In this sermon, Brother Denny discusses the concept of the law of blessings in the Bible. He emphasizes the importance of putting one's will into following God's laws and commands. He encourages the young people listening to visualize the blessings described in Deuteronomy chapter 28 and to meditate on them. Brother Denny also highlights the significance of obedience and taking quiet time each day to connect with God. He concludes by emphasizing the wisdom and fulfillment found in winning souls for Christ.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, EFRA PA 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the free will offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Greetings, dear young people this morning. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, how many of you got a good night's sleep last night? Amen. I did too, and I thank God for it. I needed it. Let's bow our heads for prayer. We do that. Our Father and our God, we come to you in Jesus' name this morning, Lord. We tremble in your sight, Lord. Oh, we love you, Lord. Thank you for saving our souls. Thank you, Lord, for opening up to us so clearly the plan of God to make us spiritual men and women. It's so beautiful, Father. It's lovely. It's simple. God, I pray that you will continue to unfold before us this beautiful plan. I pray for these young people, Lord, that you will stir them today. I pray, God, I pray that somehow something will click in their wheels, Father, in their will, that they will rise up and take the challenge. God, I pray that you will help me this morning to stir their hearts. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. The title of the message this morning is The Law of Blessings. Do you want to write that down? The Law of Blessings. I must admit, I haven't quite gotten over yesterday's message, I don't know about you. That was profound. That was profound. Even for my own heart, it was profound. I have to go back and listen to that one. But I've been overwhelmed this morning as I was just kind of looking back through the week already, seeing how God has led and how beautifully all these things fit together. God's plan, God's purpose, which He purposed in Christ for each and every one of us before the world began. And here we are, we're all sitting here, it's 1998. But God had all this in mind long before the world even began. And He knew, He knew you would be sitting here. He knew it. I've been amazed to see how one builds upon the other. You know, you start with a clear conversion and how beautiful that is. Just to get a good glimpse of a clear conversion and hear the testimony of God's saving grace coming down into somebody and totally transforming them and giving them a new heart and putting a new spirit within their heart, that being the Spirit of the living God. And there they stand, justified before God, cleansed, forgiven, redeemed, and a whole new creature in Christ Jesus. Glory! That's only the beginning. From that transformation, then God begins to brood over that life and He begins to fan the flames of desire inside of that new heart. And those flames of desire rise up and begin to long for Christian perfection. I don't want to stay the way I am. I want to grow. I want to go on. And how beautiful that is as those desires begin to move in our hearts. And then from there, God pours His Spirit upon us and we begin. We begin to walk in a consistent way by the grace of God, by the Spirit of God. And we find ourselves beginning to understand what Paul meant when he said, I am what I am by the grace of God. Can you say that? Dear young people, that was not theology that Paul was giving. Now, it's good theology, but it wasn't theology that Paul was giving. He was giving his testimony. I am what I am by this power which was outside of me that has come into me. I am what I am by this power that's working inside of me. Oh, what a testimony Paul had. How these things just begin to build one upon the other. And this morning it's the same way. I want to get a bit more practical today. I know we were practical yesterday, but we're going to be practical again today. And I know that you want that. You know, the bottom line is that if your Christian life does not get practical, that means out of theory and down into reality, you really don't have much Christian life, do you? You just don't have it. And so we want to get practical. This morning I would like to talk to you about practical obedience. And there are many ways that we could talk about obedience. Many. And the Scriptures speak about obedience in many different ways. But today, I feel led of God to talk to you about obedience through this subject, the title of my message, The Law of Blessings. The Law of Blessings. Some of you, you may have heard some of what I am going to say this morning already. But I pray to God that maybe peradventure this morning, He will wake you up and you will get it. I want to tell you this story about Adam Clark. The Lord has impressed it upon my heart yesterday and again today. And I know I am supposed to share it with you. But Adam Clark, he was a famous Methodist. He was a church planter, a circuit riding preacher. He was one of the Methodist theologians. And he also wrote a commentary on the Bible. It is about this thick. They say he wrote it on his horse, going from meeting to meeting. You know, sometimes it was two or three hours on the horse from one place to the other. And he did not want to waste his time, so he decided to work on a commentary. And so he wrote, worked on his commentary while he was riding on the horse. He is a brilliant man. God used him mightily. But you know, it was not always that way with Adam Clark. When he was a boy, I hope I have this story all right. It is a while since I have read it. But when he was a boy, about ten years old, he was the class dummy. You know what that is? He was the dumbest one in the class. He could not get his lessons. He just did not seem to learn. He was at the bottom