The Day Of Salvation

Bibles again to 2nd Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians, chapter number 6, we're starting in chapter number 6. I'm only going to take two verses today, because I got stuck here on the second one. Two verses and I think we can all have some decisions. I'm going to ask you at the end of the message today to make a decision, when we get down to pray, that we all have something we can do, something we can change in our life.

And I appreciate Brother Chris here this morning. I like to pick out when people get up here and they have statements or words or things to share. But he mentioned this word now, and it's mentioned here in 2nd Corinthians.

I want to read the passage, do a little review, and then we'll consider it. Chapter 6, 2nd Corinthians, verse number 1 says, We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee.

Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation. We've looked at this idea of the judgment seat of Christ here in chapter number 5, and how that we're going to be judged according to our labor, laboring. How are we laboring? The Bible says that there's either labor that is gold, silver, and precious stones, or there is labor that is wood, hay, and stubble.

And so every one of us is going to stand and be judged according to our labor. We talked about labor. We talked about the idea of grace, how grace generates labor.

And I don't know if you ever think about this much. We talk about grace in many different ways, in the manifold, many faceted grace of God. But one of the aspects of grace is to motivate us to work, to labor for the Lord.

And I've read this verse already before, but in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 10, it says, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace which is bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored. I labored more abundantly than they all. Speaking of the other apostles, yet not I, it wasn't my strength and my muscle and my personal vitality, but the grace of God which was with me.

In other words, the grace of God is a motivating force. The grace of God is motivating Paul to go to work. And you looked at Paul and said, man, this guy is working.

He said, oftentimes day and night, laboring for the Lord. Where did this guy, did his parents train him in such a great work ethic? Well, maybe they did, but he didn't attribute it to his work ethic or his bringing up. He attributed it to the grace of God.

We talked about the substitutionary life last week, how that this substitutionary life is to be driven by the grace of God in those whose lives are surrendered to the will of God, whose lives are broken. One thing that grace will do will put you to work. Grace will put you to work in a broken heart.

You get someone who says, Lord, I surrender all. I'm done. And you know what will happen? I'm going to work.

And that's exactly what happened to Paul. He realized, it says there in the book of Acts, the day he was converted. It says immediately he preached Christ.

He was at work right away. And so we talked about some of those things here. But let's look here at verse number one.

Make a few more comments about labor before we get into verse number two. Here in chapter six, we then, as workers together with him, beseech you also, there at the church at Corinth, we beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. Now, Paul says the grace of God was not given to me in vain, but I labored more abundantly than the all.

And I'm going to beseech you, church, and I could say this to the church at Remnant, I beseech you at Remnant that you also would receive not the grace of God in vain, but that you would be a worker together with us. And the Bible says here that we are to be co-laborers, co-laborers together with him. First Corinthians 3.9 says, for we are laborers together with God.

What does that mean? Well, that means that God is working in us and we are working with him by surrendering ourselves and allowing him to control us. Hold your finger here, put a bookmark, and jump back with me to Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11, probably a verse that you all have memorized.

Matthew chapter 11, verse number 28. Here Jesus says these words, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Come unto me, those of you who are out there laboring to try to please God by your own works.

You have a guilty conscience and you're trying to get right with God by laboring and even doing religious things. You have a guilty, a burdened conscience. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden with your guilt, and I will give you rest.

I like that. This is a gift. Salvation is the gift of God.

It's the grace of God. I want to give you rest. And we all like that, amen.

Give me rest from a guilty conscience. Give me rest so I know I can have peace with you and I know I can go to heaven. Lord, give me rest.

But then he continues, take my yoke, verse 29, upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall, there's a different word there, you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Now there's two rests mentioned here and one of them is given to us and I think we understand that. The gift of God is eternal life and when you talk about eternal life, God gives that to humanity free of charge.

You come, you acknowledge your condition and the Lord will give you rest. Then he says, after you've received my rest, take my yoke on you. What's a yoke? What's a yoke? A yoke is something you put on the ox to go work in the field.

Take my yoke. You know, that's one of the things I think we miss in Christianity. Lord, I love the rest, I love the grace that saves my soul and forgives my sin, but in the Lord's mind, after you receive that grace, take up the yoke.

Take that yoke, my yoke, upon you. And that yoke is given for labor. And I love this idea.

