The Day America Forgot God

 

THE DAY AMERICA FORGOT GOD

Steve W. Reeves

 

INTRODUCTION:

A. On the back of every dollar bill is the Great Seal of the United States. In 1782
     Charles Thompson was chosen by the Continental Congress to finalize the design of
     the Great Seal. Thompson chose to include in that seal a Latin phrase, “Annuit
     Coeptis,” which means “He favors our undertakings.” The founding fathers of our
     nation unanimously agreed that this country existed because of the providential
     factor of Almighty God.
B. The book of Deuteronomy was written during the early years of another nation,
     Israel. In this book, (the fifth book of the Bible and the last book of the Pentateuch),
     Moses delivered a series of messages to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the
     land of Canaan. 
     1. Deuteronomy provides some of the great themes of the Bible.
        a. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness He referred to the book of
            Deuteronomy, (Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:13, 16).
        b. When Jesus was asked “what is the greatest command” (Matthew 22:37). He
            replied by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5.    
     2. Deuteronomy 6 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible.  
        a. This is the chapter in which Israel was commanded to fear God and keep His
            commandments (verses 1-3). “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and
            the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that
            you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, ² so that
            you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all
            His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your
            life, and that your days may be prolonged. ³ O Israel, you should listen and be
            careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly,
            just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing
            with milk and honey.”
        b. In this chapter we find the “Shema,” the Jewish daily prayer, “Hear, O Israel! The
            Lord is our God, the Lord is one! ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your
            heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
            Parents were instructed to teach this diligently to their children day and night,
            when they would rise in the morning or lie down at night.
C. On this Memorial Day I want us to consider the words of Deuteronomy 6: 10-14 - 
     “Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He
     swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid
     cities which you did not build, ¹¹ and houses full of all good things which you did not
     fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did
     not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, ¹² then watch yourself, that you do not forget
     the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ¹³ You
     shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His
     name. ¹⁴ You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who
     surround you, ¹⁵ for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise
     the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off
     the face of the earth.”
     1. These words contain a message for every citizen of the United States.
     2. There are three great truths we must learn from this passage. All of them are
        connected with “Memorial Day,” because they are based on the word,
        “Remember.”
 
I. REMEMBER THE ONE WHO HAS BLESSED YOU.
    A. Israel’s good fortune was not a result of their own effort.
        1. They were recipients of God’s promise to their forefathers.
        2. They were going to inherit great cities they had not built, furnished houses they
            had not purchased, wells full of cool, clean water they had not dug, vineyards
            and olive trees they did not plant. They were going to receive prosperity. This
            prosperity, however, was not a result of their efforts but of God’s blessings.        
    B. We often forget that as citizens of the United States we are the recipients of rights,
        freedom and blessings we did not earn.  We have inherited a way of life that has
        been paid for by the blood, sweat, toil and tears of many others.
        1. The soldiers who died on the battlefields of Europe, the beaches of the Pacific 
            the Korean peninsula, the rice paddies of Vietnam, the desert of Iraq of the
            mountains of Afghanistan so you and your family could have the freedom of
            worship.  
        2. The Veteran who served our country faithfully at home or overseas to win and
            keep peace. An anonymous author has written: “It is the veteran, not the
            preacher who has given us freedom of religion. It is the veteran, not the reporter,
            who has given us freedom of the press. It is the veteran, not the poet, who has
            given us freedom of speech. It is the veteran, not the campus organizer, who
            has given us the right to assemble. It is the veteran, not the lawyer, who has
            given us the right to a fair trial.”
        3. Many Americans have forgotten the generations who came before us and
            worked hard to settle this land and build its infrastructure that we enjoy today.
        4. Many of us have forgotten the ancestors of faith who sacrificed and gave of
            themselves to establish and build up congregations that would be faithful to the
            word of God, honor the message of Scripture, proclaim the power of the Gospel,
            teach God’s plan of redemption, practice God’s plan for marriage and exhort
            Christians to remain unspotted from the world.
        5. Here is another important truth to remember. In the same way we
            stand on the shoulders of others, those who come after us will stand on our
            shoulders. What type of legacy are we leaving for them?
    C. Why did God provide this admonition to Israel?
        1. He knew the human tendency to become so enamored with the blessings that
            we forget the one who gave them.      
        2. In 1704 Cotton Mather, a puritan preacher in New England, wrote, “Religion
            begat prosperity and the daughter hath consumed the mother.”
       3. How ironic it is that we become so satisfied and comfortable with the blessings
            God has given that we often allow those blessings to turn us away from God.  
    D. It is God who prospers us. We must not allow our prosperity to cause us to forget
        God.               
 
