The importance of speaking with the Lord about our problems rather than solely relying on human comfort, drawing parallels to the enduring power of the story of Jesus. It highlights that while human stories and experiences can be comforting, the narrative of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection offers eternal hope and salvation. The message underscores that the story of Jesus is timeless and relevant, providing solace and guidance through life's challenges. Ultimately, it calls listeners to embrace Jesus as their savior and guide, finding true happiness and peace in Him.
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Isn't it a beautiful day today? You know, some of our advertising says Park of the Palm, where summer spends the winter. That's what I thought about today when I saw this beautiful day and how thankful we can be on this Thanksgiving weekend and any weekend for the kindnesses that come from a God of love and gives us His only begotten Son and freely with Him also freely gives us all things. I know at home so often I feel the need of a song, and sometimes I'll break out and sing it myself if I don't disturb my wife too badly. Otherwise I'll go over and turn on a tape or something, and it just brightens up the day.
So how thankful we should be for those whom God has gifted that can help us and minister to us in this way. We're so delighted to have the Dixon's with us currently in Virginia, and they're going to be leaving tomorrow, I understand, after the the morning service. They are working people and have to get back to things at home. We so much appreciate their spending the time with us this weekend in our conference. Amen. Oh, beautiful horse pace for amber waves of grain, For purple mountain's majesty above a frozen plain.
America, America, God send His grace on thee. and a crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. America, America, God made it with some thee. And a crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
My country's land of my birth. This is my country's grandest honor. I place the violation of America the most. I want me to have and to whom. My country is of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I see.
Land where my father's died, land of the pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring. Our Father sought to thee, author of liberty, To thee we see.
Long may our land be bright, With freedom's holy life, Proget us. By thy might, great God our King. God bless America, land that I love, and beside her. and guide her through the night with the light from above to the mountain through the prairie to the ocean why with America, my
home sweet home. God bless America, my home sweet home. Well, I thought I would put in a little patriotic music tonight because with no doubt about it, with respect to any that may be with us tonight from other lands, we live in a wonderful country, America. And we're in a season of the year and certainly our Thanksgiving season. We should give special thanks to God for our country. I love to sing patriotic music because it touches my heart. and I'm sure it does yours. But not just to live in this country, but also to have had the opportunity to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then the opportunity to receive Him and to be gloriously saved and acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ.
We trust that everyone here tonight has had that experience. If not, it could happen to you tonight. You listen as we continue in song now. The next song has to do with the Christian's experience. speaking with the Lord. A lot of times we tell one another our troubles, and that's not too bad, because we can bear one another's burdens, the Scripture says, so fulfilling the law of Christ. But the best is to speak with the Lord about our problems. You listen to this song, I Ask the Lord. I asked the Lord to comfort me when things were going my way.
He said to me, I will come forth you and lift your cares away. I asked the Lord to walk with me when darkness was all that I knew. event me, never be afraid, for I will see you through. I did not for riches He gave me wealth untold, The moon, the stars, the sun, the sky, And he gave me the eyes to behold.
I thanked the Lord for everything, And I have my blessings each day. He came to me when I needed him. I only had to pray. And he'll come to you if you'll ask him to. He's only a prayer the way.
Mr. Lawrence Chambers, the late Mr. Lawrence Chambers, L.W. Chambers. I had the privilege of knowing as a young Christian, he came our way several times preaching on the tabernacle in the wilderness with the model tabernacle. Some of you may not know, but Mr. Lawrence Taylor would sing solo. Now, some of you may know that, but I have already found that. Some of you did not know that. This next song was one of his favorites, and I just wanted to do it tonight because I like it particularly. Me and... I thought I'd share that little story with you about Mr. Chambers. The name of the song is, The Story of Jesus Can Never Grow Old.
They tell me the story of Jesus is old, and they wish that we'd create something new. they say that the babe and the man of the cross for the wise of this world will not do it can never grow It can never grow old, though a million times over the story is told. While sin lives and vanquished, and death rules the world.