He says here, if you take my yoke upon you and learn of me, learn about me. What's the best way to learn? Brother Chris and I were working down there in Columbus for three years together. We learn a lot about each other, about who we are, when we labor together in the things of the gospel.

And take my yoke and learn about who I am and you shall find rest for your souls. There's a lot of Christians that don't have that deep rest. You know, they found rest in their salvation and their forgiveness, but still there's something lacking.

There's something lacking. They don't have what I call and what some groups call a second blessing, but a second rest, a rest for the soul that is a deep rest, that you know that you're in the will and the purposes of God. You shall find rest.

One is given and one is found. And the one that is found is found by taking up the yoke and learning of him in laboring for Jesus. There is rest.

It says here, my yoke is easy. You know why his yoke is easy? Paul says, I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but he, but the grace of God that was in me. How would you like to be in a yoke laboring with someone who pulled all the weight? You know, Paul said, I am not actually pulling any of the weight, it's not my physical strength, it's not my stamina, it's not all these things, it's the grace of God that's in me.

And this yoke is easy and this burden is light. Oh, if it's up to you, it's a heavy burden. All the things I have to do for Jesus.

I have to talk to people and witness. I have to wash the saints feet. I have to do children's lessons.

I have to preach sermons. All these things are so hard. Oh, brother, you're missing the point.

Amen. It's easy. It's easy.

His burden is light. You know, if it's coming out of you, it's going to be a hard thing. Amen.

But if it's coming out of him, it's going to be a easy burden. It's an easy burden. I love to preach.

As a matter of fact, I would rather preach. I don't oftentimes give other people a chance to preach because I love to preach. You know why? His burden is easy.

It's light. You see, what does it take you all this time to study? Isn't that hard? It's easy. It's an easy burden.

I remember talking to Brother Denny a number of years ago, and he said, you know, if I couldn't preach, I don't know what I'd do. I just love it. And it's an easy burden.

And, you know, the service of God ought to be easy. It ought to be easy because it's something that's coming from outside of us. It's something that's generated by the spirit of God.

And and so the Lord says, my yoke is easy. You get in it with me and I'll pull the whole thing. And you can come along, get the credit for it.

I'll reward you. And my burden is light. And so Paul realized that, you know, I'm laboring, but it's not I. It's the Lord that is laboring, laboring with me.

And so we have a labor here. And we're reminded again here in Second Corinthians chapter number six. Let us labor together with him.

It's not up to you. It's up to him. You just present yourself a living sacrifice, hold an acceptable unto him, and you'll be in good shape to labor with him.

Now, let's go on here to verse number two. I want to spend the rest of our time here in Second Corinthians chapter six, verse two, which says this after saying, we then as workers together with him beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain for and these are in quotations here are those what those things called my English teachers for parentheses. This is in parentheses for he say it.

I have heard thee in a time except to listen. I heard you when you cried out to me and I saved you. I heard you.

I accepted you. And he's going to go on to say, I suckered you and I helped you. Or you say that I have heard thee in a time excepted and in the day of salvation.

Have I suckered thee? Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. I heard thee.

Whenever I go up to visit my parents, I take 13 north of Mount Vernon up past Frederick Town and I go left on 546 and I head up 546 to Lexington, Ohio. And as I'm going up there without without any, it's never happened, but I go up there and I get to the place where when I turn left, I go to the golf course that I used to work for Pebble Creek Golf Course. It's no longer there.

They sold it off, put housing houses on it now. But whenever I get to that place, I realize it's I'm reminded that right there where that left turn is, I turn from the golf course out and headed up toward Lexington. And it was on that stretch of land there or road there that I call on the name of the Lord.

And that's that has a meaning to me whenever I go by, go by it, whenever I go to see my parents. I remember the night, 1978, July 15th, I left work, pulled out, came on that road. I began to call upon the name of the Lord.

And the Lord heard me. And as the scripture says here, I help thee, I secured thee, I gave you my grace. Then I I released you from the burden of sin and I I empowered you with my spirit and I gave you grace.

I've heard you. And I trust all of you are here this morning because at one point in your life, you called upon the name of the Lord. The Bible says whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

And we have the confidence here that the Lord is is hearing or will hear us. Verse two, for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted. Now, there is an acceptable time and I'd like to spend a little time here.

