The Lord did an unusual thing for me this week. One of the members of the church asked me, what did you get Wednesday night? And I started thinking, how do you describe some of the things that God is doing around here and the things that he's making clearer and clearer to nearly everybody in this place? I mean, I don't know how much everybody else is getting. I know my wagon's full and running over. I mean, every time I open up the book now, it's like Brother Mark says, it's just brand new stuff and never seen before. And I thought, how in the world can you explain something like this to somebody? And the Lord gave me something that seemed to make some sense. It makes sense to me anyway. And I said, what's the Lord been doing basically in the last couple of years around here? He's just been getting the attention on himself. But you can't just leave it at that. How are you going to tell anybody that? And of course, if you've been in other churches, even around here for years, you know what the Laodicean church, or church, quote unquote, I don't care if you call it the Laodicean church or not, you know that most of those churches are functioning just like it describes there, without feeling, without emotion. I know their works, they are neither cold nor hot. The only enthusiasm they have is what they're accomplishing right there in their local church. If it's not about them, it has no importance at all to them. I mean, where's God in that? Well, if it's about us, then we're excited about it and happy about it. We got this building program going on. We got this going on. We're having this special speaker in. We're having this vacation Bible school. Well, what's God doing? Is that the only place God's working? Well, no, he's working everywhere. But this is the only place important to us. That's right. That's exactly how it is. And so I got thinking about that and I said, you know, this thing was good enough and I need to just kind of share it with you. I'm going to tell you what happened to me and what happened to Brother Mark and what happened to most everybody else in here. We'll illustrate it like this. Let's say that you had an opportunity to go to work at the White House and work for the president. and you got the opportunity to go work in the kitchen, you were going to prepare food for the President of the United States. Now I guarantee you if that opportunity came up and you were any kind of a cook at all, you would absolutely be excited about it. I'm going to cook for the President. You go to work there, and first day on the job, you run into whoever it is that's gonna be giving you your instructions, your boss, basically, or your manager. And in those places, you know, they're gonna have a head chef, and when you first start there, you're not gonna have too many to deal with, just gonna be somebody down on the bottom of the totem pole. Here, you clean this out, or you cut these onions up, or you peel these potatoes, stuff like that. As you go to work there, you begin to learn how they do things, and the way they do things, and how they prepare this meal, and how they prepare that meal, and how you cook this kind of potatoes, and how you cook the pizzas, and how you cook the Cherry's Jubilee, you know, and the baked Alaska, you know, and chocolate mousse, and whatever else they have up there that's so fancy you and I are never going to taste it this side of heaven. But anyway, as you learn all of that stuff and you get through year after year working there, you become the one that's training somebody else and you start teaching others the same kind of stuff. And as you're learning, what'll happen is you'll be doing something, they'll come by and they'll say, no, not like that. We need to do it just like this. And they show you how to do that. So you start doing it like they told you how to do it. And then you transfer that to somebody else. Somebody else comes to work there and you see them doing something wrong, you say, no, This is the way it needs to be done, and there's a lot of reasons for it, but this is the way it needs to be done. After you're there a long time, you just, one of the managers or one of the bosses or the head chef or who knows what, and you're giving all the rest of the orders out. Now that's just exactly the way church works. You know what the problem is? You went there to cook for the president, but you ended up cooking for the head chef or your boss. That would have been so different if it had been like it should be in church. You'd have gone to work the first day and just cut these potatoes up like this, and you start doing it, and a guy comes by and he sees you're doing a little wrong, and he comes up and he says, he said, now really, you need to do it like this, because the president really likes it this way. Now, this is his favorite meal. You see this here, and this here, and this? This is his favorite meal. You know what the difference is? Over here, you'd be cooking for the president. Over here, you just got a job. That's what it turns