We allow too much of what’s hear below to guide our thinking and our decisions. We accumulate information and live in the self-life. The wise look up and seek the mind of God for their times, for their thinking. Come to Him at the Cross with all your below stuff. Take up His yoke and His meekness. (Matthew 11:28-30; Proverbs 15:24)

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller
Sermon 11898
11:00 AM on 6/7/2020

P. Schaller –

We gather together this morning to recognize Jesus Christ as the way to live in this troubled world. It’s
such a unique thing to stand in front of the Body of Christ and to ask for prayers and look to
God for the ministry of the Spirit to you in the front seat of you or in the back seat of your car as
you listen and concentrate on what we want to say this morning. If you can give me your
undivided attention at the beginning of the sermon, you will follow me through it and we will
end and say, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. There is a
habit for some of us to look on our phone or be distracted by other cars in the parking lot, but if
you can focus and give the Lord your heart and pray to him. Lord, speak to me. I need some
spiritual food.

I need to hear what you have to say to me to guide me in this life. Personally I
have experienced during this corona virus time some projections that were clearly demonic.
Also, some temptations that I haven’t had in a long time. But I can say today this morning as I’m
sure many of you can say, I am thankful I developed a habit of meditation. I don’t do yoga as
some do but I do meditate. Our meditation is Psalm 1. We must learn to meditate. Have some
content in our mind not derived from our own hearts but derived from the new heart, the heart
of Christ. We read when 1 Kings 15 God said there’s no one like David who has fulfilled the
desires of my heart. Your heart and my heart are like the heart of David. We desire and enjoy
fulfilling God’s desires. How did that happen? I used to live my way for myself.

But John 3:16 for God so loved the Lord. For God so loved the world. That he gave his only begotten Son that
whoever believes in him would not live a troubled life, troubled, lonely, depressed but I gave
my Son. I gave my Son. He that spared not his own Son, won’t he freely with Him give us all
things? Romans 8:32. Wouldn’t the Son of God send us the Holy Spirit like he promised, and we
would have the filling of the Spirit. That’s how we overcome our temptation by being filled with
the Spirit. When the projections come from the enemy saying various things, we find the still
small voice. Learn to quiet down and don’t be driven by jealousy or envy and anger and easy
complaints about everything in life. Learn. Proverbs 15:24 says, as I said in the 9:00 service, I
remember on 9/11 I was living in Hungary. It was late afternoon. I was getting ready for class.
My wife called me and said our country is under attack.

A few hours later, we saw the images. We went to Bible college class and I preached on this verse. There is an illustration of this before modern navigation on the Atlantic on a boat crossing the Atlantic. It had two compasses. One compass was on the deck for the pilot to look at. Then there was a compass up in the mast,
fixed up there. One passenger said, why are there two compasses? The pilot said, because this
compass near the deck because the haul of the ship is steel it may also be misreading our
direction, so we need a compass up higher away from the metal. In a sense in our life, we have
easily a compass down below that we read, and it can mislead us. Maybe that compass is what
people say on Facebook or social media. Maybe that compass is the trouble we have in our
country. Maybe that compass is the anger, the fear, the loneliness that happens in life.

So we read that compass and we can be in the wrong place and go in the wrong direction. We need a
compass up higher that is not going to be interfered with by the things below. The proverb says
the way of life for the wise is above. There is a compass above. That’s why we are here today
because you and I are celebrating the fact we have gone very far in our lives by paying attention to the compass that is above. God gave us his Son. His Son is speaking. Have you heard him?
Have you paid attention to what God says to you when you are in trouble, when your life is
empty, when you are lonely? Have you paid attention to what God says to you when you have
sinned, when you have failed, when you have stolen someone’s money or bicycle off the back
porch or you have done something wrong. We had in another country a man that came into the
church and he got close and then he stole the technical equipment, some laptops and then he
disappeared.

The pastor of the church prayed about it and the Lord said, don’t report it. The
story is not over. So he waited and prayed. The man repented. The man came back. The pastor
said I’m so glad to have you back. God is forgiven you. God cares about you. Life is bigger than
stealing. Life is about God. Life is bigger than pornography and other things that men and
women do. Life is about God. The way of life is above to escape the hell beneath. That he may
depart from hell beneath. Someone said hell is on the earth. We say it starts here but doesn’t
end here. Hell is here. It starts here but it’s far worse. Heaven starts here. It’s here. God is here
and it’s here but it’s far better. This is our theme for today. I wanted to share with you a few
thoughts about it.