of the class. He found himself sitting in the dunce's seat, you know, in the corner, feeling embarrassed because he did not get his studies. He did not like Latin. And in those days, you had to learn Latin at ten years old, mind you. You had to learn Latin, and he did not like Latin. And so it was with Adam Clark. But one day in Latin class, he tried to fake his way through the class, making the class and the teacher think that he did what he was supposed to do, and it utterly failed. It was the most embarrassing thing he ever went through. If you can just put yourself in his place. The teacher reproved him openly in front of the whole class, and he shuddered with embarrassment. But in the middle of that class, something clicked inside of Adam Clark. Something clicked inside that ten-year-old boy. And from that day forward, he was at the head of his class instead of at the back of his class. Now let me ask you this morning, what do you think clicked in young Adam Clark's heart that day? What do you think? The young brother says he put his will into it. That's right. He put his will into it. And I pray to God this morning that something will click in some of your hearts. Let's turn to Deuteronomy chapter 28. We want to start in Deuteronomy chapter 28 and explain a little bit to you the law of blessings. The principle of the law of blessings in the Bible. You don't have to walk very long with God to find out that God has a law of blessing. In Deuteronomy chapter 28, we're going to read verse 1 through 12, but as we read, I would like you to visualize. This morning, don't just read these words. I want you to picture them. That's what meditation is. It's not only that, but that's part of it. You visualize what you read, and I want you to visualize this morning while we read these verses, a young man or a young woman, and if you want to, put you in that place. I want you to visualize yourself in the place of this person that we're reading about with a life that is blessed on every hand. I mean so many blessings that you cannot contain them. That's what I would like you to picture while we read these verses in Deuteronomy 28. And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Now, let's just stop for a moment. I want you to get the picture here. All these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee, God says. The picture, the word picture there as you look at this verse is a picture of somebody who is going down the road of life, and here comes all these blessings chasing after him as he is on the road of life. And he's on the road of life, and he's going down the road of life, and here comes all these blessings come running after him and come on him and overtake him and tackle him. That's the picture. God is saying, if you hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God and keep all of his statutes and his commandments, your life will be tackled by blessings. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy womb and the fruit of thy ground. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kind, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket in thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in. Blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee. They shall come out against thee one way and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall commend the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses and in all that thou settest thine hand unto, and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee and holy people unto himself as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of thee. And they shall be afraid of thee. Now, as I look at these Scriptures, I see two blessings. One is very clear in here and the other one is a bit hidden, but yet it's not hidden if you will listen to me. I'll explain to you. I believe the first blessing that comes upon this person who chooses to walk this way is found in verse 8 there where God will command a blessing upon you. And I believe what God is saying to us simply is this, You lay your life down on the line for Me. You sell out your life to Me, and I will command a blessing to be put upon your life. It's the blessing of simply yielding your life to God. I tell you, some of you know what I'm talking about. But God is saying, if you will yield your life to Me, I will command a blessing upon thee. And listen, my friends, this morning when God commands a blessing, things happen. It's the same God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness and there was light. It's the same God who said, let there be light and there was light. And this same God will look down upon your life as you lay your life out before Him. He will look down upon your life and command a blessing upon you. And young people, I want you to have that blessing. But there's another blessing here in these verses that God will cause to come upon you. May I suggest to you this morning that there's another blessing in here, and it's the blessing of obedience. It's the blessing that comes upon your life by obeying the principles of the Word of God. It is the blessing that comes upon your life, the individual blessing that comes upon your life for every act of obedience that you choose. Many people don't know this. I'm giving you a secret this morning. Many people don't know it. But in every principle, young people, in every principle in the Word of God, God has hidden inside of that principle a blessing in every one of them. It's the cause and effect blessing that is hidden in every principle in the Word of God. It's the law of blessings. You see, God in His love has given us His Word. And sometimes we don't look at that right. Just like Brother Philip challenged us the other evening that we don't look at repentance right. Sometimes we don't look at God's Word right. We look at it and think, Oh no, something else I have to do. You don't see it right. But inside of every one of God's principles He has hidden the blessed effect that comes upon your life