There is an acceptable time when the Lord will hear and accept you. And the acceptable time is in this life, in this life, while you have breath, while you have life and a qualifier here in this life and before his return. We'll see that here in a minute, but in this life and before his return.

Because if you are living and you see him coming, you're not going to hear you anymore. Just like in Noah's day, I'm sure there are many people outside that boat crying out, open the door. We've changed our mind.

We're not going to be mockers anymore. We want in. They weren't hurt.

And so in this life is an acceptable time. And before his return, the blind man cried out, Jesus, the son of David, have mercy upon me and the Lord. That's an acceptable time.

I'll do it. The thief on the cross, boy, he got in an acceptable time. You may think it was pretty late, but at least it was an acceptable time.

The thief on the cross, about 15 minutes, a half an hour before his death, he cried out, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And the Lord says it's an acceptable time. And he said today you'll be with me in paradise.

I don't think it's a bad time to go like Brother Cato shared this morning to our dying parents, friends, relatives and saying you still have time. You still have time to to call and the Lord is willing to hear you. Acceptable time, even at the point of death.

How about this? Suffer little children to come into me. I I wrestled with this idea about children's conversions for many years, but I'm falling more to the fact that if your heart is ready and you have a repentant heart and you believe in Jesus, any time you want to come, you come. It's an acceptable time.

Suffer the little children to come into me and forbid them not. If they want to come unto me like those disciples saying get the children away from the master. And he said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Suffer them to come unto me. Don't forbid. So even children can take their early life and call.

But also there's an unacceptable time. And there's a number of examples in the Bible of an unacceptable time, by the way, I'm talking about a time when you call out and say, Lord, I'm a sinner. I don't want to sin.

I'm tired of this life like the prodigal son. Lord, would you save me? I believe Jesus died for my sins. He was buried.

He was raised. I want to be saved. Amen.

There is an unacceptable time. People cry, the rich man in hell in Luke 16, it says he cried, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. That's a good cry, isn't it? Have mercy upon me, I lived a rich man all my life and I lived sumptuously every day and I didn't even take care of the beggar out in my front gate.

I thought about myself, have mercy on me. And he wasn't hurt. Matter of fact, he wasn't hurt so much so that he even asked, just asked for one drop of water on the tip of his tongue to cool my tongue in this flame.

And there was no answer, no drop of water, not an acceptable time. Proverbs chapter one tells us about this and let me read it to you. You don't have to turn there and hear the Lord is speaking to those who are rejecting wisdom.

How long you simple ones will you love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and the fools hate knowledge. Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you.

I will make known my words unto you because I have called and you refused. I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded, but you said it not all my counsel and would none of my reproof. This is a rebellion.

I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear comes, when your fear comes as desolation and your destruction comes as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish comes upon you, then shall they, then shall they call upon me. Yeah, I'm sure when the Lord appears and the Bible says he's the wrath of a lamb that people are going to start.

Oh, Lord, it's time for me to have mercy. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. It's not an acceptable time.

They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me for that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, choose the fear of the Lord today. Amen. Choose the fear of the Lord.

There is coming a day when when a person dies and goes to hell, they'll cry and they'll not be heard. And when the Lord returns, many are going to cry. I think of those foolish virgins in Matthew 25 when they realized the Lord was coming and they weren't prepared.

And what did they do? They went to the door and they began to knock. Lord, Lord, open unto us. They cried out to the Lord.

You know what happened? I don't know where you are. Don't hear you. It's not an acceptable time.

It's too late. And so there is an unacceptable time. Verse two says this.

Second Corinthians talks about being suckered and that word suckered means helped. Succurred. Second Corinthians chapter six, verse two, for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I suckered thee.

By the way, today, all of you here, we're in an acceptable time. If you're sitting here, you're not saved, you don't have your sins forgiven. I got good news for you.

You're in an acceptable time. I've heard you in a time accepted. Verse two says, and in the day of salvation, have I suckered thee.

And that's what the Lord does when he saves us. He helps us. He gives us grace.

I strengthened you. I I've done everything I've needed to to sucker you. But now look at the last half here.

And Brother Chris mentioned this verse. What verse did you quote? I forget what. What is it? No, the now word.

Yes. Now only trust him. Yes.

Look at this. Look at this second half. Behold, now is the accepted time.

