Money and Mansions

Genesis 18 verse 14, is anything too hard for the Lord? The Lord appeared to Abraham three times from chapters 12 to verse 18 and those three instances are very very applicable to us as believers. I find it I find it thrilling to read where the Lord appeared and every time the Lord appeared there's something there that I can learn because in chapter 12 where Abraham entered into Canaan, the Canaanite was there, the enemy was there and I find it significant that when the enemy is there the Lord appeared. How wonderful that when the enemy is there then the Lord appears and when he does appear he gives us that necessary strength and the necessity of listening to his word.

Chapter 17 we've already reminded that the Lord appeared to Abraham in the fulfillment or the institution and the recognition of the Abrahamic Covenant and so the Lord appeared, I will bless thee, I will, I will, I will and I think of those seven different is it times where the Lord says I will, the middle one, the middle one of the Abrahamic Covenant is I will bless thee. When we come to chapter 18 the Lord appeared and pre-incarnate form and as he appeared he appears to Abraham in the tent door and exactly what our brother has indicated that there Abraham laughed and Sarah laughed and of course we know that they laughed for two different reasons but the Lord appeared in the tent door and he tells Abraham that he's going to have a son in his old age and of course at 99 he's reminded again that the son Isaac was to come and even though Abraham laughed was a laugh of a delight, acknowledging that the promises were already fulfilled acknowledging that this is actually going to happen and he staggered not at the promises of God according to Romans chapter 4, he staggered not at those promises but believed God. Abraham rather Sarah laughed was a laugh of doubt, impossible.

I enjoyed what our brother Brant prayed in his opening prayer. Did you notice what he said and on two occasions he made the statement failure. I have gone to conferences perhaps more, perhaps more than can be said, more than I'd love to admit but I have gone to conferences acknowledging and I'm fully aware of my failure and I thank God today that I left those conferences with quickened footstep, with a song in my mouth again, revived in my own soul and I began to understand that the importance of Bible conferences, the major importance of them, dear young people never lose sight of that, get to a Bible conference within reason as much as you can.

I want to suggest this warning that as I look at this little context I'd like to take it just a step further from what our brother McLeod has indicated. I'd like to look at is any too hard for the Lord in my walk that has failed, in my waters that are full of fears, in the workers that are few. Perhaps I am talking to some today and like the preachers talk to me and like I feel at times when I go to a conference I still at times am out of touch.

Is it possible that that my walk has failed? There are five different things that perhaps maybe I could touch as far as my walk is failing. There is the coveting, there is the comparing, there is the complaining, there is the chumming and of course we'll look at the commitment as the time would leave us. So my walk failed because I have coveted another's position? No I'm not talking about socially, I'm not talking about the business world, but perhaps maybe in the assembly I am talking about somebody has a position that I think I should have had.

Maybe a work, maybe a work that that you would like to do, but you're not asked to do. And as a result of coveting that another's position, it has brought you into a state of maybe a bad attitude and there's something that is not right and your walk with God has failed because of coveting another's position. I know of two men and that one man is dried up today.

He's literally dried up because of coveting another man's position. It ate him like a cancer. Has my walk failed because of comparing with another's possessions? Maybe I could consider my possessions and look across the fence and see another person's possessions and I could get occupied with that.

It's not easy, I'm sorry, it's not hard to get occupied with another man's possessions. In this materialistic age, it's not hard at all. And because I might get occupied with another's possessions, my walk perhaps maybe will lose the quickness of my step.

I'll not have the the fervency in my worship and perhaps maybe my own personality is affected or maybe perhaps maybe I would drift away from the Lord because of complaining with my present path. Maybe there's, I don't like the circumstances I'm in. Maybe the present path has brought you into a tight spot.

Maybe that path has brought you into a position where that you don't know what to do as we've been reminded. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Anybody here this morning, including the speaker, that might feel at a distance from God, that might feel that he's walking afar off like Peter did, that might not have the glow and the warmth and the consistency that they once did. Is anything too hard for the Lord? No, thank God at the New Lenox Conference I can get back.

There's a young man here today and about two years ago he got restored at the New Lenox Conference and he hasn't been the same since. My walk has failed. I would have to admit my walk has failed.

Perhaps if these other three don't touch it then maybe I'm chumming with the wrong person. Maybe I'm chumming with the wrong individual and they perhaps are believers in the Lord Jesus and maybe they go to the same and maybe they have the somewhat of the same assembly but yet they don't have the spiritual conviction that I might have and as the result I'm chumming with the wrong person. Perhaps maybe you're chumming with the wrong person in the business world, perhaps in the professional world, perhaps at the job, perhaps somewhere where you're chumming with the wrong person and they get to talking about money.