into. And the difference is where the attention's drawn. The attention's on the boss instead of the president where it should be. And church has got to the point where the attention is on the work, it's on the pastor, it's on the deacons, it's on the programs, it's on the doctrine, and it's on which word of God and what songs we sing, that's where it's at. And you're not doing any of this stuff for God. They're doing it for themselves, they're doing it to pacify other people, to make everybody else happy, and what happens? Yeah. I did a story on Klondike Baptist Church. And after I got the story written, my editor called me and he said, we just did a story on them in October. He said, I don't know what to do. And he said, I guess we're going to have to run something on them. And then he said something that I never thought of. He said, I know the churches here are doing God's work. They want publicity for everything they do, and they want it now. That's where it's come down to. It's come down to recognize me. Am I doing this good enough? That's what it's all about. And the focus is not on God, just like a cook's not cooking for the president. They started that way. The first initial thrust was, man, I'm gonna go cook for the president. And then after that, I'm just working for this guy. I don't like the way he does this, and I don't like the way he does that. What difference does that make? Well, I'll quit and go get another job. Fine. I'll quit this church. I don't like the way they're doing it. I'll go over there. Why? Is God the same yesterday, today, and forever? Does he change? Is that the same Holy Spirit that's supposed to be leading them all? The only way you can explain that difference is because the people are doing it their own way. Are the works good? Yeah, they are. But boy, they are for the wrong reason. And when you get right down to it, if what I read in that book is true, it's making our maker sick right now. You think, man, God's happy, it's Sunday, everybody gonna be in church, everybody gonna be doing all this stuff. Not according to what he says. And the reason he says it is because the emotion's gone out of it. Can't you do the same thing for him? Oh yeah, but you gotta have your attention on him when you're doing it. I was doing something really weird yesterday. I was grinding a big old monster grinder, some propane tanks, cleaning them up. I had to get them ready for delivery Monday and knocking myself out. Still got to paint them and all kinds of other stuff before they get there. But I was trying to find a way to do less than my best. I mean, there's something about me that you can ask my wife. I'm just compelled, you know. Just go the extra mile. If it's not just right, I can't stand it. It really drives me nuts. And I was out there, I'm thinking, here I am 60 years old, I'll probably sell this part, you know, before these tanks ever rust again, you know, I won't even own them anymore. What damage does it make? I said, I'm just wasting my time doing a bunch of this stuff. I mean, there's a lot of other things more important. And I was reminded right then on the spot, whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all to the glory of God. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. I said, well, that's the problem, boy, still. I forgot I was grinding those tanks for God. Go to Jack, you buy cars for God. You sell cars for God. You know why we don't think like that? You know why Sister Vicki's not washing them dogs, saying, I'm doing this one for you, God? You know why we don't wake up in the morning and say, well, God's got me doing such and such today. "'cause we'd think we're doing it for ourselves." That's a mess, isn't it? It is. Well, anyway, so much for that illustration. Now, we're not gonna get right into the Sunday school lesson, because God put something else on me, too. Yeah. Oh, I prayed over stuff like that all the time. But see, the problem is, that's still God helping me do what I want to do. And what he made clear to me yesterday was, You're not fixing the lawnmower because it needs to be fixed, you're fixing it for God. So how in the world do you get pleasure out of me fixing a lawnmower for you, God? You know what he basically said? When I make something and it performs the way I desire for it to perform, it brings me glory. You know what that is? Man, Lord, this sure is a good glass of water for the glory of God. Washing a dog for the glory of God. Grinding tanks for the glory of God. Playing volleyball for the glory of God. Fellowshiping with somebody for the glory of God. Giving gifts for the glory of God. Paying your bills for the glory of God. When you perform the way God intended you to perform because he made you, you bring him credit. He said, yeah, now that one's working. It ain't like that lawnmower that's so busted you just put it in the junk. And unfortunately, that's exactly the way God treats his creation, because when it has no value to him, it has no value. And when it's all done and said, he