The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lasser Bradley Jr. Mm-hmm. Dozen tumblers seem My great Redeemer's praised the glories of my god and key, the triumphs of his race. Dear friends, before we bring you today's message, we have an announcement to share with our listeners. This is La Serre Bradley III, son of La Serre Bradley junior.
The founder and voice of this broadcast for seventy three years. who passed from this life into glory on Saturday, may ninth, twenty twenty six. He was ninety one years old, just three days removed from his birthday. For nearly three quarters of a century Lasserre Bradley, junior consistently brought forth what he referred to as the message of God's sovereign grace. beginning at the age of seventeen, with only enough money to pay for the first broadcast, Lesser trusted God to provide what was needed to continue sharing God's Word via radio, and his paper the Baptist Witness.
The Lord has indeed provided. And thanks to the generosity of many listeners and supporters, the broadcast has continued week after week, year after year, for seventy three years without interruption. Those of you who have been faithful listeners over the years know the voice you are about to hear. you know what it meant to this man to preach the Word of God and to preach it faithfully. Dad is survived by his beloved wife of nearly sixty two years, Emily.
their three children, twenty one grandchildren, and nineteen great grandchildren, who were the joy of his life. Dad faced challenges in his final years, including physical trials of many kinds. but he faced them with grace and courage.
However, his ultimate optimism never dimmed. his confidence in what awaited him in glory never wavered. He was faithfully proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to everyone he could come into contact with, and continued to direct the programming of this broadcast to the end. We aim to continue this ministry and legacy by keeping the broadcast available for generations to come. will provide updates in the coming days, and will continue to evaluate the extent of the ministry as financial capacity allows.
In a moment you will hear Leserre Bradley preach, as we bring the message entitled Longing for Home. We pray it blesses you to day, as His life and ministry have blessed so many for so long. In years gone by, when I was filling a lot of preaching appointments across the country, I would sometimes be gone for a week. or even two weeks. As long as I had another appointment to fill, I was content to be where I was.
I think about some of those special trips. When I got back home, I was able to report that in the services there had been 30 people confessing their faith in Christ. desiring baptism.
So there were some joyful days. But Once I've finished my appointments I wanted to come home. And many a time I've left after a service, maybe on a Friday night. and driven into the long hours of the morning, because I was longing for home. And to get there and turn down the driveway and see that porch light on.
just brought great joy. And I was home.
Well, there is A better home that we long for We long for that home that's on the other side. And there's a song by that title that expresses much of what I want to say in my sermon this morning. It goes like this. I'm only a pilgrim and a stranger. in this unfriendly world that I roam.
For Jesus, who has brought me from darkness, has promised me a heavenly home. In the Bible, we read of a city whose builder and ruler is God. And some day when this life is over, its beautiful sights we'll behold. I'm longing for home, the sun goeth down. I want to go where sweet rest can be found.
I'm just about through with this old house of clay. I'm leaving this world. for glory some day. When the last weary mile has been traveled, and the gates of that city swing wide. Oh, what a glad feeling 'twill be to know that heaven is mine.
Beyond the dark veil of sorrows, with Jesus forever I'll be. On to that city I'm going. The whole The Saviour to see. I'm longing for home, the sun goeth down. I want to go where sweet rest can be found.
I'm just about through with this old house of clay. I'm leaving this world for glory.
Someday. Go on. Poor hull. Read from 2 Corinthians. Chapter five Beginning in verse 1.
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. If so be that being unclothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan. been burdened.
And that we would be un not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. For he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore, we are always confident, I say, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident I say and willing to be absent from the body.
And present With the Lord.
Well, the Apostle Paul was a Micro. And when he talks about This tabernacle being taken down, he may have had in mind. what it was like as he built tents And they were only a temporary dwelling place. It wasn't a place where people were going to stay permanently. And in that light He says our bodies are like the tent or the tabernacle that's going to be taken down.
It's uh going to be supplanted That's something Far better.
So he says I'm willing to be absent from the body. and present with the Lord. Long in For home. In Philippians 1:21, he says, For to me to live is Christ. And to die is gain.
To die is gain.
Now it's a natural thing that men have a fear of death. It's an unknown experience. I don't know what this is going to be like, and there's a natural dread for it. But Paul was saying To die is gain. I'm looking forward to that time that I depart this life.
and go to be with the Lord. But notice he says in conjunction with that, to live is Christ.
So it's only as we live to the honor of Christ to His glory that we can be in expectation Of that which is on the other side that we desire so much, to be able to say. To die his gain. Wrong in For home. Romans 8, 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waited for the manifestation of the Sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain until now. And not only they, but we ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of the body.
We groan within ourselves. But one thing that was made clear in all of these expressions when Paul is talking about longing for home. The longing is not just to be delivered from our troubles and difficulties here. but to be present with the Lord. to be with him forever.