 II. REMEMBER THE ONE WHO HAS DELIVERED YOU.
    A. It is amazing how quickly people forget.
        1. After Israel had been delivered from Egypt it did not take long for them to forget
            the hardships they had experienced under slavery.  
            a. In Egypt they had been subject to the heavy bondage imposed by Pharaoh
                (Exodus 1:11; 5:10-13).
           b. Pharaoh had even resorted to killing babies to control the rising population of
               Hebrews.
        2. After they had left Egypt and seen the mighty hand of God at work they still
            forgot. They witnessed the parting of the Red Sea. God had provided them with
            the blessings of manna, quail and water.
        3. They murmured and complained against God and longed to return to Egypt,
            (Numbers 14:1-4).
    B. A nation or a person who forgets where they have come from is liable to end up at
       that same place again.
        1. A nation that escaped from tyranny will end up in service to tyranny.
        2. An individual who forgets the lost state from which they were delivered will likely
            end up in going back. Peter declared, ^“For if, after they have escaped the
            defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
            they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become
            worse for them than the first. ²¹ For it would be better for them not to have known
            the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy
            commandment handed on to them. ²² It has happened to them according to the
            true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing,
            returns to wallowing in the mire.”
 
III. REMEMBER THE ONE WHO WILL JUDGE YOU.   
    A.  As Moses spoke to the Israelites he reminded them that their failure to remember
        to thank, honor, obey and worship God carried serious consequences.     
        1. They were to worship Him alone.
        2. They were not to worship any other god or the gods of the Canaanites.
        3. A failure to remember and honor God would result in His wrath coming upon
            them.        
        4. In Judges 2:10 – “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and
            there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet
            the work which He had done for Israel.”
    B. Are you concerned with the school shootings that have occurred in our nation over
        the past twenty years? The names of these places continue to resonate in our
        minds. Columbine, Jonesboro, Parkland, Sandy Hook, Santa Fe.  
        1. What is going on here?
        2. Shortly after the Columbine shooting in 1999 the father of one of the students
            who had been killed appeared before a congressional committee. The student
            was Rachel Scott. Her assailant asked her, “Do you believe in God?” She
            replied, “Yes.” He shot her. As her father, Darrell, spoke to
            congressmen he read them a poem he had written a few nights after the
            shooting.
         
.                    Your laws ignore our deepest needs, Your words are empty air. You've tripped away our heritage, You've outlawed simple prayer. Now gunshots fill our classrooms,And precious children die. You seek for answers everywhere, And ask the question "Why" You regulate restrictive laws, Through legislative creed. And yet you fail to understand, Tat God is what we need.”  

 

   C. In his book, Abandonment Theology, John W. Charlfant asserts, “Once God was

        shown the door America went into chaos. Scholastic aptitude tests plummeted,
        Violent crime rocketed upward, and America’s greatness began to decline.
    D. Historian Arnold Toynbee studied the history of 26 great nations. Toynbee said,
        “All great nations die from suicide.” They collapse from within due to immorality a
        lack of restraint, selfishness and deterioration of moral and spiritual values.
 
