BNC Podcast
BNC Podcast
Voice of the Nazarene 3-30-25
Voice of the Nazarene 3-30-25
Coming to you from North Central Ohio. We share with you the voice of the Nazarene a week by week, venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene. We join our Pastor Reverend Ray LaSalle and the voice of the Nazarene.
Pastor Ray LaSalle:If you wonder where the Showalters are, we lost one of our evangelists that's held at least two revivals here since I've been pastor. That's Stephen Manley, and they celebrated his life. He died of cancer, and that's down in Lebanon, Tennessee, and I had planned to go, and one of our own pastors on this district died, and his service was yesterday. I want to welcome you to service. We're so glad that you're here this morning in this first service and looking excitedly toward the second service as well. The Evangelist that spoke at Pentecost his name was Simon Peter, and in his little book, chapter two, that first letter that he had written, verse 12, the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. Better live right. His eyes are upon us, and His ears are open to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. I think that we can get God's attention, because I believe that his eyes, according to the Scriptures upon us if we do right, and not only that, his ears are hearing our prayers. I want to talk to you about attracting God's attention. I was reading the other day that the average lifespan of a man is 78.8 years. What does that mean? That means, if you're 39 years old, you're already over halfway, and some of us are in the last quarter of life, or maybe a bit past. That means that I'm going to have to get it done if I want to do what I need to do, and to go out with a bit of a bang and leave a legacy. If you're not where you ought to be, life is so short. It's so short. It just seems like lately it's been funeral after funeral after funeral. We want to live, right, don't we? What gets God's attention is the question, I want God's attention on my life. I want God's attention on my children. I think you do. We want God's attention on this ministry when it's going out by live stream or by telecast or by radio. We want God's attention and his anointing. And what is it that brings and what is it that gets God's attention? I'd like to share with you, maybe four or five things. I believe the first thing is desperate prayer. I believe that God in our lives will bring us to the point of desperation, that will take us to the point of dependence, that brings us to the point of deliverance. The attention of God on our life comes through desperate prayer. I don't know if you ever thought about this, but have you ever wondered how Jesus prayed? Well, according to Hebrews, he prayed with strong crying and tears, and I can tell you how he prayed. The Bible said that he prayed as though it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. There's a big difference between just praying and what we call desperate prayer that gets the attention of Almighty God. There's a story found in Mark chapter four, beginning with the 35th verse. It reads the same day, when the evening was come, Jesus said to His disciples, let us pass over to the other side. And when they had sent away them all to two, they took him, even as he was in the ship, and there was also with him, other little ships. And there arose a great storm, and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. Now you need to get this folk. They're in the will of God, but they're still in a storm. You could be in the perfect will of God, and things literally fall apart around you in your. Doesn't mean you missed the will of God. And they're they're in a storm. And the Bible said in verse 38 he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow. Now, I don't know where he got it, whether it was Mike Ladale or where he but he had a pillow. It's only time I believe a pillow is mentioned, except when Jacob was praying and he used a rock for a pillow. He didn't get that from Lindale, either. And the Bible said that they awake him. This is the only time of all of the scripture where it mentions that Jesus was asleep and they awake him. The lightning didn't awaken him. There wasn't a storm that awoke him. There wasn't any thunder or collapse of thunder that awoke him. It wasn't that the boat was half full of water, but it was when his children were at the end of their rope, and they felt like hope was dearly gone, and they say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish. And I want you to know God responds to desperate prayers, and God responds when we get to the point of desperation. And he said that he rebuked the wind and said unto the sea please be still and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. A second thing that gets God's attention is sacrificial giving. We're never any more like Jesus than when we give. Johnny said to his mom, said, Mom, can I have $20 she said, No way. He said, Would you give me $20 if I told you what dad said to the maid when you were at the beauty shop, she started opening her purse why he had her attention. And I want you to know if you get the attention of God, God will begin to look our way. Yeah, I don't know if you've ever