just interesting having to do with Easter. Let's get back into our timeless creator. What we looked at here up till this point are the things that he clearly stated so that there is no question about it. We know he's coming back for sure. And the reason we know that is because the one that spoke everything into existence said, I'm coming back. When somebody with that kind of power in their word says he's gonna do something, he's gonna do it. You can count on it. This isn't like you and I, as some men count slackness, When God says something, you can take it to the bank. You don't have to worry about it. But the things we know and the things we've studied so far, we know for sure he's coming back, because he said so. He's coming like a thief in the night. Why? Because he made that crystal clear. We know it'll happen very quickly, he says, like lightning. That thing's going to happen that fast at the speed of light. We also know that we're supposed to be watching, to be ready constantly. We also know that it'll be when we least expect it in such an hour as you think not. Now, that's gonna be hard to watch if it's gonna happen when you don't think it's gonna happen, right? I mean, you think, well, oh, springtime, if the Lord's coming back this spring, I'll be watching for him now. You still can't get the day and the hour. I don't care if you can get the times and seasons. And you ever think about that? He says, of the day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, neither the son, but the father. And then he says, but of the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. I wonder if that season might be springtime. You see that when he said seasons, he specifically named something specific to something that happens within a year, right? The times in the last days, in the last times, in the end times, that can be period of time stretched out. But when he said season, he nailed that thing down pretty close. Now, some people think, well, it'd be September 21st, you know, Rosh Hashanah. But you can't get real specific with that. We're gonna look at those things later, things we think we know and then things we sure wish we knew. You know what God wants? God wants your attention. Why do you think he says, be also ready? Why do you think he says, this doing remembrance me, remembering the Lord's death till he come? What's he want? Does he want you guys worried about something? Does he want you staying awake at night saying, oh man, if he comes back tonight, boy, I'm not ready. I'm not ready. Is that what it's about? Is it about getting ready? And you don't have to worry about being ready. How can you get ready for something that in a moment, a twinkling of eye, you're changed into a supernatural body and every problem you've got's gone? You don't have to get ready. Speed it up, Lord. What's he want? Yeah, me too. What he wants is your attention. Has he got your attention? Does he really? How much? How much of each day do you spend thinking about him? He says, pray without ceasing. That's not just your attention, that's some communication. My wife's really a character when it comes to this stuff. She'll be praying and talking to the Lord constantly, and she doesn't say it out loud. He gives her the best parking places constantly. He communicates with her on a level being, I wish I had that. But I think it's because she's constantly talking to him. You know, look what the Lord got me at Walmart. Look what the Lord did over here. Look what the Lord did over there, you know? You think he does all that stuff? Like I said last week, if the Lord is interested in how many hairs are on your head, you tell me if he's interested. You guys get to thinking the only thing he is really interested in is when I call on him. You get thinking, well, I have to make the phone call. Don't call me, we'll call you, that kind of a thing. The Lord stays in constant communication with you. He knows exactly what's going on. What he wants is a little bit of it back. Anyway, moving along. We know it'll be when we least expect it. We know it'll be a great get together. I mean, the biggest one ever. We know it'll solve all of our problems. We know the reunion will be permanent. And it says, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Man, that's some good stuff. You know, if you really, husband and wife, you really absolutely enthralled with each other, and I mean in love with each other, you don't like being separated at all. The more you can do together, the better you enjoy it. And of course, if you both enjoy the same thing, it's just that much better. And you know, I've been working on her for 38 years and she's coming around. Another 20. I'm afraid I'm the one that's changing, brother. Anyway, yeah, she got me so much on the hook. I'd rather do stuff with her that she likes to do that I don't even care about just because I like being with her. Anyway, that's what the Lord wants. He wants some of that stuff back from us. And last of all, we're gonna look at here, we know that watching makes a difference. You say, well, how can it make any difference? Well, he's got a reason for it, and he tells you that it makes a difference, and he tells you what the difference is. Now, what does he want from us? What is the one who created us? Like we sang this morning. That one that created all this stuff for his pleasure, what's he want? What does he want from us? I'll tell you what he wants. You know, when you get Christmas together, you put out a Christmas tree and you put the presents under it, right? You hang stockings up, you know, that kind of stuff. You all of a sudden just one day dump everything, all the presents are under the tree. Some people do, they wait till Christmas Eve, you know. Santa Claus coming down. That's a weird thing, you know that? Do you know Santa? All you gotta do is swap a couple of letters and you go from S-A-N-T-A to S-A-T-A-N, Satan. That's weird, isn't it? Guy comes in a North Pole dressed in red and white from the North. One guy in Home Alone 2 or something says, he's omnipresent. It's getting closer and closer. You know what else is really weird? San is Spanish for male, santa. is female, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino. And that's a Santa Claus, woman's title on a man. That's some weird stuff. You say, how'd they get that messed up? Well, that's what happens when you start making it up. You know, oh, what tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive. Man, that kid found out, now he's depressed for the next six months. Anyway, if you set up for Christmas, you put that stuff out, and hopefully you put a little bit more out as you go along as you get it. Why? That develops that sense of anticipation. You know that? You put it out there where the kids can see it. You don't hide all that stuff. You know, you might not want to put the bicycle out there. You know, it's too big to wrap up, but if you could wrap that thing up in the box and put it out there, you'd do that too. Why? That sense of anticipation. Where do you think we get that from? And you stop and think about this. You're bought with a price, right? You buy Christmas presents with a price? Yeah. What do you get them for? You get them to give them to somebody, right? Who bought