says, okay, like a fire, don't need you. Well, wait a minute, what about all this stuff we did for you? You didn't do it for me, you did it for yourself. You already have your reward and it ain't a very big one. Don't mean nothing to me. Anyway, let's get back into some of these other little things here. Now, here's some thought-provoking questions, and this is kind of important, too. How much can God do? Everything. How much is He doing? Listen. "'It's he that worketh in you both to will "'and to do of his good pleasure. "'Without me ye can do nothing. "'Except the Lord build the house, "'they labor in vain that build it. "'Except the Lord watch the city, "'the watchman waketh but in vain. "'Except the Lord grind the tanks, "'the man grasp the grinder in vain.'" Wait a minute, you mean nothing, Lord? Nothing. So how much is he doing? Everything. Everything. Follow me, now stick with me. Is He doing anything in your life? How much? You just said everything. And don't let me lose you right there. Don't go from everything down to just the good stuff. If He's doing stuff in your life, if anything's happening in your life, just like yesterday, what I'm doing and what you guys are doing, God's active in your life, right? What's happening to you that God's not in? Then how come we're praying constantly for deliverance? Because we got the wrong perspective. We're not thinking right on this thing. We still haven't gotten our attitude where it really belongs. Is your boat sinking? You say, what are you talking about? I'm talking about disciples over there crossing that sea and that ship began to sink because of the wind and the waves and he's down there asleep. Do you realize that that is a perfect illustration of how we treat God? Perfect. What do we do? We do everything we can to fix it first. We knock ourself out trying to fix it, and then finally when we've exhausted ourself, oh God, carest thou not that we perish? You don't put it in those terms, you just keep on begging. You just keep on gimme, gimme, gimme, help, help, help, help. Where'd the storm come from? Where did the storm come from? That's right. It came from God. He gave us the will. He gave us a free will. And the free will has led us to ourselves, not back to Him. It's just like Eve, you know, she saw it was desirous. And then Adam, not being deceived, thinking of himself and his wife, not thinking about God and how he felt, went ahead and did the same thing, and he followed the same path Satan followed, which is self. That's the problem. And until we start to see God in everything in our life, your response will not be right. You cannot respond right if you're thinking me. Why? If God's doing all that stuff, then when are we gonna start looking at this stuff differently? So if it's being done, God's doing it. The question is, why is it sinking? Why is the boat sinking? Well, there's more to it than just something that's happening to you and God's only there to bail you out of problems. If he created the storm, there's more to it. Do you realize none of those disciples got it? Nobody got it. Not one of them. They were the more afraid. Well, something else is going on here. You say, what's going on? I don't know about anybody else, but right here in this place, God's putting attention back on himself. When my wife got in that hospital, I had no clue what was going on, no more than those guys in that ship did. I had no idea what was going to happen. Oh, that's the most tragic thing that's happened in my life and in her life both. You say, well, haven't other bad things happened? Yeah, but nothing equal to that. You say, how do you know? Well, to start with, I never had feelings that everything on this planet was worthless and had no meaning. I don't think I could have felt that without going through that. And then all of a sudden when I read that thing about, and thou shalt glorify me, I felt about like Moses. What's that? So God's doing it, right? What if God had just gone ahead and healed her up? What if we'd have just gone on and said, thank you, Lord, for healing her, and learned nothing else? What about that? How many times has that happened in our lives? Do you realize how many things that you've prayed for relief for? You realize how many times God bailed you out? You realize if everything in your life that is he that worketh in you both to willing to do of his good pleasure is him trying to get your attention and all he gets is your request for relief? That's pretty wild stuff. And when are you gonna start looking for a connection? between the things that are happening to you and the one that made you. When's that gonna happen? Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, so to take as from a father's hand. How many times have you sung that? And how many times have you ever done that? It's like yesterday, I'm out there kind of whining and crying and I can't even straighten out, I'm hurting so bad, I'm just thrashed and beat up and wanting to do something else. I started trying to figure out ways around the thing and God says, no, no, no, no. He said, you do the best job you can do. That's why I made you. So what if I don't get to the fellowship, God? I'm supposed to be there every time the doors are open. You never heard God say that. You might've heard a man say that, but that wasn't God. If it's the Lord's doing, it should be marvelous in our eyes, shouldn't it? Shouldn't it? What about when cars break down? What about when the price of gas goes up? What about when other problems happen? If all we're looking for is relief, we're not gonna learn anything. We're not gonna get closer to Him. What's gonna happen is, thank you, Lord. Anyway, if you don't see God in these things, then you don't learn anything. It's kind of like, I got a praise. God took care of this problem for me. Okay, Lord, thank you. That isn't the way it's supposed to be. There's something else going on here. And what's going on is God wants your attention. Now we're kind of messed up. The way I see it, we got two choices. Number one, the best one, which is Job 5, 19 to 20. You don't even need to turn there. But it says, behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth. Therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty. For he maketh sore and he bindeth up. He woundeth and his hands make whole. Wait a minute, he maketh sore and bindeth up, he woundeth and his hands make whole? You mean he's sinking the boat? He's sinking the boat. If it's him that worketh in you, both to will and do of his good pleasure, and the very hairs of your head are numbered, then you better start acknowledging that he is in everything and quit worrying about the relief, quit worrying about God taking away the problem and start praying, God, somehow let me bring you glory through this thing. Somehow you accomplish what you're trying to accomplish. Somehow don't let me be as blind and stupid and ignorant as those guys in that boat that all they saw was the ship sinking and then were afraid of you after you stopped it. There's got to be more going on here. There's more happening. And God made us in such a way that he's supposed to have made us curious enough to start looking. But you're not going to be curious and look for something if you don't think you need something, if you don't think something's missing. You know what it says in the Laodicean Church? They aren't rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. That's what you say. But know it's not. They aren't poor, wretched, miserable, blind, and naked. The reason Laodicea Church isn't looking is because they think they got it made. They think they got all the answers. Well, if we can get this building built and get this gymnasium and this Olympic-sized swimming pool in here, man, and get these saunas built up here and get that weight room fixed up and a bunch of pool tables in here and get our ministry to the homeless and everything working, boy, we'll be right where God wants us. You're not where God wants you until you're actually working for him. I'm serving the master. In what? Everything. It's not that box with a steeple on top. Where is God? God is right in the middle of your problems. He is the Alpha and Omega. He's the beginning and the end. The reason we don't have any answers is because we're not looking because we don't think we need much. Anyway, the other choice you got is over in Acts 539 and it says, If it be of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest happily you be found to fight against God. God, get me out of this mess. God, fix this problem. God, boat's sinking, God. Probably the reason we don't get the relief in most of the cases. I mean, how many times have you prayed for stuff and God didn't fix it? You ever stop and think about that? Maybe he didn't fix it because he created the problem. Is God gonna fight against himself? If he's got purpose in that, we're praying for relief. We never get the relief. Maybe we're praying the wrong way for the wrong thing because we don't understand the problem. That's some stuff to really think about. Now a while back, we were in an old Bible study and it said, find out where God's working and get involved. Remember that? Let me ask you, where isn't he working? You see that mentality of the church? That mentality of the Laodicean church is, well, God's only doing a few things. We gotta find out what he's doing and go get involved in it so we can help him get it done. That way we'll be prosperous. That way we'll be valuable to him. You want peace in your life? It is not gonna come from all your problems being solved. There's a poem, and the last line in that poem, it says, in acceptance there is peace. When you begin to take that stuff as from the Father's hand, you're gonna find out that's where relief is. That's where peace is. Peace is not in anything else. Peace is not escaping. Man, that boat's sinking. I'm getting off of this thing. I'm gonna run away. Where you gonna run to? You gonna run someplace God's not already there? It's just gonna be one problem after another. He says