Changing Faces Ministries Podcast
While there is still time
- Welcome to the Changing Faces Ministries Podcast. If you can see yourself the way God sees you, you will have a changing face. Here is your host, Pastor Jeff Landrum. (upbeat music) - Good morning, good morning, good morning. Wanna welcome each and every one of you to our Changing Faces Ministries Podcast. I am Jeff Landrum, your pastor, and we are truly excited because we do believe if you can see yourself the way God sees you, you will have a changing face. Once again, it's another great Friday morning, God has given us and he has blessed us. So I want you to join me in lifting up his name and giving him the praise on and glory and all things that we have, all things that he is doing, and just for allowing us to see another day. Welcome, once again, each and every one of you. We just want to say thank each and every one of you for coming back one more time, one more Friday morning. I'm super excited to have each and every one of you wherever you are in the world. We here at Changing Faces Ministries, we do value you, we thank you, and we say we appreciate you. And we ask just a big favor, every chance you get, we ask that you like, share, and support our ministry on your various platforms and get the word out. It's all about giving God the glory for all things. And we want to let our light shine so in you so that you may let your light shine. So thank you. We also want to thank One Voice Radio for allowing us this platform to come to you each and every Friday morning. So that has truly been a blessing. So thank you to One Voice Radio and thank you to all of our listeners. Without you, there will be no us. So just continue to share the good news about who God is and what this ministry has done for you. All right, great morning. So we're gonna go ahead and we're gonna jump right into some things this morning. I want to begin with a story this morning. And as we go through this, and I want everybody, I'm always believing, motivating and encouraging everybody. This morning, I want to just have a conversation with you. I want to talk to you. And it's coming from a standpoint of pure love that I have for people, for each and every one of you, just pure love. A few years ago, myself and some business partners, we had a range that all of us was gonna take a trip. We was gonna be taking a trip and we were gonna be going out of the country. And just all of us getting together, we had a great year, we were gonna be celebrating. And we've all made reservations, we've all made plans and we was gonna take a cruise and we've all, we put all of this time and effort to making plans. And so we were gonna be leaving out and anybody who's ever taken a cruise, you have limited control as to what you can do. Meaning, if you're not there when it's dog time, you just get left. There's nothing anybody can do. And so we all made preparations myself. Anybody who knows me, I like to always be on time. So we made preparations. Most of us went down the day before and got hotel so that we can be prepared to get on at the time. Matter of fact, most of us was there early. I only got a chance to get on the boat and enjoy some things prior to, but we did have a couple of individuals that did it their way. I don't know what happened, I don't know what the circumstances were, but we were all enjoying ourselves sitting there and unwinding and right about that time, the time for us to leave the doors were closed. We saw that individual coming and they was moving fast, but like I said in the beginning, once is time to go. There's nothing I could have done, there's nothing none of my other business partners could have done, there's nothing we could do, but watch them at that time try to do something that we had already planned for. But because in their plans, they didn't look at the account, the cost of the totality of errors or things could happen or situation in the circumstances might not line up the way they should be. So a plan trip to a destination that we all had planned to go. Because someone didn't do what they needed to do, they missed the opportunity to go on a trip that was already planned for them. Not only did they miss it, but it was another individual that was with her that was with them also because they was attached to them and was gonna go with them. And the planning was done. That individual actually missed a trip as well because of what somebody else did or didn't do. Which a plan trip to go to a destination that we've all decided we wanted to go. And all we had to do was get there at the time and be their own time to actually take the trip. But literally they know that stuff happened, situations happening and things unbeknownst to us can take place so they didn't count the cost and they missed a out on a planned trip. Which leads us to what we wanna talk about today. Oftentimes I hear a lot of people planning a trip or talking about a trip that they're gonna take at some point in the future, talk about a destination that they wanna go to. Not understanding that if there's certain thing, a certain thing that must be done in order to arrive at this destination. But a lot of people are not counting the cost and not making their proper arrangements and think something is just gonna happen. Now we had a planned trip. There's an appointment that everyone is gonna face. At some point in their life they may not know