And yet it is a fact. We do often groan amidst the struggles and burdens of life. We groan within ourselves. We're waiting for the adoption of the redemption of the body. which will be the final culmination of making God's people what he intends to make them.
They are glorified and conformed perfectly to the image of Christ. And then Back in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Verse 16. For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. The fact is this outward man is perishing.
Uh you can Put all kinds of skin cream on, you can anoint yourself, spray yourself, go to the gym, you can do everything possible, but this whole body is going to fall apart one day. It's going downhill. yet the inward man is renewed day by day. In our fellowship with the Lord, in our communion with Him, we find strength with Him. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding.
an eternal weight of glory.
Now somebody may say, well now hold up. I don't quite get that. It says, I light affliction. My affliction is not light. They say I have had deep troubles.
I have Great physical problems. I have various conflicts and stresses in life. My afflictions are great and they're not just for a moment, they go on and on. But here's what you have to look at. This is comparing Whatever our current afflictions may be, to the glory.
That is to come. And that glory that's coming is beyond our ability to comprehend. The original language from which our translation comes. Has terms that speak of it in the broadest of terms of expectation, something beyond what we can imagine.
So when you compare your present trouble, your afflictions of this time, even though they seem long here, Compared to what's coming, these things are light. These things are but a short time. How good to know, then, that the troubles that we do have Drive us to the Lord. They humble us. And they make us be thinking more about that which is on the other side.
Which while we look not at things which are seen, but at things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. See, part of our problem is we get so focused on the things that are seen, we don't even look at the things that are unseen. And to somebody, that seems strange language. How can you talk about seeing what is unseen?
Well, you see it by the eye of faith. You see it because it's promised in God's Word. But you get bogged down looking at the things that are in your way on a daily basis, looking at the things that are seen, and they trouble you and perplex you. But when you can look on the things not seen. you begin to long for home.
Troubles and sufferings cause us then to fix our eyes on the unseen. and with the signs of old age. Up here, you realize that this old frame is going to be replaced. It's awaiting renewal. Love me.
Score phone. And then Hebrews 11, 13. These all died in faith. not having the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
So when they embrace the promises of God, They confess, we're but strangers, we're but passing through. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is a heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to call them.
To be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. Yes. Wait. Claim the promises of God. and we are but strangers and pilgrims here.
We're just passing through this world. This is not our home. We're longing For home. First John chapter three, verse two. Beloved, Now are we the sons of God?
And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All of our life, we've been seeing Him only by our faith. We seem when we read the scripture, when we hear the scripture preached, when we sing songs about the greatness of our Savior. But that great day is coming when we shall see him as he is. Can you even imagine that today?
what it will be to see Jesus Christ face to face. Oh, we can save your Savior. I've trusted you. I've talked to you in prayer. I've been believing in you.
I've been rejoicing in your goodness and mercy. But oh, to see you and be in your presence and know I'm here to live with you forever. Longing for home. But longing for home Doesn't mean what some might interpret it to mean, so we have to give a word of caution. Paul did not mean that he was disgusted with life.
that he was just ready to pitch in the towel and give up. For he said in that verse we already quoted, For to me to live is Christ. Yes, to die is gain, but to live is Christ. I want to live to His glory. I want to serve Him.
As long as He has a work for me to do, I want to be here and be active in it.
So he says in verse 22 of Philippians 1, But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labors. Yet what I shall choose I won't. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And he goes on to say that by living, he would be able to strengthen and further their faith.
So there was conflict, having a straight betwixt two. I'd like to go on to be with the Lord, because that's far better, to go in His presence and live with Him. But there's a need for me to stay here too, because there's a work for me to do. I need to be able to minister to you in the church and teach you and guide you in the way that you should go. And I dare say that Most of us can relate.
to that conflict. Pick and say. Yes. Has the Burdens of life weighed us down. And we think about the joy and bliss on the other shore.
To die as gain and Lord. I'd love to go be with you soon. And then you began to think about family members that you need to help. Work, maybe, that you need to do yet in the kingdom of God, and you say, I'm in a strait betwixt two. I desire to depart.
But I don't want to leave my obligations here. And so Paul was not pitching him the towel. He was not saying life is so rough, I give up.
Now, life was rough for the Apostle Paul. You think about how many times he was beaten, how many times he was in prison, his body must have been in a horrible shape when he was beaten three different times with stripes, 39 stripes, and all of the sufferings that he endured. But um She wasn't giving up. He wasn't saying, life's been too rough. I can't take it anymore.
Lord, just take me on. Because he gives this admonition In 1 Corinthians 15, Yeah. Therefore, my beloved brethren, Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain. in the Lord. That's a word of encouragement, is it not?