CONCLUSION:
A. There are many notable days in American history: July 4, 1776 (Independence Day), eptember 17, 1787 (U.S. Constitution signed), April 9, 1865 (Lee surrendered to Grant at ppomattox), December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor), June 6, 1944 (D-day), September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks).
B. There is another day that marks a sad page in our history. It may not be a specific
    date but it nonetheless real. This is the day America forgot God. How desperately we
    need to remember another phrase on our currency, “In God we trust.”
C. Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Do you
     love Him? Come to Him in faith (Hebrews 11:6), repent of your sins (Luke 13:3),
     confess His name (Romans 10:9-10) and put Christ on in baptism (Galatians 3:27).

Stamina In Stressful Situations

Stamina In Stressful Situations

Steve W. Reeves

 

INTRODUCTION:

A. I It has been reported that 89% of Americans suffer from stress. Many Americans are
     physically exhausted, emotionally defeated and mentally worn out. Do you ever feel
     like the chief rat in the rat race? Are you familiar with these three words? Stress?
     Fatigue? Weariness? I believe I know the answer.
    1. We live in a culture of constant activity. Even our leisure time is packed with
       activity. We have Netflix, Direct TV, U-Verse, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter,
       Pinterest, and I-Tunes. The only thing we do not have is “I-rest.”
    2. Even at church we are tired. I recently heard about the longest sermon ever
       preached according to the Guinness Book of World Records.  A 31 year old
       preacher named Zach Zehnder of a Mount Dora, Fla., set the longest speech
       record in 2015 It lasted 53-hour, 18-minutes. He had 200 pages of notes and more
       than 600 PowerPoint slides. He began on Friday, November 7, and ended at 12:18
       p.m. on Sunday, November 9. In order to qualify for the Guinness record book there
       had to be at least ten people in the audience at all times and two independent
       observers. Most of the audience rotated but one man by the last name of Douglas
       listened for over 50 hours.  Following the sermon he said, “I’m exhausted. I just
       want to sleep.”
B. In the days when Jesus lived on earth people were weary. They were weary of the
    hard labor that accompanied daily living. They were weary of the political turmoil that
    surrounded them. They were weary from taxation. They were especially weary of
    religion. There were many burdens and traditions that had been imposed on them
    by their religious leaders. Their relationship with God was based on a system of rules
    and works. It was wearisome.
    1. The New Testament begins with the book of Matthew. Matthew was a Jewish
        writer who was very familiar with the legalism of his day. In his gospel he
       presented an alternative to the weary, burdensome, stress-filled lifestyle of his
       readers.
    2. He is the only writer to record these words from Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30:
 
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke pon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for our souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

   3. In these words of Jesus there are four keys for developing stamina in stressful

        situations.
 
I. AN ANCHOR TO HOLD ON TO  
    A. The USS George H.W. Bush is the last of 10 Nimitz Class Nuclear powered
       aircraft carriers. The size of this vessel is staggering. It stands 20 stories above the
       waterline with a 4.5-acre flight deck. It is 1,092 feet long: nearly as long as the
       Empire State Building is tall. There are four bronze propellers, each 21 feet across
       and weighing more than 30 tons. Steering is accomplished by two rudders, each 29
       feet by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons. Each of the two anchors weighs 60,000
       pounds. Each link of anchor chain weighs 365 pounds. Each anchor and chain
       weighs a total of 735,000 pounds. A large ship needs substantial anchors.
    B. What is your anchor in life during stormy seas? Who can you depend upon when
       everything else in your life seems uncertain?
       1. Notice Jesus’ words, “Come unto Me.”  
           a. There is no doubt Jesus lived on this earth. A search of historical records will
               provide more evidence for the existence of Jesus than any other person in
               history. Secular historians of his day and even those opposed to Christianity
               are in agreement that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person.
           b. Jesus was more than another human being. He referred to Himself as:
               1.) The bread of life – John 6:35.
               2.) The light of the world – John 8:12.
               3.) The gate for the sheep – John 10:9.
               4.) The good shepherd – John 10:11.
               5.) The resurrection and the life – John. 11:.25-26
               6.) The way, the truth and the life – John 14:6.            
               7.) The true vine – John 15:5.         
           c. Paul wrote to the Colossians, “He is the image of the invisible God, the
               firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created, both in the
               heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
               rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
               ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
           d. When you are dealing with stress in your life there is no substitute for a
               personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not enough to merely know facts
               about Jesus. You must know Him.
       2. Who needs this anchor? Notice who Jesus invites?    
           a. Jesus invites, “all who are weary and burdened.”
           b. I am thankful Jesus did not say, “Come to me all of you who are perfect and
               have your lives together.”
               1.) Consider the people Jesus called to be His followers.
                    a.) Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen who thought Jesus
                         was going to lead a revolt against the Romans.
                    b.) Matthew was a tax-collector despised by everyone.
                    c.) Some of the women who followed Jesus were known as “sinful” women
                         (Luke 7:36-39).
               2.) Jesus called all of them just as they were. Beginning where they were He 
                    began to mold them and shape them.
  