when but there's gonna be an appointment. And we planned it and we had somebody to miss it. There's an appointment that has already been made, a destination that has already been prepared for the ones that's gonna be prepared to go. Think about it, a planned trip than somebody missed it. A trip that is already, a place that's already prepared for you but you don't know when you're going. How do you think some people are not gonna miss it? Which leads me to what we wanna talk about today. If you got your bibles I want you to turn with me to Luke. Chapter 16, we're gonna read verses 19 through 31. I'm gonna give you this subject that we're gonna be speaking on. And then we're gonna have, share a few things with you about this story. And then I'll give you a closing story that's gonna make sense. And prayerfully by the time we come to the end today, you have made a decision and you are prepared to make the trip. 16, Luke 16, beginning with verse 19 reads, there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fair sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in hell, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment and see if Abraham are far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, father Abraham have mercy on me. And sin Lazarus that he made dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, son, remember that thou in thou lifetime receiveth thou good things. And likewise, Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted and thou are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot. Neither can they pass to us that would come from this. Then he said, I pray thee therefore father, that thou would have sent him to my father's house, for I have five brothers that he may testify unto them. Least they also come into this place of torment. Abraham said unto him, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they pre-persuaded. Though one rose from the dead, through one rose from the dead. For a subject this morning we wanna talk about while there is still time. Why there is still, while there is still time. Dear Heavenly Father, God Almighty, we thank you so much once again for an awesome opportunity that you've given us. We thank you for this moment. We thank you for all those that have gathered to hear what your words say is today Lord. And we're just praying that you prepare our hearts and minds to receive what it is that you have for us on today. We're also praying, I'm praying right now that you remove me, that they hear none of me, that they hear all of you, and let your word go full with power. To make us better than we were before we came. And we will always be so grateful and careful to give you all praise, all honor and all glory. In your son, Jesus' name, we do pray. And we all said, amen. While there is still time. We're looking at a story of two men, a rich man and Lazarus. Rich man lived, it says, he lived a great life. Finance closed, the finest of the clothes, the finest of the food, the food was so good that Lazarus just ruined the crumbs that fell from the table. So the rich man had a great life. And they talked about, he had brothers. So he lived and he had a gated, he was lived in a house that was gated because it says that Lazarus laid at the gate full of sores. So we're talking about a man that lived in a situation and had a house that was in a gated situation and gated and Lazarus laid at this gate and just wanting a crumb that fell from his table. And it says that he had sores on him and it says the dogs came and licked his swords, but then it's something that happened. It was something that took place that both men did and it didn't matter whether you was rich, it didn't matter whether you was poor, it didn't matter how much you had or didn't have, it didn't matter about your health, it didn't matter about using good health or with sores, none of that mattered because both men faced the same thing and both men faced all of this thing. So I'm telling, I say that to say, be careful about all of the things and the stuff that we're trying to accumulate. Be careful about how we look at some other people of what they have and what they don't have. Be careful about all of those things. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with having money, there's nothing wrong with having stuff. There's nothing wrong with any of that, but we have to be careful in how we value those things that we think are important. And be careful because we all are faced towards, we're all going to an appointment. There's an appointment on this appointment, you won't be late for this appointment, you may be early, but I promise you, you won't be late for this. If Christ be not come, we all gonna face this appointment and an appointed time. Matter of fact, Hebrews 927 says, and it is an appointed unto men once to die. But after this, the judgment, we're gonna die, we're gonna leave here by appointment. There's an appointment, remember what I talked about? We had made reservations, we had set the appointment, we knew exactly what time we were supposed to be in lead docking, we knew what time we were supposed to be there, and somebody still missed it. But in this, it says appointed time that we're all gonna leave here, and if we're all gonna leave here, we're gonna leave by appointment. These two men both had an appointment, regardless of one being rich, regardless of one being poor with swords, they both had an appointment that they wasn't gonna be late for. 