Those Same Hands

John 1:3

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Do you have time this morning to take a timeout?  Think about something with me. Think of the hands of God. The word of God teaches us that with his hands and fingers, Jesus created all things. "And without Him was not anything made that was made."

Psalms 8:3

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,

the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

Those hands stretched out the blanket of Heaven. They flung the stars off of the fingertips. Those hands drew a line in the sand which told the ocean to stay put. It's so awesome to think of the creation hands of God. Think of how He created the rivers and valleys in the palm of His hands. He molded the hills and mountains in perfect balance with those hands. 

Isaiah 40:12

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

and meted out heaven with the span,

and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure,

and weighed the mountains in scales,

and the hills in a balance?

Then we go n in the scriptures to read that those same hands are stretched out for us unto salvation. 

Isaiah 59:1

Behold, the Lord 's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;

neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

Then we continue to read that those same stretched out hands were rejected and placed on a cross. After His resurrection , Jesus shows the disciples His hands that were nailed to the cross. 

Luke 24:40

And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.

But what really amazes me this morning is that in all this... He still stretches out those hands to us today. Right now, He is extending those same nail-pierced hands to you with forgiveness. Oh, how He loves us! Thank you Jesus for those creation, rejected, salvation hands. I hope the first image I see in Heaven will be those same hands that made me, my surroundings, and brought me salvation. 

Well Good Luck With That...

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

While my children were growing up, we used to watch cartoons together, (ok, we still do). One time we were watching a Spongebob movie. He was going about a usual goofy day when he stumbled upon Plankton. He asked Plankton what his day had in store.  And he answered, "I'm going to steal Neptune's crown and take over the world". And Spongebob said, "Well, good luck with that..."  

This morning when you woke up you devised a plan. You figured out, step by step, what you were going to do today. You have chosen your food for breakfast. You have chosen your clothes for the day. Some of you have chosen what sin you will commit. Plans have been made to walk away from the truth. Plans that sometimes seem right in your own eyes. 

You see, we are very good at doing things out of our selfishness. We all are like Plankton sometimes that just want to do what makes us happy. Well that is sin. Although it seems right in our eyes, it is sin in God's eyes. The end of this way is death. 

Many times I've personally heard these laid out plans from people. Plans to fulfill their own selfish desires. And I always share this scripture with them. I want to tell them like Spongebob, "well, good luck with that..."  That way will get you absolutely nowhere. It's a road with a Dead End sign on it. 

This morning surrender your thoughts, plans and desires to those of The Lord. Allow Him to lead you in the path He has laid out for you. Don't choose the way that seems right, but choose the way that IS right. And you'll never hear, "Well, Good Luck With That".  

Shut the Door!

Matthew 6:5-6

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

I remember when I was a young child certain rules my dad had for the home. I'm sure you could reminisce about some of your house rules also. Well one of the top rules around the Abney home was to keep the door shut. 

We lived in a small single-wide trailer when I was growing up. The air conditioning was a window unit in the living room right beside our television. March and April in Alabama would be the months that things would begin to get heated up. The temperature would rise and we would beg for the air conditioner to be turned on. My dad would fold his arms and say, "Not until June". (You think I'm kidding...I am not! I also must confess that when dad was a work sometimes the old unit just came on, haha) We would sit in that trailer and nearly burn up! By the time May got here I never came home until dark. I was soaking up as much air at a friends house as I could. 

Then it would happen. First day of June! That thing would come on and a hum would roll through the house like a symphony. My brother would be hollering, "Thank you Lord!" Me, well let's just say it was good to be back home. Then came the next annual words from dad's mouth... "Shut the door!"  "You either get inside and stay or go outside and play" he would say. 

Thinking about those days, I came across this scripture this morning. Jesus tells us to go inside of our closets and shut the door. Do you realize that our prayers and prayer life is for us and God?  It's not for others to hear and be impressed. Too many today think praying is what you do in church or before a game. No prayer is your alone time with God. A time when you should shut everything else down and be alone with God. Just like my dad used to say, "Shut the door, I'm not cooling the neighborhood. Get in or get out."...  Our time with God should not be hindered by other things such as TV, phones or even people. We need to get in our prayer and shut the door!

Talk About What You Know

1 Corinthians 15:3
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

Paul is telling this church that he is preaching unto them the very message he has already received of the Lord. God tells us to share the gospel with every person we come into contact with. Let me ask you this question... How are we going to share this gospel with the if we haven't received it first?

