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Sermon Texts Beginning With D
Dedication (62-1111M)
| Dedication (62-1111M) |
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E-1 Good morning to all. It's indeed a privilege to be here this morning in this nice little church and for a rededicational service. As I was just talking to Sister Hoover in the back room, she said it was once, I believe, a Pilgrim Holiness, or United Brethren church (Pilgrim Holiness, I believe, yes) and now is being rededicated to the full Gospel, and this is a rededicational service.
E-2 Mrs. Hoover was just telling me (Mrs. L. G. Hoover), was just telling me that was her little girl playing the song a few minutes ago, the coming song of "Only Believe," and is the pianist here at the piano. Three months ago, when they came in, they--she couldn't strike a tune. But now, she can play. Now, that's very, very fine.
E-3 Now, we are grateful that God has give this place to these people, and I'm trusting that it will be a great lighthouse to this part of the country.
E-4 We see in the Bible, in the 19th chapter of Acts where Paul, passing through the upper coast, came to Ephesus. And there he found a church. That was the Ephesian church, which was the first in the church age considered in the Revelation of Christ. And in this church here there was twelve people, as recorded. Twelve people was the number.
E-5 As I come in the door, I heard Brother Beeler offering prayer, and was thinking of him being a veteran, and this being Armistice Day. And of course, we're all glad that there was an Armistice Day. And there can also be a--an Armistice Day here in the church, that when people who have been at war with themselves against God can sign the armistice today, have peace with God through Jesus Christ. I believe Romans 5:1 said, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." E-6 Now, this morning I was going to speak on a subject of the Sunday school lesson this morning at the Tabernacle, but I've postponed it until tonight because coming here for this dedication. The services will begin early tonight (See?), at the Tabernacle. I aim to be in the platform ready to go speaking at seven o'clock, so we won't delay. And I have a--a long message. The subject is, "Why I Have Been Against Organized Religion," and it's taught in the Scripture. So you are--folks at the Tabernacle that's there, well, you come early.
E-7 Now, Brother Hoover, I--I don't know how to thank the Lord this morning for a young man who's given hisself to Christ, and among his people here to bring this glorious message of Christ to this people.
E-8 And Brother Hoover, I've knowed him for a few years now, and I know him to be a godly, consecrated boy. And may the Lord ever bless his efforts. I heard your little choir. I--I tried to look around the door, and--and I heard the little choir sing, "Be Very Sure." That's right. You can be haphazard about anything else, but when it comes to your eternal destination, you better be very sure. See? Just keep that on mind: very, very sure. Don't take no chance at it. E-9 Sitting there, hearing the little pianist strike that tune, "Only Believe," my son, Billy Paul... I don't think he's right here at the time. But I said, "Billy, hear that little piano tune strike 'Only Believe?'" I've heard that little song in about every language under heaven call me to the platform, from the frozen regions of the Arctics, until the tropical jungles of the south, beneath the earth, around the earth, "Only Believe" in all kinds of voices call me to the platform. Someday when my life is finished on earth, I hope they sing that, when they're--if I don't live to see His coming, when they're placing me away. I believe Jesus Christ.
E-10 Now, I have some Scriptures here that I would like to refer to in this rededication of the building: comes from the Bible. And I think that now that this church is not dedicated to an organization; it's dedicated to the service of God...
E-11 Gracious and holy Father, as we come into Thy Presence, leaving this room, by faith we come to the throne of God where that golden altar stretches from sky to sky, where every mortal, creed, race, or color has a right to come. Every creature in which Christ died and laid Himself upon that altar as our sin offering, we have a right to come boldly to the throne of grace. We thank Thee for this great privilege that we can have today, and have got. We thank Thee for every member of Thy body on earth today that has come to this great throne, and has accepted the peace offering, and the peace that passeth understanding, of the Gospel.