'Cause when we look at the story, it says, and desiring, Lazarus desiring, he was a beggar and desiring to have the crumbs, which fell from the rich man's table, moreover, the dog licks his swords, and it says, and it came to pass. There was a time, it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham bosom. The beggar, Lazarus, it says he died, and he went to his appointment, but his appointment led him to Abraham bosom, which can be referred to as heaven. That's where it led him. But then it says, and the rich man also came to his appointment, he died, and he died and was buried, and in hell, he lifted up his eyes. Be careful in this life, what we deem important, because as I read this, eternity is a lot longer than this present life we have today. This life is referred to as only but like a vapor, and we're not gonna be in it alone. And it says, my Bible says a man is but of a few days, just a few days, we're only gonna be in this body, in this life, but a few days. So we need to make sure that we are also preparing for an appointment. Now I'm not wishing and telling anybody, and I won't anybody the clock out of here, but there's an appointment that we all gonna face, that if we, whether we are prepared for it or not, it is coming, what are you doing to make sure you prepare? So this story said both men died. One was in Abraham's bosom, and the other one was died and buried, and he opened up his eyes, and he says, and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment and see if Abraham a fall and Lazarus in his bosom. The story, look at how the story unfolds. The rich man lived a great life here on earth with his brothers, gated house, Lazarus land at the gate, getting sores licked by a dog, both men faced the same appointment, both men went in two different directions. So despite what we believe, despite what somebody may have told you, despite any of that, there's an appointment that we're gonna face, and not everybody is going to the same place. And it says, and he cried and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me." Now, in the place that he went, he was in and he had a consciousness about him, he was in the right state of mind, he was able to be to know what his surroundings was like, but he was in a place unlike where he was before. He was in a place here in this body, on this earth, he was in a place that where he had great things, a lot of wealth, and Lazarus laid at his gate, but when he met his appointment, he went to a place, but he still had consciousness because it says he was able to see Abraham and Lazarus afar off. So he was able to see Lazarus in a place while he was in his place going through something to where eternity, that's where he was gonna be. So being in a place, and I'm not, remember the subject of what we're talking about is why we still have time, while there is still time. There's nothing like having time before an appointment to get prepared. And if you can hear my voice right now, it's not too late, that's why when the Lord put it in my heart in my mind to talk to you about this, or to talk to us about this, he gave me the subject is while there is still time. We don't know when our appointment was gonna be, but according to the Bible, it says we must always be ready. I don't know if you anything like I am growing up. My mom and grandmother used to always tell me, make sure that you have on good clean undergarments, because you just never know when you might have to go to the hospital and somebody else might have to undress. You just never know, because if you don't know, she always made sure that we always had on clean, on an undergarment, because you just don't know. Well, when we don't know when our appointment's gonna be, but we should always be prepared for it, today is the day to get prepared. This moment in this time is the time to get prepared. So while there is still time, we wanna make sure we get prepared. So be careful, be careful of this. And it says he opened up his eyes and he was in torment, but he made a request. So he was conscious of something and he knew that he didn't want anybody else to go through what he was going through. So he asked the favor of someone. He asked the favor of Abraham that his brothers that was left back, his brothers that was left behind, could I get a message to him? Could we tell him something? He says he cried and then he says, and he said Father Abraham have mercy on me and sin Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham says son, remember that thou in thou lifetime, receive a thou good things, and likewise Lazarus evil thing, but now he is comforted and thou are tormented. And Abraham says, and besides I can't, we couldn't make that happen even if we wanted to. He says between us and you, there is a great gulf fix so that they which would pass from which to you can not, neither can they pass to us that will come from this. So even if the request of dipping the water and getting that done, besides between us and there, there's a great gulf fix, we can't transfer. It says then he said, I pray thee therefore father that thou would have sent him to my father's house. Consciousness, he was conscious in a place that he didn't wanna be, but he was fully aware of what was going on around them. And even remember that he had some brothers back home because his first request was to take some