The way of life. Matthew 11:27, My father has given me everything. I often
wonder what that relationship was between the Father and the Son. And how the Son said the
Father has given me everything. How Jesus knew this. Sometimes I wonder how Jesus just ran
to a a quiet place. He didn’t run literally but, in his heart, desired very much to be in a pavilion
from the strife of tongues. There is a lot of strife in this world. It’s strife in the human heart.
How wrong things can be in this world. How much injustice in this world. How much it can
touch us. How angry we can be about life. Jesus was in this world and he saw it. He said my
Father. You should know my Father. That’s the key to life. If you could know my Father. I know
the Father.

The Father has given me everything. Vs. 27 Nobody knows the Son but the Father. It
sounds like a closed group the Father and the Son and who the Son will reveal the Father to. In
John 17, he prayed to the Father. Father, I have showed them your name. They actually know you.
That’s your life too. Your life and my life is the compass above this world. God is saying things to
us from the Bible, the doctrine, the revelation, the prophesying, the songs we sing, the spirit we
have. The Father shows us the Son and the Son shows us the Father and we are in a Trinity with
a relationship with God. This is where we have our rest and meditation. There is a warning
here. Easily we move away from the things that are heavenly to the things that are earthly. We
very much get upset and disturbed and troubled by those things.

We have seen it in the news recently in the past week: injustice, trouble, anger, protest, which is good but not violent, not hatred, not hurting people. That’s not good. Then the chatter on the social media and all the
talking and people getting disturbed and upset and befriending and defriending or whatever it’s
called. All this chatter and talking and people very sensitive to the compass below. The compass
below that can mislead me. Inevitably it will. It may be good, but I got to get it compared to the
one above. It might work sometimes but I’m not sure about it. I cannot trust my own heart. If I
trust my own heart and I’m a fool. It says in Proverbs, the fool trusts in his own heart. Proverbs
18:2, the fool tries to discover his own heart. We have shifted to the Cross.

At the Cross, we find God. God meets man at the Cross. We shift to the Cross and that’s where we hear the
words from our Savior. Forgive them Father. They know not what they do. I thirst, he said. I thirst He said on the cross. Maybe we say that also when we are at the Cross. I thirst for
heavenly living water. I thirst for God. Ever come to the end of you party? The end of yourself?
The end of your pleasures? Have you ever come to the end of your own self life and said it’s not
working? I hope so. I hope you come to the end somewhere there where you say I thirst. I come
to God and I thirst. Give me a drink of everlasting water. Have you had any lately? Have you had
the satisfaction of God? Have you had a word in season? Have you had the compass from above
give you counsel. The Bible says even if I don’t like it, I will swear to my own hurt, Psalm 15.
That’s a great verse for modern man.

That means even if it hurts, I will do the right thing. Even if I lose something, I will do the right thing. I got to find the right voice in a world that is filled with noise and hear that voice from God say this to us, vs. 28. Lord, we are working very hard emotionally. Some people are emotionally exhausted. They are working very hard. Come unto
me. My yoke is easy. I have a word here from Dr. Dobson who was on the radio Friday and gave
a eulogy for Ravi Zacharias on his radio program. He said we lost many great men of God
recently through the last decade: Jerry Falwell, James Kennedy, Adrien Rodgers, Tim LaHaye,
Phyllis Chafley, Chuck Coulson, Chuck Smith, R. C. Sproul, and many others. What made these
men, men of God? The compass above, the word above. What makes a woman wise, gracious,
and satisfied? The voice from above, the Spirit from God, the mind of God, the Bible teaching
that will teach us in the way we should go.

Maybe we have a chance of gaining favor in life. Maybe we have a chance of having authority. John 15:11, come unto me. Come in meekness. Come in brokenness. Come with a devastated ship that’s been on the shores of life. You’ve been in the reef. You are hardly alive. You’ve been shipwrecked. Come unto me you who labor
and heavy laden. The he said, I will give you rest. Rest. Men of God that are still with us: Beverly
LaHaye (woman), William Paulu, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Jack Haverd, John McArthur,
and many others. What about after them? What about the men of God needed in the next
generation and the next one. You never know. You might say I’m not gifted. It’s not that. Just
have the right compass. You might say, she’s different. She’s better than me. He’s better than I
am. This is all low. All below. Come unto me and please give me your heart and pay attention to
what I am saying. Learn the book, doctrines, counsel.

Recently I have been listening to some messages from the past from Pastor Stevens. I’m listening and thinking about them and listening and thinking about them. I am so thankful. Lord, I don’t know how this has all
happened except your voice is the key to life. I remember when I was so troubled and upset at
someone and so disturbed at something that happened. Then I got very quiet and I said, God, I
give it to you. I trust you. I want you to lead me. Trust in you with all my heart and lean not on
my own understanding. I think we do. I think we lean on our own understanding. I can do this. I
can get this done. I am smart. I am capable. I can do this. The Lord is saying, you don’t know
what you are talking about. You can do many good things, but you cannot do this. You need
me. I am the Good Shepherd. I will bring the sheep out and bring them in and give them
pasture. You cannot do it. You cannot do it.