when you obey what God says. When you obey what God says. It's the law of blessing. It's the principle of hidden blessing in every commandment. David knew this law very well. That's why he could say, just looking at the Old Testament, he could say, Oh how love I thy law. They are my meditations all the day long. Oh how I love Leviticus. Oh how I love Exodus. Oh how I love Genesis. They are my meditations all the day long. That's why he could say that. Because David knew, and if you read through the Psalms very much, you'll know what I'm talking about. He knew the treasure that was hidden in every one of those statutes that God gave to Israel. He knew it. It's the law of blessing. Now turn with me to Proverbs chapter 4. David knew this, and David passed it on to his son Solomon, and Solomon knew it. And Solomon recorded this blessing in the book of Proverbs. And we want to look at it. Proverbs chapter 4 verse 1. Hear ye children the instruction of a father, and attend to no understanding. For I give you good doctrine. Forsake ye not my law. I give you good doctrine, God says. For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. And remember Solomon is writing this. And he's talking about his father David. And listen to what he says. He, my father David, he taught me also and said unto me. Let thine heart retain my words. Keep my commandments and live. Solomon, if you can just picture it. David, he's a father. He has his children around him. And Solomon is one of them. One of his boys. And he taught him. And what did he tell him? Solomon, get wisdom, Solomon. Get wisdom. What is wisdom? Solomon, learn how to live. Solomon, learn how to live, Solomon. That's what wisdom is. Well, there are many definitions of wisdom that we could give you. Brother John would say, wisdom is what you would do if you had all the information. If you had all the facts. Wisdom is hindsight, you know. You look back on it and you say, now that everything has happened, this is what I would do if I had it to do over again. That's a good definition of wisdom. Wisdom is seeing all of life from God's perspective. That's a beautiful definition of wisdom. But listen to the definition given for the word wisdom in the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is insight into the true nature of things. Wisdom is insight into the true nature of things. How things work. How God's word works. How God's principles work. And understanding. That is also a Bible word and you'll find it almost sisters every time. Wisdom and understanding. Wisdom and understanding. They come together. They're sisters. Understanding is applying those insights to my life. It's one thing to get insight into the true nature of things. It's another thing when it dawns upon your heart and you say, mine. Mine. And you take that thing home and you do something with it. Ah, now you've got an understanding. You've got an understanding. And Solomon was saying, when I was a little boy, I sat before my father and my father said to me, and I believe David said it over and over and over again, Solomon, get wisdom. Find out how to live, Solomon. And when you find out how to live, get understanding. Take that thing and apply it to your own heart and your life. And oh, it's so beautiful, you know. Solomon, he listened well to his papa, didn't he? He listened well because there came a day in Solomon's life when he was tested greatly. And I wonder how we would pass this test if the same test came our way. But one night in the middle of the night, God came unto Solomon and said, Solomon, what do you want Me to do for you? I'll do anything you want, Solomon. Imagine that. God coming to you in the middle of the night, young people, and waking you up and saying, what would you like Me to do for you? What would you say? Would you pass the test? Would you think about it? What would you say? Oh, Lord, I'd like to have a new car. Would you give Me a new car? I hope you wouldn't say that. But God came to Solomon and said, Solomon, what do you want? And I don't know. I like to imagine this, but I think the voice of his father came ringing in his heart. Solomon, get wisdom, my boy. Get wisdom. Learn how to live, Solomon. Learn how to live. And it's very interesting that Solomon said to God, Oh, God, would You please give me wisdom? I'm a young man, and I don't know how to go out and come in before this great people. You know what he was saying? I don't know how to live before this great people. Give me wisdom, Lord. I don't know how to live. So Solomon says to us in the book of Proverbs, And I say to you this morning, young people, Get wisdom. Get understanding. Forget it not. Continue in it. Neither decline from the words of God's mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee. Love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing, young people. It is the most important thing. It is the most foundational thing. It is the most important thing that you can get. It's the most important thing that you can apply your heart and your life to. Wisdom is the most principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding. Once you've gotten some insight into the true nature of something in this book, Don't stop there. Don't stop there like the seminaries do, And fill your head with a bunch of things, But go from there and make it practical in your own life. Amen? Practical! Then you will have riches untold, When you start to make it practical. Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee. She shall promote thee. There's that hidden blessing. She shall bring thee to honor when thou dost embrace her. Yes, she shall give to thine head an ornament of grace, And a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Hear, O my son and my daughter, And receive my sayings, And the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom. I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straightened. And when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Wouldn't that be a blessing? Thou shalt not stumble, But you'll be able to walk in God's way. Do you ever feel like you're going through your Christian life, Running into one wall after another, you know? Stumbling along, making big mistakes? You don't have to live that way. You do not have to live that way. May I give you a definition of the fullness of wisdom? The fullness of wisdom is knowing how to live in every situation. Do you know that it is God's will for you young people That you learn how to live, That you know what to do in basically every situation in life? Now, I'm not saying that you're never going to make any mistakes, But you can get to the place where you basically know what to do. And that is fullness of wisdom. And I believe what God would say to us this morning is, Somehow that He would stir our hearts, That we would rise up and begin to pursue this wisdom with all of our heart. Listen, throw your other goals aside. I don't know what kind of goals you have. Maybe you want to make a lot of money. I tell you that stuff is junk compared to what I'm talking to you about. It's junk! You want to have a whole bunch of money in your pocket. Maybe you've got this car in mind you want to get. Or maybe you have these other goals that you want to go after. Wisdom is the principal thing. It is the most foundational thing that you can do with your life, young people, Is learn how to live. And it's all in this book. Every bit of it. This precious book is full of it. It's here. It's hidden in here. For you. And for me. How does this law of blessing work out in a spiritual man and a spiritual woman's life? How does it work out? Let me give you a few examples. And oh, my prayer to God this morning was that Somehow God would use this to stir your hearts And cause something to click inside of you That you will walk out of here and say, I'm doing it. I'm doing it. And please. I say that with all three of the other messages that I've preached under me. I don't want you to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and go out of here And think you're going to go do something. No. You need to walk with God and do it. That's the only way it will work. But it will work. So how does this law of blessing work out in a spiritual man's life? Some examples. Let me give you some. The Bible. This book we call the Bible Talks about the principle of fasting. That's in the Word of God. Jesus said, When ye fast. He didn't say if ye fast. He said, When ye fast. And so, You study it for yourself, But I tell you, This book is filled with the principle of fasting. So, Here comes a principle from the Word of God. Now everybody has to do something with that principle. The principle of fasting. The teaching in the Word of God about fasting. And we live in America. You know, It's the land of plenty. It's the land of McDonald's, Billions and billions of hamburgers. And so, Us Americans, You know, We come up to this principle of fasting, And we look at it. And we, You know, Everybody does something with it. Some look at it and say, I get too weak. And so they go around it that way. And others look at it and say, I feel sick when I fast. And so they don't fast because of that. Others look at it and say, That doesn't seem very healthy to me. And so they get around it that way. And there's all kinds of ways to get around it. Amen? I wonder which ones you used. But somebody, Sees that principle in the Bible, And says, I'm going to do it. God said to do it. I'm going to do it. And you know what happens to that person? To that one, And only that one, A beautiful flower of blessing Begins to open up before their very eyes. As they begin to experience The blessings that come upon them, The cause and effect Of fasting. They begin to experience them. And young people, I tell you of a surety, I could stand up here for an hour And tell you how many ways Your life would be blessed. Just by living by this one principle, I could spend an hour telling you about it. See, God doesn't do that. He didn't fill this book with Volumes and volumes and volumes and volumes To tell you that. He just put the principle in there. And some take it, And some leave it. The ones who take it, Find a great blessing That comes to fall upon their life. The blessing that comes By the obedience of fasting. So let's just pick this blessing up here this morning, And we'll put it over here in a nice little pile. Because it is a blessing to fast. I tell you, You have no idea. You have no idea if you've never fasted. You have no idea if you do not consistently fast. What that blessing is. But it's a big pile, I assure you. Let's go on. The Bible teaches so clearly in God's Word. God teaches us To spend time alone with Him. This morning we'll call it quiet time. You can call it devotions. You can call it your time alone. You can call it closet time. But what it is, It is spending time alone with God in prayer and in His Word. And may I say, In the morning, Early in the morning. So, We live in America again. Oh, good old America. You know, there's so much going on in America. Just running around and so many things to do. And all the evenings are full. And you know, we fall in bed at 11 o'clock at night. You know, and we have to get up and go to work the next day. And so we look at these kind of principles and we say, Well, I won't be able to do that. Because I stay up too late at night. I have too many other things going. So some miss it that way. Some look at it and say, I'm not a morning person. I'm a night person. And so they miss it that way. Others look at it and say, I just have too many other things going on in my life. And so they don't do it for that. But some people look at it and say, God said to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. And oh, if I could somehow get it in your heart that you would look at it that way and not, I'm going to do it. But, I'm going to do it. There's a big difference between the two of those. Amen? A big difference. I'm going to do it. God said to do it. And I'm