water and drop it on the tip of his tongue. But Abraham says, besides there's a great gulf in between us. So his next request is he remember his brothers and that his brothers. You remember the story I shared in the beginning about how the individual, because of their planning and preparation, they missed it. But the people that was with them missed it also. Be careful, be careful, be careful. Who you are relying on to get you there. Be careful. All of us, well, I ain't gonna say all. A lot of people are talking about going to a place. And if you ask them a question, they may not have the right answer on the how. They may be relying on somebody else to get them there, but as we see these two men, both of them came to an appointment. And both of them had an appointment and went to two different directions. I'm sharing that is because be careful of who you're relying on to get you there. He was in a place and he was conscious of where he was, but he remembered where he had came from. He remembered what he left behind. Now all of the stuff that he may have cherished while he was here didn't mean as much. Now his focus was on making sure that his brothers didn't come to the place that he was at. What is your love like for your fellow man? Do you love your fellow man enough to share the good news, to inform them about an appointment that's gonna take place in that we need to be ready? What I'm talking about today is while there is still time, because my Bible talks about a place that our Savior said I go away to prepare a place for you, that where I am there you may be also. So a prepared place, there is a place that is prepared for the ones who are ready to go. And he prepared it with you and mine. And the reason I'm going into details of this, 'cause I'm gonna tell you a funny story for what we get out of here today. But it's a prepared place. And he prepared it with you and mine and it's a appointed time that you're gonna go to this prepared place, but you have to be prepared to go. And that's what I like about our Creator. He took out the time to prepare it for us and he didn't even rely on us making sure that we have the right directions or anything to get there. He said I prepared it for you, that I'm gonna come again and I'm gonna receive you, that where I am there you may be also. So we don't even have to worry about making sure we just need to be prepared for the appointed time. (mouse clicking) Now is the time to get prepared while there is still time. There's something interesting about time. Time is not on our side. I want you to hear me. Time is not on our side. I don't care how much money we spend to keep the gray out. I don't care how much exercise we do to keep it looking tight, nice and tight. I don't care how much, with each day, time is bringing on a chain. With each day, as they used to say, I used to hear the older folks say when I was young, every day, myself, are getting a little bit short. I tell you now, I use, I tell people I use to jump up in the morning and jump out of bed. Now I'm thankful to be able to slide out. I used to be able to walk flat in the morning when I get up. Now because of sometimes the pain in my feet and the pains in my hands, sometimes I have to tiptoe till I can get the feelings back what they need to be, because time is not on our side. Because time brings on a change, and we're moving in a direction, and with each day, that appointment gets closer and closer, we need to make sure that whatever we need to do, and I don't look at age, trust me, I don't look at age, if you've ever heard me before, age is one of those kind of things that doesn't determine a whole lot. Because as I look, there's just as many short graves as there are loans, because I predetermined time, if we came in this world with a predetermined time that we're gonna leave here when we're 11 and we're now 10, we're old. If we have a predetermined time that we're not gonna leave here until we 100, and we're only 50, we're still young, but because we don't know when, and we don't know how, we don't know where, it just says we must always be ready, we need to make sure we prepare while we still have time. Because time is not on our side. It says both of these men had an appointment, they didn't know when, both of them was living a life, one was begging and one was had to great life, and their point of time came, unexp, unexp, unbeknownst to them, but it came, but when it came, their appointment, they wasn't late, they could've been early, we don't know, but it says they both came to an appointment, and at their appointment, they both went in a different direction, and based on going in different directions, they had different responses, but both of them was conscious in both places that they went, and one was talking, and one was pleading, and now one is at a point now saying, you know, if I can't get the, the water, the tip of water on my tongue, because it's so hot, can I at least get somebody to go tell my brothers? He says, "For I have five brethren "that he may testify unto them, "least also come into a place of torment." Can you just please, Father, please, send, send him to my father's house, send, send, send Lazarus to my, to my father's house, 'cause I got some brothers there, and these brothers that are there, I don't want them to come to this place, and I want you to go and testify to them that they may not come to this place that I