The story of Jesus. and never grow. For what can we tell to the weary of heart if we preach not salvation from sin? And how can we comfort the souls that depart if we tell not how Christ goes again? It can never grow old. It can never grow old.
Though a million times over the story is full. While still is unvanguished and yet through the world the story of winsome and never grow. It was his love for me That nailed him to the tree To die in agony For all my sins For
my own guilt and blame, the great Redeemer came, willing to bear the shame of all my sins. Oh, what a savior is mine, in his heart's burden. If love can never be mine, can ye love me?
Whatever crime so wrong, whatever love so long when Jesus suffered long for all my sins. He saw my greatest me. We save my friend indeed. Through him I have been free of all my sins.
Oh, what a Savior is mine! In him God's mercy! Why, if the man never defied, and he loves me, I find no fault in him. I find no fault in him.
Yet he was rejected, despite the fault of men. But I find no fault in him. They led Christ to Calvary, but he never said one word. Just the Christ of the sinner was on the Savior heard.
And then they pierced him in his side, and his blood came streaming down. And that's how he purchased I shall wake up when I find a voice in Him. I find a voice in Him.
by right of fault in sin. And that thou be burdened by thy salvation, and thy final fault. in him. Why don't you give him a place in your heart?
Don't turn away from its lousy part. You'll find happiness right from the sword. As you give him first place in your heart. Are you longing for someone to guide you each day? Someone who knows every step of the way. Are you wondering why?
There are clouds in your sky. I have the answer for you. Why don't you give me the place in your heart? Don't get away from his love before. Oh, mine happiness rise from the sky, As you give it the place it's your heart.
It was mentioned earlier about my wife and I having to leave back in last March, I believe it was. We were here, and it was to take part in the funeral of our dear brother, Mr. Jim Redlin, who the Lord called home. And I had promised him some time ago that if he went before I did, that I would take part and sing some songs that he wanted at his funeral. Little did I know at that time that he would be going so soon. Well, Jim and Margaret and Tina were with us at Ocracoke Island in August of that fall that he took sick.
He was complaining of severe headaches while he was with us, and he was trying to do a little surf fishing, and regardless of what he took for pain, it didn't seem to ease up. And it was to our shock and amazement Just a few weeks later, we learned that he had the terrible cancer in the brain. And many of you know of the situation. It went on for many, many months as he dwindled away, and then the Lord called him home. It was a very touching memorial service. The Lord was certainly honored there. Mr. Welcome, Detweiler, at the major part of the funeral.
And I've been knowing Mr. Detwala for over thirty-five years. It's the first time I saw him have to stop and shed tears. He and Jim were very close, as they had worked together for many years in the gospel. So it was a very touching time, and yet a time of praise. I'd like to sing this time one of the songs that was sung at his funeral. And it was certainly for the benefit not only to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, but for any that may have been there that were not saved. And I do not know who is here tonight that may not be saved. So I would say to you, if you're here and you're not a Christian, if you listen to the words of this song in particular, the title of it is Without Him.
Without him I could do nothing. Without him I surely fell. Without him I would be drifting like a ship without a Jesus, oh Jesus, do you know him today?
You can turn him away. Oh Jesus, without him how long I would be. Without him I would be dying. Without him I would be Without him, I would be hopeless.
But with Jesus, thank God I pray. Jesus, oh Jesus, Do you know him today? Do you come turn him away? Oh Jesus, oh Jesus.
Without him, how long? you will be. Why will you do without him, if he not find in me? Did he not die to save you?
If he not own you need. And by special request tonight, That old favorite was so many, one of mine too, ship a hoi. I was drifting away on my cityless sea, and the angry waves threatened my ruin to the sea.
Went away at my side. There I gave little pride, On daily old vessel, And loudly I cried. Ship aboard, Ship aboard, And loudly I cried. Ship aboard. And loudly I cried. Ship aboard. The good captain commanded a boat to be lowered, And with tender compassion he took me on board.