going to do it. And so, some few rise up early in the morning, begin to seek the face of God. And they set the time aside, not for their five minute Bible reading, but they soak themselves in this book. Morning by morning they do. And they spend time alone with God in prayer. And they begin their days that way. And to them, a beautiful flower of blessing begins to open up. And they find their life being blessed in so many ways because of just this one thing that they've begun to do. That again, I could stand up here for an hour and tell you how many blessings would come rolling upon you that would tackle you on the road of life if you would just live by this one principle. And understand me this morning, young people, I'm not preaching on these principles. We're just looking at them. I may say more about it tomorrow. But we're just looking at it. Some say, I could never do that. And they never know. They never know. It's hidden. It's deep down inside of that heart of obedience. And you will not taste it unless you obey. The blessing of taking some quiet time day by day. And you know what I've learned? If you set yourself to get up early in the morning, you'll feel strangely led to go to bed earlier at night. It will take about three days. Just three days. And I mean, you will. You'll feel very much led to go to bed. How many believe that? The Bible says, here's one for you, He that winneth souls is wise. He who wins souls has learned how to live. He who wins souls has tapped into one of the most exciting ways to live you can find. That's what the Bible says. And that falls on all of us. Like Daniel challenged us last night a little bit. We've been reconciled that we might have a ministry of reconciliation. But people do all kinds of things with that. Some people say, well, I'm too shy. And so they get around it that way and don't do it. And others say, according to my theology, that's for the preacher. And so they get around it that way. And others would say, well, I'm just not gifted to do those things. Somebody else that's more gifted will do that. I'll work in the kitchen. But some say, wait a minute. God told us to do this. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. And so they embark on a life of obedience of winning souls. And a beautiful flower begins to open up before them that you will never know until you taste. You will never know. I think of dear sister Tammy. She's sitting in the front. She went to Africa on the last team. She got to be involved in winning a soul to Christ. First one. It changed her whole life. Her perspective will never be the same. That one time has so sanctified her life that she will never be the same. And she only won one. Only one. So some say, I'm just not gifted that way. And some say, I'm too shy. And they will never know the blessings that will fall upon them and sanctify them and touch them and change them if they would just begin to walk in this one principle. Just one. So let's gather it up. And oh, yes, we forgot the one over here of the quiet time. So we'll carry this. All the blessings of a quiet time and we'll put that on the pile over here and we'll gather up all these blessings of winning souls and the effect that comes upon a life when they do that and we'll put them on the pile over here and let's go a little bit further. The Bible says also, and I'm just taking a few, but the Bible says that we should sing. That we should sing. Speaking to yourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. The Bible says that. Some people look at that and say, I can't sing. And so they don't. God doesn't care how you sound when you're singing. He wants to hear your heart. But some do. I can't sing. I'm tone deaf. God doesn't care if you're tone deaf. And so there's all kinds of things where people get around it. You know, they say, I've got too many things to do. My life is very busy. I don't have time to be singing all day long. I'm doing this. I'm doing that. But somebody sees that principle and says, now God said to do it. I'm going to do it. And to them, I'm sure you've gotten it by now. You know what happens. Their life begins to be blessed in ways they never even imagined. See, many times you don't know what the blessing will be. That's what makes it such an adventure. You don't know what the blessing will be. And you don't need to know what the blessing is. And God oftentimes doesn't even say it. He just says, do it. But oh, if you'll do it, then the blessing will begin to open up like a beautiful flower to you. And so we'll pick up all those blessings and we'll put them over here and put them on the big pile. It's getting big. You study in the Word of God and you will see without a doubt, you will see the principle of authority in the Word of God. Authority. Submission to authority, you know. Obeying your parents and honoring your parents and respecting your spiritual leaders and being open to their counsel and yielding your heart to their desires and all those things are in the Bible. And everybody has to look at those. All of us independent Americans, we have to look at them too. And so some people look at them and say, like one lady said, I'm not going to submit to that jerk about her husband. Fine. Suit yourself, lady. Or a young person will say, my dad, he's not very spiritual and so I don't have to honor him and respect him. And there's all kinds of ways around it. But some people look at it and say, God said this. I may not understand why God said this, but God said it and I'm going to do it. And you know what happens. And I tell you, I could stand up here for two hours and tell you how many ways your life would be so blessed if you began to walk in this principle of authority. I could tell you so many ways. But let's just pick all that up and put it over here on the pile. Amen? Just put it on the pile. Time would fail me to keep on going. The principle of servanthood, the Bible says, He that is greatest among you, let Him be the servant of all. No, we look