Behold, now is the day of salvation. Now, and I want to emphasize that here today and have you think about this and some new thoughts in my mind that that I've been thinking about and pondering with regards to this idea of now. Now is an important time in the Bible.

Sometimes it's referred to today is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. Now here refers to this present moment, this present moment.

Now, God is interested in now. He's not interested in tomorrow. As a matter of fact, he says, take no thought for tomorrow.

He's not interested in the past unless you've got unresolved things. He wants you to forget the things in the past. He wants you to focus on now.

Says now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Maybe there's someone here today who's lost.

They're still not saved. You're wondering, when is it that the Lord is going to call me? And maybe this will change all your theologies about evangelism. But when am I good fruit to pick? When is my fruit ripened? And when should I, you know, come to the Lord? I've got news for you.

The Bible says now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. And why is that? There's a couple of reasons in the Bible, but I'd like to share a few of them with you.

Here's why now is the acceptable time, because tomorrow is not promised or given. First of all, tomorrow is not promised or given. You know, we get used to having tomorrows.

We just assume they're going to be here. Hey, I can do it tomorrow. I've had, you know, I don't know, probably 20,000 tomorrows.

And I'll probably have another one. But someday there won't be a tomorrow, right? And so tomorrow is not promised to us like that foolish man in Luke, chapter 12, who built barns and laid up all his goods. And then the Lord comes to him and says to him after he says, I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.

Take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God said to him, thou fool, this night, forget tomorrow. This night, thy soul shall be required of thee.

Yeah, and the Lord has the right to say that to every one of us. Amen. This night, you know, could be tonight for us this night.

This night, thy soul is required. It's time for you to stand before me and give an account of your life. So we don't know when that is.

So tomorrow is not a given. And you know, if tomorrow is not a given for anybody, then when should we try to get them saved? This is a good evangelistic concept. But if tomorrow, if God says tomorrow is not given for anyone, when is their day of salvation? Now.

Now. You know, should we say, well, why don't you pray about this thing and maybe I'll come back and talk to you in a week? Is that wise? This night, thy soul is required of thee. You know, our dear sister Kavanagh.

This night, who knows? I've told you the story, my mom tells the story of her brother way back in probably the 1920s, 1940s. Junior was her oldest brother. And he went off to war.

He was a celebrated person in the war and flew airplanes. And he came back. The war was over.

Everybody was happy. It was a memorial day and celebration. And they were having a celebration out at my grandparent's house, which would be my mother's parents.

And Junior decided he was going to take a couple of his friends or one of his friends and go up to Shelby there and get to the airport and rent a plane and fly around the farm for his mom and dad and show him how he could fly. So he went and rented a plane. And this has been back in the mid 1940s, late 1940s.

And he was only 23, 24 years old, just got out of the military. And so he's out there. And my mother is only about 10, 11 years old at the time.

She's watching him flying around the farm there. And she says that he went around like three or four times. And the last time he went around, he went behind our barn and he never came out the other side.

He was flying pretty low. Never came out the other side. And my mom says she took off running.

She was just 10, 11 years old. My dad laughs at her every time she tells this story. But my mom says there was two fences between her and where the plane crashed.

She says she never remembers going through them, over them. She just took off running. And she got to the plane.

He was, her brother was dead, 23 years old, having fun. Come, just come back from the war. He wasn't killed in the war.

Then comes back from the war and goes down an airplane and is killed. This night, my soul shall be required of thee. And I know all of us understand that, you know, it could be our night tonight, our day today.

But one of the reasons why the Scripture says now is the accepted time is from the Lord. Today is the day of salvation because God says, I don't promise you tomorrow. This night could be your night.

So let's keep that in mind. Proverbs 27, one says, boast not thyself of tomorrow. I've got tomorrow.

No. For thou knowest not what a day it may bring forth. And so today is the day of salvation.

Tomorrow is not the day. If you're here this morning and you're not a Christian, you're not born again, you never called upon the Lord and ask him for the mercies of God to be upon your life. Tomorrow is not the day.

I can assure you that. Bible doesn't say wait till tomorrow. Next week is not the day.

Well, I'm going to wait for the revival meetings. I think that's a mistake. I'm going to wait for the Bible school.

I think that's a mistake. God says today is the day of salvation. You're not ready, you say, today.

Well, you got 12 more hours till the day's over. So get ready. You all agree with that, amen? That changes the way we view evangelism.