Now I'm happy today, saw my skin flush away. In the blood of my Savior, and now I can say, Bless the Lord, bless the Lord. From my soul I can say, Bless the Lord. Oh, so sinking down Needs in merciless way The strong arm of our captain Is mighty to stay Then trust him today No longer delay For that old ship of Zion And the
shadow of your way, Jesus came. Jesus came. When the shadow of your way, Jesus came. And he does. He certainly does. I don't know where I shared with you a personal experience in my wife and I's life, but if you've heard it before, then you'll excuse me, but there are things to do come in Christians' lives, and a lot of times we don't have the answers, but we accept them because we belong to the Lord, and we know the Lord makes no mistake.
We know that, and they prove in the end, whether we find out now or later. that they were in God's providence and these things happen for our good. In nineteen sixty nine our next to youngest child at that time was eleven years old and just before school let out in nineteen sixty nine he ran in some of the races at school. He came home complaining about his leg hurting And I said, well, son, you've probably overworked those muscles a little bit, and we let it go at that.
But every time he would go to bed, he would even cry sometimes. He said his leg was hurting so bad. And, of course, we got a little alarmed then. This school was already out. This was in about the middle of June. And my wife's mother was a nurse and is a nurse. She was a nurse for a bone surgeon. And she said, bring him down and let me x-ray. And I was out on the job working, and when I got the call to come down to the office, I knew then that something was wrong. And she could see by the x-ray that it wasn't good, although she wouldn't tell us anything until the doctor came and took us aside and gave us the terrible news.
He said, our son had a massive sarcoma tumor of the bone. in the back of the left knee. And that was what was giving him all the problem. He had no idea where it came from, but he said it was growing very, very rapidly. And all he could do at that time, this was, was to amputate the leg, take off as much of the leg as possible, and hope and pray that it would take care of all the cancer. And it was a real tough time to go to that twelve-year-old boy and tell him it was going to have to take his leg off. It was really tough.
But the Lord gave us help and he received and accepted it as much as you could expect a twelve-year-old. So after the leg was taken off, this would have been in June, then there was a prosthesis made where he could learn to walk on a prosthesis. And then, of course, there was monthly X-rays taken of his lungs. And the doctor said, if we can get through six months and everything looks good, he'll have a chance. And so that's what we went on. But almost to the day when the six months was up, then an X-ray showed he had cancer had reoccurred in both lungs.
And one lung was... really in bad shape. So then we were confronted with another situation. So I said to the doctor, what should we do? He said, well, you can take him to Duke Hospital, and it's one of our better hospitals in our country. And he said, they will try all types of treatment, and it'll be very painful. He'll be very, very sick. But he said, I'm telling you, as of today, he said, there's nothing we can do for it. So I said, well, Doc, you have four boys. What would you do? He said, well, I think I would keep him home and make him as comfortable as possible. Take him wherever he would like to go and make life as comfortable as possible for him and enjoy the family.
And so that's what we did. We came to Florida. We went down the East Coast, came up to the West Coast. We had a lovely time together. And of course, it was getting on into Christmas time then. And then we buried his body in April. And it was quite an experience for us having the neighbors to come in. And I know there's some folk here tonight that have had these situations to come in. And I have unsaved loved ones, you know, and they came in, and they didn't understand. They wanted to know what he had done that he would be cursed with cancer. And I said, well, he hasn't done anything. I said, it's just the fact that he's just another one of those victims.
But I said he saved. He was saved at camp two years prior to that. Had a good testimony. Matter of fact, he said the last day we carried on a conversation in his bedroom. He said, Daddy, Jesus is with me. He's with me right now. I said, I wish Madeline and Mary O'Hara was here today standing here listening to this testimony. So we said goodbye to him. He never went in a coma or anything. He just weakened down until we talked to him, until he couldn't answer. And then the Lord took him. And that's been seventeen years. Seventeen years. It's hard to believe it's been that long, but it has been.