II. AFFIRMATION BY GOD
    A. Everyone like to receive compliments. There is no compliment that can come from
       a human being that can equal the affirmation that comes from God.
       1. When you are weary and burdened you need affirmation. Both “weary” and
           “burdened” imply heavy labor.
           a. Exodus 1:14 describes the burden placed on the Israelites by Pharaoh, who
               “made their lives bitter with hard labor.” Do you know anyone who has become
               bitter because of the burdens they have had to carry?
           b. After Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam, imposed heavy burdens on the
               people (1 Kings 12:10-11).
           c. Jesus did not come to add burdens to people but to remove them.
    B. The only way we find stamina in stressful situations is through Christ.        
       1. You will never find affirmation through law and works.
       2. The best day of your life, apart from Christ, will not be enough to earn your
           salvation. Our righteousness is as filthy rags in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6).
       3. Because Jesus has fulfilled the law and has become the once and for all sacrifice
           for our sins we can find our affirmation from God in Him.  
    C. What stress are you carrying in your life? Guilt? Regret? Failure? Bitterness?
       1. An old man was walking along a country road carrying a fifty pound bag of
           potatoes. Another man in a pick-up truck offered him a ride. The old man climbed
           up in the cab and set the potatoes in his lap. “Why not put them in the back of the
           truck,” said the driver. “No thanks,” said the man. I’ll just carry them myself.” 
       2. We need the rest that can only be found through Jesus. 
      
 
III. APPLICATION
    A. Do you have keys in your pocket or purse? They are worthless until they are
        applied to proper lock. We love to hear about keys to happiness and freedom from
        stress but the truth is there are no keys that will work until we apply them to life.
    B. We love verse 28. We are not so crazy about verse 29. Why is this so?
       1. “Yoke” implies responsibility. .
       2. In the Roman world the yoke was a symbol of rule and lordship.
       3. Jesus says, “if you want me to anchor and affirm you, you must be willing to take
           my yoke. You must make application of my teachings in your life.
 
IV. APPRECIATION     
    A. Notice what Jesus said about His yoke? “Take my yoke upon you and learn from
        me for I am gentle and humble in heart.” In verse 30 He said, “for my yoke is easy
        and my burden is light.” Are you thankful for this promise?
       1. Jesus did not come to lay heavy burdens upon people.
       2. He did not come to make your life miserable but to give you abundant life (John
           10:10).
    B. Jesus says when we take His yoke we will find rest.
        1. The Bible says that “the way of the transgressor is hard” (Proverbs 13:15),
       2. One of the great blessings of being a Christian is that, “godliness is profitable for
           all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
       3. Everyone faces suffering whether or not you are a Christian. All of us will have
           battles to fight. Some of them we will lose. The joy of following Christ will make
           all of them bearable.
       4. In his book, The Be Happy Attitudes, Robert Schuller told the childhood story of
           his family losing nearly everything they had to a tornado during the Great
           Depression. Rather than moaning, they were thankful their lives had been
           spared. They were thankful they could work. Together, the rebuilt the farm.
           Regardless of the stress you are facing in your life there are many things for
           which you can be thankful.
 