am, because I'm in a bad place that I don't want nobody to come to. I want it just to be mindful. There comes a time in our lives to where we must stop putting off for tomorrow other things that we must do today. No longer can we keep saying, "I'll get to it tomorrow." No longer can we keep saying, "I'll do it." When I get around to it, when I get my ducks in a row, when I get it all out of my sister, when I do this, or when I do that, no longer can we keep putting it off, and whatever it is, because when you have come and you're living out your purpose and you're doing the things that God has called you to do, you no longer, we need to reach a point to where we become like the Apostle Paul. When he says, "To live is good, to die is gain, "either way I'm good." And we reach that point to where we get to that appointment, we say, "I fought a good fight, "and I've finished my course." You can't finish what you hadn't yet started. And no longer can we keep putting it off. Make it right. If you got all against your brother, don't put it off and saying, "One day you're gonna make it right." Make it right today. If you got issues and things, my Bible talks about we want to be forgiven of things, but if we can't confess those things and ask God for forgiveness, if we can't forgive our brother, how you expect for God to forgive us? If we have things, now is the time to do it. No longer should we be holding grudges. No longer can we be holding on to anything because we don't know when our appointment is and if we're headed towards an appointment, when I show up at my appointment, out to the best of my ability, to the best of what God has done for me, I want to make sure I am prepared to the best of my ability for my appointment, to where I can hear, we all, people always talk about, I want to hear well done, but I want to make sure I'm prepared for this appointment. This man says he had five brothers and he wanted Lazarus to go give a testimony that they don't want to come to this place that I'm at. But Abraham said on to him, they have Moses and the prophet, let them hear them. They have people that they may be listening to right now. People that are giving them testify into them. And he says, nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. If they get this testimony from somebody who's already been there and done that and he can go back and testify to them, they wouldn't want to come. Everybody is going to be having an appointment. Not everybody is hearing the message that been preached. And there was a time once before, in the days of Noah, it says God had made a decision. God had decided that he was going to destroy man. And he said he revealed what he was going to do to Noah because Noah walked with God. Noah walked with God and Noah walked with God. And because Noah walked with God, God revealed his plan that he was going to have. And while he revealed the plan to Noah, Noah went to work. Noah didn't put off for tomorrow what God had told him to do today. It says Noah got up early in the morning and he started working on the plan that God had for. Even though it was going to be a many, many years later on that God planned until God planned took place. But it says why Noah was taking advantage and doing what God said do. It says that whole everybody else was party, drinking, and being married. They was living their lives to the fullest. And Noah preached one message, it's going to rain. And that one message he preached didn't save anybody but him and his family. Preaching the message to hear, to people. Doing the work that God called them to do and the whole world didn't hear. All we can do is let our life shine. And as we let our life shine, we can pray that someone catch the message while they steal half time. Because if you hear my voice today, it's not too late. It's not too late. You still have time. You hadn't reached, you hadn't hit your appointment yet because you still have time. And this is not, this is about eternity but it's also about getting busy about God's business. We no longer can keep putting off what God has called us to do because when we don't do what we have been called to do, somebody else may not. Sometimes the only God that some people are going to see is going to be in you. We are called to be his eyes. We're called to be his feet. We're called to be his hands because he is buried. And if he is not here and we're called to do that, the longer we put it off. We need to be busy about God's business. Now is the time. Today is the day. This is the moment while we still have time. Because Abraham said and he said on them, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded. That word persuaded. What can you do for somebody who don't hear what they need to hear or not doing the things they need to do? How are they going to be persuaded through one who rose from the dead? See, when you get the good news, it says the day you hear my voice, hard not your heart. So if you're hearing this message today, if this message is coming to you loud and clear, today, don't harden your heart. Allow him to come in to transform your life to what it needs to be, to what he would have it to be so that he can make the ultimate impact on what is going on in your life because there is going to come a day and there's going to be an appointment. And we all got an appointment. Once an appointed time, appointed to me and once to die, and you're going to face