at that and we say, Servant? I'm no servant! Somebody else looks at it and says, I am going to lay my life down to serve others. And a beautiful flower begins to open up before them and only them, only them. The Bible talks about the blessings of a large family. Some explain that away. Others do it and taste so richly and deeply of so many blessings for following those principles in the Bible. So many teachings in the Word of God about giving and how it will affect your life. And some say, I can't afford it. And others say, I'll do it. And they find riches untold. Time would fail me to talk about self-denial, the principle of suffering, mastering your tongue, and on and on and on I could go. The question that I have for you young people this morning is, how much do you want? How much do you want? Because in every principle in the Word of God, the law of blessing rests upon that principle. And in that principle, hidden in the obedience of that principle, is a beautiful effect upon your life that will bless you like you can imagine. You know something? You sit here and look at me, but the older men and women are shaking their heads behind you. You know why? Because they have tasted and they know that what I'm saying is true. In a sense, God did hide that blessing in there. And all He does is say, do it, and I'll bless you. He doesn't explain it. He doesn't describe it. He just says, do it, and I'll bless you. And some do, and get blessed. And others don't, and they don't get blessed. So, we've got all these things piled up over here. When you look at them all together, if you can get a glimpse of it this morning, here you are, you're a young person. You have gotten to that place where your heart is clearly and soundly converted and you're pressing on the upward way and your height's gaining every day. You're learning to walk in the Spirit as we talked about yesterday. Living by the law of the Spirit. And your heart rises up this morning and you say, I'm going to obey the Word of God. I tell you what will happen to you. All these blessings, see, they'll all start falling on you all at once. You have the blessings of giving and you have the blessing of fasting and the blessings of quiet time and the blessings of being under authority and the blessings of singing and the blessings of sacrifice and the blessings of self-denial. All of these things, every one of them and a hundred more, all of them are filled with blessings. And you start walking in obedience to the beautiful principles of God's Word. And I tell you, it will be said of you just like it was as we read about Israel back there in Deuteronomy chapter 28. Blessed shall he be in the morning and blessed shall thou be in the evening. Blessed shall thou be in thy home and blessed shall thou be at your work and blessed shall be all your relationships and blessed shall be the money that is in your hand and blessed shall thou be when you go to Africa and blessed shall thy marriage be and blessed shall be your courtship and blessed shall thou be when you get up early in the morning and read the Bible. And I tell you, your life will be blessed in so many ways that you will not be able to contain it and out of your heart will flow a river of gratitude and joy because of the blessings of God upon your life. And that's what I want for you. Young people, that's what I want for you. And that's what God wants for you. Ten thousand times more than this feeble man could even say it, God wants it for you. I think of a dear young man whom I got to call son for four years in my house. Dean Stumpf. Some of you know that boy. He's a man now. And he is a man. And he's a godly man. Do you know there was a day in that young man's life when he used to sit in the back of this auditorium and sneer at the preachers while they were preaching? We didn't know what to do with him. We prayed and prayed and sometimes we wondered if God wasn't answering prayer anymore because this boy wouldn't budge. And he just sat in the back and sneered at the preachers while they preached and he was a rebel! And he wasted his life! But there came a point in time when that young man came to a place of clear conversion. God saved Dean Stumpf and made him a new creature in Christ Jesus. And it wasn't long after that he came to my house. And I want you to know what I'm telling you is not any effect of what I did in his life. It's because somehow something clicked inside that young man's heart and he realized, I have wasted all these years. No more wasting time. And he rose up. And he just began to take these principles one after another and walk in them. And he put himself under authority. I mean that boy, he forced himself under my wing! I didn't have time! I got enough children! But he pushed his way underneath my wing! And he wouldn't budge! If I wasn't okay, he wouldn't do it! He began to watch and learn and listen and apply himself. He began to give. And I literally watched this young man's life turn into a life that was overflowing with blessings. And to this day, it's still the same way. That's what God wants to do for you. It doesn't matter how much time you've wasted in the past. Today is the day you can move forward from this point right here. Something can click inside your heart that you say, I'm going to walk in obedience from this day forward. And some of you, you may be thinking right now like one lady. She said these words, Don't talk to me about the covering. I may have to do it. Please! Don't talk to me about that. I may have to do it! Maybe that's how you're looking at it. You're thinking, Oh no! This guy is laying a whole bunch of stuff on me this morning. You don't understand. You do not understand. It's like little Esther said to me one time. She said, Papa, in her little girl way, she said, Papa, do you have to preach tomorrow? It's a Saturday evening. Do you have to preach tomorrow? And I looked at her and I said, No, my child. I get to. I get to preach tomorrow. I don't have to. I get to. And maybe