[0:00] And while we're going to mention a few things to lead up to and for prayer, a few things here yet.
[0:13] But everybody seems so quiet in here. I think our hearts are quiet. And that means, I believe that means a good thing. You had heard much.
[0:26] Now we need to ask God to bring that about. But we heard. But for now, I have a couple of verses to explain here. Isaiah 44, 19 and 20.
[0:42] Isaiah 44, 19. And none consider in his heart, neither is there knowledge or understanding to say, I burnt part of it in the fire, yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof.
[0:57] I have roasted flesh and eaten it. Shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stalk of a tree? He feedeth on ashes, a deceived heart has turned him aside.
[1:12] And he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, is there a lie in my right hand. And the last part there, you know, this is talking about an idol, idolatry.
[1:29] And I'm getting to a point, but this is where I start. But it almost doesn't feel the meat and fits anymore. But he burned all this on a log and then also baked bread on the coals of that log, on the charcoal, and roasted meat and eaten it.
[1:53] Then the rest, he made it an oppulsive thing. He worshipped it. A block of wood.
[2:07] They feed on ashes instead of what would nourish them. It's a good thing at a point. Now you worship it. Feeding on ashes is wasting time.
[2:20] Now all you heard this week is don't get sidetracked with anything else. They're in Africa to burn off the field.
[2:31] And by about there a year and a half ago, they had fires go on and burn off the next year. It's nice and green there. But I saw about, well, I was preaching this message.
[2:43] I've been looking out the doorway of a randava, a round grass roof. Well, I guess it's not only grass, they put metal on top. I was watching a cow wander through the blackened ashes, looking for something to eat.
[3:02] There is no nutritional value in ashes. So I want to encourage you, do not wander around in things you cannot change.
[3:14] In Ephesians 5.16 it says, redeeming the time because the days are evil. In the Antipode it would say a lot more.
[3:28] So making the very most of your time on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of every opportunity, and using it with wisdom and diligence. Because the days are filled with evil.
[3:40] And so as we, how do we waste time? How do we look at this? Feeding on things that have no nutritional value. You have been fed so much this week, I take.
[3:53] Now how are you going to walk this out? You know, wasting time, looking back on things that are no longer, are you still feeding on those ashes of the past?
[4:12] The things that drove you to Christ. Do not go back and worship the stump of what's left. Let's feed on the gospel, the word of God.
[4:33] This title would be feeding on ashes, by the way. And so I see looking back, thinking about things that are gone and past, wasting time instead of redeeming the time.
[4:47] Now that you are saved, you've got a lot of time to redeem for Jesus Christ. I cannot go back and wish that wouldn't have happened in my life.
[5:01] That is wasting my time. Every moment counts. Because if we wander across the wasted grasslands and looking for a green little nipple and get a mouth full of ashes, it's disgusting to find that.
[5:28] He feed us on ashes, seeks comfort and satisfaction from it, fills and feeds himself with hopes and expectations of being helped and delivered by it.
[5:41] But this is all vain hope, a mere delusion. You cannot eat from things that are in the past.
[5:52] You learn from it, but you cannot feast on it. What you got yesterday, the manna in Exodus 16, I believe.
[6:05] Yeah. They had to gather it up. And the next day they had to gather it up. Because I tell you one thing, we wouldn't have eaten it the next day anyways.
[6:19] None of us. We would have looked at the market and went out and gathered up fresh. So this whole thing is, we're not wasting our time with the past.
[6:31] We're looking forward to the future. If we have come to Christ, repented, laid down our life, and taken up him, the cross, and followed him, we are moving forward.
[6:44] Do not go backwards. And start feasting, which is impossible, but eating ashes. Hoping you could still find something from that experience we had years ago.
[6:59] Good one. It was good. Let's try to imitate 1996. Let's try to imitate something that is gone.
[7:20] Instead of looking forward and saying, Right here I am, Lord. Take me beyond this place. I want to see you work. And yes, I want to see more than I did back there.
[7:33] Because I think a lot of people are stuck. They look for churches of a good experience they have. And they're looking for that again.
[7:46] But they're not looking to Christ. They're feeding on something that is over, that has no value anymore. I look back and I thank God for those experiences.
[8:03] But I have no authority to go backwards. A daily walk with God. A daily relationship with the Word of God. The Holy Spirit. Is your testimony fresh?
[8:19] Renewed day by day? Or are you looking elsewhere for life? Are you looking elsewhere for life?
[8:34] How is your testimony? You all have a testimony this week. I understand. You're all going to share tomorrow morning. Don't look so dull.
[8:51] What are you feasting on? Is it giving you life? So what is your testimony?
[9:03] Is it fresh? I hear people say, I heard people over the years. They always go back to that 20 years ago. And talk about that next Sunday.
[9:14] Talk about that again. Is that all that happened in the last 20 years? Just what happened 20 years ago? Did something happen lately?
[9:27] That is what we need to seek for. Because there's nothing more disgusting to a seeker when somebody comes in here seeking and there's no fresh bread and you're going to offer him ashes?
[9:39] What are you feeding off of? Feeding off the past. Testimonies. Hurts. Disabointments.
[9:56] Mistrust. What are you feeding off of? Because when I realized they're all ashes and there's no value in it.
[10:07] Why not eat them what he's feeding me today? Gather up what he has for me. And tomorrow he'll give me more. I have no reason to ever say it is so dry.
[10:28] There's a verse somewhere that would fit in here very good right now. Psalms 102, 9. For I have eaten ashes like bread.
[10:42] Mingled my drink with weeping. I think that's the best you can do. You're choking on it and you're weeping but you're feasting on ashes.
[10:54] At least your tears give you a little relief. But it's not where God wants you. You feed on him.