Today is the day for everybody. Everybody. If you're lost, today is the day.

You say, I have tomorrow to be saved. I have tomorrow to repent. I have tomorrow to start working and laboring for the Lord.

No, God is calling us, even here in the context of labor, he is calling us to make decisions today. As a matter of fact, I thought about this, if we all just would be wise in this way, we'd have a revival here that would go all over the place. We'd have newspapers coming here looking at what's going on.

You want to have revival? It's very simple. But we'd be world famous if everyone who claims to be a child of God would just live according to this principle. And that is this wisdom is living life as if there will be no tomorrow.

Wouldn't that be something? If you believe you don't have tomorrow and today you're living only for today and tomorrow is not going to come, your life would be dramatically changed. Just think about it for a minute. If God says, all right, tonight is all of our night, so what would you start doing? How would you live if you didn't have a tomorrow? Oh, that person that I need to call up and tell them I'm sorry and get my heart right.

I got to do it today. Oh, that person I bilked out of a hundred dollars and I was a con artist. I got to get that done today.

Oh, that person, Brother Kate mentioned, that person that, yeah, they're getting sick, but why do I wait till they're on a sick bed and about ready to die to go and talk to them? I need to do it today. Everything is, let's get it today. Wisdom, living as if today is your last day.

Procrastination never brought a soul to heaven. Dwight Talmadge said this, of the millions of people that are lost, 99.99% are lost through procrastination. Maybe someday, right? Jesus said in Matthew 6, take therefore no thought for the morrow.

Now that's a challenge. Take therefore no thought for the morrow. And here's why.

For the morrow shall take thought of itself and the things itself sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. In other words, you need to focus on this 24 hour period because that is sufficient. There's enough evil.

There's enough of my will to do in 24 hours. Don't put your mind 48 hours, 72 hours. Don't spread it out.

That'd be a good way to live, wouldn't it? Just focus on this. You know, I think about this when I, for example, I'm going to go do some revival meetings in Oklahoma in January and I'm teaching at a Bible school in January also. And I think about starting to pray for those things.

Is that right to do? Should I start praying that God will work and bless in something that's a week away, three weeks away, a month away, when I'm not sure I'll ever make it there? How about praying for today? Should I be focused on today? Give us this day, our daily bread. Lead us not into temptation today. And don't think about tomorrow because the challenges of today are sufficient.

It's a, it's a, we wrestle not against flesh and blood. The challenges that we have in this 24 hour period, you need to focus your mind and efforts and prayers on that. Now, I think of Jesus in all these things because he is the truth and I try to understand him.

Did Jesus, for example, when it came maybe six months before the cross, you see him praying, oh, oh, my father, I know that I'm going to go to the cross and I'm going to need grace in that period. I know it's out six months and Lord, help me in that day. You don't hear him doing anything like that.

But you know, the Bible says there in John 12, when the hour was come. The night of his betrayal says he went to the garden of Gethsemane and he prayed, father, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.

Now, couldn't he have done that six months ago? He knew it was coming, but he waited till the day that it came to focus his attention on. All right, today is the day I go to the cross. It's time to pray.

For grace, for today. Many people, and I realize this, many people live in tomorrow. How many of you living in tomorrow on a regular basis? You live your mind.

You're anxious about tomorrow, fretful about tomorrow, and your mind is out ahead weeks, months, sometimes even years in advance. Take no thought for tomorrow. The evil of today is sufficient for your mind.

Some of us have troubled minds like my mind, a lot of people's minds are going crazy. They need medication to control their minds. But a lot of our problems is because we're not following the scripture, we're filling our minds with with things that are months in advance, weeks in advance.

And the Lord says, don't don't go there. So let's just be honest. You know, there's grace that's sufficient for the day when we get there.

Because when Jesus got to the day when he was going to be delivered up, that's when he said, it's time for me to pray about this situation. And he went to the Garden of Gethsemane and God gave him angels to help him get grace. Is there enough things to pray about about today that ought to keep us fully prayed, fully pray? Yes.

If all you've been given is today, then why would you pray about tomorrow? Why are our thoughts going to tomorrow? So God may not give you tomorrow. Let's just keep that in mind. Why is now the accepted time or the acceptable time? Because we are not promised tomorrow something else.