this appointment one time, one time. So while you still have time, while there is still time, we need to be busy. We need to be busy about our father's business no longer do we have time. Which reminded me of half some other business partners that we were taking a trip. I think we were going to Chicago this year and I'll share. It was me. It was me. We were taking a trip and I had this business partner who told me, he's like, oh man, you don't have to worry about no reserving no room. You don't have to worry about any of that. I got that. I got that cover. All you got to do is just make sure you get there. You get there. You can stay in the room with me. And, you know, you'll be good. So here I am. I didn't worry about it anymore. I made arrangements to get on the, we took a bus to get there. I made the arrangements to get on the bus. We got on the bus. We drove that bus to Chicago about 10, 12 hours to Chicago on that bus. And here I am prepared to get some rest when we get to that room and lo and behold, the conditions were horrible. I didn't realize he had told the same thing to 10 or 15 other folks. And you can only imagine what that's like to have about 15 people staying in one room that was only meant for two people to stay. But I took the word of somebody else. And based on me taking the word of somebody else and not making my own reservation and preparing my own self, I took the words of another man and the man put me in a situation that wasn't right and wasn't comfortable. And thank God that that was only a couple of day trip that I had to be uncomfortable. But on that day, I made a decision and said no longer would I ever trust a man's decision on how I'm going to stay and how I'm going to live. No longer would I leave it up to somebody else and some taking somebody else's word for what I know that I need to be doing myself. So what I'm here to tell you is today is the day while there is still time and we all going to have this appointment. And I'm so thankful that God is not like man. Man told me he had me taken care of, but the conditions wasn't good. Thanks to God, there was only temporary. What I'm telling you is there is a prepared place for prepare people and it was prepared with you in mind, a place for eternity, a place that we're going to live out of eternity that we're going to be there forever. And if we're going to be there forever, I'm thankful that somebody sought enough of me to prepare a place with me in mind. Our creator said he's going to prepare a place for us and he's going to prepare it and he prepared it with you in mind. He just says that you need to make sure that you're ready for your appointed time and that your appointed time and your appointed moment. You're going to be in the presence of the Lord and when you're in the presence of the Lord because you took advantage of the time that you had while you still had it, you don't have nothing to fear because you're going to be your way to be with Him. And when you go away to be with Him, it's got nothing going to be like it because we're talking about spending our eternity with your Savior. I don't know about you, but I don't want to ever take a trip with man that promised me something that he couldn't deliver. I want to trust in a God that when he makes a promise to you, he made that promise to you because he can uphold his promise because it's not like man, God cannot lie because of his nature and because he cannot lie, he has a prepared place for you. Are you ready to receive? What I'm sharing with you on the day is while you have time, while you have time, and if you can hear my voice, you have time. I encourage you. I compel you to come to Him while you have time. While you have time. And what does that mean? It's very simply put. And he made it simple to do. Confess I'm a sinner. I need a Savior. And I choose you. And when you do that, what you're going to allow is the very presence of God through the Holy Spirit to infiltrate your body. And once you sincerely pray that prayer, it comes into you. And when it comes into you, now I want to say now, you have been adopted into the family of God. And when you have been adopted, now you allow the Spirit to have His way in your life because it says He has a plan for us and it has a future and a hope attached to it. I don't know about you, but while the blood yet run warm in my veins, I want to make a decision while I still have time. I want you to choose the only one that paid the ultimate price for you to be here. And that's our Savior. And through our Savior, you have a perfect opportunity like you've never had before to receive Christ as your Savior. While you still have time. This is God's Word for God's people. Be prepared for your appointment because it's coming. No man knows the day or the hour. But that appointment time is coming. And be like my mama and grandma who used to say, "Make sure you're on the garments or prepared because you just never know when that time is going to come, where you're going to be undressed." God's Word for God's people. God bless you. And here at Changing Faces Ministry, we do believe if you can see yourself the way God sees you, you will have a change of faith. God bless you, and we'll see you again on next Friday. God bless. Take care, everybody. Thanks for tuning in to The Changing Faces Podcast. Be sure to download the podcast as well as like, subscribe and share. ♪ [MUSIC PLAYING]