E-12 And now, as we open Thy Word today for consolation to know if these things that we do are in order with the Scripture... For it's later than we think. We feel today that's there's not too much time left. But we must be up and doing. We must be urging and compelling, that every member that's been ordained beforehand to the Body of Christ that we spread this Message, till everyone hears, till we're sure that every effort that we could've put forth has been done.
E-13 Now, there may be many of you (which it is customary), that people sometimes mark down Scriptures, or write them out, or take notes. And I do that same thing. And if you'd like to turn with me now to the first Scripture reading, I have three places I'd like to read from this morning. And that is I Chronicles 17:1 to 2, and Acts 7:44-49, and Hebrews 10:1-5.
Now, it came to pass, as David set in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains.
Then said Nathan unto David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee.
And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
Go tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in:
For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
E-14 Now, in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, beginning 7th and 44th verse...
Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
Who found favour before God, and was desirous to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
But Solomon built him a house.
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will you build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hands made all these things?
And in the book of Hebrews, the 10th chapter and the 5th verse...
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offerings thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
E-15 We are very familiar with the reading of these set Scriptures that we want to speak on for a few moments. Now, David, under desire and revelation, thought in his heart a very gallant thing. When... David being a fair man, and well loved with the people, and God had blessed him in so many ways, and he said, "Now, is it right that I set here in a nice home that the Lord has given me, and the ark of the covenant of my God out there under curtains?" That was a very gallant thing.
E-16 And Nathan the prophet, knowing that God was with David, he said, "David, do all that's in your heart, for God is with you." Otherwise, when God gives you revelation, carry it out. But that was all working.
E-17 You can see the Psalms, how David is constant thinking of God. Too many of us today think of our own achievements, something that we could do to better ourself. But David was constantly thinking of what he could do for God. E-18 Now, we all know that the earthly only types the heavenly. The natural only types the spiritual. The... Really, the one that He was a speaking of was Christ for the temple. But he was... Solomon, David's son in natural flesh, later, we read in I Kings (if you would like to read it), that he--he built the tabernacle that David was going to build, because Solomon was a man of peace, of wisdom. He didn't go to war like David and had a lot of bloodshed. He just was a man of peace. And God gave him wisdom. When he was asked for what he may before God, he only asked for wisdom to know how to lead his people. And he never taken the great gifts that could've been done, but he just asked for wisdom to know how to--to lead God's people to the best. E-19 And I think we, in praying ourselves, if we would just ask for that, just for understanding for something that will be better for the children of God... I truly think that's this pastor's idea of bringing this church in here (See?), taking this old church and rededicating it today. He's trying to find a place out of the rain, and snow, and so forth, for the people of God. I think God would respect it in this boy just the same as He did in David.
E-20 Now, we find out that there lays a great spiritual application here, that I would like mainly to refer to. Now, if you read the I Kings, you'll find that in this, Solomon begin as a young man to build this temple that his father had been promised through God that he would build. You see, he stays in line with the Scripture and promises.
E-21 Now, if you notice, the material wasn't found only in Palestine, that this temple, because it just wasn't there. He had to go to the rest of the world, known world, to find these parts that would go in this temple.
E-22 And if, while they were cutting this stone of a certain kind that was found in such a part of the country, and maybe cutting a stone over in another nation to fit this stone that was cut in the--another nation...
E-23 And the cedars was cut up in Lebanon. And the Lebanon cedars was the most noted cedars of all the world. Like today, there's one place that redwood's found: that's in California. And there's one place they call in Africa on Mosselbaai, there's a famous wood there that's called stinkwood. It's never found nowhere else but there. And there is different timbers that's found in different parts of the country, and cedars was founded at Lebanon, a very high, tall, cedar, hard because it's a warm country. Warmer the country, harder the timber becomes; and--and soft, colder the country, softer it becomes.