thought about this story. It's found in Mark chapter 12. It said that Jesus sat over against the treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. Many that were rich cast in much and there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Now that's 1/8 of a cent. And I don't know, I don't know very many people that will bend over pick up a penny anymore, but this is 1/8 of a penny. And he called unto him his disciples. He said, I want you to come over here, and I want you to watch this. He said, I want to say this. This poor woman hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury. For they did cast in their abundance, but she, of her want, did cast in all that she had, even all of her living. Now, what does she do? She gave everything she had to even live on. Now, we kind of watch how much people give, but Jesus looks and he sees how much that we really have left. We want to talk about how big was that offering, but Jesus looks at those who sacrificially give. Don't try to impress God and others by telling something that you're not doing. Ananias and Sapphira. They they said, here's what we gave, and they lied, and it wasn't what they gave. They didn't do sacrificial giving, but they did a lot of word service. I thought about Malachi, where they had robbed God, and God noticed, because he was watching, but sacrificial giving will get the attention of God. He said, concerning Cornelius, I've heard your prayers, and I've seen your alms, and God notices when we give. A third thing that gets God's attention is painful tears. Second, Kings, chapter 20, verse three, he said to Isaiah, the prophet, I want you to go down to the king's house, and I want you to tell Hezekiah you're going to die and not live. You need to tell him, You better get your life in order, because you're not going to live very long. You're about to die. You better line up the roll call. You better put somebody in authority to take over. You need to contact the mortician. You need to pick out your casket you're going to die. And Hezekiah said, But God, I want to remind you that I've lived a life of integrity. I've lived before you in truth and honor and the Bible said that Hezekiah wept soar. Here's what I want to ask you, can God change his mind? Well, apparently he did, because he told Isaiah, I want you to go back to Hezekiah and tell him, I'm going to add 15 more years onto his life. And verse five tells you why. And the reason was he said, I've heard your prayers and I've seen your tears. Let me tell you something, tears attract the attention of God when nothing else will tears will. Fact of the matter, You say, Well, Pastor, I'm going through a hard time. Well, I'm sorry, but tears are a language that God understands. If you want God's attention, try tears. You want God's attention be contrite. You want God's attention,iIt's brokenness. You want God's attention, let him see and hear some weeping. I was reading in Psalm 56 verse eight, where God takes the tears and he puts them in a special bottle. To think that God would bottle up tears. I don't know if he looks in on those tears, but God values tears. You say, Well, Pastor, I'm weeping before God over my marriage. It's in trouble. Tears get the attention of God. You say, Well, I've been weeping and telling God I need a job. My family's hungry. Tears get the attention of God. Pastor, you don't understand, I've got an unsaved spouse. Tears attract the attention of God. Well, my boy or my girls in trouble, and I'm terribly torn up. Tears attract the attention of God, and if we ever needed God's attention, America and the world's in trouble. So what gets God's attention? Desperate prayers, sacrificial giving, painful tears. And then may I add something else I believe that gets the attention of God? And it's what I call sacrificial praise. Over in Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 15, it said, Let us offer the sacrifice of praise. Did you know The Bible talks more about our praising God that it does praying to God? There are seven different Greek words for this word praise. God wants us to praise Him. Now there's a difference between just praising God and sacrificial praising of God. When you sacrificially praise God, it's when things are not going good. You don't feel like doing it. Your world is coming unglued. Things are collapsing around you, but you praise him anyhow. Kind of like with Job he said, I've lost my family, I've lost my finances, I've lost my friends, I've lost the farm. He said, I may have lost my future. I'm frustrated, but he said, I'm not going to lose my faith. He said, Though He slay me, yet, will I serve him? It's like the three Hebrew boys thrown into the fiery furnace before they went in, they said, oh king, our God is able to deliver us, but if he doesn't choose to, we still are not going to bow down to the idols. We're still going to praise him. It's when things are tough that we praise Him and we sacrifice praise when we don't