Sharing Jesus without first receiving Jesus would be like explaining the view of the Grand Canyon without ever seeing it.  It would be like telling the plot and ending of a movie without watching it. I know what you are thinking... You may think it would be possible to explain a movie to someone even though you haven't seen it personally. Someone else that has seen it could explain it to you right? Or maybe you are thinking that you could explain the layout of the Grand Canyon without ever going there. I suppose it could be possible. But what about explaining the experience? What about the smells, tastes, weather, intensity? You really couldn't explain this unless you have personally been to these places and experienced it for yourself.

Too many people are trying to explain Christ to others without beleiving in Christ first. Many, many Christians are even trying to explain the Bible without receiving it into their everyday lives first. How can we do this? It is not possible. You may find yourself in trouble if you try to give something that you first didn't receive. Paul preached about what he had already received. Share what you have received with someone today.

I Did It My Way!

Luke 17:26-30
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Have you looked at the days in which we live? Many times I have wondered about the things that were going on in the days of Noah. I wonder what they were doing? How wicked was the world during this time that God said it must stop?

Years ago I stood at the place where Lot and and Abraham parted ways. Abraham told Lot that things were not going to work with them together because the people were fighting. So he gave Lot first choice in the way he would go. Lot chose to go toward Sodom. He chose the way of the world and entered into what was the most wicked city of the world up until that time. What was this city like? What were they doing for God to say, "Enough is enough"?

Jesus says that they were eating, drinking, marrying, selling, planting and building. During all of their sin and evil living the most obvious thing was living for themselves. All of these descriptions from Jesus says they were living their lives for themselves. All the way up till the day Noah entered into the ark. All the way up until the day fire and brimstone rained down upon Sodom. They never cared about the things of God. Never gave attention to the message of God's Word.

Jesus closed with... "Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed". Seems to me that day is now. Phrases of our people today... "Live for yourself... Make yourself happy... Do what is best for you... You must find the power in yourself... I just want to live the way that makes me happy". Eating, drinking, selling, planting, building, marrying, etc... It is destroying them all.

And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way

Having a Heart Attack

Luke 24:32
And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Tick... tick... tick... The minutes seem like hours and the seconds seem like years. Sunday after Sunday when the Word of God is read, spoken and preached it seems like an eternity to some. From bathroom trips because we suck down two pots of coffee each morning, to sleeping because we stayed up all night watching our ballgame or favorite television show. Church goers just look and act as if they have lost their desire for the Word of God. If music is played an immediate excitement builds. If dramas are performed an enthusiasm incomparable is felt. But when the Word of God is opened an instant debate is now in session.

One says, "He's too loud" while another says, "I can't hear him and it's just boring". Some say, "I can't follow along with his Bible" while the others say, "What time do you think we will be finished?" Where are the ones that will ask for more?

If I took you to a buffet bar right now you would go back for more. If your team made a spectacular play you would be screaming at the television... "Show that again, show the instant replay!" When your favorite song comes on your playlist you will hit repeat because it excites you. What about God's Word? Isn't there a burning within your heart when you hear it? Don't you hear the very voice of God when you read it? Do you realize what took place for years and years in order for you to have the Bible?

Let me ask you this... Where is your Bible? How many of you carry it with you to church anymore? How often to you read it? Do you spend more time watching television or reading the newspaper? I promise you that this is my last question...

Is there a wonder why we lack spiritual power and a realness of God in our churches and lives today? I'm afraid that we no longer have a heartburn for His Word, but rather we are suffering from a heart attack.

Mountain to Molehill

1 Kings 19:4
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Don't you love the story of Elijah? Most of us can relate to him. We have known great victories in our lives as well as great defeat. Elijah had gone from the mountain of victory to the molehill of misery. He went from defeating the prophets of Baal to running from a wicked woman. He went from being a bold man who was confident in his God to laying under a juniper tree asking this same God to take his life cause there was no more reason to live. 

One time I was standing on top of a mountain in Gatlinburg, TN. that was 6,600 feet above sea level. By that night I was at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. I also remember being on top of this same mountain Elijah stood on in Israel. As I was preaching about the day God answered the prayer of Elijah and licked up the sacrifice, an Israeli fighter jet flew over us with bombs hanging from the wings. Hezbollah was fighting with Israel and shooting rockets into the country so Israel responded with fire power. 

Let me just say that the mood changed quickly. I went from excited about the God who answers prayer to praying for God to keep me safe. It is so easy to go from Mountain to Misery at any moment. We could also go from a Mountain Top feeling to on our knees before God for help at a blink of an eye. 

Where are you today? Either way, Praise God that we have the Lord. If you're on the mountian, don't talk about those in the valley. And if you're in the valley don't look to those on the mountain. Aim higher to the God above that mountian.