You need me. I am the Good Shepherd. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the answer for your life. I am the one that will speak to you and teach you and lead you and guide you. Pastor Stan Collins sent me an email after Wednesday night message, and this is what he said: “Barriers to intimacy is very important teaching. Time and time again it has been connections with men that have saved me from being separated
from the ministry. Connections made in Bible college, at Eurocon, at Convention, on missions’
teams and road trips and church visits and LamCon’s. Love you all, Pastor Stan.” I was hanging
out with the right people and they helped me. I was hanging out with people that walk with a
compass from above, not the one below. I was hanging out with people that were joyful and
simple and loving and faith and vision and talked from God.

Our conversation is above. Philippians 3. Our way is different. Our life is not one of violence. Our life is one where we can change things through God. We can change things through love. We can change people’s lives through mercy. We can seek and search and find. We can occupy until Christ comes with another spirit and
another kind of way. It’s life. It’s not heavy laden. I will give you rest and peace. Rest in God.
Rest. God’s way. Then he said, take my yoke upon you. Learn of me. You know, animals have to
be yoked with a wooden frame that keeps two oxen together. When I got married, I didn’t have
a wooden frame that hooked me and my wife. My wife and I were hooked up some other way.
It was a good way, a real way, an important way. In the Body of Christ, we are together not by a
document or a piece of paper but another way.

The oneness that comes through Jesus. Jesus is in our midst. Jesus is between us. He dwells here. We hear him. He walks in the midst of his candlesticks. He says, I hear. I want you to reach some folks in the inner city of Baltimore this summer, so we have June Alive. I want you to care about people in trouble. I want you to care
about the homeless that are right over here on Route 40, so Pastor Ray and his team goes over
there many times every week and brings new people and shares with them and loves them.
Even in my neighborhood of course. There is quietness and peace in your heart so you can
minister to people. You can listen. You can pray for them. You and I care about our country.
What do we care about for our country? Not the compass below. I care about my country with
the compass above.

I say Jesus what do you say about my country? What do you want me to
do? How can I help? How can you anoint me to have an influence and help others? Jesus you
are the answer for this troubled world. This is what he says. Take my yoke. How do I get it? By
being here. By listening. By when you go home having times of quiet prayer, reflection,
meditation. Go for a walk. Trust God. Read a good book. Not garbage. Read a book from above.
Read a book that will stir you heart and help you in your faith. Vs. 29. Learn of me. There is too
much learning without Jesus. Learn of me. Learn of me. I am meek and lowly in heart. Learn of
me. You’ll have peace in your souls, not the sleepless nights, not the anger and revenge and
vengeance. One man I met in Latin America and he said he planted 6,000 tomato plants and in
one night somebody came, an enemy came and cut them all down.

I said, how long did it take to plant 6,000 tomato plants? He said three weeks. Some one came and cut them down in one night. I said, what did you do with it? He said I couldn’t do anything. I had to go to God and
forgive him or whoever it was. I said, did you ever find out who did it? No, I never found out
who did it or why. It’s called an injustice. It hurts. It can destroy the inner part of a man. The
compass below will say never forgive. Your anger and bitterness will grow, and you’ll be a man
of strife all your life. Jesus says come unto me and learn of me. I am meek and lonely. If you
learn of me, you will have rest for your soul. There will be changes that happen. Power will be
on the earth through you. I will anoint you. I will bless you. I will use you. Follow me.

That is the way we must life. We are living in troublesome times. If we can make the effort to cast down
the thoughts that produce strife and anger and jealousy in our hearts, when that bubbles up
from our own heart, know what it is and where it is coming from and how it’s not my life. That’s
not my life. I don’t want that. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I but Christ
lives within me. That’s the life I have chosen to live. God fill me with your Spirit every day and
make me a useful member of your Body. Lead me to be humble and a servant. Lead me to be
faithful in the little things. Lead me to understand the little things I do every day have a eternal
weight of value. My life is not wasted.

Some people are anticipating a big thing, so my life has value. No, be quiet before God and tell you you are valuable now. You are valuable now. You are his child now. He loves you now. Relate to him now. Maybe some you have to do the social media thing some other way or get off it. Or you have to do something about it because it
consumes your heart and life at a low level. It’s a world of discipline now. It’ s a world of coming
to Jesus and listening. It’s a world of obedience. It’s a world of faith in Jesus. Some people don’t
have because they are not acting on what they know. Act on what you know. Do what he says,
and you will find life and escape the hell below. That’s what he said. That’s our message today.

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.