They get to talking about possessions. They get to talking about going to Bahamas once every six weeks. Mine, you get all taken up with that.

I'm chumming with the wrong person. It isn't long my spirituality takes it downward. Dear child of God, including the speaker, is anything too hard for the Lord to bring me back? No, no.

Is anything too hard for the Lord in bringing some of you dear young people with the right person? Many single people here today. Thank God for happy homes and in the assemblies. Thank God for homes where there is harmony.

Thank God for homes where husbands love their wives and wives love their husbands. I saw this for 18 years of my life. My father and mother embraced almost every day and I saw affection.

There was love and compassion in that home that I was raised in and I thought when I left home I'm going to have somewhat of the same and I hope I have. But in our happy homes and in our happy assemblies, occasionally there is a been a commitment that has been with a wrong partner. That's number five.

I tied the knot to a couple of weddings. Please don't ask me to tie the knot because not all of them have stayed tied and there's nothing that breaks a heart of a man or a woman. Parents in the same assembly, overseers, they know what it is to get a call and come over we're having problems.

What's wrong? They were committed to the wrong person. So somebody, how am I going to know that the right partner is going to be brought past my way? How am I going to know it? All I can say is by experience, you'll know. You'll know.

Pray about it. I have a recipe for young men if you would like to have that recipe for having a partner. I have that begins with prayer and it ends with the lady making pies.

So if you want that, I'll be able to have your help. You'll know young man. Young lady, you will know.

Pray about it. Pray about it. Is there anything too hard for the Lord and my walk has failed? No.

There's nothing too hard for God. Nothing too hard for God. In view of chumming with the wrong person, I think just now of a man that was a very happy man years ago, this man began to do illegal things.

He began to, he began to illegally work the underhanded in the racketeering of liquor. This man sat in the assembly, brethren. This man began to talk.

This man began to talk to a worldly man. This man lost everything that he had. And at one time he was a wealthy man.

He lost it all. And he got away from God. He moved south into the southern part of the United States.

And there he tried to get back. He tried to get back into the routine again of spiritual living, of enjoying God. He did get back to a point.

And too much so that he enjoyed his God. He moved back. He moved back to Iowa.

When I went to a gospel meetings along with another man in the little town of RDO, I watched the big tears run down that man's face. And happy restoration. He lost every dollar.

But he got back to God. He lost it all. And I had the great joy one day of telling a group of people as his body lay in the casket of where this man had been, where he went, and how he came back.

Abraham, I wonder, when he went down in Genesis chapter 12. Chapter 13 begins that Abraham went up. And then Abraham went on.

But I'm wondering when Abraham made that decision. I'm going back to Bethel. There's nothing that's going to stop me at where the tent and the altar had been.

He went back to Bethel. And I can just see Abraham laughing as he's going back. Joying that he's going back.

Thrilled that he's going back. And he's going back because he's back to God. Is anything too hard for God? No.

Is anything too hard for God in my waters that have brought fears? My circumstances in life. The very fact of being able to, I'm brought into this now, being in this confinement, whatever it might be. Perhaps I'm rejected.

I'm rejected by the Christians even. Perhaps maybe I'm rejected by those of my associates. Perhaps maybe I am rejected.

Or maybe I have bodily affliction. There's something in my body. There's something that has brought it to my life.

I have a terminal disease. Perhaps there's family members. Is anything too hard for God? Dear brethren, how would you like to have three sons? At the age of 41 down to 38.

Three sons. Born and raised in a Christian home. They knew the gospel.

They listened to the best of men. They were aware they needed God's salvation. They married wives that were from the world.

Would you believe it? God has saved one of those. But how would you like to be parents today of three sons on the way to hell? You think you have it tough? How would you like to go visit these boys? How would you like to be able to shake hands with those boys? And every time mom and dad goes to see those boys, they hug and they embrace. And every time mom leaves the place, she says, oh God, how can it be that my sons are not saved? Is anything too hard for God? I'm longing for the day to pray for those boys every day.

Longing for the day that they get to Christ. Maybe my waters have brought fears. And anybody that has sons and daughters on the way to the pit, you fear that someday they might miss it.

And that the Savior is coming. Oh, a young woman, a middle-aged woman said to me not too long ago, but Al, the Savior is coming. Don't tell me that it isn't God's time, that Christ is soon coming to the air and he's taking the bride home.

Don't tell me. Is anything too hard for God? What am I to do, brother? What are you to do? You've got waters that are bitter. You've got waters that I can't hardly drink.

That which was written aforetime, Romans 15, was written for our learning. What do I gain? What do I learn? I learn that when I go back to Exodus chapter 15, I see that the waters are bitter. I can't drink to them.

You have been there. I have been there. I take the tree and I cast them into the waters.