Number two, why is now the acceptable time is because if we don't do it now, we'll lose a day of labor. God saved us to labor, to work. If I say I'll do it tomorrow, that means today is lost.

Right. And the Bible tells us we're to redeem the time. Alexander the Great was asked once how he conquered the world.

His reply was by not delaying, by not delaying. I like this quote here. I have only just a minute, only 60 seconds in it, forced upon me, can't refuse it, didn't seek it, didn't choose it.

But it's up to me to use it. I must suffer if I lose it, give account if I abuse it, just a tiny little minute. But eternity is in it.

But now is the accepted time. In John chapter four, a good example of this, when Jesus was with a woman at the well and the disciples are going off to get some meat and they came back and they were wondering about Jesus. Did he have any food? He said, my meat's to do the will of him that sent me.

And he talked about his work. And then he said these words, say not yet, there are four, yet four months unto harvest. Don't, don't say in your mind, we got four months to harvest.

It's somewhere out in the future. Say not ye there are yet four months and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest.

And that word already means now, now, now is the accepted time. It's not about waiting for four months. It's about now.

I like this word already. It's just the same idea of the harvest is all ready. It's already for you.

It's already. Every day we procrastinate is a day lost of our labor. And I, I think we can view it more the way the Lord does.

You know, the Lord is looking down from heaven. He has given his everything to redeem humanity. And now he is, as we read last chapter, he has committed unto us, the ministry of reconciliation, us.

And what are we doing? Are we laboring for that purpose? And so God saved us to get us in the yoke, to give us the grace to labor. But as we diddly-dally around and fiddle around and days pass into weeks and months and years, and we're not getting anywhere, there's concern. You remember the only prayer request that Jesus ever made to the disciples was pray for laborers.

The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. And so the grace of God putting us to work. I told you a story once, children.

You remember the story that I told of the man, the farmer who had a horse, pulled his plow and, and it came time for the harvest. And he was depending upon the horse to get the harvest in when the horse disappeared one day and took off. And harvest came and went and the horse never came back.

And the man had to get in his harvest as best he could, didn't get it all in. And finally, like a month after the harvest, a farmer way down the road showed up with the horse. And he was thinking that this man would be happy that he got his horse back.

And he brings his horse back and he had a sad look on his face. And the man asked, why aren't you happy that you got your horse back? He said, because I just missed my harvest. And that horse should have been here during harvest time.

And yes, is the Lord happy that we're saved? Yes, we talked about that. Yet so as by fire, I'm saved. I have a foundation.

First Corinthians talks about that, but I've suffered loss, suffered loss. So let's look at it from the Lord's perspective. God has saved us to put a yoke on.

And that yoke is not some, you know, a slave, a grievous yoke. His yoke is easy. Because there is grace in the yoke.

But every day that yoke is put off is another day of loss, another day lost. And the third reason why now is an acceptable time is because each day as it passes loses quality. In this natural world, everything is deteriorating.

You remember Nebuchadnezzar's vision or Nebuchadnezzar's image there? And they had the head of gold and then it came down to the silver and then it came down to the brass and then it came down to the iron and then it came down to the clay and then finally it came down to the dust. It was crushed to dust. And that's just a picture of, you know, the law, the second law of thermodynamics, entropy, how that things deteriorate over time.

And that's the way it is with life. Each day as it passes loses quality in the natural world. The inward man is renewed every day, but the outward man is perishing.

Think about this. Do you realize today is the best day you will ever have in this life to do something for the Lord? You ever thought about that? Today. You know why that is? It's because you're getting older and every day you get closer and closer to the grave.

Every day you lose more and more of your abilities. I mean, I'm 65 and the strength that I have is only half what I had back then when I was 20, 25. And I am slowly, quality-wise, I'm losing my abilities.

My father's in a wheelchair. You know, my father could have a revival and he could have a burden for all of Mansfield, Ohio, where he lives, but he can't get up and get around. Today, physically speaking, young people, it's the best day of your life.

You can do more today. Tomorrow, it's going to diminish. And it's going to continue to diminish.

Life begins golden. That's why the Bible tells you to honor your Creator in the days of your youth. When you have strength, you can give Him a healthy, strong body that can go forth and to, you know, stand up against the diseases and the struggles of maybe enduring hardness.