E-24 Now, we find that these great cedars were hewn down by hewers and they were--had the blueprints. And they brought them together from different parts of the world. Now, if you notice, Solomon never varied one bit from the pattern that Moses saw on Mount Sinai in heaven. Moses, when he returned from his vision, pitched the tent, and made it just exactly like he saw in heaven.
E-25 The materials cut out in their native land brought into one place, but when they were brought together... (I'm reading now from the 16th chapter or quoting from it.) Now, when they were brought together they were so perfectly fit, that in the space of forty years that it taken to put the construction up, there wasn't one--one stone to be resawed. There wasn't a buzz of a saw, or a sound of a hammer for forty years.
E-26 And remember, it was cut away from the place it would be put together at. But when it come together, it didn't ev--need even honing. It was already honed. God had made it so it fit perfectly into its place. Oh, what a type there we find of the spiritual, how that every gift of God, every odd act of borned again Christians in their peculiarity, yet, it's got its place. It fits in the body. It goes to its right place.
E-27 Now, we notice in the building down here in the next chapter, that in this building there was one stone that was actually too odd to fool with. So the builders rejected it. So they just pitched it over into the corner and said, "That stone is actually too odd to be used. There's no such a place..." Now, remember, it was the builders who should've knowed different. Jesus spoke of it.
E-28 And I think in the--the building today of the spiritual house that God worships in, I think that that's been a great big failure today among the builders. We have come with our denominations, and we have laid them in sincerity. We have sent our boys to school to educate them to speak well before a congregation, learned them psychology and Bible history. And we have did everything, and built fine pews, and made high towering steeples, and beautiful music, and so forth, have we built. But we find out there's something wrong.
E-29 It's been odd. People act funny, and they--they don't come into the order of our--of our psychology, of our educational, our learning, our creeds. It don't fit in there. And they kicked it out because it was too odd, too--too peculiar, too disagreeable with the--the plans that we as men had ideas of what the church ought to be. It ought to be a group of polished scholars. It ought to be a group of fine-dressed people. It ought to be a group of something where we have tried to make it an educational program, or something that would please our five senses, something that we could see, or taste, or--or feel, or--or something.
E-30 Now, we find out though in the next chapter, that when the builders found out that they were wrong... Yet, they had all the other stones there, but the reason they couldn't get them together was because there was a hole left. There was something that wasn't right.
E-31 Now, the--our Catholic people say that when the--Jesus speaking, and He said, "Upon this rock (or stone), I'll build My church."... Now, the Roman church of Catholicism says that it was Peter, because he was the stone, the literal man, Simon Peter. He backslid a few days afterwards.
E-32 That is the real church, not of mortar, and brick, and stone, and so forth, which is perishable. But the real church is built upon the revelation of the Word and will of God. And they've been placed in the body since the Ephesian church age, all the way to the Laodicea now.
E-33 But did you notice, after the building was completed, it was still an empty building? There was nothing in it but furniture. So Solomon had done all he could do. Now, the great day of dedication come when they were going to dedicate this building for worshippers to worship something. Now, without something there to worship, the building would've been in vain. But the building was now ready for dedication.
E-34 When these Levites... Only that consecrated group could bear the ark. No man could touch it outside of them. If he did, he died. And they took these poles, knowing that they were consecrated to the service for this particular thing. And they run the poles through the rings, as been instructed, Moses had been by God, to build the construction of the ark. And they picked it up. E-35 That's when it found its final resting place, the Shekinah Glory that followed those Capping Stone, not the corner, the Capping Stone, the main thing... All other stones was of non effect until then. But this main Stone came in, the Headstone, and took its place positionally for its resting place for that generation. The glory of God filled the place where they were setting, and there was Shekinah Glory upon the whole building. And the glory was so great till the priests couldn't even minister because of the glory.