[11:06] On the word. Well, you heard this way. And then go on. Next week you have another experience. Next week you have more.
[11:19] Because you put this to action. You ate it. You built muscles. And now you're able to go further. What have we become?
[11:35] What is our eating habits? Spiritually. We have become consumers of all kinds of messages and blogs. Or have we become consumers of the word of God?
[11:52] What hinders us from a commitment to the local church, to the local vision? If we can't commit, we're full of ashes and have no passion to do anything.
[12:13] Like I said earlier, feeding off the ashes of yesterday's blessing. We need a fresh fire, not a strange fire.
[12:24] But we need a fire. Feeding off the divine knowledge and wisdom and not to, not on pass me downs and social media. Whatever you share, make sure you have made it personal.
[12:41] personal. Even if it's something you heard years ago. Feeding off of divine knowledge. Recently I was praying and I pray for knowledge and wisdom every day.
[12:56] And for you guys. You're included in that place. By the way. And all the other churches we fellowship with. Divine knowledge. I pray for that.
[13:09] Am I getting my knowledge from God or I'm getting my knowledge from something other.
[13:22] Then divine wisdom to walk it out in this world. The knowledge that he has given me I walk it out in divine wisdom. It's like this. I tell you the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
[13:36] Let's say Saturday morning at home I'm working out in the mud and my wife is in cleaning the kitchen and I have muddy shoes.
[13:49] And I come to the door and I need water. I have knowledge of my shoes. Now I need wisdom to take them off.
[14:05] but you know probably over the years it probably would have been like this. I know I have knowledge.
[14:16] I look in and nobody's in there. Tiptoe over and grab a glass of water and get out of there quick before I'm caught.
[14:27] That would have been my pattern at home. That's the difference. So we ask for divine knowledge and then wisdom to walk it out in this world.
[14:41] For the world to see Christ in my lifestyle. My attitude. My walk. That it will point them to Christ if they would never meet them in person but they would see me.
[14:58] Does my them seeing me does that point them to Christ and yet at the same time we're not influenced by the world. What are we leaving for others?
[15:23] Ashes from yesterday or fresh rivers of water today? Hungry people we see in them eating from garbage cans just to get something to eat.
[15:43] We have it better than that. We don't even have to share Bibles here. We have enough for each one of us to have one.
[15:58] Ashes had no nutritional value. If you eat ashes from the past you will get weaker and weaker. Now we're going to finish with the John 21.
[16:16] John 21 verse 12. Jesus said unto them come and dine for none of the disciples durst ask him who art thou knowing that it was the Lord.
[16:30] Jesus then cometh and taketh bread and giveth them and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples and after that he was risen from the dead.
[16:42] So when they have dined Jesus said to Simon Peter Simon the son of Jonah lovest thou me more than these he says unto him yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee he says unto him feed my lambs he again says to him again the second time Simon the son of Jonah lovest thou me he says unto him yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee he says unto him feed my sheep he says unto him the third time Simon the son of Jonah lovest thou me Peter was grieved because it was said unto him the third time lovest thou me he said unto him Lord thou knowest all things and I knowest that I love thee Jesus said unto him feed my sheep this is an interesting setting I've been thinking much about recently and
[17:43] I would love to develop this alone in a greater message here if we come and dine with Jesus what he has for you at the table he will also commission you to be fruitful he wants to pass it on to others feed my sheep first dine and then give fresh life come and dine so as we sit there with Jesus he's we're dining with him he told Peter what to do and I believe you will know what to do if you eat the fresh life submit to it surrender to it and that fresh life will stir up and feed you and it is not ashes it is at
[18:48] Jesus' table I was at a Mennonite meeting one time big one Bream Mennonite meeting I think camp meeting and the pastor had set up a big table up front the preacher with food on and he was preaching on his subject I don't remember much more but I remember that part so we come and dine sit with Jesus and he will feed us and he will commission us he did Peter he is concerned for men he needs men to go out and feed his sheep they will never be yours they'll be his you just be responsible to take care of them for him Psalm 23 5 part of the Lord's the Lord's shepherd there Psalm 23 5 thy prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies thy known as my head with oil my cup run us over you imagine that you're sitting out here and people are pointing at you and throwing stuff at you but you're feasting on what the
[20:02] Lord said before you in the presence of God and the very presence of your enemies you imagine how upset they are we don't focus on that yeah that would distract us he will anoint us with oil and our cup will run over and in Isaiah 61 3 Isaiah 61 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in sign to give unto them the beauty for ashes the oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they may they might be called trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord and he might be glorified the beauty of ashes is simply a decorative detail or feature added to something to make it more attractive am
[21:13] I presenting a gospel that attracts people to Jesus Christ it's not from my ashes of the past it's my daily eating at the Lord's table he will anoint us he will all those things are in there whatever all mentioned there in those scriptures and that's who we are he has commissioned us you have come here you are feasting on the Lord not on ashes and and now as as you go about into their next week feast on the Lord and he will bring back portions of these messages and school of Christ for a long time he will he will bring self to memory he will create a heart of faithfulness in you guys in your women girls all of you we're not going to go back to yesterday we're going forward to tomorrow can
[22:27] I do that can I literally do that move ahead Lord Jesus we just commit this sermon to you this teaching and Lord there's much more in this teaching I know it most of us are aware of how we walk and how all of us look back and wish things would do but today you had given us and called us to go forth into the future making a difference and Lord we submit to that tonight this afternoon with open arms I have no clue what tomorrow may hold but please Lord hold me take me feed me lead me anoint me and show me the sheep that you want me to reach
[23:28] Lord Jesus we commit this to you in the name of Jesus amen