his way is easy, his burden is light, right? You couldn't have told those guys that on that boat. Why? Because they didn't see that as his problem created by him for them. All they saw was, oh man, something else is happening to me. You know what's happening to you? God's happening to you. You know what you start to do when you begin to understand what I'm saying? You actually begin to live by faith and you don't even know you are. You just start to see God and all this stuff and you start to see his hand in it, you start to look for whatever he's doing in it, and no matter what it is and how the thing works out, you may not even know. I mean, it was a long time after she had surgeries and she recovered and came home before I began to understand even the tip of this iceberg. So it doesn't have to happen overnight. You may not understand it at all. Like Daniel, you know, you don't need to know about it right now. It's just a matter of trusting God. And all of a sudden, I'm living by faith. You know what happens when you start living that way? All of a sudden, you get this sensation of peace. You get a calm about you. It's like, okay, Lord, I don't understand it, but if it's of you, I don't want to fight against you. I want to get in tune with you and you just do whatever you need to do. Well, you have need of patience. Oh, rats. Didn't God say that he'll meet all your needs? Didn't he? He told you you have need of patience. Well, if he says he's gonna meet all your needs and you have need of patience, you know where patience come from? Tribulation worketh patience. Come on, God, I want something good. Don't you understand that God is good and he doesn't do anything bad to you ever? Nothing bad can happen to you. You held right in His hand. What else could you ask for? You know what your problem is? You're fearful and without faith, and you're fearful and without faith because you don't see God in any of this stuff. You see the other guys doing it to you, and you doing it to yourself, and just by happenstance, you know, all this bad stuff's happening to me. If it's God that worketh in us, both the will and do of His good pleasure, I don't think He's part-time God. I think he's got the whole thing down, counting the numbers of hairs on your head. That's how close he is. You say, what about this? What about that? He's got it. He's got it. All you have to do is start to relax. You know what our problem is? We want something different than he wants. That's our problem. We want relief. God says, what do you want? I just want more good stuff and less bad stuff. That's all I want. Well, that's not what I want. What do you want, God? I want you guys to do what I created you to do, which is what? Exactly. Now, how can you glorify God unless you don't see God in everything that's going on in your life? If you can't see God working in your life, You're gonna be one frustrated Christian the rest of your life because like I told you before in Sunday school, the most frustrating thing as a Christian was to know what God could do and watch him not do it over and over and over. You remember me saying that? And I was frustrated because all I was looking at was what he could do and what he didn't do. Carest thou not that we perish, God? That's it. Happy is a man whom God correcteth. Man, my life's been better ever since. Now, God's working in this church, and if you don't think so, Brother Jim, you got that slide from last week up there? Last week, something happened really peculiar. Brother Mark made several comments about it. And last week, for some reason, the Lord put that on me about Aaron's rod and turning into that serpent, you know, and the fiery serpents biting him, you know, and putting the pole up. Here's the bad serpents on the ground, a pole up there with a good serpent on it and all the other stuff. And then getting over to that business about the worm, you know, Brother Sheldon says, after Sunday school, he said, I'd have felt better if it hadn't have been Bildad that said that. I said, well, it's still the word of God. And Jesus Christ himself said, where there worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. But I was thinking, you know, Lord, why can't we be talking about your glory again? Why do we have to get stuck on this stuff? And when that thing came up right there, the Lord said, nevermind, I got it. Just like that. You know what you're looking at? You're looking at a pole. And I don't even see those things as serpents, man. They're closer to worms to me. I don't understand that. I don't understand God's terminology. He says it's as or like, so whatever the real thing is may not be exactly like either one of them. It's just a type of it. Something else. You realize that Jesus Christ was God and man? Maybe there was two of them on that cross wound together. You say, why'd God do that? I don't know. I know this. He's the one that did it. And if He's doing it, I'm not going to be fighting against Him. I'm going to try to get in tune with it. Let's close in prayer.