that's the way you look at it. Maybe you're looking at this whole Christian thing as a big have to. I have to this, and I have to that, and I have to go to church, and I can't do this, and I can't do that, and I have to go here. You have missed the whole thing. It's a get to, dear young people. It's a get to, not a have to. And you know why it's a get to? Because of all these blessings stacked up over here. And it's a get to because God knows what He's doing. God knows what He's doing. I don't know how you look at it, but God out of love has given us His Word and placed beautiful principles in His Word and out of a motivation that we might prosper in all of our ways, God has given us these principles. And He is waiting with a floodgate of blessing. And listen, young people, He is no respecter of persons. Did you get that? He is no respecter of persons. You sitting out there today, you think you're nothing. You think you're no good. You're sitting here and you think everybody else is better than you. God is no respecter of persons. Rise up and take the challenge this morning. You dumbest one in the class. Rise up and take the challenge. And I don't mean that derogatorily at all. In your own mind, so many times that's how young people think. Well, that's Him, but never for me. That's a lie. It's a lie. God is not a respecter of persons. He wants to bless your life. He wants to come down and begin to sanctify your life and bless your life in ways you never dreamed of. He's waiting to do it. Do you have any idea what God has for you, dear young people? Oh, listen, I have to give my own testimony, a little bit of my own testimony, and this is the only way that I know how to explain how I could have so many blessings in my life when I was such a rebel and such a hippie. The only way that I could explain all the blessings that I find in my life is that God is no respecter of persons and somehow, some way, I got a hold of some of these things in the Bible and started doing them. And I found my life just being overwhelmed with blessings. Well now, I got it figured out now, you know. It took me a while to figure out what was going on, but I got it figured out now and my attitude has totally changed. I mean, what's next? That's how I feel. What's next? I see the Christian life as a glorious adventure. A glorious adventure. What's next? Who knows? That's the way I look at it. As I said to the children before, I love life. I love life. I just love living. Do you? I know you do, Brother John. It's very evident. And it is. It's very evident that God's blessing all over him. Isn't it? He's so full of joy and enthusiasm. I tell you, he caught the thing. Those blessings have been running after him. And he's excited about it. I want to say this to you young people also. You know, many of you have grown up in Christian homes and it could be that even as you sit here this morning, your life is blessed because of your father and your mother. And that's okay. That's right. The Bible says that the children of the upright man shall be blessed and that some of the blessings that have fallen upon your father and mother because of their walk of obedience has rolled upon you. And you sit here today, I tell you, blessed beyond measure. Blessed beyond so many. But those blessings are upon you because of your mom and dad. Can I challenge you this morning to go get your own blessings? I mean, it's okay to live on mom and dad's blessings for a while. But it's time you go get your own blessings. You know what I mean? That you rise up in your own heart and say, I am going to give myself to God completely. And you rise up in your own heart and you say, I'm going to do what this book says. I'm going after wisdom. I don't care if I'm a pauper when I'm done. I'm going after wisdom. And I'm going to walk in it. You start making those decisions and you know what will happen. Those blessings will begin to fall upon your life. And everyone else will know it. Amen? You can tell the life that is being blessed by God. You can tell. Do you know what that is when you see that in a young person? You see a young person who has went and gotten his own blessing from God. How long are you going to ride on mom and dad's blessing? Quit hitchhiking. I mean, when are you going to quit riding on mom and dad's blessing and go get your own? Hey, listen. It's great. You know, a free ride is great. But listen, you have no idea what you're missing. You get your own blessing. You will never want to live on mom and dad's blessings again if you start getting your own. You begin for yourself, out of the convictions of your own heart, you begin to fast, or you begin to seek God early in the morning, or you begin to give like God says to give. And I tell you, the blessings will start falling upon your life and others will know it immediately. Grace is all over that young person's life. Amen? Let's go for it. Let's go for it. Your life will be graced with blessings. I wonder this morning what you're facing. What you're facing. What's your biggest problem? What's moving up before you this week? You know? What is it? Maybe you think, I can't get along with my mom and dad. This is all great. It's wonderful. I like it. It sounds good. But I'll never be able to do it at home because I can't get along with my mom and dad. You know what I've learned to do? When there's a troublous spot in my life, a troublous area that seems to be disconcerting, you know what I've learned to do? I've learned to perk up my ears. Oh, wait a minute. I wonder what I'm going to learn here. There's a blessing somewhere hidden in here. I wonder what it is. So you sit here today and you say, Oh, my mom and dad. I don't even know. How can I go home? There is a blessing hidden in that very thing that you are wrestling with. God wants to teach you some of the beautiful principles in His Word. And as you begin to walk in them, blessings will fall upon you like you never had before. So I've learned to perk up my ears when trouble