Good morning my dear Brothers and Sisters, family and friends. All of us here remember our
dear Sister Lydia Lemmon. She was many things to each and every one of us. Mother, Sister, Friend,
Grandmother, Great-grandmother...... And although I knew her less time than any of you, to me she
was extra special. She was my friend and the grandmother that I never really had as well as my Sister
in Christ.
She would often tell me stories about her husband, Bro. Forrest Lemmon. She would often tell
me about how hard he worked to write his exhortations, taking days scribbling on paper every word
he wished to express. And we shared in our regret that I never got a chance to meet him. So I thought
it fitting today that I resurrect a little bit of Bro. Forrest in his words given as an exhortation back in
October of 1992. The Exhortation was entitled Many are called.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are indeed a very privileged people.
We are given so great a hope, so great an opportunity even though we are undeserving. And we
cannot at times help but wonder why. We have done so little. There is so little difference between us
and our neighbors down the street, or so it seems to us. But we read in Isaiah chapter 55 beginning at
verse 8:
Isaiah 55:8 (8)For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways,
saith the Lord. (9)For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God knows all things from the beginning even to the end. But I am afraid that, for the most
part, we, like Annanias, (that is the Annanias that the Lord sent to heal the eyes of Saul), we like
Annanias would be hesitant to do God’s will when told to heal Saul’s eyes. But God told Annanias to
do His bidding, for he is a chosen vessel unto me. Not he will be, but he IS a chosen vessel unto me.
So we never know who God has chosen. Whether they seem good or evil in our eyes. We can just
imagine the fear the early Christians had of Saul. As he went about with such a zealous ambition to
destroy them. We never think of the good he was doing for them, nor do I imagine, did they, as he
gave them opportunity to suffer for Christ’s sake. But even as we utter this thought, we realize that
perhaps we underestimate them, for Stephen’s very last words as he died from being stoned were...
Lord lay not this sin to their charge.
Thoughts like these seem almost beyond our comprehension, but can you imagine Stephen
standing there and the crowd full of bitterness and hate, taking up stones to slay him, each stone,
though perhaps not lethal in itself, is still capable of bodily injury and hurt. And as the stones began
to take their toll, Stephen called to God Saying,” Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And he kneeled down
and cried with a loud voice Lord, Lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell
asleep.. Where can we find a better example of judge not or condemn not, or love your enemies, or
do good to those that hate you , except in our Lord Jesus Christ from whom Stephen learned these
ways. Did we notice as we started reading in Galatians a few days ago as Paul tells of his past history
when he persecuted the church. Let us look at a few verses in Galatians
Gal 1:13 (13)For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how
that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: (14)And
profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being
more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. (15)But when it
pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called [me] by
his grace, (16)To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the
heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: (17)Neither went I
up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia,
and returned again unto Damascus.
We hate to stop reading there, it is all so interesting, but what we wanted to bring out is found
in the 15th verse. “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called
me by his grace” We see here that Paul realized that from the very beginning, he was called out. He
was separated from the average, even among his own class. A little different, not that he realized it
then at the beginning, but he could see it plainly later in life. And we think also that the Lord’s words
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” could hardly apply to anyone more than they applied
to Paul. For he surely had not chosen the Lord Jesus. Yet we see that the Lord Jesus did choose him.
When we read a comment like this “Ye have not chosen me, But I have chosen you,” I am afraid that
on the whole, we read it a little too lightly. We don’t see the depth of the statement or how real or
how sincere it is. But here in the case of Paul, we can see the true meaning of it. Ordinarily when we
read it, we would have to acknowledge that the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves, and
whatever He says is the Truth. But down deep in ourselves, we have a tendency to think that we have
chosen Him, even if it was secondary. But when we look closely at the statement that says quite
plainly: “Ye have not chosen Me” and when we think on that for a moment, we start to realize that we
are indeed a very privileged people. We are given so great a hope, so great an opportunity, even
though we are undeserving. As the Lord says “That I have chosen you”. We notice that he chose
Peter, and Andrew and James and John as they walked along the seaside, calling to them and telling
them, that he would make them fishers of men. And they left their work and followed him. Then a
certain scribe came and said to Him “Master, I will follow thee withersoever thou goest” But the Lord
said to him, “The Foxes have holes, and birds of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not
where to lay [his] head.” We would think, at least from a worldly point of view, that an educated
man would be a great asset to the Lord and that would be a great help in the work that the Lord had
planned for His Disciples. But as we mentioned earlier, our ways and our thoughts and our plans, are
not the Lord’s. But ours are heavily influenced, if not actually the ways of the world which we have to
overcome. But it is human nature which is born and bred in us, and it is not easily overcome. It had
been mentioned from the platform the last two Sundays where Israel says the way of the lord is not
equal and it was proved that the way of the Lord was right and the way of man was lacking. There is
no question about that, but the thought is .. do not we at times react a little like Israel and question the
Lord’s ways. Does it seem at times a little unfair, not that we would question it, but because we
know the way of the Lord is right whether it agrees perfectly with out thoughts or not. We think at
times of Jacob and Esau, of Jacob’s obtaining the Birthright, Of Isaac being deceived concerning the
venison and the blessings. And the thoughts come to mind how that some of these problems could
have easily been solved if Jacob had been born first. God knew them before they were born. He
knew their character and he chose the way it was to be, no doubt to some extent for our learning. The
Lord says we didn’t choose him, yet down deep in ourselves, we feel that we did at least in a way.