And when I take the tree and cast them into the waters, they've been made sweet. And even though they still might be bitter, yet I can handle. Now I can drink them because I put Christ into it.

I put Christ into it. Is anything too hard for God? Is anything too hard for the Lord? No. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Not only my walk has failed, not only if my warmth has faded, not only if the waters have brought fears, but if there's anything too hard for the Lord in workers that are few? Workers that are few? We haven't many workers.

Young men that were young 20 years ago are now older. And even though I'm looking a long ways from 70, I mean, that's a long ways off yet, I think. But the workers, the workers are few.

Mr. Lavery and I were visiting in Wisconsin a few years ago. Yes, this dear old saint says all the good men are died or are dying. Mr. Lavery touches his stomach and he says, I don't feel very good myself.

I'd like to speak to young men just for five minutes. Could I interest you, young men? No, not I. Could the Lord tug at your heart strings? There's a wee little man over here sitting right behind me. And he said three times when I was exercised about the Lord's work, he said three times, be ready, young man.

Be ready. He never went on from that. He just said, be ready.

I'm wondering that are there young men here today and you have allowed money and mansions to blur your vision for the multitudes? There's multitudes that are perishing on every hand. Is anything too hard for the Lord to raise up young men? No, that's not too hard for the Lord. And at the conference, there might be the tug of someone in the audience.

Or you too feel exercised. Are you gifted? Is there a burden? That's the key, brethren. Do you have a burden? Do you have a longing? Is there a bother you every day you go to work that anybody could do this job? Not everybody could tell a poor sinner how to be saved and on the way to heaven.

Never will I forget Art Ward telling us about the day that he wheeled into Blue River, Wisconsin, looking up Alex Stanicka, hair down to his shoulders, black leather jackets on a motorbike and there Art was and he was looking for the gospel hall, looking for the gospel hall, a young man wanting God's salvation. A young lady on the back of his motorbike entered into Mr. Stanicka's home and they began to talk about the gospel and they began to talk about this and that and the other things. Never did Alex Stanicka ever dream that that young man would be an evangelist.

He cut the hair. He threw away the jackets. He threw away the motorbike.

The dear man in Mark chapter 5, he's not clothed right. He's cutting himself with that which is cutting himself with stones in the cemeteries. And the Lord Jesus cast out demons out of that man.

The demons go out from him and they go out into the herd of swine and the herd of swine are buried into the sea and those animals die. And the Lord Jesus heals that man. And of course in Mark chapter 5, the demonic man, he wants to follow Christ.

You would too. He wants to follow him. I want to follow you Lord.

No, you can't follow me now, he says. But go home, number one. And go home to thy friends, number two.

And tell, number three. What's number four? What great things the Lord God hath done. What's number five? For thee.

And the dear man, you talk about anything being too hard for the Lord? The dear man that was in the cemeteries, he was in the cutting himself of a man possessed with the wrong power. But he turns out to be, because the Lord Jesus says, go to, go to, go home to thy friends. And your Bible says, he began to publish.

And that word publish is caruso. It is the Greek word that means an evangelist. It's the Greek word that is a herald.

And he goes forth. And he goes forth with the preaching of the gospel. The man that was in the demons, I'm sorry, the man that was in the cemeteries turns out to be an evangelist.

Nothing is too hard for God. Young people, older friend, away from God this morning, nothing is too hard. Older people, younger people with experiences that are only known to you, that you can't find help with anybody else.

Is anything too hard to bring you out of those circumstances? Nothing is too hard for God. Is there anything too hard for God as far as the workers being few and other men to be raised up? Nothing is too hard for God. I worked with a young man one day and we're pounding nails over there in Blue River country where Jim and Jan live.

We're pounding nails and we're working on a shed. Have this young man, Ike Fraser, he's working beside me. He's not saying a word.

I tried to talk to him. I tried to talk to him. He's not saying anything.

We went in for dinner. He's not saying anything. And just before I leave that day, he says to me, someday I'd like to talk to you about the work of God.

I said, I'd like to talk to you about it. I never dreamed he'd be an evangelist. He doesn't know how to talk.

I never dreamed he would have a burden for souls. I heard him at a recent funeral that he conducted. I thank God for Ike because God has raised that man up and he knows how to talk.

And he can talk very, very well. And he handles the gospel very well. Thank God.

From this new Lennox Conference, may hearts be restored. May we get back to the altar. May we forget about everything as far as wealth and this world is concerned.

And if I feel at a distance from God, may I get back and at all costs get back. And young man, if you feel the tug today of God, to tell the multitudes, I am praying that money and mansions will not hinder from you seeing the multitudes. May God help you.

Is there anything too hard for God? The answer is no.