August 23, 2020 “Is God's Eternity the Eternity You Expected?” Ron Moore Messenger

 

 August 23, 2020 “Is God's Eternity the Eternity You Expected?” Ron Moore Messenger

 

21 weeks and God has given us just barely a clue every day as to what to do next. At least we know we are to pray and wait on the Lord and be of good courage. We are to seek the Lord diligently, serve faithfully, and obey quickly…We have enough goodness in our lives to praise and give God thanks every hour and we are human enough to need to repent every day.  

Today, we are blessed to have as our messenger Ron Moore, husband, a father, a grandfather, a servant of God who has been faithful and inspirational throughout the years. Listen to the words of life as he shares a testimony from his walk with God.

 

First, let’s listen prayerfully to this musical selection.

Good morning. First I would like to say that God speaks to us at times in unexpected ways.

If I were to ask all of my fellow believers; what are your beliefs about Heaven and Eternity?

Your answers most likely would be quite diverse, since none of us have direct knowledge, just perceptions of God’s promises that we have read in Biblical text.

This Message is based on my perceptions that started with a dream.   Early this year I had a dream, a very vivid dream. In that dream I had died and was standing at the door to Heaven. The door, large and massive, skinned in bronze with writing tooled into the bronze in a language that was foreign to me. The door had no door handles or knobs just a large knocker. So I just did what came natural when you are at a door and want to enter. I just knocked.   Almost immediately the door was opened and without words the host motioned for me to enter. The host led me into a room with a large wooden table surrounded by wooden chairs. 12 people were seated around the table apparently waiting for whatever came next. Some appeared anxious, while some appeared to be at peace. As I observed, one by one the guide would enter, whisper something into the ear of a person, and then minutes later re-enter the room and guide the person out. People were entering and exiting from the same door.

This is how my Facilities Management brain was observing …   One door! One route of egress.. this is really unsafe and against most building codes.  No Emergency Lighting.. another violation.  No fire extinguisher.. another.

Then I was getting bored   No Music…Nothing to read… No TV… how will I entertain myself?  This wooden chair is really starting to hurt my butt… NO snacks… I’m starting to get hungry.. I hope this is not what I will be doing for eternity. ( go figure, what should have been my happiest hour, and I was acting like the sermon was too long)

The guide then enters the room walks up to me and whispers into my ear “your next, time to confess your sins to your God.”  And then makes it a point to tell me “Your worst sin needs to be first”.  WHAT!!

Startled, I wake up in an absolute panic from this Vivid dream still trying to think; what do I, what would I, what should I say to that question.  Friends, when do we even come face to face with our mortality?

Little did I know, just a few months later, I would be fighting for my life and making my peace with God for real and not in a dream.

It started March 17^th  after lunch I had pain in my gut and thought perhaps I just ate too fast. Overnight the pain just seemed to get worse, perhaps it was another kidney stone, they are painful and I have had them in the past. The pain continued so I made the first appointment that I could get with my family doctor  at 7:30 am the next morning.  The pain became unbearable that evening and at 2:30 am I was off to the hospital alone by ambulance. Great, the last place I wanted to be, alone at a hospital in the middle of this wretched pandemic.  When they asked me my pain level 1 to 10 at the hospital, I told them 13!!  After some blood work and a Cat Scan they informed me that the surgeon was on his way to perform an emergency appendectomy as soon as he arrived and that the operating room is already waiting. 

    As they prepped me for the surgery, I knew that I was really sick. Sick enough that I felt that it was important to make my peace with God. I knew that I was alone but never felt alone.  I was just glad that God was there to comfort me. Listen  my friends to God’s word. 

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

It was now time to surrender to His will and give all control of this situation to him. Not the time to make more empty promises to him like “ If you help me with this, I will do that for you”. The only thing I could say to God was “I’m Sorry”.  I’m Sorry for not being a better husband, I’m Sorry for not being a better father, I’m Sorry for not being a better friend, and I’m Sorry for not doing what I know He wants from me.

I don’t remember drifting off exactly but I do remember the tune I was singing.

Robert Lowry wrote a Gospel song almost a century and a half ago that has become a classic. Lowry described God's power to forgive this way:

"What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow; That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

The surgery lasted 1 hour and a half. That must have been in dog years because it only felt like I just blinked. I felt great but they said “ that it is only because I’m still under anesthesia” and that “ I will feel much worse after it wears off”. I was also informed that the risk now is controlling the infection because my appendix had burst and most of the surgical time was spent cleaning up the site. If my fever goes away and stays away that would be a good sign. The next day the fever was gone and they were ready to send me home. They had me call my wife to come and pick me up. However just as Barb was arriving at the hospital, my temperature started to rise. This was a bad sign and it became much worse.

            Hour by hour my temperature continued to rise and when it approached 105 degrees I went into AFIB. I was really feeling bad, my heart was racing and doing flip flops. I think my check engine light must have come on because everyone was racing into the room asking me if I was having chest pain. I can’t totally recall all of the corrective measures that they were performing at that time but I do recall having an EKG performed. Gradually the fever started going down as well as my pulse rate and another EKG was performed.

          In the morning a cardiologist walked into my room, introduced himself, told me he knew my daughter Nicole, and that he wants to consult in on my case. What case I asked? He then showed me the two EKG’s, one during the event and one after the event, and told me that they are different. He explained that they should not be different and that it may be an indication that there is something wrong. He stated that he would like to do a Heart Catheterization to find out for certain one way or the other. I have to tell you that this was the last thing I even wanted to think about while I was trying to fight off and survive the infection. He and my daughter did a great job convincing me that the catheterization was necessary to rule out any damage from the night before. It was scheduled and the catheterization was performed the next day.

            Little did I know the heart catheterization, what it found, and subsequently repaired was the true blessing of this whole nightmarish event. They discovered a 99% blockage in my right coronary artery and a 94% blockage in my left descending artery. This was the true blessing; both were discovered and corrected before causing any damage to my heart. As I expressed when I started this message, God speaks to us at times in unexpected ways.

My hope for this message is that it changes your perception of God’s Eternity.  My perception of Eternity has changed because of one dream and enlightened by one health event. I can now say, no longer does my vision of eternity start with my entrance into Heaven. I’m living in eternity right now. Even though my surroundings will change the day I leave this earth, I won't be any more "real" than I am right now. I actually entered eternity when God created me in my mother's womb.

Solomon wrote, "God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Living your life on earth with an eye on eternity is not a means of escaping reality. Instead, it is living with your eyes wide open and your mind fully engaged on what is truly real and eternal.

I Pray God’s love and His peace will be with you all in your times of need.  Amen.

Let us Pray: 

God of dreams and all things mysterious, how we you lift us up on eagle’s wings and carry us to safe places, lead us to still waters, and feed us with the bread of life. Thank you for this your messenger who has brought your message for all who have ears that would hear your still small voice and eyes that would see Jesus, humble, meek, and mild. Grant us all courage to trust you and live for you.

We pray as you taught us to pray:Our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

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Or you can send to 952 Bethel Church Road, Spring City, Pa. 19475. God bless you!