A changed life

My thought is wondering in a company like this, in a group of people like this today, if maybe there might be a young man or a young woman and would look back to the Stout Conference and be able to say that that was the conference in 2013 where my life was changed, where the direction of my life was changed for God. And that's really what I'm thinking about and just a little thought on that and then I'll be done. So I'm speaking for maybe a young man or a young woman today.

Psalm 51 and verse 12. Psalm 51 and verse 12. And it says, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit.

I'm just thinking of the first part of that verse actually. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. As we read through this chapter, I would guess that maybe the psalmist has a little regret.

There's probably some regret in his life. As he looks back over his life and he thinks of the way his life has gone and some of the things that has happened in his life and maybe has some regrets. And as I look over this company today, I wonder if there's anyone here in our company and maybe you have regrets.

I'm sure if you have children, if you had to do it all over again, most often we think we might do it a little different. One man said, well I might make a bigger blunder of it all. But you know, there are regrets as we look back with most of our lives anyway as the Lord's people.

We're human. But I was thinking, there's the words of a hymn that came to my mind yesterday and you would know them I'm sure. Maybe you sang them at the hymn sing last night.

I'm not sure. But they say, if I could live over the years or days that are past, I'd live them for Jesus, the first to the last. I'd heed the old Bible that points me the way and kneel by my bedside and fervently pray.

But I think it goes on to say, but I can't live over those years. So guess what? We can't change what's past. It's impossible to change our past, but it is possible to change our future from this day forward, from today.

We could change today, our lives. And for those of us that are younger or those that are younger, a young man or young woman, maybe in our company, from this day, from this stout conference, if your life was to be altered, if your life was to be changed, you would look back with joy to this conference. In 1970, I was a young man, about 20, and for about a year of my life, I was struggled.

I really struggled. You know, when God saved me, I was really happy. There was joy in my soul.

I rejoiced that my sins were forgiven, that God had mercy on me, that he saved me, that I was ready for heaven, that I'd never be in hell, and you know, joy flooded my soul. But there was something that I struggled with. Maybe there's someone here today and there's something in your life that you struggle with.

1970, at a Pugwash Junction conference, most have heard of that one, I suppose. Well, I look back to 1970, the conference of Pugwash Junction, and God changed my life. So that was a good conference.

You know, I don't remember even who was there at that conference. I remember one man that was there. I don't even remember what he preached on, really, but I do remember an expression that he made.

And as I sat in that conference, my problem wouldn't be your problem, sure, and you mightn't believe this, and I'd hardly believe it, but my problem was smoking. It's great when a person gets saved and everything falls off, that's wonderful, and I suggest that's the very best thing to do when you first get saved. Get rid of all those hang-ons, get rid of them as soon as possible.

But that hung on in my life, I couldn't shake it. And so, for a year or so after, that old thing was a real problem. You know what it did? It took away my joy.

It took away the joy in my Christian life. And that's actually the expression that that man used that day. He said, he spoke about joy in the Christian's life.

And when he mentioned that, I knew exactly that was something that was missing. I was struggling with that, and it was killing me. It was sapping my life as a believer, as a Christian.

And I fought with that, I threw it away, and I'd take it up again, and I'd heave it away and down, determined never to touch it again, and then it's back again. Worse than ever. Maybe there's something in someone's, maybe some of our young men or young women today, there's something you're struggling with.

And you know that it's sapping your Christian life. It's taking out of your life a joy that the believer has, that's possible. So at that conference, I drove away in the car between speakers, you know, to have a puff.

I can hardly believe that now, but anyway. But you know, I noticed a few others were doing the same thing. Strange.

Anyway, I stopped the car on the side of the road, and as I lit that old thing up, and was looking at it, and you know, the smoke curling, thought came into my mind. And that thought was this, David, joy in the Christian's life. The thing that is taking your joy is right here.

And you have a choice right now. You can get rid of it, or you can keep it. And it's up to you.

What would you do? Well, I just rolled the old window down, and I flicked that out the window. And you know what? Never even had a craving for it after. Never even had a desire for it after.