us? Jesus bought us with his blood. Who's he given us to? To the Father. You think about that stuff. That's where we get these things from. Those feelings are feelings that God passed on to his creation. And he passed them on to the highest level of his creation for a reason. And he wants us to stop and think about these things. He wants us to think about who he is and why he does what he does. No question about it. These things are supposed to draw our attention to him. And we should love him more, appreciate him more, and understand him more because of him. You know, Jesus is down there in the bottom of that boat asleep, right? And the waves are beating on that thing and they're out there bailing and panicking, you know, and finally scared to death, they go down there and wake him up. Cares thou not that we perish? First words out of their mouth. Why? Because by that time they were already panicked. That's a hint to the rest of us. Don't wait until you're panicked. Get started right away. Talk to him about the little stuff. Get used to it, you know? It's not a matter of, okay, when I've got a problem big enough, then I'll come and bother you, God, but otherwise, I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone. That's not why he made you. He didn't make you and say, okay, now don't pester me until I come back. He's counting the hairs on your head, I tell ya. We're supposed to appreciate him more and we're supposed to understand him more. What is that? The Bible calls it the knowledge of the holy. You wanna know something about your creator or do you even care? I guarantee you there's some people around here that care a whole lot more than they did a couple years ago, me included. Why? I would like to understand him. I think there's a lot of that stuff in there. I think he's shown us a lot. But you know, He doesn't just explain it all to you all in one lump. Why? Because you've got to grow. He'll give you a little bit, let you chew on that, and then give you a little more, let you chew on that, give you a little bit more, chew on that. Takes a little bit of time, but you know what it takes? It takes your desire. You've got to bring that to the table yourself. And if you don't care, He'll leave you alone. But if you care and you come to Him and you start asking Him to understand Him better, the Holy Spirit will start showing you stuff about your Creator you never even suspected. You have no clue about, let alone the appreciation. The problem with these things is instead of it drawing our attention to Him and making us appreciate Him more, making us love Him more and understand Him more, our attention's on ourself. Like a little kid at Christmas, all he can think about is what I'm gonna get, what I'm gonna get, and he doesn't think about anything beyond that big old box. He don't think about how'd that box get there? Why is that box even there? Who put it there and why did they put it there? You realize one of the things that God has done for every one of us that is just absolute pure miracle to me is that out of the multitude of billions of us that he has made, he let me be part of it. This world would have gone on like it did before with me never being here, but he gave me a chance to be here. He gave me a chance to see everything else that he's made and to be able to see other creatures that he's made like myself. And not only that, he didn't just stop with allowing me to see it. He let me get involved and he wants my affections. That's what he desires back from me. Anyway, the more we realize who God is and what he does and can do, And not just for us, I mean, have you stopped and really considered what it's like to create that stuff out there? What it's like to create some of the creatures that God creates? I mean, you look at a rhinoceros, you look at a whale, you look at a beetle, you look at a spider. Who taught the spider how to spin that web? Who taught that stuff? The Creator put it inside of them. Well, where's the brain? You think a computer's small? You think a computer chip's small? Man, you ought to see the stuff that goes on inside of ant mounds and inside of beehives and stuff. We're not even getting close. We're not even getting close. When you start to see that stuff, and instead of just seeing a present under a tree, when you finally start to see beyond that present to the giver instead of the gift, then you will start to appreciate Him. But as long as you're like that little kid that all you're doing is looking at the present, You're just not going to go very far. It's just going to be all about you and it's going to be, give me, give me, give me God, because I got a need and I don't have enough right now. If God asked most Christians, what do they want? You know what they'd say? More. I don't care how much you got. It wouldn't matter if you were Rockefeller, man. You know what he wants? More. You know what we're all trying to get? More. That's fine. but you need to adjust it so that you get more of the right thing, more about Jesus, more about the one that made you, more about the important stuff. You know everything you do for this body, you're running errands for a corpse, don't you? You ever think about that? Is this flesh dead? He says it is. He says, my soul's alive, and he gave me a live spirit, and he said, this thing is wrecking yourselves dead unto sin, but alive unto God. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. What part of me? This? You wanna see how alive this is? Yank my soul out of it and watch it go. It can't exist without it. My soul keeps on going without it, but that body can't make it without the soul. It's dead. So everything I'm doing for it, you know, eat this afternoon and sleep and go out and make more money and get a softer bed and nicer car and comb my hair. It's like an undertaker, you know that? You fixing yourself up to look as good as you can. You know what God wants? He wants your attention off of yourself and onto him. If those guys in the boat, when he stood up and said, peace be still, If they'd understood what was going on and used the capacity God gave them to think beyond themselves, instead of being the more afraid like they were, they'd say, my oh my, you really are somebody, aren't you? But instead, it's just still about me. You know what their problem was? They didn't get it because their attention was in the wrong place. You ever seen something that was really impressive and say, man, look at that. By the time somebody looks, it's too late, it's gone. That's what's happening to us as Christians, our attention someplace else. It's either on working for Him or on the cares of this world or on doing something for the other person this morning on how we look and all that other stuff. That's not what He wants. He wants it. He is a jealous God, and jealousy is the proper emotion for somebody that owns something, something belongs to them, and they're not responding the way they should. And he's a jealous God. Jealous of what? Me? No, he's jealous of my affections. And who's in the way? Is it Satan? It's me. Well, sometimes we're sorry, aren't we? We just are, darn it. I wish I could get better, but at least I can start turning some of my attention toward Him a little bit more each day. Let's close in prayer.