A man needs regular chores and a regular time to do them. Otherwise he loses the order of his life.”
–Elmer Kelton (The Man Who Rode Midnight)

“Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”
–John 12:26 (NLT)
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“Alas, and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?”
–Isaac Watts

Would He bleed; would He die; would he, out of devotion give His sacred head? The answer is a resounding, “YES”! There was something on facebook last week that tried to show that Jesus was not a real person; that He was only a myth. They need to get with the studies done on the historical Jesus. There is too much evidence that shows that He did exist. Why is it hard to accept the concept of a Savior?
There is something about this song that has happened over the last few years. In fact, last Sunday I heard it sung the postmodern way. The new version attempts to elevate man. In Watts’ version man is show to be a worm. Today, we like to hear man in a more way, come on, I mean to say that man is a “worm” might hurt his self-esteem. What are we in comparison to God? Isaiah says that we are grasshoppers.
“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.”
–Isaiah 40:22 (NKJV)

“Was it for crimes that I have done, He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond decree!”

Was He crucified because of a crime you committed, or one that I committed? Was it because of some sin you or I did that caused Him to groan? The asnwer is a resounding “YES”!
Because of that Jesus went to the cross and gave man something that he cannot understand–“grace unknown.” Plus a real, true concept of love. There is so much talk of love, but man only needs to look at Jesus on the cross, the precious gift of the Father to save mankind to see endless love.

“Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died For man the creatures sin.”

Have you noticed the earth seems to be trembling more and more lately? Violent storms seem more and more common where they used to be a rarity. Have you noticed that there are more signs in the skies the past few years? During the first advent of Christ there were storms, signs of His coming and His death. The Bible declares that at the time of His second coming there will also be signs in the heavens and the earth will groan.

“But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘Tis all that I can do!”

Martin Luther was grieved that he could not have more remorse. He grieved that he could not repay fully the debt that he owed Christ. Then the Holy Spirit enlightened him–it is grace through faith that we are justified. There is nothing that man can ever do to earn or repay the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.
Therefore, what is there that we can do for Him? Give ourselves as a living sacrifice. Hand our lives completely over to Him for His service. That does not bring salvation, but it is part of the work that follows salvation, wanting to please the Master.

“At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
If was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!”

This song has personal meaning for me. I wanted desperately the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. One night, at a youth service in Fort Collins, CO I went forward at the invitation of Jim Miller the minister that night. The song they were singing was “At the Cross”.
It is only at the cross, where we can receive our sight. Until that time we are blind to the things of God.

Living a life is much like climbing mountains–the summits are always further off than you think, but when a man has a goal, he always feels he’s working toward something.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Lonely Men)

“If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”
–Exodus 18:23 (NLT)
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“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first…”
–2 Thessalonians 2:3 (NKJV)

“And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”
–2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 (NKJV)

Let me give you a couple of thoughts to ponder this morning and throughout the day. First of all, look at 2:3, “the falling away.” That is interesting, yet something that should concern us. Barna shows that the age groups that attend church the most, read their Bible more, and pray are the groups knows as Elders and Boomers. His study shows that each following generation grouping is less with the Millennials and Generation Z showing the least inclination to pray, study God’s Word, and go to church.
Here is the question: is this the “falling away” that is seen here? If so, and even if not, it should make us more aware of our responsibility to that generation; that they hear the Word of the Lord. This is the generations of my grandchildren. Let us be diligent with our responsibilities and obligations.
Second, in this version the “He” in “He who now restrains” is capitalized. I have heard that it refers to the Holy Spirit. But then, I have some questions. If the Spirit is God, and He is, He is omnipresent. If people are saved during the Tribulation, and there will be, who will convict them and apply the blood of Christ, if the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way?
In the past I have thought it may refer to the Church. What will it be like on earth once the Church is removed? The Church is you and me; it represents light and salt. If the light and salt is taken away evil will run rampant. Yet, I lean toward the idea that it is a particular ministry of the Holy Spirit that will be taken away. Troublesome times will overtake the earth.
I heard a preacher, several years ago, mention in prayer one day why evil continually abounds and why morality is dropping and changing in America. He mentioned in his sermon that God revealed to him that the Lord allowed the political climate so that a revival and a change could take place, yet the people of God did not heed the call. This was when Reagan and Bush were presidents. Following them the tide began to change. Moral standards began to drop and terror began to arise. Then another President, a man of faith–George W. Bush. Gene Smith in his book, Faith & the Presidency states that George W. Bush spoke about his faith more than any President in our history. For that he was maligned and the evil tentacles of hatred began to appear. Then there was eight years of the Obama administration when postmodernism and all its delights had a hey-day and political correctness ran rampant. Now, unless there is a national awakening what lies before us?
A falling away by the nation morally! The mystery of lawlessness is already at work, and soon the Holy Spirit will be taken away and it will be a literal hell on earth. Read the Book of Revelation and see all the times the word “Woe” is used. In this time it would be good for us to handle the pressures that are coming to bear. And perhaps we should pray that last prayer in the Scripture, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Well–well, if you believed in God your case would not be hopeless. But some men–a few out of the many wanderers–find God out here in these wilds.”
–Zane Grey (Wanderer of the Wasteland)