And you know what happened after that? The next day, that was on a Sunday afternoon, and the next day we went to work in the woods. I was using the horse, yarding the logs, and the other fellow was there. He was a sawyer, cutter.

So we sat down, as we usually did, for a little break in the mid-morning. And so he lights up his cigarette, and he says to me, you're not smoking. So I said to him, well, you know, I'm a Christian.

That was the next day after. I'm a Christian. You know, I had the privilege of telling him how God saved me.

I couldn't do that before. He used to condemn me, as I was sitting there with that other fellow. And I was just thought, you know, there's young men today, as I look over this conference, young men and young women.

I don't know if you have any struggles in your life. I don't know if there's any difficulties. I don't know if maybe the joy of the Lord fills your soul today.

If there was one person, one, one person that I could just reach your heart this afternoon, there is the possibility from this conference that could change your life, your Christian life, from this day forward. For remember, the years go by so quickly. I look back to 1970, and it just seems like they've gone by so fast.

I have lots of regrets, even since that moment, since that conference. But I'm thankful. I've never forgotten.

I've never forgotten that at that conference, just that little expression, joy in the Christian's life. Do you have that today? Maybe your whole life would change. Whatever it is that's taking that joy away, you have the chance of doing, doing that from this conference.

And so the psalmist said, restore, I can almost see the cry of his heart. It was a problem. He needed restoration.

And we all need restoration from time to time. The old preachers used to say, keep short accounts with God. And that's so vital, to keep short accounts with God every day.

So that's the problem. I thought it's personal. Restore unto me.

So it's personal. It's a personal thing that we need to make personal. And as young men and women, you know, there's a whole future.

I thought here, you know, tremendous here in Stout, it really is. I was impressed this morning as I saw those four men, as they made their way to the table. You know, what an honor, what dignity that is connected with the assembly.

And I thought to myself, in 10 years from now, I was going to say 20, but 20, I don't know what age these men would be in 20 years. But in 10 years from now, what men will be to take their place? What men will have the dignity of carrying on the assembly, the responsibility of the assembly, and the care of the assembly? Well, you know, it starts now. It starts right now.

Learning from our older brethren, taking examples from our older brethren. I thought yesterday when Murray was speaking about his dad, and there's a lot of things, excuse me, a lot of things I remember. In the last few days of my dad, he'll be gone soon a year, almost.

But there's a lot of things I remember about my dad. And one thing he could hardly, it's difficult even get to a meeting at the end. And his mind wasn't, some mornings he couldn't get up and worship, he couldn't thank the Lord.

Some mornings he could. But one morning, after not taking part for maybe two or three Sundays, but he was there, he'd get up one morning, gave out a hymn. And so going home, I said to my dad, I said, you know, I said, I really enjoyed that hymn you gave out this morning.

And I did, but I wanted to encourage him too. And he said, well, he said, I wanted to show the devil who side I'm on. And I thought, so I learned a lesson right there.

I wanted to show the devil who side I'm on. I wonder, could we show who side we're on as young men and young women? And we have that opportunity to honor the older, our older brethren, to learn from those that are going before the flock. Because our turn comes.

Our day is going to, our day is going to fall into your lap. It's going to be your responsibility as young men, because the years pass. So it's personal.

The purpose, of course, is that there might be that joy, that fellowship enjoyed. And the possession, of course, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. So if we go back and thought to that moment when God saved us, when we appreciated and enjoyed what God had done for us, you know what he wants to do today from this conference? I don't know if I'm speaking to someone or not.

Trust, trust that might reach your heart. From this day, you can't go back, you can't change the past, you can't even change yesterday. Unless, of course, you need to say you're sorry to somebody, someone.

And that, I can remember that, but I'll leave that. But you can start today, from this day, today, with the, whatever it is in your heart, whatever it is that maybe is taking your joy, from this day, get rid of it. To cut it off, to change it, and to move forward for God, from this day forward.

Not much unto the psalmist said, preserve me, O God, that's what we need every day. Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. Anyway, I just pass on these few rambling thoughts that the psalmist made on that day.

And I think he, from that day, I think he appreciated the forgiveness of God in this life, when he said, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. He is able.