CONCLUSION:
A. Where does steel find its strength? Where is gold or silver purified? The answer to
    both questions is, “in the fire.”  Whatever stress, difficulty, heartache or struggle you
    are experiencing can be used by God to bring you closer to Him.
 B. May we assist you today in a spirit of love, care and support?

Legacy of A Godly Woman

THE LEGACY OF A GODLY WOMAN

Steve W. Reeves

 

INTRODUCTION:

A. There is a program on television called, “Strange Inheritance,” which tells the stories
     of people who have received unusual and sometimes valuable possessions. On
     particular episode concerned a map of the state of Texas. It had been in the family
     for years but no one realized that it was one of the original maps of the state dating
     back to the 1840’s. The old map that had been tucked away for years was worth
     thousands of dollars.
B. Have you considered what you will leave as an inheritance for your family?
     1. Perhaps you are like bumper sticker that says, “I’m spending my children’s
        inheritance.”
     2. Each of us will leave an inheritance that is greater than our possession. We will
        leave a legacy. The question is, “What type of legacy will you leave to your children
        and grandchildren? What will they remember about you?
C. Many women have left legacies of great accomplishment and influence.
    The U.S. Post office has issued a series of stamps honoring the legacy of women in
     the fields of literature and science.
     1. Margaret Mitchell, a native of Atlanta, spent ten years of her life writing a novel
        for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. The novel was, Gone With The Wind.
     2. Pearl Buck won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1938 for her novel, The Good
        Earth. 
     3. Lillian Gilbreth was the mother of five children before going to college. She
        earned her Ph.D. and served as a professor at Purdue University.
     4. Sally Ride soared into space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983,  
        becoming the first American woman and youngest astronaut in space.
D. There are many women who have left lasting legacies in our world. Today I want to
     notice the life of a woman mentioned just one time in the Bible. Although the
     passage is brief the legacy it describes is formidable because it is the legacy of a
     Godly woman.
 
I. THE SETTING OF THE STORY
    A. Beginning in Acts 9:31 we read that Peter was traveling through Judea during a  
        time of peace in which the church continued to increase and be built up.
        1. He came to a small village named Lydda where he met a man named Aeneas
            who had been paralyzed for eight years.
            a. Peter told Aeneas, “Jesus Christ heals you, get up and make your bed.”
            b. Aeneas was healed. Everyone who saw this turned to the Lord.
        2. Just twelve miles from Lydda and 38 miles northwest of Jerusalem was the  
            village of Joppa on the Mediterranean coast. 38 miles northwest of Jerusalem.
            a. Joppa was the seaport where timber for the temple was brought from
                Lebanon before being transported by land to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 2:26).
            b. Joppa was the village where the prophet Jonah boarded a ship to travel to
                Tarshish in his quest to flee from God’s command to preach to Ninevah
                (Jonah 1:3).  
            c. Joppa still exists. It’s modern name is Jaffa (Yaffa). It has a population of
                about 60,000 and is one of the oldest functioning harbors in the world.
    B. In this ancient town there was a congregation of Christians. The Bible does not tell
        us how or when this congregation began. There is little doubt that it was the result
        of the preaching of Phillip and other disciples who left Jerusalem when persecution
        arose and were scattered throughout the regions of Samaria and Judea (Acts 8:4).
        After the conversion of the Eunuch in Acts 8:34-40 Luke records that Phillip kept
        preaching the Gospel in all of the cities on the way to Caesarea. It is likely that
        Joppa was one of these cities.
   