E-36 Now, we read now, and take from the dedication of the temple... Let us go now to Acts the 7th chapter again and the 44th verse, and we start in quotation. Stephen in his notable sermon as he preached, he said, "Solomon built Him a temple," because it was promised through David that he would... God promised David that he'd build the temple. And God in a type, which was to be taken away by an antetype... Just like the sacrifice of the lambs at the dedication was a type of the real Lamb coming for sacrifice, all the natural typing the spiritual... E-37 And when this body had been made a sacrifice, the correct Lamb had been sacrificed, there was coming forth then... God came to His own Body, which was His Bride, and there'd been one hundred and twenty temples that God had created was ready for dedication, that had got all their unbelief beat out of them. And they gathered in the upper room and waited for ten days for dedicational service. Then when completely surrendered, God came down again in the Shekinah Glory, and filled all the house where they were setting. E-38 What did God do? Like the ark dropping into its proper sockets for the message of that day, God dropped back into His proper channel, not into a denomination, or into a building made with hands, but into the heart of men. He dropped in His place for the last day, which said the prophet Joel, "It shall come to pass in the last days I'll pour out My Shekinah upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall dream dreams, and the old men shall see visions." God came to His resting place where He finds rest, not in a building, but in the heart of His people He finds rest.
E-39 What a shame, what a disgrace, what a dispose that Nimrod's manmade achievement was brought to then. When Nimrod tried to build a--a building, or an organization, that would reach up to the heavens, God upset it. It became a shame. Instead of helping man, He confused the language of man, so one couldn't speak to another. It broke up brotherhood.
E-40 Oh, it's silly to the people. They don't get it. They were born not to get it, so they won't get it. The Bible says so. All right. God always fills His temple. At the day of dedication He fills His temple. He fills it with Hisself. The same thing today, God will fill every temple that will thoroughly dedicate itself to Him.
E-41 And if we will come back to the original dedication, and will open our hearts, and empty ourselves, God, in dedication as we give it to Him, will fill our temple with His Shekinah Glory. Then the living God will be moving in a living church, among a Living people and will spread forth His glory. Then together some day, one being this way, and one this way, and one in one part of the country, she'll come together to make the Bride. We'll be caught up in the air to meet Him.
E-42 So as our time is gone, but God has no time. Let us remember. How late is it? I'm looking at old people, and it may be later than you think. I'm looking at young people, young girls. Look at these little kids was found cut up the other day, them little girls ravished. How many of them die every year? Thousands with heart attacks, cancer, polio, anything that can kill them, accidents on the road. We don't know how young or how old. When is the time going to come? When's your card going to be called from the rack? No one knows that but God. That's right.
E-43 Do you think you could stop Stephen? Why, he was like a--a house on fire in a high wind. Why, you couldn't stop him. Even the Sanhedrin couldn't stop him, and you know even death itself didn't stop him. He lived on, and he lives today, and he always will live because he had Eternal Life and a house dedicated to the service of God.
E-44 Our heavenly Father, we are most humbly and sincerely assembled here this morning in great appreciations of the love that You have showed to this congregation, for giving to them this building for worship, and for giving this congregation this pastor, a minister of the Word.
E-45 Father, bless this little church. Keep the buildings up, and may the worshippers gather here time after time, every service. May there be such a love of God among them, till they just can't stay apart from each other, their hearts long to come together to the house of God. Grant it, Lord.
E-46 How many of you say, "By God's grace and with God's help, I surrender my heart. Come, Lord Jesus, and just fill me with Your goodness. Just make me what You want me to be. If I'm contrary, and in the vise that You've put me in the moving, which I have a right to give this way or that way, don't let me be a miscut stone, but let me yield to the saw that's making me what I am, what You want me to be." That's the way we want it, isn't it?
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Now, let's hum it. Now, shake hands with somebody by you, say, "God bless you, brother stone in the church, and..." God bless you, brother stone, in the church. God bless you, brother. God bless you, stone. God bless you, stone. God bless you. God bless you. Oh...
He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Now, let's close our eyes, bow our head, and lift both hands up to Him.
I love Him. I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased...
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