feel like doing so. Psalm 147:1, praise you the Lord, for it is good to sing praises under our God, for it is pleasant and praises comely. And the Lord does build up his holy city and gather together the outcast of his people. Listen when we praise him, he healeth our broken heart, bind it up our wounds. You realize that it's when you're praising him that God begins to take care of your broken heart. And while you're praising him, he's binding up the wound. Sacrificial praise will get the attention of God praising Him, even when we don't feel like it. Somebody said there are four states of life. I can't prove that, but I'm going to mention what they said. Okay. Number one, there are people who constantly complain and grumble. They're all over there at that other church. It may be that somebody right next to you, they're not going to get a thing out of the service, because all they're going to do is critique everything that they think is wrong, complain and grumble. Get ready to grumble or rumble, whatever you want. I want you to know something over in Psalm 77 verse three, the poet said, The Psalmist said, I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. And if we live in a lifestyle of complaining, eventually it's going to overwhelm us and put us down. But there's a third our second thing, it's people who live lives of ingratitude. They're not grateful. We're so blessed. When you got up this morning, some of the world couldn't do it, but you got to decide whether to take a bath or not, and somebody right next to you wished you had. And you got to decide, what am I going to wear now if I go someplace, and if my better half goes with me it's a fashion show the whole night before, pulling this dress down and pulling this top down, and then trying this other skirt, and does this look good? What are you going to say? Everything she's got looks good if I'm going to have a good evening. So I'm saying we've got and did you know many of us, we're worried about overeating, and most of the world is worried about even having something to eat. And we had to decide which vehicle we were going to come to church in this morning. Then there's a third state. It's people who praise God for obvious blessings, like a nice car. The covid test was negative. The house is fine it wasn't leaking this morning when it was raining, and anybody can praise him for the obvious, but it's learning to praise him for those other things. Somebody said there's two ways to live life. Everything is a miracle, or nothing's a miracle. Make your choice. But here's a fourth. It's people who praise God at all times, because First
Thessalonians, 5:18 says in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ, Jesus concerning you. And our last thing that gets God's attention is a repentant child. Do you remember the famous story of the prodigal son? I asked you a question. Nod your nodder. Two guys got in the fight, and one pulled out a switchblade and swung at him and at his neck, and the other guy said, you missed. He said, No, I didn't just try shaking your head. Nod your nodder. Some of you are nodding off, I think. But the story of the prodigal son. He had left home, went into a sinful lifestyle, wasted everything that he had. And if you look at the Bible, he said, I think I'll arise and go to my father's house and say unto him, father, I've sinned against heaven and before you. And he said, I am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. Luke, 15. Not worthy to be your son. I've been down at the hog pens, eating the husk. I'm a Jewish boy, I've been where I have no business being. And the Bible said that he arose and went to his father, but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. Why did his father see him a great way off? Because he was looking for him. Why did he run? Do you know this is the only place in all the Bible where it talks about God ever being on the run. Only place. Why did he run? Because he saw one of his children wanting to come back home, wanted to get right and he ran. And it got God's attention. And when we want to make things right, it always gets God's attention. We can get his attention, because he's interested in those who are repentant, interested in that child that wants to come home and you and I better be glad. And it said that the Father said, I want you to bring forth the best robe put it on him, put a ring on his hand, kill the fatted cap, put shoes on his feet. And the best robe was always kept for a guest. And he became the guest of honor. He said, I want you to put a signet ring on his hand. Evidently he'd pawned off the one that he'd taken, and they put it on him. And the father said he's not a hard servant, he's my son put shoes on his feet. He didn't need to be barefoot. What gets God's attention? Would we come back asking for forgiveness when we come back to God. What causes God to run when we're sorry for our sins and we ask him to bring us back into the kingdom? I want to tell you a little story real quick, like did I say quick? I've been here 33 years, I don't believe I've ever told this story at the pulpit in all of these 33 years. It may be familiar to some of you. I grew up hearing a lot of preachers telling the story, but I've not told it here. Back in the days when evangelists would travel by train, most of them didn't have a car. They rode trains from one town to another to hold revival meetings, and the old evangelist was finished up his revival boarded the train the next morning, and on that