That comes at the conclusion of that chapter when he's talked about the resurrection of the body. He's talking about ultimate victory, and we'll have that glorified body conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Therefore, in view of this, he says, be steadfast. Don't give up. Don't be discouraged.
No matter what persecution you may face, no matter what discouragement may come your way, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Not just being half-hearted about it, but enthusiastic about it, zealous in it, abounding in the work of the Lord. Can you say that today? that in your life You're abounding in the work of the Lord. Is it just kind of a sideline interest that you pick up on Sunday and then forget it the rest of the week?
Are you abounding in the work of the Lord? Are you praying daily for people that you know have need? Are you praying for the opportunity to minister to others that you might be able to help? Are you praying for the understanding of God's Word to make the right application of it in your life? Oh, that we might be abounding in the work of the Lord.
And the good news is, he says, that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Sometimes you may feel like it is. But your labor is not in vain. I admit I have. discouragements and sometimes wonder, well, Are my efforts producing in it fruit, Try to have The radio broadcast going on on Sundays and on The daily as well. And uh just the other day, Man, call me and He said uh I've known him for a good while.
He said, Well, I've been going through some very, very difficult times. And he gave me some details which I could understand how troubled he was. He said, I decided my wife and I needed to get away for a couple of days, and so we were driving. down south and said just happened to turn on the radio and all of a sudden your program came on. He said, I didn't even know it was on down there, but there it was, and the message you brought was designed for me.
Everything you said applied to my case. And the Lord used that to lift my spirits and to give me guidance about what I needed to do. And so when he hung up, I just said, thank you, Lord. I'm grateful for those words of encouragement. Where I have to take you at your word that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, but sometimes you begin to question.
Well, what does it mean? Longing for home. longing to be with Christ. is better than to be here. John 14, verse 1, Jesus says, Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go and prepare a place for you.
Now think of that. Here these disciples are troubled when Jesus tells them he's going to go away. But he says, I'm going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. Yes, I'm going away, but I'm going to be preparing a place for you, and then I'm going to come back, and you're going to be with me.
And there are numerous places in Scripture where it speaks of the fact that Jesus wants to be with his people.
Now we can understand our desire to be with him, but it's amazing to think he wants to be with us.
Well, the reason he wants to be with us Is not because of any natural attraction in us. We are ruined, fallen sinners. But He wants to be with us because He loved us, because He redeemed us, because He has transformed us, because He has made us new creatures. in themselves. and therefore he desires to be with us.
looking for that great day of victory in Christ. There will be a day when he appears before the Father according to Hebrews 2.13 and says, Behold, I am the children which God hath given me. With delight, he brings the whole family, all of the chosen, all of the redeemed, and presents them and says, Father, here they are. Not one is missing. I redeemed them.
I went to the cross. I laid down my life. I shed my blood that they might be washed. Their sins were put on me, and my righteousness was put on them. I called them, I sustained them, I held them up, I preserved them, and here they are.
Behold, I am the children which thou hast given me. And then we look at Revelation chapter 21 verse 3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. And he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. Isn't this something wonderful to be thinking about?
Longing for home, longing to be in that place where he will dwell with his people. God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. Doesn't that sound wonderful? No more no more pain.
No more crime. No more disappointment. Tears wiped away. No more temptation, no more sin. No more broken hearts.
But with him forever, longing. Vlogging or hell. Life is the gift of God. And we're to make the best. Of it all, and the time that we have here to live for His glory.
None of us know how much time we have. As we go down the path of life and get older and we See the fulfillment of what Scripture tells us that this whole tabernacle is beginning to. Look toward the end. We think more about this, is what's on the other side. But while we're here, we're to thank God for the life He's given us.
And seek to live it to His glory. In 1 Timothy 6, 17, Paul says, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
So he has given us things that we are to enjoy. It doesn't mean that a Christian has to be sour and always frustrated and unhappy. It's all right to be happy. It's all right to rejoice. You rejoice in the Lord always.
Be thankful for what you have.
So We're thankful for what we have here, that we have family and friends. Daily provisions. We have the church and the fellowship that we enjoy in the church. But we long for that eternal home on the other side. Morning.
Longing for home. When comes to the weary a blessed relief When upward we pass to his kingdom of peace. When free from the woes that on earth we must bear, we'll say good night here. But good morning up there, good morning up there, where Christ is the light. Good morning up there where cometh no night When we step from this earth To God's heaven so fair, We'll say good night here, But good morning up there.
When fadeth the day and dark shadows draw nigh. When Christ close at hand Is not death to die. He'll wipe every tear, roll away every care. We'll say good night here, but good morning up there. Good morning up there where Christ is the light.
Good morning up there where cometh no night? When we step from this earth to God's heaven so fair, We'll say good night here, But good morning up there.