Yes, but as life goes by, you're going to find that things diminish and your opportunities diminish. That doesn't mean you can't serve God, but you'll serve Him physically in a diminished capacity. I can't do what I used to do because I'm getting older.

So the Bible tells us, honor your Creator in the days of your youth. When the evil day comes, not now. Well, now I should say I have no pleasure in these evil days when we're older and struggling maybe to breathe and to function.

Oh, I wish I would have served the Lord when I was stronger and given Him my best, my youth, my 20s. They say 25 is the peak of your abilities. 20s, 30s, and 40s.

That's the strength of my life. Amen. Young people.

Don't wait till you're 60 and say, okay, Lord, here's the horse. Well, the harvest is almost over and then we return to the dust. And I believe this.

You don't have to agree with me here, but I do know that statistically most people are saved before they're 30 years old. The younger, 20, 15. How many people here were saved before they were 20? Raise your hand.

Oh, wow. How many were saved between 20 and 30? Raise your hand. Getting less.

How many were saved between 30 and 40? Raise your hand. One, two, three, four. How many were saved after 40? Nobody.

After 50? Nobody. After 60? See how it diminishes? And I believe that God really seeks after. I know that young people have a tender heart, but I believe that God seeks after youth because just like anyone, if you're trying to run a business, if you're trying to bring in a harvest, you want the strength of the youth.

You want people who can go out and labor. So God saves people when they're young and expects them to take on the yoke. Amen.

And labor for him. And then you can stand in the judgment seat of Christ and say, Lord, I gave you my best. I labored by the grace of God.

And the Lord says, here's my reward. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. So don't boast about tomorrow.

Today is the day, the accepted time. By the way, if you need to repent of sin, today is the best day to do it. If you need to start reading your Bible on a regular basis and setting up a Bible reading schedule, don't wait till tomorrow.

Today is the best day to do it. If you're not a child of God, if you've never been saved, don't wait till tomorrow or a week or a revival. Just today.

That's the blessing of God. Today is the day of salvation. And if you have someone in your life that you're not reconciled to, today is the day to be reconciled.

Have you offended someone, sinned against someone? We've got these phones now. You don't have to run to the pay phone. You just go, doot, doot, doot, doot.

Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Let's close this morning.

We'll have a word of prayer. Maybe there's something in your life that God has been asking you to do that you need to just go ahead and say, well, today is the day for me. It's the best day.

I can get it done. It's today. Maybe God has spoken to you about something.

Let's open our hearts to him and to have a word of prayer. Then we'll open it up. Let's go to our knees and we'll have a word of prayer together.

Let's see. Maybe Brother James, James Vilcun, maybe can you pray first and then I'll pray and then we'll close our service here. In the name of your word, we just ask that our hearts absorb everything that was spoken today, Lord God.

And just allow us to realize that today is the day, not to put anything off, just to get it done today, Lord. We thank you, Lord, for that. Also, I just want to think about Pastor Ralph Johnson and his wife, Betty, at the Victory Baptist Church in Coshocton.

Their son, Wednesday, did not go to church. And Jonathan lived with his mom and dad, and he did not go to church that night. They came home and he had shot himself in the head.

We just ask for grace and mercy on that family, Lord. Thank you for that. We just thank you for this day.

Ask for safe travel home for ones that are traveling and bless the ones that could not be here. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Heavenly Father, we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God here this morning as we bow our knees and truly desire, Lord, to live for the moment, to live for what you've given us.

Lord, we acknowledge that we're not to be boasting about tomorrow, but to focus on today. And Lord, there's probably many things you'd like from us today to do, to accomplish, that we've put off for a long time. So, Lord, we want to give you liberty to move in our hearts and in our midst that those things that have been lingering might be accomplished.

So, Lord, may the grace of God abound upon the congregation here, each one, and give them strength to obey the word of the Lord and to make today the acceptable day and to accomplish your purposes in it. Lord, if there's anyone here that's not converted, may today be their day. May they honor you.

And those who are thinking about laboring, getting involved, may today be the day that they jump in and participate, Lord, in your work. And Lord, those who have sinned in the past that maybe have to be dealt with, that they've been putting off for a long time, I pray that you'll give them the grace to say today is the day. They can make a phone call or visit and find reconciliation.

So, we trust you, Lord. We know that the word of God does not come back void. And we accept that and believe that.

And so, may you bring forth good fruit, change in each one of us. Bless us now, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.