“But the wicked will be blinded. They will have no escape. Their only hope is death.”
–Job 11:20 (NLT)
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I sense that the world is full of turmoil and hatred. Things are happening faster and faster. There is a trembling in and on the earth. The inhabitants of the world are being primed for the rise of the ugliness and power and reign of evil. People mock God, people mock the Christ of the Cross, people mock the working of the Holy Spirit, and people mock the way of the Christian. Two Scriptures keep coming to my mind:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
–Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
–Matthew 24:37 (NKJV)

Now I may be old, but ol’ brother Noah and I weren’t on speaking terms. He was some before my time, however, the days must have been terribly evil, for the people of that time brought the wrath of the Lord to the earth. There is a day such as that, minus the water, that is upon the horizon.
The days ahead may take you into a wilderness that you have not faced before. This may be one in the physical, mental, or spiritual but I believe it will be a combination of the three. One of the definitions of “wilderness” is the following:

“Something characterized by bewildering vastness, perilousness, or unchecked profusion.”

You may be enjoying life now and suddenly, without warning may find yourself in the midst of a perilous situation. The wilderness is a place of trial, for Christ will return for His Bride that is without spot or wrinkle. “The wilderness is definitely a place of suffering and of bruising, whether it be the sole of your foot or the heart of your soul.” (Trails in the Wilderness) Don’t scoff, don’t scorn or mock for you might come “upon the sun-bleached bones (whether physical or spiritual) and all you can do is shake your head in pity.” (Trails in the Wilderness)
Do not become deceived, or beguiled. The time is coming, and to an extent is already upon us, of confusion and chaos. Remember who the author of confusion is, the father of lies, and the great deceiver. He is at work in the midst of the world. Do not be like the Israelites when they were finally free from the bondage of evil, and upon finding themselves in the wilderness and the terrors it held cried, “Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:12, NKJV)
This “Echo” is not to cause alarm but to touch in a manner as to get your attention. We are not without hope. I fully believe in the “blessed Hope” of the Church; the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is what is called the “Rapture.” I believe that His people will not face the wrath of the Antichrist, however, with that being said, there may be tribulation, toils, and trials as the devil will begin to do his work of destruction, deceit, and death.

A man was put in this world to do something.”
–Ernest Haycox (Rim of the Desert)

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
–John 10:10 (NLT)
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“God will look us over not for medals, or diplomas, or degrees, but for scars.”
–Edward Sheldon

I remember a friend from way back when I was in school. He went to our church and we were good friends. He had a scar on his face and I asked him what happened? He simply said, “a fence ran into him.” Well, life has a way of throwing “fences” at us. Scars may come our way through accidents, or some of them may be earned.
If you’re carrying a scar that means something happened to you. It may mean that you did something dumb, didn’t react in time, or in the midst of battle you were injured. If you have a scar it might mean that you were injured, defeated and have refused to get back in the fight. Or it may mean that you were attacked, were wounded, but you’re back in the fight. Remember, scars are not all physical. They may be mental, emotional, and even spiritual.
I recently read the following about Scott Hamilton. You may know some of his story, of his bouts with cancer and of course his gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 1984. In an interview he said, “I start my day by looking at the way the sun illuminates my scars, because they’re most vivid in natural light. To me, they’re badges of honor.” In speaking of the biggest scar he says, “it represents healing, not illness.”
Scars can be a unifying force. They show a common bond in a common fight. When I taught the leadership portion of my Bible class on “Worldviews”, I used the speech by Henry V.

“He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.

But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile….”
–William Shakespeare

A scar is a common factor among soldiers. Here is the King saying that on this day whomever fights with him for their country whether they be royalty or commoner with be brothers and one day a year they will show the scars they earned in fighting the enemy.
Some use their scars as an excuse. Others use them to show off. Those who understand the value of scars, will not brag, will not use them to excuse their actions, but will look at them with honor. Jesus showed his scars to Thomas, not to brag, but to win him back to the Kingdom. Perhaps the question is, how do you treat your scars?