Monday, as he got on the train and made his way down that long aisle, he spotted a seat that was vacant, and a young man was sitting there with his face buried in his hands, and he sat down next to him. He hadn't sat there very long, and he realized the boy's body was shaking, and he looked over and he saw tears slipping between the fingers that were covering his face, and tears slowly crawling their way down, across his wrist and down his arms, and he realized the boy was broken emotionally. The old evangelist leaned over and he said, Son, I notice you're weeping. I didn't know what's wrong, but I'm an old preacher, if you want to talk to me. And the boy looked up with tear rimmed eyes, and he said, Preacher, I got into a jamb with my dad some years ago. I'd been breaking the rules of the house, and dad called my hand on it. He said I was big for my age and strong working on the farm. And he said, I hauled off, and I hit my dad in the face. It knocked him to the floor. I watched his eyes starting to get puffy, and my mother begin to cry. What have you done? And said, dad looked up and said, you'll need to leave now. You can't obey the rules of the home. You need to leave. And he said, I left. He said, I've lived a wicked life. I've lived like hell. I've gotten into everything broken, every kind of a rule you could break. But it said about two weeks ago, God, begin to deal with my life, and I gave him my heart and asked Him to forgive me. He said, I wrote back to my mom and dad's house. I haven't heard from him in some years. I hope they're still alive. I don't know, but I sent a letter home, and it said, Dear Dad, I'm sorry. I'm asking you to forgive me. I want to come home. You can't send a letter back. I don't have any place to send it to I'm living on the streets, but Dad, I want to come home. And he said, Dad, you know, the train curves around the edge of the farm, and there's an old apple tree out there, Dad if you let me come home, would you tie a white rag in that apple tree. When I see that white rag, I'll know that you've forgiven me and I'm welcome home, and I'll get off the train two miles up of the next town. He said to the old preacher, I'm afraid that rag, that white rag, won't be in the tree. The old preacher reached over and patted his arm and said, I believe your dad and mom will forgive you. I believe they'll hang that rag in the tree. He said it after about a half an hour, he said to the preacher, he said, just a little ways up now we're going around a curve, and there will be the farm right beside of the track, will be that apple tree. He said, I can't bear to look. Would you look for me and let me know if there's a white rag? Otherwise, I've gotta go on. And the old preacher said, I'll be glad to look. The boy dropped his hand, his face into his hands. The preacher leaned over, begin to peer out of the windows and started to make a curve. He said, Son, there's white towels all over that apple tree, and there's an old couple with white hair standing out there, and they're holding a sheet between them, and they're waving the sheet with all of their might, son, you can go home. And I've thought of them many times my own life, when I've messed up, and God knows I have, when I've come up short, when I missed the mark. How God would wave a white sheet say, you could come on back. God, I'm sorry would you forgive me? And God waves that white sheet. How do we get the attention of God? Desperate prayer, sacrificial giving, painful tears, sacrificial praise, but most of all when we get repented and we want to come home and we want to say, God, I'm sorry, God begins to wave a great big old white sheet. He takes the clouds and makes the sheet out of him, begins to wave them in the sky you can come home. Adam he wasn't looking for the attention of God he hid. Jonah knew what he was supposed to do, but instead of doing it, got on the run. He went to Joppa. He went down. He went to a city that had no steeple and no churches and no praying people, where they lived out of the will of God. He was on the run. I believe this morning there are people here that are tired of running. I believe there's people that are watching my live stream and my telecast. You're not trying to hide anymore. You want to come home. And I believe that God is waving a white flag of invitation for you to come. Would you stand with me and bow your heads for a moment? We're going to sing just a verse, and we've got a couple altars over here to this side, if you'd like to come. There's some front seats available. And I wonder, are there some here this morning that would say preacher I don't want to run any longer. I want to come home. And I want God to throw up that white sheet and allow me to come back to full victory. I want to step out of my seat. I want to come. I want to pray and while Mike sings, if God's speaking to your heart, and you're one of those that want the attention of God and forgiveness, I invite you to come, bow your heads, close your eyes, give a little privacy. Who wants to pray this morning?
Unknown:Thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene. Visit us every Sunday at 9am with BNC's Pastor Ray LaSalle, for more information regarding BNC, visit Bucyrus nazarene.org