But it seems that where we notice it most is with the workers in the vineyard who agreed to work for
a penny a day. Is there any of us that doesn’t sympathize a little with those who worked through the
heat of the long hard day and in the end received only the same as those who worked only an hour in
the cool of the evening. Perhaps it is because we compare ourselves with those who were first hired
and they, as we, have spent a long time in the Truth. We see that the time we receive our reward is
near at hand. Are we going to be put out or disappointed if we see those who have just come into the
meeting for a few days or a few months or a few years receiving all that we had hoped for. I hope
not. I hope that when the time does come that we shall not complain saying Lord, these who have
only one hour have received the same as us who have borne the burden through the heat of the day.
Yes I hope this is not the case but rather that the Lord shall see our joy that those who have turned
from their evil ways shall receive their reward whether it was in the very last hour or not. Yes there
should be a cause of great joy and gladness. For we read that even the Angels in heaven rejoice over
one sinner who repenteth. If the Lord is willing to accept those who turn to Him in the last hour, it
doesn’t cost us a cent. We will still get the same reward that we have been hoping for all through the
day if we endure unto the end. It is only the end product that counts. If the sinner turns from his evil
way, he shall live. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto
him. While it is the same, just the opposite with the righteous who turn from their righteous ways, all
his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned, and his trespass that he hath trespassed
and in his sins that he hath sinned in them shall he die.
Yes the way of the Lord is quite equal or fair or just. As I looked through the Valpo paper the
other day, I saw in bold type “Only God Can Tell the Sheep from the Goats.” It was an article
about a woman who writes, at times, for the paper and whenever I have read it, it is a mixture of
every day life and religion. Well, it seems that she and her husband had gone to the county fair and as
they entered into an exhibit by the side entrance, her citified husband asked, “What are these?”
“Sheep minus the wool,” she answered, as she heads up close for a better look. She had owned
horses, she says, when she was young and she refers to herself as a semi-country girl and as the
resident expert on farm animals in the family. When she concentrated on them for several minutes,
she changed her mind, saying “No, I think they’re goats.” “Are you sure,” he asked? “Trust me,
dear,” she replied, “they are goats.” She then went on to say how she enjoyed it when her husband
turns to her on matters where he thinks she oozes with knowledge. She says, inwardly, I doubted my
judgment call but I kept up a good front until we exited through the main entrance and glanced up at
the sign that said SHEEP and she and her credibility as an animal expert died right there. They then
went on to the goats and she said she analyzed the nanny goats very carefully and, except for a few
differences in appearance and behavior, the goats looked very similar to the sheered sheep in many
respects and it was an easy mistake for her untrained eye to make.
She then goes on to say, “Each time our untrained eye judges others,we stand in the Lord’s
place, but it is only Jesus, the good shepherd, who knows who are truly His, so we would have a hard
time seeing Paul as one of the Lord’s sheep in the early ecclesia, but the Lord told Annanias, “He is a
chosen vessel unto me; not an average convert, not a black sheep that needs to change his ways but a
very special person in the Lord’s eyes. A chosen vessel.
So it is very plain that we cannot see as the Lord sees and we cannot tell which are the sheep
and which are the goats. It is no wonder that the Lord tells us to: Love our enemies. Bless them that
curse you. Do good to them that hate you and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute
you. Yes, we just can’t tell which are the sheep and which are the goats and we see that even the
disciples were not too accurate in this respect for John said, “Master, we saw one casting out devils in
thy name and he followed not with us and we forbade him because he followeth not us,” but Jesus
said, “Forbid him not, for there is no man that can do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak
evil of me, for he that is not against us is on our part.” And so brothers and sisters, since our thoughts
are not the Lord’s thoughts, His are so high above ours and we cannot tell the sheep from the goats;
only the Lord can and so, we don’t want to offend one of the little ones in the Lord’s name and we are
not always sure. In fact, we are never sure who they are, so our only hope is to follow the instructions
that our brother read to us this morning from the sixth chapter of Galatians. We will close with a few
verses of the sixth chapter of Galatians.
At the seventh verse we read;
Gal 6:7 (7)Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall
he also reap. (8)For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (9)And
let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not. (10)As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all [men],
ESPECIALLY unto them who are of the household of faith.

Bro. Forrest Lemmon
10/04/1992

Through his words. I have gotten to know Bro. Forrest even though I never met him. Many
people think that this is the key to everlasting life. Being remembered by their loved ones enough
that others who never met them feel that they knew them too. And for many this is the only blessing
they hope for. But in my opinion I see Bro. Forrest as doubly blessed, for not only is he fondly
remembered now, but in that day, be it God’s will, we will stand together, face to face working hand
in hand for the Glory of God. And then we will know the true blessing.