II. THE SUBJECT OF THE STORYW
    A. Within the church at Joppa there was a certain disciple named Dorcas.
        1. Dorcas was her Greek name. It is the first female Greek name found in the New
            Testament. .
        2. Her name in Aramaic was “Tabitha” meaning, “Beautiful.” It was truly a name
            which was descriptive of this woman’s character.
    B. There are many things we do not know about this woman.
        1. We do not know her genealogy. There is no mention of her parents.
        2. We do not know anything about her family. There is no mention of a husband or
            children.
        3. We know nothing of her wealth. Was she rich or poor?
     C. The brief description of this woman in verse 36 speaks volumes about her
        character and conduct. She “was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity
        which she continually did.”      

       1, With her needle, thread and material she extended kindness that blessed many

            people.  
        2. These things were done “continually” (verse 36).
    D. Dorcas understood the important connection between faith and works.
        1. She obviously understood the importance of faith in Christ for she was a
            disciple of the Lord. She had confessed her faith, repented of her sins and been
            buried with Christ in baptism.  
        2. Dorcas understood that being a Christian was more than following a prescribed
            ritual. Being a disciple of Jesus meant more that attending an assembly once a
            week
            a. She understood that her faith had to be translated into actions.
            b. James wrote, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but
                he has no works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without
                clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, ‘Go in
                peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is
                necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has no works,
                is dead, being by itself.”
            c. As a follower of Christ she knew that Jesus had taught, “For I was hungry,
                and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something
                to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed
                Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37
                Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and
                feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we
                see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did
                we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and
                say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these
                brothers of Mine, even the least, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:35-40).
    E. In the midst of her good works and deeds Dorcas died. She is the first Christian in
        the book of Acts who died a natural death.
        1. When she died two disciples were dispatched to Lydda to bring Peter to Joppa.
        2. When Peter arrived he found the body of Dorcas had been washed and placed
            in an upper room. According to verse 39, “All the widows stood beside him,
            weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make
            while she was with them.”
        3. Peter sent everyone out of the room, knelt and prayed. Then, looking toward the
            body he said, “Tabitha come.” Dorcas opened her eyes. Peter took her hand
            and she stood. When the others saw that she had been raised they spread the
            word to everyone. Many believed in the Lord.       
           
III. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STORY
    A. What is the significance of this story?
        1. It is obviously a testimony to the power of Jesus.
        2. It is also indicative of the authority Peter had.
        3. We must not miss the significance of the legacy of a Godly woman.
            a. When Dorca died the widows remembered her legacy. She had left much
                more than the clothes she had sewn.
            b. Her legacy was her faith and kindness.         
        4. We do not know that Dorcas ever taught a Bible class. We do not know of a
            Bible study she conducted nor of a book she wrote. We do not know of anything
            she did publicly. What we know is this. She used her needle and thread to leave
            a legacy.  
    B. I think of so many women I know who are leaving a legacy of good kindness and
        good deeds.
        1. Ladies sew dresses to send to poor little girls in Ghana.
        2. Those of you who meet on Monday night and weave mats out of plastic bags so
            people in Haiti won’t have to sleep on dirt floors.  
        3. The women who prepare food for those who are sick, bereaved, or bringing
            home new babies. .
        4. There are many things about Dorcas we do not know. We can, however, be
            certain of this. The citation of Dorcas in God’s hall of honor is because of her
            legacy of good works.
 
CONCLUSION:
A. An anonymous author wrote:
 
Shamgar had an ox-goad,
David had a sling,
Samson had a jawbone,
Rahab had a string,
Mary had some ointment,
Aaron had a rod,
Dorcas had a needle,
All were used for God
 
B. The legacy of Dorcas is a legacy of ability and availability. Ladies and gentlemen,
    what legacy are you leaving for your children and grandchildren? If the only thing you
    are leaving is property and possession you are missing the mark. They most
    important inheritance they can possibly receive is a legacy of faith.  
C. May we assist you today in responding to Christ through obedient faith?