comes. Some time back, oh, I lose track of time. Two and a half years, three years ago, I don't know. I was so busy. I didn't know how to get everything done that needed to be done. The load was so heavy and I began to seek God, Lord. What? What do You want to teach me? What are You trying to do? You know what God said? God said, Denny, I want you to go on a sabbatical for six months. What? No, Lord, You don't understand. I'm so busy. I've got so much to do. There are so many things. I'm so loaded down. And God said, Go on a sabbatical? What? Go on a sabbatical. So I went to the Bible and I began to study the principle of a sabbatical. And I'm not going to spend a lot of time because my time is going. I have one more thing I have to tell you, but I studied the principle of the sabbatical in the Bible and I said, by grace, through faith, I'm going to do what God said. And I don't know how it's all going to work out, but I'm just going to do what God said. And I did what God said. And I tell you, I could stand up here for an hour and tell you how many blessings have come into my life and affected this church and all kinds of things because I did that. The blessing was hidden in there. And when I looked at it, I said, What you said? There's no way. I'm not doing that. I'm too busy. But God just kept pressing me. My son, you asked me what to do. Now you do what I told you to do. And it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy, but I did it. And now I know. And you will too. One more thing, and I'll be done. Some time ago, a young man came to me, a young married man, wife and a few children. He came to me for a counseling session. And he said, Brother Denny, I think I have a demon in me and I would like you to cast it out. You don't always hear that in a counseling session, but... And I believe in doing that. Some people do have a demon in them and they can be cast out in the name and through the blood of Jesus Christ. They can be cast out. Well, that's what he said. And so I thought, Whoa, I need to ask this young man a few questions. So I began to ask questions. And I didn't start where he would have thought that I would have started. You know, I didn't ask him, Did you see anything? Or anything like that? Nothing spooky. I started asking these questions. Well, young man, tell me. Tell me. How's your devotional life? Oh, he said, Not good. Not good. No time. No time. Stay up too late. Read magazines. No time to get up in the morning. I'm not having a very good devotional life. Just not. Not. Okay? Okay. How are you getting along with your wife? Oh, I'm not getting along with my wife well at all. I said, Do you spend any time with her? Oh, no. I can't. Too busy. Too busy. Too many things going on. I can't. No time. I said, okay. Okay. How about your children? How are things going with the children? Oh, he said, Brother, I'm glad you asked. I don't know what to do with these children. They're just out of order. They don't respect me. They don't listen to me. I tell them to do this and they don't do it. I'm totally frustrated with them. What shall I do? And I said, Do you spend any time with them? No, I don't have much time. When you spank them, Do you spank them? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I do. They always do. I said, Do you spank them in anger? Yeah, Yes, I do. Do you ever say you're sorry afterwards? No, Haven't done that. I said, Okay, okay. Let's keep going here. How about your finances? How are your finances? Oh, And I said, Do you tithe? I can't afford to tithe. My finances are terrible. I can't afford to tithe. I know it sounds a little silly to you. But I tell you that young man was in a mess. He was in a mess. And I could go on and on and the time was going away. But finally I just stopped him and I looked at him and I said, Young man, You don't have a demon in you. You do not have a demon in you. You may feel like you have a demon in you. Because every area of your life is falling apart because of your disobedience. And it's cause and effect both ways, young people. You may be sitting in church for years and all these things come your way and you say, I'm not doing that one. And, What does the preacher know? You can cast them aside all you want. But I tell you, You'll find yourself someday just like that young man. Overwhelmed like Jonah was in the belly of the whale with all kinds of seaweed wrapped around his neck. And you don't know how you're going to get out of it. And I told that young man, He didn't like my counsel. Oh my, It would have been real nice if I could have just cast out a demon and sent him home. Amen? And all his problems would have been over. But instead I gave him a big long list and I said, Look here, You need to get right with God. And you need to start doing this. And you need to spend time with your wife. And all these things, You're disobeying God and you're being cursed by your disobedience. And I sent him on his way. What will you do? Maybe that's the way it is with you today. So many areas of disobedience that your life, You just feel like, My head is spinning with all the things that are going wrong in my life. Well, Will you walk with God? Young people, Will you be a spiritual man and woman? And walk under the law of blessings? I hope you will. I hope somehow God will click something inside of your heart today. And you will never be the same. Let's bow for prayer. My Father in Heaven, Lord, it's overwhelming. It is overwhelmingly beautiful this morning, Lord. Gaze upon this beautiful law of blessings. Lord, I pray let this law drop like dew upon the hearts of these young people. Lord, I pray somehow you will stir faith in their hearts, God. Somehow, Lord, only by your grace, Lord, no man can do it. But somehow let something snap within them. That they go away from here and are never the same. I'm trusting you to do that, Lord, in their hearts through this message. By your Spirit, in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Sorry about the time.